Fear is a Lie.

If you’re anything like me, you are no stranger to fear. It accompanies big changes, decisions and unknowns. The “What If’s” can sometimes be too many to count.

There are dozens of verses throughout the Bible that tell us not to fear. But just hearing, “Don’t be afraid” doesn’t make fear any less real. It wasn’t until I realized why I shouldn’t be afraid that my fears began to disintegrate.

When we fear something and analyze all of the “What If’s” that could happen, we aren’t seeing the whole picture. Anytime I fear something, I am imagining a potential circumstance that is absent of God. His presence is not included in my “What If” scenario.

Fear is taking God out of the equation in a possible circumstance.

Fear is a lie. Because God will always be in every situation, any “What If” that I am fearing will never actually happen. That doesn’t mean bad things won’t happen. But God will always be there, walking with me through whatever comes my way.

Psalm 23 is a beautiful passage. After reading it and soaking in the truths of God in it, my fears tend to fall by the wayside.

Psalm 23

The Lord Is My Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Isn’t God good?! This Psalm has so many beautiful truths about God that show us why we shouldn’t be afraid. It says that the Lord is our Shepherd. He leads us. He restores us. He is with us. He comforts us. He anoints us.

God is with us. This truth alone should give us reason enough to not be afraid!

So what are you afraid of? What are those “What If’s” you are tossing around?

It could be a big move, a job change, losing a relationship, disappointing someone, failing at something you’ve put a lot of effort into, losing a job, getting sick…the possibilities are endless!

But those things listed above are lies.

I’m not saying that they won’t happen. Any one of those could happen to anybody. But it is not the whole picture. Instead of just focusing on the “What if”, remember God in the equation.

What if you have a big move coming? But God is with you, and is already in that new place as well.

What if you have a job change? But God will go with you, and has a plan for you in this new job.

What if you lose a relationship? But God will never leave you.

What if you disappoint someone? But God already sees all that you are, and is not disappointed. He embraces you despite your shortcomings through Christ.

What if you fail at something? But God doesn’t expect perfection from you. Christ was perfection for you, so that you can have a relationship with God.

Any “What If” you are afraid of can be destroyed when you place “But God” after it. Instead of analyzing all the things that could go wrong, focus on the truth that God will always be with you, and is in control.

Fear is a lie.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:26

I Want My Future Husband to Love Someone Else More Than Me

Did anyone else grow up making lists of what they wanted in a future spouse?

Growing up in youth group, I was no stranger to girls Bible study and youth retreats. I remember at girls bible study we would discuss what traits were most important in a future husband. We were encouraged to write out a list of what we wanted, and then we would share it with each other.

We would always start out with the important ones… “He’s a Christian, he has a great family, he’s funny, respectful, he protects me, and my family likes him…”

And then some girls would trail off and include super specific things like hair color, eye color, height, and income.

We would make this super detailed list of what “The One” looks like, forming the perfect guy in our minds. But then we began dating, and realized that it’s not as cut-and-dry as carrying around a checklist and assessing each guy you meet.

The guys that we created on those checklists aren’t real people.

Real people are messy, sinful and beautiful. They struggle, laugh and cry. Marshall Segal wrote, “The search for a spouse isn’t a pursuit of perfection, but a mutually flawed pursuit of Jesus.”

With this in mind, what should we look for in a spouse?

I want my future husband to love someone else more than me.

I want him to be so in love with Jesus that his joy, hope and satisfaction is found in Christ alone. It will be my frequent prayer that he loves Jesus more than me.

In our culture today, we have created this idea of  “The One”. It raises our expectations for our spouse, and turns them into an idol. As talked about in a previous post, God created us to worship. And when we worship anything that isn’t God, it becomes an idol.

“A problem with worshiping these other things is that they never truly satisfy us, because we were created to only be satisfied by God Himself. So we worship those other things in hopes that they’ll make us happy. We place all of our worth, value and hope in something, and then it lets us down. It doesn’t satisfy, so then we just try to get more of that thing, hoping it actually satisfies the next time. And it becomes a viscous cycle of more.”

I don’t want my future husband to love me more than Christ, because I can’t fully satisfy him; only Christ can. His greatest joy is found in Christ, and so is mine.

So what are you looking for in a future spouse? Do they have to be 5’7’’, play guitar, make $100,000 salary and have blue eyes? Or are you looking for a mutually flawed person pursuing Jesus above everything else in their life? 

No Good Thing: God hears you. God knows you.

Do you ever feel far away from God?  Like God doesn’t care about your struggles? Like He is holding out on you?

Me too.

I wrote in the last post about how my basement recently flooded. We have now begun the process of packing up all of our belongings to move. Right now, the idea of home is just a memory that was quickly taken away after Christmas. Feelings of frustration, displacement and nostalgia have been so strong.

But then I read Psalm 84.

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does he withhold

from those who walk uprightly.”

Psalm 84:11

No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

When I read this, my first thought is, “Really, God? You took away my home…that seemed like a pretty good thing.”

But as I lay down my selfish desires and seek the Lord’s heart, I realize that it is true. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Another way to look at it is, God will give the best thing possible to those who walk uprightly. There may be good things that you want that God isn’t giving you. This isn’t because He doesn’t care; it’s because that thing is not His best for you right now.

Israel went through a time of extreme hardship during their slavery to Egypt. They were constantly overworked and mistreated. But God was near to them.

“During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” Exodus 2:23-25

God heard. God knew.

Isn’t that beautiful?

In the midst of our hardest trial, we often think that God doesn’t hear us. That He isn’t listening or even aware of what we’re going through.

But the same God that heard Israel’s cry of deliverance is hearing your cry too.

God hears you. God knows you. He withholds no good thing.

How do you feel like God is holding out on you? What is that good thing He isn’t giving you? Is it the job that you deserve? The health that you’ve been fighting for? That boy that you’ve been waiting to ask you to coffee? The comfort of a home to go to at night?

Whatever you’re crying out to God for, He hears you. And if He isn’t giving you that thing, then it is not His best for you.

That doesn’t make your circumstance any easier. But it does give a sense of peace in the storm.

Maybe God isn’t giving you what you’re praying for so that you’ll depend on Christ more than whatever you’re asking for. Growing closer to Christ is always best for you in any situation. So let your cry be for greater intimacy with Christ, within the storm you’re going through.

No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all,

how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”

Romans 8:32

Flood Waters – Why Money, Sex and Comfort will Never Satisfy Us

It has been an interesting past 48 hours in my household.

It was the day after Christmas. We had hung up, plugged in, and organized all of our new gifts. The day we had been waiting weeks for had just past, and we were enjoying the recent addition to our already many blessings.

Then, we noticed water on the carpet.

It had been raining all day, and water had made its way through the foundation. The entire basement floor soon became drenched in water.

Instantly, we began unplugging electronics, moving everything off of the carpet, and lifting furniture onto cans.

Our cherished gifts that were new and exciting only 24 hours ago are now trying to be salvaged from water, mold and mildew.

Bitterness has crept into my heart over my room being drenched and the inconvenience that it brings. But as I sit in the upstairs part of the house waiting for the basement to dry, God has begun speaking to my heart.

My frustration over the past 48 is actually extremely common. In fact, we all feel it. This frustration and disappointment comes from a result of worshiping idols.

An idol is anything that we worship that isn’t God.

Human beings were created to worship. The very fiber of our being craves to worship and be filled and satisfied by what we are worshiping. God made us that way. And He made us in such a way that when we worship Him, we are completely and fully satisfied.

Everybody worships, even if they aren’t a Christian.

Author and speaker Jeff Bethke wrote, “You might say, I don’t believe in God, but the bible says: “not possible.” See, everyone has a god whether or not it’s the god of the gospel. You might not believe in God, but everyone has that one thing that’s king. Even the dictionary defines God as “whatever we make supreme.”

Ever since Genesis 2, human beings have chosen to turn away from worshiping God, and worship themselves. We freely chose to turn from God, which broke this perfect relationship between man and God.

But, God had a plan to restore this relationship. Romans 5:8 says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” While we were worshiping everything except God, God pursued us. He came and died for us, so that we could have that relationship with Him again. So that we could worship Him freely and spend eternity worshiping Him and being satisfied in Him.

This is INCREDIBLE news, isn’t it?!

The crazy thing is, we are so quick to forget it. We are so quick to turn away from worshiping the Creator, and we worship the things He has created instead.

A problem with worshiping these other things is that they never truly satisfy us, because we were created to only be satisfied by God Himself. So we worship those other things in hopes that they’ll make us happy. We place all of our worth, value and hope in something, and then it lets us down. It doesn’t satisfy, so then we just try to get more of that thing, hoping it actually satisfies the next time. And it becomes a viscous cycle of more.

More.

More.

And we will never be satisfied.

God is so good to not let us be satisfied by these other things. Because eventually, we get to a point of frustration and desperation. And in this moment, we turn to God and remember that we should have been worshiping Him the whole time.

He satisfies.

So ask yourself, what are you worshiping?

If you aren’t sure, ask yourself another question. What is the one thing in your life that if taken away, you feel like you couldn’t live any longer?

Whatever your answer is tell you what you are worshiping.

So really, what are you worshipping? Is it relationships? Money? Sex? Religion? Comfort? Possessions? I was forced to ask myself this question when feelings of bitterness crept in as my room was flooded.

None of these things will ever satisfy the core of our beings. Only God can.

To end, I wanted to share a short Youtube video and lyrics that really address worship, idols, and God’s grace.

He is better than anything this world can offer.

“He was thinking of you and me 

with every whip that beat Him, 

knowing full well we’d still go, 

'nah, I don’t really need Him.'

 But like a father, he couldn’t bear his children to not be free.

 So He tied up that tree, paid our fee, 

for specks of dirt like you and me

So my plea is

 let Him restore His proper place. 

I promise you He loves you right now. 

Just trust in His grace.

 Because before I leave, 

I’ll leave you with this:

What of those other things took nails in their wrists?

 Or how about when was the last time money or sex forgave you?

 When did your boyfriend set you free 

from all you’re enslaved to?

 What else died so that you could be made new?

 Or when was the last time the world promised satisfaction, and actually came through?”

-Jeff Bethke

Trials: If Your Christian Life is Easy, Then You Probably Aren’t Following Jesus

There is a toxic teaching in our culture today that says becoming a Christian makes your life easy; if you become a Christian and have enough faith, you will not get sick and you will be blessed financially. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

I would argue that becoming a Christian actually makes your life harder.

However, it also gives meaning, purpose, hope and true joy to life.

Jesus talked about this when He was on the earth. Matthew 16:24-26 says, “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?’”

That’s the tradeoff. We can live for ourselves and gain the whole world, but it won’t last long. Eventually, we will die and everything we have gained in this life will be gone. Or, we can follow Christ. That means denying ourselves and taking up our cross after Jesus. We will not gain the world, but will have an eternal reward with Jesus.

When you have truly met Jesus and experienced just how good He is, you understand that suffering in this life is worth it. Jesus is better than anything the world has to offer.

As we go through hard times, it’s important to have the right perspective. When a trial comes, it can be easy to think that you’ve messed up.

It’s your fault.

You’ll never get it right.

This is not true.

Trials do not mean that you are not a real Christian; the Bible guarantees that Christians will face trials. If we say we do not struggle, then we are lying, and I would go so far as to say not even a Christian.

1 John 1:8 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

Being a Christian means acknowledging your sin, and admitting you aren’t good enough. It means trusting in Jesus for your salvation, and not trying to earn it on your own. We can’t do this if we say we do not struggle in the first place.

Acknowledging our struggles is important. But it shouldn’t stop there. Jesus’ brother, James, writes about how we should welcome trials because they grow us.

James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

When trials come, we must remember that following Christ through the trial will lead us into deeper joy.

Paul was no stranger to trials. In fact, he had an ongoing struggle that he described as a “thorn in the flesh.” Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians 12. Verses 7-10 say, “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul had an ongoing struggle throughout his life. This kept him from being prideful. He humbly clung to Christ throughout his trials, pointing to Jesus instead of himself.

So, how will you respond to this?

Maybe you think you really don’t struggle with sin or trials. If this is you, I pray that you get honest with yourself. Everybody struggles with sin. Either they are obliviously living in sin and enjoying it, or they know what they are doing but don’t want to give it up. I pray that you recognize your sin and turn to Jesus. He is better.

Maybe you are on the other side of this. You know how sinful you are, and are in the middle of a trial that keeps beating you down. Know that you are not alone. Continue taking up your cross and following Him. Although it is hard, He will lead you into a deeper joy, as He continues to work in your heart and life.

It is my prayer that we would embrace this attitude when trials come our way. We can be confident that Christ will use them for His glory and our good. Let us take up our cross and follow Him.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

  

Jesus Loves the People in ISIS & Used a Former Terrorist to Spread the Gospel

Over the past few weeks and months, ISIS has been all over the news. It seems as though every couple days, the group attacks somewhere else, leaving everyone in fear. Scrolling through Facebook, every other post is a status or article on ISIS and the latest headline. Fear, anger, and opinions are ubiquitous.

When people are being slaughtered, it’s easy and even natural to treat the perpetrators with disgust and hate. However, this is not how God treats the people in ISIS. He offers grace, forgiveness and love to them if they will accept it.

One of my favorite people in the Bible is Paul. He wrote thirteen books in the New Testament, traveled and preached extensively, and planted churches everywhere he went. God used Paul in massive ways to further His kingdom.

Although Paul did all of these things to further the gospel, this is not why he is my favorite. It is because his story shows that no one is too far gone for Christ to save them.

Before Paul became a Christian, he was a religious terrorist. He was obsessed with killing Christians. In fact, his name wasn’t even Paul; it was Saul. He was raised by Pharisee parents. Pharisees were the extremely religious people who thought they were saved by their good works. They did not show grace or love to anyone. In fact, Pharisees were the very people that killed Jesus.

As Saul grew up, he became zealous in religious extremism. He participated in arresting and killing Christians. During a time of extreme persecution of the church, Acts 8:3 says, “But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”

However, Jesus was near. He had a plan for Saul. In the next chapter of Acts, we see Saul encountering Jesus. Check it out:

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. (Acts 9:1-18)

Isn’t this an incredible story of redemption? Paul was literally on his way to kill more Christians, and Jesus met him where he was.

The Lord told Ananias that Paul was his chosen instrument to share the Gospel with the gentiles. This shows us that God can use ANYONE. Those who you think will never become a Christian. Those who hate Christians. Jesus can change anyone.

One of my all-time favorite passages of Scripture is Galatians 1:23-24. Paul wrote, “They only heard the report: ‘The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they praised God because of me.”

This passage gives me chills. Jesus used a man who used to kill Christians to bring praise and glory to His name.

So what does Paul have to do with ISIS?

Paul originally thought that his killing of Christians was an act of service to God. He had devoted his life to their demise. ISIS is doing the same thing. While they are killing more than just Christians, they are religious terrorists who think their killing is a service to God.

So my prayer is this; That God would open the hearts of the people in ISIS, like He did with Paul. Can you imagine it? If former ISIS members could say of themselves the same thing that Paul said in Galatians 1. “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

God is powerful enough to change the hearts of these people. Forgiveness is freely given to anyone who repents and turns to Jesus. The Gospel is for people who have grown up going to church their whole lives, and also for those who have killed Christians.

Romans 3:23-24 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

I beg that you pray this with me; that the people of ISIS would meet Jesus Christ and experience His grace and forgiveness and are forever changed.

One of my favorite authors and speakers, Jeff Bethke, wrote, “Enemy love changes the world. Enemy love breaks and transforms hearts. Enemy love makes people look to Jesus. And enemy love is nonnegotiable in the kingdom.”

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 5:43-48