healthy lifestyle

Beautifully Desperate

bible, christian, Christian lifestyle, encouragement

“For she said, ‘If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.'” – Mark 5:28

One of the most overlooked feelings, I have come to notice, is desperation. In a world constantly promoting independence and self-sustainability, being desperate is often one of the last ways a person would probably hope to be described as. But in the eyes of a God wanting nothing but the best for their child, no characteristic could be so critical.

There once was a woman with a hurt that seemed to have no end. Day after day, year after year, her illness remained persistent, but so did her humble heart. The moment that the Messiah was rumored to be passing through her town, she did what she had to do to reach Him. Even if it was just for a glimpse.

With the crowd growing and the judgment of those around her, knowing the unclean illness she had, this was no easy journey, but it was one that she believed would result in a life-changing blessing. She was desperate for the presence of God and she refused to allow the people or circumstances around her keep her from experiencing it.

I heard this quote the other day that said what we truly need is “an expectation that is willing to wait in His presence and a desperation that is willing to take action when He says to move.”

Chills. I know. And what a beautiful picture we see of that exact posture as we unpack this ill woman’s story.

With every step came concern and anxiousness, I am sure, as there is always the thought of rejection deep in the mind of those who act in desperation. But this was different. Within moments, a far away glimpse turned into a gentle contact with the One that so many have proclaimed to be the Messiah. What was once known as life was divided into the past and made into a new thing. In an act following her inward desperation for God and all the good things that He is, she was healed and freed from the identity society gave her as the “sick woman”.

Because of Jesus, she walked with a new name. Her steps were light as she allowed Him to take up her burdens. In her great desperation, came a great redemption.

My dear friend, there is a never ending supply of grace and freedom in the hands of Jesus. But until you empty your own hands and choose the humble path of a soul desperate for it’s maker, you will never give yourself the opportunity to experience that awe-striking presence of God.

As NON-self-sufficient as it may sound, a desperate heart after God’s own is a posture that one should pursue as long as they breathe.

In The Waiting – resting on the faithfulness of God when the future is unclear

christian, encouragement, lifestyle

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised, is faithful.”

-Hebrews 10:23

What I have come to realize is that you can make your vision board, build new disciplines, and focus all of your attention on the thing you are passionate about. But if it is not in God’s timing for you to be at a specific point in life, no amount of work can push you past His sovereignty.

You may meet people, get jobs, or get great opportunities through your hard work, but you know when it is not the door you have been praying God opens. Sometimes, or maybe if you are like me, a LOT of the time, the goal we seek to reach is often standing at the end of a long marathon of everyone’s favorite thing…waiting.

Believe me, I have been there. And in all honesty, I am still so far from the end of that great marathon I believe God is walking me through. Of course there are many blessings God reveals along the way. But what I speak of now is the period of time between the big dream and the actual experience.

Normally, my way of coping my anxiety and lost hope in these moments is through reminding myself that God is a God of seasons. And if I really feel like He is calling me to something, I believe eventually the flowers will bloom again. But lately, this strategy has been having a hard time giving me lasting peace. And thankfully, God seemed to have noticed because just the other day, He smacked me with a mountain of truth that left me in complete awe.

“I will believe I can know peace without knowing what comes next.” – Morgan Harper Nichols.

Maybe this quote doesn’t quite knock your socks off. But after enduring what has felt like forever of door after door shutting in my face, leaving me with nothing but confusion and growing insecurities, this hit deep. And just before I heard this quote, this one topic kept coming up around me: We cannot afford to live without being in awestruck wonder of God. Every. Single. Day.

But in order to capture the depth of that thought, we must first understand the verse above. This one verse speaks in three different tenses.

“Let us hold fast…” is in present tense. It is an instruction for what to do right now with the hope that God gives. “He who promised” is in future tense. Pointing to the statements of power and experience that have yet to be revealed in fullness. It is also offering the place where you find the hope it previously directs you to “hold fast” to. Lastly, “is faithful” is in past tense. This tells how the glory of God has already been expressed and has been proven credible.

But what truly drove me to this verse was the order in which it was written. It provided wisdom for the present and a peace for the future by reminding you of the past.

As the creator of time, God knows how it effects us. He knows that it grows us, but also limits us. With time being so powerful over our mortality, isn’t it such a blessing that God reveals Himself to be even more powerful over time? I would argue that although the present and future take up a large part of our concerns, it is often the past that drives our anxiety because we do not want the bad moments to find their way into impacting our limited future. Maybe you use the past as a growth opportunity or maybe you cannot seem to get over it. Regardless, its authority in our lives is undoubtedly influential.

What is truly beautiful is how God reveals Himself to be present in all 3 tenses, but it is the past that He uses to build our peace. The past is the only tense that will remain consistent. Nothing you do now or in the future will effect what has already happened.

Sound familiar? I am immediately reminded of the picture of God’s love. Because of what Jesus has done on the cross in the past, my present and future are covered in His grace because regardless of the changing seasons, His love was portrayed on Calvary and nothing I do can change what has already happened.

This my dear friend, is why reflecting on how you are left in awestruck wonder of God every single day is so critical to how you handle your future. As you force your eyes to seek God’s glory, regardless of your uncertain future and confusing present, you will still have a peace to abide in.

I don’t know if you caught it, but the quote from Nichols above is actually a statement in which she is aiming to discipline herself to, not a statement of how she naturally is. If you want to be at peace even when the next step in life is as foggy as can be, you need to steward your thoughts towards that which reminds you of the glory of God.

Waiting is hard. I am not going to pretend like it will be an exciting experience even after you build a God-glorifying mindset. But there will be a difference when you begin prioritizing a perspective reflecting God’s own. That invisible yet monumental feeling of being content in your present and hopeful in your future is captured in 5 little letters; peace. The peace of God is what allows us to focus on every moment and it’s great potential as anxiety bows and striving ceases.

I am sorry if you have been waiting for something for a long time. I really am, but acknowledging the burden of waiting on our own strength is the first step towards a peaceful freedom. So do not lose hope my friend because the faithfulness of the One you find your peace in has never and will never change. It is not temporary happiness nor numbing despair that will make your waiting season reveal it’s great purpose. I pray that the comfort of Christ meets you where you are in that long, long marathon so that the journey towards the finish line may become a part of the faithfulness you can look back on in the future.

Rest in His peace because He who promised is faithful indeed!

It’s LOVE Day!

Christian lifestyle

“for God so LOVED the world, that He gave His one and only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

It’s Valentines Day! This day, I feel, has a mixed response from many. Some are over joyed to spend the day with their significant other. Some simply go about the day just as any other. Some celebrate with their family or friends. And some grieve as they remember their lost loved ones.

I realize the sensitivity of this day is the same as many other holidays dedicated to celebrating certain people. But as I contemplated the way in which one could be happy on this day regardless of their circumstance, I had a thought.

What if we disciplined ourselves to express TRUE love to absolutely everyone we encounter this day?

The kind of love that is patient, forgiving, selfless, encouraging, comforting, etc. What kind of transformation would the lives of those around you have if you showed them a glimpse of the most real love?

I am sure you have heard people say “you should treat your significant other like its Valentine’s Day everyday” or “you should show Gods love everyday”. But the reality is, we are not perfect. There are days where expressing the kind of patient and unconditional love we are commanded to share is the LAST thing we want to do. Not to say that as an excuse, I am simply pointing out the flaw of being human.

So what if instead, we challenged ourselves REALLY hard to do it today?

I believe the impact that the Holy Spirit on our heart always results in change. When a person truly acknowledges the love of Christ, there is no reason they should remain just as they were before. With that being true, if we express that same love that Christ showed us, even for just one day, should it not lead to change and a renewal of the heart?

My dear friend, whether you are excited, sad, or neutral about Valentine’s Day, the love God has for you remains consistent. The comfort and wholeness that He gives you does not change based on your circumstances.

The greatest expression of love is revealed in the verse above. So when you wake up today and think about the heart posture you will have as you pass everyone celebrating this beautiful thing called love, think about the impact you could have if you let yourself be powered by the same love God revealed on the cross.

The result of God’s love brought life. I pray you not only feel that today but work your hardest to share it with others. You never know how much it could mean to the strangers you encounter today.

God, Turn It Around

Christian lifestyle, encouragement

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

In complete honesty, this week has been one of the most frustrating weeks in a long time. With my anxiety through the roof and getting extremely tempted to resort back to numbing my emotions, this section of scripture became more real to me than ever before.

Maybe you’re an overthinker. Or perhaps a perfectionist in a severely imperfect situation. Or maybe you are just stuck on the fence with your mind and heart telling you two completely different things. This world is flooded with battles far beyond the physical realm. And I am sorry to tell you my dear friend, but you are not and you will never be strong enough on your own to win them over. But I do have a life-giving secret to tell you.

Where you let go, God is let in.

There is a reason behind the excitement of the persecuted disciples in scripture. I am sure it was not in their hopes to be imprisoned or scolded by society for Christ’s sake. But they endured and continued to follow where the Lord lead them, even if it was to their enemies. Not because they were naive, but because they knew what mattered more than anything. They knew that before their feelings came the desperate need for restoration of the soul in themselves and those around them. The emotions that their flesh probably attempted to magnify had to be handled with deep consideration in their pursuit of Christ.

When the enemy cannot pull you to directly worship him, he hides himself in the unsteady emotions and feelings that make us push away, lose trust, or feel too ashamed to get closer to Jesus. That is all it is. A mission to focus your heart on anything besides the truth of Christ. But thank heavens for a God who pursues us even more.

The passage of scripture above talks about how the weapons in which a follower of Christ acquires through the building of their faith has the divine power to demolish strongholds and pretensions (claims) against what God says and who He is. Reread that. With a faith set on an undefeatble God, nothing against Him or the peace, hope, love, and purpose He instills in us will prevail. Now remember when I said you will never have the strength to claim victory over the attacks of the enemy on your own? That’s just it. You don’t have to do it on your own. When you set your heart and trust in the God who even death bows to, there is not a worry in the world about your inadequate strength. Jesus is will carry you.

This may be silly, but like a snapping turtle stuck in the road because the curb between him and the lake is too high to climb, he must stop snapping at the good fellow trying to pick him up and over to safety or he will remain behind that stronghold forever. My dear friend, it is not good for your soul to worship Jesus on Sundays and then withhold the other 6 days from Him. If you desire to have a chance against the spiritual warfare over your heart, you must let go and let God in.

What I realized lately is how badly it is my own pride and emotions that prevent me from experiencing the fullness of the Holy Spirit. In my shame and anxiety, I quiet the voice of God and let my heart make it’s bed among the depths of the weary as if I am sparing God from being disappointed. But that could not be more wrong.

This scripture above emphasizes the dire need to gently, but boldly take hold of the unsteady emotions the enemy shouts in our times of trouble. In fact, it goes so far to say that we MUST take captive of those thoughts and claims against the truth of God and FORCE them to become obedient to Him. I say gently because I never want to undermine the power and authentic effects of our emotions. But I follow it with boldness because though our emotions are real, they are meant to be healed by God, not magnified and empowered by the enemy and flesh. We have to boldly trust and build a confidence in the goodness of God and in His ability to turn things around for His glory.

There is a song that I believe reflects the transparency of spiritual warfare between our soul and mind. I usually bring up Psalm 42 and 43 where the writer portrays the reality of a conflicting heart and soul but as I was writing this, the song “Spirit Lead Me” by Influence Music and Michael Ketterer came on and I thought it perfectly captured the picture of what a life of taking ones thoughts and feelings captive and making them obedient to Christ actually looks like. The lyrics read:

“And even in suffering, I have to believe it

If You say, “It’s wrong, ” then I’ll say, “No”
If You say “Release, ” I’m letting go
If You’re in it with me, I’ll begin
And when You say to jump, I’m diving in
If You say, “Be still, ” then I will wait
If You say to trust, I will obey
I don’t wanna follow my own ways
I’m done chasing feelings, Spirit lead me”

This process is not an easy one. There will be nights where you have to keep yourself from playing that one sad playlist that you know will make you become numb again because you know that being dormant will never produce any good fruit. There will be days where you have to force yourself to get out of bed and attend that church service when coming before God as broken as you feel is that LAST thing you want to do. And there will be times where you have to repeat the same Bible verse over and over just so that your mind does not mistake your hopelessness for truth.

Oh dear Christian, the life God calls us to is not because He needs our praise. Rather, He longs to reveal His love for us even amidst this broken world. May you stand confident in His power and will. And may the emotions you feel become renewed and brought to life as you live in obedience. I am a proud witness of the faithfulness of God and I pray in the next moment you feel the weight of the warfare between your own heart and soul, you are reminded of who already claimed victory over the grave. I pray with my whole heart that you seek desperately to witness God turn it all around.

Realign me, oh Lord

bible, christian, Christian lifestyle, encouragement, lifestyle, prayer, Worship

Living in a society that pushes us to “follow whatever your heart desires” can be exciting but oh so very dangerous. As followers of Jesus, we claim to have made the decision to give up the world and follow the God who gave up His son. But often times, we only truly follow that claim to an extent…

With a heart longing for excitement, we let our spiritual boundaries get stepped on, tip toed next to, and even sometimes crossed behind the excuse of “it wasn’t that bad”. But that is not how God called us to live. He didn’t design safety rails in life so that we could hang off the edges. As He is the literal embodiment of all things good, joyful, loving, kind, forgiving, compassionate, etc. We can bet on His boundaries having something to do with His desire for us to stay close to Him and away from everything evil, manipulative, vengeful, and so on.

Though sometimes intriguing and easy to fall into, the “harmless sins” in life are honestly anything but harmless. The one command He emphasized in the new testament was to love God and love people. A life spent loving God cannot be truly lived while intentionally flirting with sin.

So in this new year, may this be our prayer. May we long for a heart so hungry for God that we feel uneasy at just the thought of splitting our attention between Him and the world. May we humbly ask the Holy Spirit to rid our hearts of anything and everything that does not glorify God as we desperately thirst for Him to fill us up. May we look at every part of scripture for what it is; the living, breathing word of God and may it enrich our souls so much so that we feel weak after just a day spent away from it. The enemy may be no match for our Lord, but on our own, we stand no chance against the things he throws at us. We need revival. We need redemption. We need a spirit made new. So my dear friend, please never forget amidst the pleasure of life…we NEED Jesus. And I mean ALL of Him, not just on Sundays, but in every second of every day. Consistently live for a soul that prays this over every step, breath, and thought throughout your life.