Keep Going, Despite The Difficulties

Do you ever have trouble putting one foot in front of the other, so to speak?  Perseverance is not easy, but it is a choice.  Circumstances can make you question why to keep going and why it's worth it.  Hebrews 10:36 tells us why we should persevere. “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."  You will face adversity. It’s only a matter of time. Likely you already have.  “When things are going bad that does not mean God has stopped doing good. It means He is shifting things around to get them in place for more good, if you will go on loving Him.”  [J. Piper]

As believers, we know that the Christian life is not easy or without hardship.  Standing firm in our faith in a world that encourages everything opposite to our godly perspective takes discipline and steadfastness. 
1 Timothy 4:16,  "Watch your life and doctrine closely.  Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."   Perseverance is defined as persistence in doing something despite difficulty.  As much as the world pushes back against us, we too must push back with our values, beliefs, purposes, and love for God and His ways.

James 1:12

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Ephesians 6:18

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

Romans 2:7

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

Romans 5:3

We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance.

Hebrews 12:1

Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

“Perseverance is inspiring! Trying to live a Christ-honoring life while experiencing hardship can leave us frustrated and discouraged. But when we depend on God to help us through our difficulties, we are empowered to keep going even when we can’t always see the resolution of our problems." [odb.org]

As for myself, I often feel like a Jenga puzzle with a few missing pieces.  My life has taken a few key pieces from me that have tried to topple me over.  I have persevered only because I have a firm foundation in the Lord.  I haven't always wanted to persevere, but it's a conscious choice.  I've had to think beyond myself and about God's will and purposes for me.  “God at times allows us to suffer so we can humbly recognize how much we need Him. When we trust His will, He uses those trials in amazing ways”'   

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Stuck, But Not Forever

“The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 8:2

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

Well, we survived the snowstorm of early 2021.  Some better than others, because some lost both power and water for days.  It was an uncomfortable and unpleasant week for some of us, while others made the most out of the week.  Did you feel stuck?  I think we all did in some form or another.  Today was my first day to get out of  the house and it felt like freedom.  How can we relate, as believers, about how we were once stuck in sin and are now free because of Jesus' death on the Cross?

"Almost 2,000 years ago, the Lord Jesus cried out on the cross, “It is finished,” proclaiming the believer’s “declaration of independence.” All of humanity was under the tyranny of sin and death. But Christ, the sinless One, took our place on Calvary and died for our sins. Having satisfied God’s righteous demands, He now sets free for eternity all who trust in Him."  [odb.org]

“The greatest freedom we can experience is the forgiveness of our sins, liberation from the strongholds that have held us captive, and the restoration of our relationship with our Maker and His creation. With freedom comes responsibility. Freedom in Christ does not absolve us of responsibility and accountability.  An important aspect of Christian freedom is our responsibility not to return to living under the Law."  [intouch.org]

"In his message titled “You Will Know the Truth and the Truth Will Set You Free,” John Piper explained true freedom this way:

“If you don’t have the desire to do a thing, you are not fully free to do it … And if you have the desire to do something but no ability to do it, you are not free to do it. And if you have the desire and the ability to do something, but no opportunity to do it, you are not free to do it. And if you have the desire to do something, and the ability to do it, and the opportunity to do it, but it destroys you in the end, you are not fully free—not free indeed.”

As for myself, I am stuck for now, yet fully free in Christ.  I am physically stuck in so many ways, good and bad.  I'm stuck where I live, but God has me right where He wants me and I now know it's a blessing.  I'm stuck with a purposeful van, but was blessed with 2 sportcars back in my youth.  I'm stuck with minimal strength, but still have enough power in my left arm to drive my scooter and click out this blog on my computer.  I'm sometimes stuck in my head with undermining thoughts, but I have God's word to pull me out of those with His encouragement.  I look forward more and more each day to the freedom I will have in eternity and I'll never be stuck in any way ever again.  ;-]

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Emotional Overload

Last week was quite snowfilled with downright frigid temperatures.  We hadn't had weather like that in Arkansas since the late 1980's.  Did it bring you more emotions than you could bear? 

Stress can bring on anxiety, worry, fear, and insomnia.  We have to learn to deal with our emotions so that we control them and they don't control us.

"Are there good and bad emotions? Yes and no. Emotions in themselves are neutral. Their expression takes on the nature of good and bad. All emotions are valid, and each has a place in God’s design of your human psyche and spirit. God created your emotions so you might enjoy them and communicate to others by using them.  

Sometimes we are overcome with emotion. We may lose control in a particular situation. At those times, we may feel that we should apologize for our lack of restraint, but we should never apologize for having feelings. After all, none of the psalmists held back in expressing their full range of human emotions to God. When we apologize for having emotions, we are in danger of stuffing them, with a possible eruption later. Stuffed emotions can only be damaging.”  [Charles F. Stanley, Becoming Emotionally Whole]

"Emotions can become problematic when we allow them to overpower us and take over. There is a line between feeling anger and becoming it. Sometimes an emotion feels so big that I can’t separate it from who I am in that moment.  This is when I know I have to pull back. I don’t reject the emotion, but I want to be able to hold it at a distance. I change “I am desperate” to “I feel desperate; I am holding despair.” This small change in perspective is enough to give me relief. And if I treat the feeling with care and compassion, I am able to come out of it with time.  By treating our own emotions not as enemies but as neutral information, we can have compassion for ourselves and, in turn, with others."  [intouch.org]

Emotional overload can lead to feelings of self discouragement and disappointment.  We may be told or feel like we are overreacting.  These are unfair and hurtful judgments that only further develop the emotional snowball.  "Since we cannot experience perfect success in a fallen world or keep ourselves from suffering, there’s no way to avoid all disappointments in life. However, we don’t have to yield to discouragement. With the right perspective of God and His sovereignty over us, we can avoid feelings of despair. When He, in His providence, allows failure and disappointment, it is part of His perfect plan, and He promises to use it for good.  May we all become victorious over despair and disappointment by trusting in and depending on Him."

As for myself, I never understood anxiety as a real thing until after my fall in 2018.  Since then, anxiety can be brought on by things that normally wouldn't phase me at all.  I think a lot of it has to do with the realization of my lack of control.  God has always been in control, but I previously had a crazy facade going on in my mind that I had a little bit of control of in my world.  Last week my emotions led to a fear of the possibility of a power outage here that overtook me, but led me to much prayer to the One in control of all things.  My mind told me I was being ridiculous, but my faith told me to rely and trust in my Protector and Sustainer.   God is faithful to take care of His beloved.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

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Just Breathe

We should have learned so much in 2020 about things we take for granted, but one of the main ones is our ability to breathe.  The number of Covid related deaths still continues to rise at an alarming rate.  We have heard so much about people with shortness of breath, on ventilators, and on high levels of oxygen to try to survive.  Oxygen is not seen but is needed to live, as Christians we can think of God in the same way.  Have you thought about your own God given breath? 

Genesis 2:7,  "Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."  

Job 12:10,  "In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind."

Job 33:4,  "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life." 

Psalm 39:5, "You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure." 

Psalm 150:6, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord."

"God breathed His own breath of life into man. Man is more than “dust” or physical substance. Man has a spirit. We can picture it this way: Adam’s body had just been formed by God from the dust of the earth—a lifeless human body lying on the ground. Then God leaned over and “breathed” His own “breath of life” into the man’s nostrils; God is the Source of life, and He directly placed life within man."  [gotquestions.org]

"There is an ancient prayer called the Jesus Prayer, which also works with breathing. You inhale, “Lord Jesus Christ,” and you exhale, “Have mercy on me.” You inhale your petition. You exhale your surrender. Over and over. I heard it suggested that the Jesus Prayer may be the simplest thing to remember for people with COVID-19 who are going to the hospital, who may have to die alone in isolation. 

The most famous breath prayer, derived from Luke 18:13, is the “Jesus Prayer”—Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.  But it’s also a useful practice for each one of us.  When life gets overwhelming, let’s take a deep breath and remind ourselves of God’s sovereign presence upholding our existence, His breath sustaining ours."  [intouch.org]

"God fashioned our days even before we existed (Ps. 139:16), and we exist now only because “the breath of the Almighty gives [us] life” (Job 33:4). Though we don’t know how many breaths we have left—we can rest in the knowledge that He does."  [odb.org]

As for myself, I have been keenly aware of the value of each breath since I was 21 years old.  I began wearing a negative pressure device at night while I slept to assist my breathing at age 21.  It was a bulky device that was like a portable iron lung.  It was awful and consisted of a metal cage that fit over my chest and had an overlaying jacket that was cinched at the neck, waist, and wrists to keep air from escaping.  A hose connected to the jacket and pushed air in and out to create a vacuum on my chest to help my muscles fully inhale and exhale.  The machine was hard on me and my marriage at the time, but it was necessary.  I wore it for 13 years.  Then, I got my Trilogy/bipap machine and mask that I now use.  I used it just for sleep for a few years but eventually went to daytime use as well.

I am thankful for the forced air, not oxygen, that my Trilogy provides.  I wouldn't be here without it and it allows me to go out and about.  Right now, I can go about 4 minutes without breathing assistance.  I live on a timer you might say that says 'time's up, get your mask on'.  It's a suffocating feeling that follows me in everything I do.  For example, I have just enough breath to brush and mouthwash my teeth then times up.  You can ponder about how your own life tasks might be in spurts.  Life in 4 minute spurts is not easy but it's doable.  God gives me just enough breath to get by and not take those 4 minutes for granted.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away.

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Time Matters

Today's blog is about the importance of valuing your time.  We are all allotted a certain amount of time here on earth and it is predetermined by God alone.   Psalm 90:12, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."  Psalm 39:4, “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is."   

Our earthly lives will not last long, and we need wisdom to prepare for what follows.  We need God to reveal to us how short our lives are and that wisdom will help us to make wise choices that have eternal consequences.  "When we live in harmony with Jesus, death is simply a change of address. Our enjoyment of Him continues unabated when we step from this life into eternity." [gotquestions.org]

Psalm 39:5  “You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure."

Time is a blessing.

God grants us time to do our earthly responsibilities, but our primary focus is to do it all for His glory.  Colossians 3:23-24, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." 

Our primary focus is to be on God, it is He who has given us this time on earth, and He is the One who should direct how we spend it.

God is more than patient and gracious with the time He often gives us to turn our hearts and lives towards Him.  We often manage our time as if it belongs to us and this is foolish behavior.  We should reflect on our priorities and use of our time, as it pertains to God.  We should live as if each minute counts—because it really does.

Time is a thief.

As a person with a progressive disease since a child, I have known the importance of using my time wisely.  I have known that what I may can do at some point won't always be with me at some unknown latter point.  For example, I could have opted out of kickball in elementary school P.E. class, but instead I tried to kick and run to first base the best I could.  Too many people sit on the sidelines of life waiting for another, better day. I can best describe my life as being on an unknown deadline without the window of waiting until a later day.  “Do what you can while you can,” is my motto.  Time will steal your moments of opportunities, if you don't take advantage of them.  I encourage, especially my younger disabled friends, to make their dreams a reality before it's too late.  Before I got married and before he passed, my Uncle Jim told me, "Don't let anyone ever tell you 'you can't'.”  Words of wisdom from a man who overcame so much.

Time will rob all of us eventually of our physical attributes.  Many people sit on the sidelines of life and miss out on living life abundantly as God created it to be lived.  Don't let time take the blessings God has planned for you because of fear.  GO rollerskating, on a cruise, drive fast, parasailing, ride roller coasters, ride in a submarine, snorkeling, fly on a plane, water tubing, and fulfill your dreams...I've done all of these and survived and am so glad I did.

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