A Mother Defined

by Saint In Training
Original Imaged by: Yogendra Joshi

Original Imaged by: Yogendra Joshi

Mother – as defined by my mother’s words and actions:

A Mother is the first to introduce you to God and encourages you to build your relationship with him continually.

She stands over you as you say your nightly prayers and corrects your words when you get them wrong (always with a gentle smile).

She teaches you to read from the children’s bible and tells you stories from it for bedtime pleasure, enduring your constant questions with forbearance and grace.

She hopes for the day you will grow and mature but dreads it too for she knows the pitfalls and trials that awaits you.

A Mother is someone who tells you you’re loved and means it. She firmly believes and will have you to believe that you are special and beautiful and oh so smart!

She hurts when you hurt. She cries with you, wipes your tears and then admonishes you to pull yourself together, to get up and go on.

She prays for you in the midnight hour after a full day of work and tending to your needs before she tends to her own.

She will stand between you and all harm even risking her life if she has to and she will do it without hesitation.

She sacrifices her time for your time, her money for your needs and her strength to strengthen you.

She laughs at your silly jokes. Pats your shoulder just because and smiles in delight when you come into her presence.

She forgives readily even when your childish behavior causes her pain. She doesn’t hold it against you.

She rebukes you when you’re wrong. Teaches you right from early on and leads by example whilst never taking the place of God.

She encourages your natural and spiritual growth. She never doubts your abilities and believes you can do anything (all things through Christ Jesus)!

She stays up late taking care of you when you’re sick. Her mind rests on you and your well-being when you grow up and leave the nest.

You are always on a Mother’s heart just as you’re always in the heart of the Father.

She reminds you of your blessings when you complain and wags her finger at you when you don’t give thanks.

As a Mother grows older she learns that it’s okay to lean on your shoulders too (but not without making sure she’s not ‘too much of a bother’).

God has been very good to me in giving me to you and He rewards me daily with your presence. You are my best friend (after God of course ;-) ) and I cannot imagine being in a world that does not have you in it. Your life is a gift to me – this tiny post is mine to you.

A true Mother loves God first and passes on that love to her children – thus they will rise up and call her blessed. I am blessed to have a true Mother and I take this day to say – Happy Mother’s Day Mom. I love you so very much.

Walk in Forgiveness – Not Guilt!

by Saved 2 the Utmost aka Mom
Original Image by: Brett Jordan

Original Image by: Brett Jordan

It is a sad fact that many Christians are struggling with guilt from past sins in their lives which has already been forgiven. The truth is that they have not yet learned to absolve themselves. The question is how do we view sin? How we see sin will either free us through the wonderful forgiving power of God or bound us by the power of guilt sent by the Accuser, Satan.

I am sure if King David was alive he could give a seminar on the bitter root of guilt, the blessings of repentance and the power of God’s forgiveness as well as the power of self-forgiveness.

We know David sinned:  he took another man’s wife; impregnated her and had her husband murdered to cover up his sins. It seems when David decided to sin he went all out! But the wonderful thing about God is that in Him hope remains.

When God sent Nathan to David to uncover his sins (2 Samuel 12) David cried out to God for forgiveness and a clean heart and to renew a right spirit within him – God did just that. He forgave his servant freely. David could have reacted in many ways, he could have carried a weight of guilt and shame; after all he killed a good man! BUT, he elected to trust in the God he knew to be bigger than anything, even his sin. He received God’s free forgiveness and forgave himself. Glory to God! David got his joy back, a clean heart, a right spirit and most of all his relationship with God was restored! David came out with a testimony! Hallelujah! Look what God can do if we only let Him.

Precious hearts when we become our own judge and jury, we condemn ourselves to a prison built of guilt, shame and unhappiness. This is not God’s will for His children. He wants us to have joy in our souls; peace in our minds and praise for Him in our hearts, testifying to the world of His love and compassion. Wasn’t it Jesus who asked the Father to forgive His murderers?

Luke 23:34 (NIV)

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Even as they taunted Him as he bled to death for them on the cross, Jesus interceded for their forgiveness! His murderers didn’t ask for forgiveness, He asked for them. What more will He forgive us our sins when we ask?

Let’s look at it this way, because God has commanded us in His word that we must forgive others their transgressions against us doesn’t it make sense that we must forgive ourselves? Forgiveness is Forgiveness. Dear hearts it’s time to pluck up the bitter roots of guilt, self-condemnation and shame, throw them out of our lives and leave them where God has cast them – that place we’ve come to know as the sea of forgetfulness.

Micah 7:19 (NIV)

You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:19 that we should be rooted and grounded in love – not guilt. We must keep in remembrance that once God has filled us with his Holy Spirit he has washed, purged and cleansed us from every (not some) sin that we ever committed. It doesn’t matter how foul, vulgar, degrading, shameful or unspeakable we think they were God has no more remembrance of them. They do not exist to Him – they never happened. That’s how complete God’s mercy is! God wants us to see our past sins and misdeeds the same way – nonexistent. Let them go! Exchange that guilty conscience for the mercy you’ve been given. Walk into it right now! Believe what God says in His word, “I remember your sins no more.” All that remains for you to do is to say, “Thank you Jesus!”

Stop second-guessing God. We will never comprehend the immensity of God’s love for His children. It’s too deep, deeper than the sea. It goes far beyond human imagination or expression. All I can say is that there’s no one on earth who can love us like God. We can’t even love ourselves as much as He does. If we did forgiveness would be easy to accept and we’d live a guilt-free life.

I have two beautiful daughters whom I love more than anything in this life. Still, God’s love for them surpasses my own. Glory to God! That’s some kind of Love! Who can really explain it? When we can’t trust the love of the people who are in our lives for whatever reason, or someone has caused us to mistrust them, we can always trust in God’s love for us. It’s the greatest love of all. Haven’t you heard and seen it for yourselves? He loves us with an in-spite-of love, an everlasting love: it’s unfailing and always proves itself faithful even when we are faithless.

Dear hearts I know firsthand what bitter roots can do to you when they’re allowed to grow-up like vines in the heart. I was shrouded by the spirit of guilt for years and was unnecessarily tormented by my thoughts concerning myself. God had pardoned my sins but I kept myself in bondage. Bitter roots are poisonous if they’re not plucked up and thrown away. They will slowly kill you spiritually, sapping you of the abundant life God has promised. Learning to leave our past behind us and never picking it up again is the key to self-forgiveness.

Once we’re born again of the Spirit we become the inheritors of God’s characteristics; His Spiritual DNA is infused in us. We are molded and shaped by the Master’s hands and we slowly take on His image. In fact it takes a life time. No matter the time it takes to see His work complete God molds us thoroughly. God will perfect that which He has started and He started a good work in us!

Little becomes much in the hands of God. The impossibilities of man are the certainties of God.

Matthew 19:26 (NIV)

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

It was impossible for me to change the negative thought-pattern I‘d held all of my life. It took God to do that but I had to have a willing mind. Unless we’re willing to let the Lord change us and be patient with ourselves we will remain the same. Remember taking on His image takes a lifetime!

We have a God of great compassion, mercy and love. It’s been over 2000 years and He is still proving himself faithful. What more can He do to prove His love for us? What more can we ask of Him?

Lamentations 3:21-23 (NIV)

21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

I pray that those of you who feel like I once did will make a conscious decision to walk into your forgiveness:  embrace it and receive it as the treasure that it is!

Dear hearts we must learn to show the same kindness, patience and forgiveness to ourselves as we do to others. After all we are the children of the most High God and we are worth every drop of blood Jesus shed for us. I don’t care what our emotions tell us. Stop listening to them and start listening to what the Holy Spirit has to say unto His children.

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12 (NIV)

“Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.” Isaiah 38:17 KJV

What Do You Believe?

by Saved 2 the Utmost aka Mom
Image Credits: BabaSteve and Imagens Evangelicas @ Flickr

Image Credits: BabaSteve and Imagens Evangelicas @ Flickr

From the very beginning Satan has worked to overthrow man’s faith in God’s holy word. I am convinced that he has been working overtime to fulfill his mission; he’s had much success in twisting the minds and hearts of mankind to the point where ‘right’ has become wrong and ‘wrong’ has become right. Those of us who are filled with God’s Holy Spirit know that God’s word is true and that it is the only truth we should live by and believe.

Of course Satan, being who he is, will use every tool at his disposal to fight against us, even the Word itself. That’s why it is important for us to know the Word for ourselves and to know how to use it. It is our weapon against Satan, in short:  knowledge is power.

The Devil, like most sociopaths, is very intelligent. So much so that he knows the Word better than we do and he has personal knowledge of the Word of God; he lived in heaven with the Living Word before he was kicked out!

It is because he knows the Word so well that he felt emboldened to use it against Jesus Christ who is the Living Word, the hope of Glory.

Matthew 4:1-7 (NIV)

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’  Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

If Satan had the audacity to do this doesn’t it make sense that he will make the attempt to use the Word against God’s children as well?

Yes just as Jesus was tempted in the wilderness we too are being tempted, unfortunately many of us are not resisting Satan’s devices. Why? Because too many of us are not rooted and grounded in the Word of God. We rely too heavily on preachers and teachers, books and mega-conferences to feed us our spiritual bread. Thus we remain ignorant of the tools Satan has formed to use against us. We cannot rely solely on preachers and teachers to provide us with the knowledge we need. Rather, it is to the Word of God that we must turn to for knowledge: it is the only thing that stands between us and destruction (Hosea 4:6 NKJV).

In these last and evil days we must, with all diligence, guard our hearts, minds and souls so that we will not be deceived by the messengers of Satan. This is why the word of God exhorts that we should know those who labor among us! These are they who come to entice us away from the truth; they are like their father the Devil, they twist the Word of God which is all truth into a lie. These are they who creep in unaware! (2 Timothy 3:6, Titus 1:10-11)

Let us not be deceived by false doctrines dear hearts; those doctrines that are mixed with a little truth but consist mainly of lies. The disease of false doctrine was introduced to the body of Christ in the early days of the church. The apostle Paul had to address this very issue during his ministry.

Galatians 1:6-9 (NKJV)

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Jesus Christ alone is to be the head of our lives. He is the author and finisher of our faith. It was God who sealed us, claimed us and marked us as his own. He took us from Satan’s clutches and gave us his guarantee in the form of his spirit that his promises to us would be fulfilled (2 Corinthians 1: 21-22 Amplified). Thus it behooves us to guard our hearts against the tricks of the adversary and hold on to the truth of God’s word.

1 John 4:1-3(NKJV)

4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

The Antichrist has been here for ages. He has brought division in the body, contorted the Word, sent false prophets into the world and gathered to himself teachers and preachers and believers who have no discernment of spirit (because they do not have the Holy Spirit).

We who would live Godly have to keep this thought in our hearts, ‘What we believe determines our destination, what we do with our belief determines our destiny.’ I encourage you my Christian family to hold fast to the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord, spread the Gospel according to the word of the Lord and continue to bless his name forever!

A Surrendered Heart

by Saved 2 the Utmost aka Mom
Original Image by: Saxon Moseley

Original Image by: Saxon Moseley

You know dear hearts, it has taken most of my saved life for me to really understand what it means to have a heart of total surrender. To have a surrendered heart is to be able to give up our desires for his will.

The prayer to surrender was a very hard prayer for me to pray because I really didn’t want to know his will or purpose for my life. It wasn’t hard because I didn’t love our Lord rather it was fear that I wasn’t capable of doing His will that made it hard for me. I didn’t want to disappoint Him. Therefore, I stayed in my self-imposed comfort zone for years, content not to seek God for his purpose in my life.

Our Heavenly Father, blessed be his name, has a way of knowing how to get our attention! He endured my reluctance with much love and longsuffering patience. His everlasting love and kindness brought me through every struggle, test and trial that could have destroyed me and with time he humbled me so that I would be able to pray for a spirit of acceptance – the ability to accept his will by surrendering my own.

Once I began to learn to not struggle against his will I received an answer to a prayer that I had prayed over ten years ago. His answer to me was, “No.” I accepted his answer by saying, “Thank you Lord.” This no-answer kept me from making one of the biggest mistakes of my life. He also showed me the reason he didn’t answer with “Yes.” To this day I praise our God for being wiser than I. Dear hearts every blessing that we receive doesn’t always have a ‘yes’ In front of it. Not when our prayers are answered by the wisdom of God!

We can only see what’s in front of us but God sees beyond our limited view. We live in the present but God has already stepped into our future to prepare the steps that he intends for us to follow. We must learn to trust our heavenly father’s thoughts toward us as he guides us into his will.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

There’s nothing wrong with having dreams and aspirations or having a desire to be successful in one’s life as long as it doesn’t interfere with God’s will for our life. I could have been a fashion designer but there was something missing that I couldn’t find in that kind of success. It wasn’t until I met a young lady who is deaf that I realized that I so desperately wanted to be able to communicate with her.

The desire inspired me to study the beautiful language of sign. I purchased some books and dictionaries, prayed for knowledge and wisdom and this time God’s answer was “Yes.” He allowed me to pick up the knowledge quickly. I am so thrilled when I learn a new sign because only this awesome God can give this kind of knowledge to man. To be able to communicate with others by talking with your hands is a miracle! Recently I found out that my daughter’s school offers sign language classes, all I can say is “Here I am Lord, send me!”

Dear hearts, our Heavenly father knows all about our struggles, doubts and fears. Jesus Christ, God’s only son, had to surrender his will to the father’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane. He spoke these words to the father, “Father if it is your will take this cup away from me: nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done.” Are we greater than our Lord?

My sister told me years ago that God will never allow us to do more for him than he will do for us – we can’t out-give God! The years have proven her words to be true. If you don’t remember anything else I’ve shared with you, remember this, once you surrender your will to the will of God, everything else will fall into place. Surrender your heart and watch God work on your behalf.

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A Word of Thanks –

Rebecca and I count ourselves blessed in having such a wonderful extended Christian family in the faithful followers of Saint in Training and our many visitors. If there wasn’t a “You” there wouldn’t be an “Us”. Your prayers and support mean so much to us. Your encouraging testimonies are priceless. We love to be a blessing to our Christian family by offering words of encouragement and love but we too need a word of encouragement and you never fail to do just that.

With heartfelt love and thanks,

Ma Chris and Rebecca

Pain in the Pews

by Saved 2 the Utmost aka Mom
Pain in the Pews

Image by: John McStravick

It has grieved my spirit and saddened my heart to see that there is so much hurt inside the church. What is causing so much pain to those who sit in its pews? Why does this hurt exist amongst the children of God? From pew to pew, from aisle to aisle, sit the wounded and broken at heart. The feeling of rejection and loneliness consume them in the house of the Lord. This ought not to be. I say this because it is true not because I want to judge or criticize.

There is a scripture that cautions us to “know those who labor among [us]”; I caution that we should also know those who are wounded among us. Shouldn’t we, the elect of God, know when our sisters and brothers in Christ are in need?

Why can’t we discern our sister’s and brother’s hurt when they’re sitting right beside us? What is it that blinds us to another’s pain? Are we part of the many whose love has “waxed cold”? These hard questions are wince-worthy but they must be asked. If the love of God abides in us then logic suggests so should His compassion. Our Savior was and is a God of compassion. The life of Christ exemplifies this. He was not concerned about Himself; he was a people person. His thoughts, his actions, his purpose was solely to seek and save the lost!

From the beginning of his earthly ministry to its end, Jesus was never concerned about what people could do for Him, rather he was consumed by, impassioned by, his need to do for others. Jesus Christ discerned the needs of the people and met them accordingly whether they were: spiritual, emotional, psychological or physical. Our heavenly Father met them all and he expects no less from us. Jesus finished his work on earth before ascending to Heaven but he told the disciples ‘greater works than these will you do’ – he tasked them to add thou to it and we, inheritors of the Promise, are tasked to do the same! We were made caretakers over God’s vineyard. We are now his hands when we feed the hungry; his feet when we visit the sick; his ears when we lend a listening ear to a burdened soul; his eyes when we discern their needs; his voice when we speak comfort to the broken hearted and we are his arms when we embrace another with His love!

Do you know, for some the love we show them is the only love they have ever known? Dear hearts how can we minister to the spiritual needs of the lost if we don’t even take the time to introduce ourselves to them or to offer a simple smile in acknowledgement of their presence? How can we exhibit the love of God when we’re too busy talking to someone in our clique or our circle of friends to give a soul in the need the time of day? How can we notice the look of sadness in our brother’s or sister’s eyes if we’re too caught up with our problems and our own concerns? Oh yes, there is pain in the pews.

Just think, you or I may be the one our Lord wants to use to bring healing to a hurting soul but can’t because we’re oblivious to the move of his spirit and oblivious to others around us. This is why no spirit-filled person should allow themselves to become a part of church-cliques or have a respect-of-person mentality. To have this mindset is a sin before God. Jesus did not have respect for one person above another nor should we!

James 2:1-4 (NIV):

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

This scripture applies to the pulpit, the bench warmers and the door greeters, none are exempt. Although God did not call all to preach he has called all of us to minister; to attend to the needs of others. This is our ministerial obligation. This is our duty as the chosen people of God. We are to be saints, taking on the character of our heavenly Father in the form of love, humility and compassion.

Let us examine our hearts today and be honest with ourselves. If we are guilty of having respect of persons or being clique-followers let us make a stand today! Quit the cliques and follow in the ways of the Lord. Thus we can fulfill our God-given ministry and see God work in our lives. He will bless us more than we could have ever thought or dreamed possible.

Petition him concerning the part of the body Jesus wants you to represent in order to bring healing, comfort and deliverance to those who are suffering. Are you acting as his eyes, his hands and feet? It’s not for me to answer these questions for you, I only want to encourage you dear hearts to ask them of yourself and of God. I leave you with this to ponder:

Matthew 25:33-40 (NIV):

 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Be blessed dear hearts, I pray that the pain stops and the love grows and that we all fulfill the calling of the Lord.

Cast Down but not Destroyed

by Saint In Training
Original Image by: Joel Olives

Original Image by: Joel Olives

Satan does not wait for anyone to come to him, he goes searching. Like a lion on the prowl he searches for lives to destroy; minds to confuse; bodies to afflict with sickness and disease; families to tear apart and finances to dry up. He does this to the children of God in hopes that we will first curse God, and then die.

Sometimes we feel as though we will be overcome. We are surrounded on every side; struck down by the problems we face and threatened with hopelessness. But, we are not without hope. Our hope is in Christ. Our strength is in Him. God sees our tears and He knows our heartaches and our fears.

God is the God of Compassion. He cares for us and he wants us to bring him our worries, our anxieties and troubles. He wants us to leave them in his capable hands. He wants us to trust Him!

2 Corinthians 1:3-11 (NIV)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

It leads one to wonder as to the whys of God’s seeming unwillingness to deliver us speedily from our trials. Paul addresses this with eloquence:

If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Does God allow us to be tormented for the sake of others? The answer is ‘yes’ but it is not as simple as it seems. You see, it’s through our sufferings that we not only receive God’s glory but He is glorified among men. When we endure without giving way to the enemy, our fellow sufferers who are our brothers and sisters in Christ receive comfort and encouragement in their own fight of faith. Further, sinners who watch us, some who are in hopes of our failing, will see the salvation of our faith which is Christ Jesus. Even if our tribulation seems to be unto death, Paul preaches, it is so that we will trust in God and not in ourselves (nor in man).

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

But here is the hope and the promise!

He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Paul reiterates this reason and hope in 2 Corinthians 4:15-17 (NIV):

For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man [our Spirit] is renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…

During our days of lack when we’ve drawn our belts so tight we can’t get air enough to breath and we’ve received all the assistance man has to offer but still are in need – we must endure and trust God.

When the doctors shake their heads in despair and their reports offer us no hope of recovery, beloved we must endure and trust God.

When our children, siblings or spouse refuse to turn to the Savior we love and adore; when they linger in the filth of sin and shame, we must endure and trust God.

It is in God we find hope. It is in the Master of the universe that our peace resides. It is in the bottomless well of Living Water where our thirst can be quenched. Though the fiery arrows of the enemy fly overhead and threaten to engulf the world around us in flames – we must endure and trust God.

Beloved of God, my brothers and sisters in Christ, stand firm on the rock of your salvation. Stand! Do not give ground. Do not give up. If you have to crawl, clawing your way inch by inch to the mountain’s peek, screaming and crying all the way – don’t you dare give up! For, “after you have suffered a little while,” your suffering will end. (2 Peter 1:10 NIV) It is ‘after’, that God will heal. It is ‘after’, that God will loose the chains from the captives. It is only after that the flood gates of prosperity will be opened.

But before we can see the ‘after’ – we must endure.

It hurts. It’s painful. God knows the chaos and confusion that assails our minds. Cling to Him! Dig in the deeper beloved. Imprint yourself in the Ark of Safety and hang on for dear life because if you don’t, “…to whom shall we go?”

It is God who has the words of eternal life. He is our hope in this life and He loves us. He hears our prayers and despite what the enemy may say God has answered every one of them. We just have to wait for the answer to be made manifest.

Trust Him. Rely on Him. Turn to Him and He will not fail you. Hold on! For the Lord says:

“I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”   Revelation 2:9-11 (NIV)

Beloved I don’t like to suffer. I’ve been running from suffering all my saved life. But, I am not alone anymore; I have the Holy Spirit within: He says it’s time to stop running. I have the Hope of Glory residing on the inside of me and where I falter He will stand! So I say to my Lord, the God of my Salvation, my Hope of Glory…So be it.

I pray that you are encouraged and that the Holy Spirit will enable you to do the same. If you have not yet received the free gift of the Holy Spirit, pray to receive Him and that God grants you mercy until you do. He who is able to keep us faultless will cover you with His mercy and grace until that blessed time.

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For additional encouragement read:

2 Peter 1:7-11

1 Peter 5:7-9

The Suffering Saint – a poem

A Pit full of Purpose – a poem

 

Unworthy but Still Chosen

by Saved 2 the Utmost aka Mom
Original image by Our Earth.net

Original image by Our Earth.net

I am a living witness that God can and will save the worst of sinners.

I once saw myself as being beyond redemption, having no understanding that our Heavenly Father sees us all the same and that through His son Jesus Christ, he made a way of escape for us. Although our sins may differ we stand in danger of facing the same penalty for unrepentant sin: eternal damnation. Thank God for Jesus! It’s because of Him that every sinner is promised a future and thus once we become Christians it behooves us to remember that every saint has a past.

Dear hearts let us not forget that it was the mercies of God that brought us out of sin. We should be careful not to become self-righteous, thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to in Christ. Our awesome God, blessed be His name, is the only one worthy of praise.

The saying, “I don’t look like what I’ve been through,” is true. If I were to write a book, it couldn’t express the immensity of the love, grace and mercy God has showered upon me! Growing up in the streets of New York City shaped my thoughts and molded my life into a vehicle for sin. Loneliness was my best friend, distrust taught me to fear the night while hunger gave me the strength to beg and the will to live. I learned how to survive that kind of life. God wasn’t in my thoughts; he wasn’t a part of my life at all – or so I thought. I didn’t realize that it was he who was keeping me alive! His ever watchful eyes saw every step I took and protected my every move. He didn’t allow the devil to fulfill his desire to have my soul, nor did he let the demons of hell drive me to a point of no return. God kept my mind!

Oh! The unexplainable love of God. His love can’t be measured. It is deeper than the sea and as solid as a rock! We are so unworthy of his love, of his grace and of his mercy – yet, God still chose us to be his sons and daughters in Christ! He chose us to spend eternity with him in his heavenly kingdom. So those of you who have a feeling of unworthiness that overshadows you, I encourage you today to lift up your hands unto the Lord and bless his holy name – you are blessed. Yes, you are blessed! Why? Because he chose you to love and favored you by calling you to be his son, his daughter!

I’ll never find myself worthy of God’s love but I am grateful. I praise him for seeing me as being worth loving – that’s more than enough for me.

I am like that publican who prayed the prayer that touched God’s heart:

Luke 18:13-14 KJV

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Dear hearts, it was for the unworthy that Jesus died!

Mark 2:17 KJV

When Jesus heard it, he said to them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

It’s the unworthy that Jesus loves! It is the unworthy he embraces! Why? Because it is they who love him the most. They know that they are just that, unworthy. They are grateful and humble before him. God can use them to give hope to the hopeless. He shows his love toward them who desperately need the one and only true living God in their lives!

What does God see in us?

You know yourself as a drug dealer – God sees you as a preacher.

You know yourself as a prostitute – God sees you as a missionary.

You know yourself as an alcoholic – God sees you as an evangelist.

You know yourself as a liar and a thief – God sees you as a prayer warrior.

You see yourself as a nobody – God sees you as the apple of his eye.

You know yourself as a sinner – God sees you as a saint!

Where man has counted you out, God has already counted you as a winner! Where some may see us as being worthless, God sees us as being worth it! Man and Satan took us to the courtroom at Calvary dear hearts; they charged us and found us to be guilty. Oh! But God dropped the charges and He found us guiltless through the death of his son Jesus Christ!

He did this for me! He did this for you!

Forget what Satan says about you precious one, he’s a liar. Forget what you say about you, you’re only flesh. Look to God and receive what he said:

Isaiah 55:7-8 NIV

Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

Isaiah 1:18-20 NIV

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.  If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

God has called you by name, he has chosen you for his own – receive his word, believe and watch your life change!

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