Doubts

There is a pattern in Abraham’s life of 1) God makes a promise, 2) Abraham doubts that promise because it has not yet happened, 3) God renews that promise, 4) Abraham still doubts. Sprinkle in the sequence moments of belief. God finally fulfills the promise of a son only to test Abraham. He remarkably gets up the next morning and goes to do what God asks him. He does so because “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead...” (Heb 11:19).

We, like Abraham, desire a quick fulfillment of a promise. We do not want to wait, so when the fulfillment does not come until much later than we expected, we doubt God is faithful. We doubt God. We doubt the author and perfecter of our faith is who He says He is (Heb 12:12). We doubt that He who began a good work in us will carry it out until completion (Phil 1:6). We do not want to persevere until the end because it will mean hard labor for us and fighting through all our doubt that so easily clouds our vision. Sometimes, it feels easier to give in to doubt. We forget how powerful God actually is.

Why does doubt creep in so quickly? Do we not truly believe in God? Maybe we doubt some of his promises, but, maybe we do not know His Word as well as we think we do. Maybe we do not know how to fight the lies with truth as well as we thought we could. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” If this is true (and it is) then when doubt comes we are not using everything we have to fight it.

Did We Prepare to Fight Doubt?

1 Peter 1:13 says, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action...” Philippians 3:1 says that rejoicing in the Lord is a safeguard. Remember whom it is we worship. Paul reminds us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Eph 6:18). Be prepared and keep watch.

Philippians 4:4-7 tells us to rejoice in the Lord and pray all kinds of prayers (with thanksgiving!). The result will be that God’s peace will guard our heart and mind. Pray. Read the Word of God. Expand your knowledge of your Father in heaven. Prepare your mind for action. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...” (1 Pe 3:15).

Replace the Lie with Truth

When we recognize an area we have allowed a lie to rule over, we need to repent and replace that lie with truth (Jn 8:31). Jesus came so we could live life in freedom (Jn 8:36). Jesus also said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10).

Ephesians 6:13 tells us to put on the armor God has given us. If we don’t have it on it is not going to help us. Remember who it is that fights for us and with us (Ex 14:14, Ps 139:5, Isa 43:1-5). “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Eph 6:10). Know the truth. Be grounded in prayer. Memorize Scripture—it is our sword to fight the lies. When Jesus was tempted in the desert for forty days, He says “it is written” and backs it up with verses to go against what the devil throws at him (see Mt 4:1-11).

There is hope. Keep fighting doubt. Know that He who called you is faithful. God does not lie or change His mind (1 Sa 15:29).

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (Jn 14:26-27).

2 Years

I love seeing themes of what God is doing in my life and in others' lives. It always amazes me how God will take my friends and I through similar refinements of the heart simultaneously. As we go through these things together, we can better encourage each other. We grow closer as friends as we pursue God and all whom He is.

One of the things I've noticed is a theme of Two Years. I do not yet understand why this theme is occurring but I find it interesting nonetheless. As I talk with others about what God is doing in their lives this theme came up among those pursuing missions. I mentioned this to my roommate and she added several names to the list.

Whatever the reason behind this amount of time, God is preparing us. God is going to do something big in His Church in two years. I do not know if this will be a time of sending out from the Twin Cities or from all over the world. I do not know if this time frame is unique to my age group. We are still waiting on God for direction, wisdom and clarity.

Regardless of the time frame, we believers can already feel His stirring. God is awakening His Church. He continues to prepare His Bride and refine her. Something is changing. We are tired of complacency. A fire is burning deep within us. There is a sense of urgency in our hearts.

When I was in India, the believers were saying this as well. They felt the Spirit stirring, preparing. It was as if a giant was awakening or a mother’s beginning signs of labor. My friends in other countries have noticed a greater number of people coming to know Christ as well. My friends throughout the States have also noticed a stirring. Even at our church services these last few weeks there seems to be an increasing level of expectancy of God’s presence and an increasing level of His showing up in ways we did not expect.

I'm not predicting Christ will return in two years. I do not know God's mind or have a divine map of events. All I know is there is a theme of two years among many who feel called to missions. All I know is the global body of believers feels the Spirit’s stirring and it is exciting. The great adventure is only beginning.

"The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed." -Romans 13:11

It feels like _____

This time of year always brings back memories of Italy. Whenever it is a certain temperature outside with just the right humidity or whenever I have an emotion I connected with a particular event or location, my mind immediately jumps back to Italy. I get to experience part of it again. It was such a life-changing time that it is hard not to reminisce. However, I had crossed over into the point of idolizing it. My time in Italy became my idol. Nothing could measure up to my time there. I felt truly alive there because I knew without a doubt I was exactly where God wanted me. Here, I am not travelling to a different city every week or learning a new culture and language. I’m in my own culture, my own language. It isn't the challenge I wanted.

My actions portray that I believe God made a mistake in having me continue to live in Minnesota. I am constantly looking elsewhere instead of at the blessing of where I live now. Grandma Christopher has been telling me, “God doesn’t make mistakes.” She says it with so much trust and such a love and understanding in her voice that her conviction alone makes me believe it. This has really been sinking into my heart these last few weeks. God doesn’t make mistakes. I’m right where He wants me.

Now, whenever I get those feelings, it isn’t Italy or some past adventure I am turning to. Now, it feels like Roseville.

Ephesians 5:1

Two themes that have been coming up lately are the concepts of being worthy of God’s love and living in freedom. I have spent a lot of time these last few days marinating in Ephesians 5:1. (Isn’t marinating such a great word! I get to soak it in and be changed by it, much chicken and Italian dressing). This post is a little scattered but I guarantee it is worth reading. I hope you are as encouraged by this as I am.

As dearly loved children—One way to translate “dearly loved children” is “a child worthy of love”. I like this translation better because it bears more weight. As a believer, I am a child worthy of God’s love. God’s love is not dependent on anything other than my being His child. There is a gentleness to this verse because it is a Father speaking this over His children.

Be imitators of God— When we imitate someone it is because we find something in them we want in our lives. We imitate the people we are around. As a small group leader I’ve gotten to see this in some of the girls I mentor. We were worshiping together and I noticed they were worshipping the same way I worship. When I am around the women I look up to I notice I copy things such as their hand motions or the pattern of their speech. I want to be like them so I follow what they do. This is what it means to be a disciple. We follow and copy the person we admire. God is asking us to do the same to him. We are to copy His mannerisms, His speech, His love, His forgiveness.

Right after this verse Paul gives an example of how to pattern our life after God. “Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Here he is dealing with the outward actions we have toward others. Then Paul gets to the nitty-gritty of the heart. “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” He includes in this our speech.

Much like I can tell if there is a hint of garlic in my food, so God can see when there is even a hint of sexual immorality in my life. To properly image God, I need this to be cleaned out of my heart. We image God by seeking after Him and continually asking Him for a renewed heart and a renewed mind. We seek Him and healing comes. It is not something we can do on our own. I can try to change my thought patterns but it is only through Christ’s redemption that I can be free from that. It is a battle. This is not something Satan and the demons will let us give up without a huge fight. He comes to steal, kill and destroy (Jn 10:10). These are not passive words. They are words of action and attack. He will not deal lightly with us so we should not deal lightly with our sin. But as the rest of John 10:10 says, Jesus came that we may have life and have it to the full. He came so we could have freedom.

When the attacks do come, make sure you do not label them as God’s conviction of your sin for there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. God does not condemn those who are truly His (Ro 8:1). He will, however, confront us about our sin because He wants us to become more and more like Him. He has a soft and gentle voice (1 Ki 19:12, read the whole story). His is the quiet whisper into our soul that brings healing.  His conviction is gentle and not oppressive.

Redemption through Love

Going back to Ephesians 5:1, the type of love used in this verse is agape love. In the Gospels, this word is only used to describe God’s love for Jesus. Then in Romans 1:7 we see this used of Christians: “To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints.” Paul frequently uses this type of love to describe God’s love for us. He made the connection that when we are true believers God sees Christ in us, and He loves us just as He loves Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor 5:17). The next several verses are phenomenal:

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them... We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain... I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 5:18-6:2).

When our first parents sinned against God, mankind’s perfect relationship with God was broken. But God was not content to leave it like that. He made a way for reconciliation to occur. He sent His Son to Earth to bring about healing and restoration and reconciliation. Everywhere Jesus went we see Him restoring from brokenness. The blind would see, the lame would walk, the dead would rise. Brokenness was healed.

Then Jesus did the ultimate healing. He died and rose from the dead conquering death and sin! No one but God can do that. Now we can be restored to God. That broken relationship we had with God does not have to be our reality anymore. “If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). “If you confess with your mouth Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved... Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Ro 10:9, 13).

We do not have to live in slavery to sin. We do not have to be controlled by shame or bitterness or envy. This is why Paul is so urgently appealing to the Corinthians to be reconciled to Christ. It is so much better to live in freedom. “It is for freedom that Christ set us free” (Gal 5:1)! We find life in Jesus (Jn 5:40). He came so that we may “have life and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). What amazing promises!

God's Faithfulness

Because of God’s faithfulness we can trust these promises. The Bible is full of stories of God’s faithfulness and man’s failure to trust His faithfulness. I was listening to a podcast yesterday and the pastor said, “Your eyes are telling you, you are alone but your God is telling you he will never leave you nor forsake you. You are asking for wisdom, do you believe He will be faithful and give you wisdom? Is there ever a time when He is not faithful?”

Young mothers brag about their baby’s first steps and not the number of times their baby fell. When we learn something new, the main focus of our talk is on the time we succeeded. Though we will bring up some of our big failures they only make our success that much more victorious. We learn from our failures so we are better able to succeed. Similarly God focuses on the times when we trust Him and He celebrates those. Some of these moments are celebrated in the faith chapter.

So keep on persevering; you will keep falling down but you will get better at trusting God and following His voice. God is faithful and He will keep His promises. “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Dt 31:8). He is faithful.

Marvel

Have you ever marveled at salvation? This is something I so often forget to do. Have you taken the time to try to understand all Jesus has done for you? Can you grasp the magnitude of God’s love for you?

This week God keeps bringing me back to Hebrews 12:1-4. It even came up three times on Monday!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (In other words, you haven’t been martyred yet so keep fighting sin).

I may not want to turn to my Bible and prayer and community but that is where I will find encouragement to keep going and to keep fighting against sin. That is where I find I am not alone. I am surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses to God’s goodness who have gone before me. Have you noticed those were active verbs? Following Christ is not a passive thing. While I may be tempted to give up I need to remember why I am resisting and why I am trying to stand strong. It is for Jesus. Yet in the fight it is so easy to grow tired. The awesomeness of God provides an eye of the storm, a place of rest and restoration to endure the remainder of the storm (Ex 14:13-14). God provides the strength we need to keep going.

It is in the Bible, in prayer, and in community that I’m encouraged to throw off the weight of sin that so easily ensnares me so I can better run with perseverance the race marked out for us. It was marked out, planned ahead. Life isn’t a weird twist of fate. How encouraging to know God planned where I would live and what I would do and who I would meet (Acts 17:26-27)!

It is in the Bible, in prayer, and in community that I’m encouraged to remove my eyes from the problems availing me and how I feel in the moment and instead turn my eyes to Jesus. Jesus gave everything for me. He gave up heaven for me. He became God in the flesh to hang out with the whiny, snot-nosed, stubborn lot we are. He then died a most horrific death that was so excruciating a word was created to describe the pain (excruciating—Latin “from or of the cross”). Then He came rose from the dead to encourage us and charge us with spreading His name before He returned to heaven. He provided salvation for us. He created a way for our relationship with God to be restored. That is no small feat. It is something we could not do on our own so Jesus came to do it for us. 

Now, because of Jesus I don’t have to be ruled by my bitterness. I can throw off the weight of sin that sin easily entangles me and run to Jesus (see He 12:1-3). I don’t have to be ruled by my self-esteem and self-worth issues. I am free to take my eyes from the mirror and instead focus on Jesus. I can find my worth in what He sees in me instead of what I do not see in myself or assume others see in me. What freedom we have in Christ!