But he went away angry

He was furious. He felt disrespected. His anger made him turn away. He would have missed the miracle if he stayed mad. He would have missed what God was trying to do if he refused to listen. His fury at how he thought things were supposed to go had him blinded to any other option than what he believed should happen. He wanted it done his way. And he wanted it done now. And in doing so his arrogance left no room for God. But in a turn of events, Naaman was asked a simple question. And that question changed everything for him. It changed his demeanor. It changed his perspective. It changed his outcome. Naaman went away angry, but he didn’t stay away. He came back. He did what the man of God asked. He put aside his own expectations. His own assumptions. He stopped trying to do it his own way. Oh Lord, that this would be us. That when our hearts are hardened, we turn back. That when it’s not happening our way, we still believe You. That when the miracle doesn’t come, when we want it or how we want it, we still trust You. That when You’ve asked us to do what we don’t want to do, we do it anyway. Open our hearts, Lord. Help us to see what You need us to see. Forgive us when we go away angry, Lord. Oh Lord, please forgive us, when our way is not Your way. In Jesus’ Name we pray. 

No matter who wins the election

No matter who wins.

No matter which candidate is elected.

No matter how it ends.

God is still in control.

He is still in charge.

The world may convince you to worry.

The world may tell you to fear.

The world may make you believe that all hope is lost.

But the world doesn't get the final say.

God does.

None of our options are perfect because no man is perfect.

None of our options are sinless because all men have sinned.

It's been said we are forced to choose between the lesser of two evils.

And left to search for the truth amongst so many lies.

It's overwhelming.

And exhausting.

When we put our faith in the world.

But when we put our faith in God.

When we keep our eyes on Him.

When we choose His promises.

And His sacrifice.

And His love.

We don't get caught up in worry.

Or swayed by opinion.

We simply place our life in His hands. 

We consider Jesus.

And remember the cost.

We don't get caught up in who sits in a house.

When we know who sits on the throne.

"I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust." Psalm 91:2

Keep your eyes on Jesus

Peter found himself in trouble. He saw someone walking on the water towards his boat. 

He thought it was Jesus, but he wasn’t totally sure. And so he questioned Him. And asked Him to prove it. “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” 

And Jesus said, “come.” 

Peter stepped out of the boat and started walking on the water towards Jesus. He was okay at first. Everything was going exactly as expected. But then he took his eyes off Jesus. 

And everything started going terribly wrong.

He began focusing on the wind. On its strength. On its ability to hurt him. He became afraid. And his fear became bigger than his faith. As he started to doubt, he also started to sink. It was nighttime, so the situation must have felt even more dire. 

Darkness has a way of doing that. Making things seem scarier than they are. 

He cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!”

And immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. Jesus didn’t hesitate. It’s important to remember that. Because that means He was watching Peter. That means He had His eye on him. 

You can’t respond immediately if you aren’t paying attention. 

When you’re facing your own doubts. Your own weaknesses. When you’ve lost confidence. And had to quickly adjust from everything going right, to everything going wrong. Remember who to look to. Remember who to call on. 

It doesn’t matter what it looks like. It doesn’t matter how dark it gets. 

Call out to Jesus. Ask Him to save you. Believe that He will respond. 

Believe that He won’t hesitate. 

And believe that, even in the moments you’ve taken your eyes off Him, He’s never taken His eyes off you.

Dear younger me: you will never fit in

Dear Younger Me,

You will never fit in. 

But you will be ok.

I know it's hard. Especially when you're young.

Especially when you want nothing more than to just be "normal".

But let me let you in on a secret. 

No one is normal. Because normal doesn't exist.

It's a made-up word with a made-up definition.

Everyone is different.

Everyone.

So please stop trying so hard to be like everyone else.

Please stop trying to change who you were meant to be, because you want to be like the cool kid.

Because the cool kid has problems too.

You'll learn that as you get older.

That the popular ones. The ones who seem to have it all.

Really don't have it all.

They have insecurities too. 

They have problems.

They have issues that are hidden under false bravado. 

And hiding it will give them even bigger problems as they get older.

Trust me on that one.

So, you keep being you.

You keep trying to do the right thing.

You keep being friends with everyone.

You keep being honest.

You keep believing that good prevails.

You keep shining your light.

Not everyone will like you.

But you can't change that.

And don't you dare go changing you because of it. 

Because you have value that will one day be seen.

You have a gift that will someday be needed.

And all those years of not fitting in, will have given you the strength to share your gift with the world.

The most important thing in your life, will become your faith.

It will develop into your cornerstone. 

You will face hardship.

You will walk away.

But you will find your way back.

And you will never leave it again.

Because God is going to meet you right where you are.

Right as you're telling Him you don't need Him.

Right as you're believing He let you down.

 

You will come to see He never let you down. 

Not once.

So, hold on when the storms come.

Cling to your faith. 

Open your Bible.

Believe His Words.

If you listen to nothing else I'm saying, listen to this.

God is faithful. He is absolutely faithful.

I promise you with everything I am.

And one last thing.

And this may be hard to hear.

But you won't fit in when you get older either.

You just won't.

But by then you'll have figured out that God didn't make you to fit in.

He made you to stand out.

And knowing that, is still hard.

Trust me, I know.

But you will be ok.

 

Do you believe Jesus is able?

A simple question. Requiring an honest answer. Two blind men had approached Jesus. They wanted Him to heal them. And so Jesus asked them if they believed He could. He asked them if they thought He was able. And they responded with a simple “yes, Lord.” But in those simple words, was everything Jesus needed to hear. 

Yes, we believe. Yes, we think you are able. Yes, we believe you are Lord.

“According to your faith will it be done to you,” Jesus responds. And their sight was restored. 

According to YOUR faith will it be done to you. According to what YOU believe. According to what YOU have decided in your heart.

Will it be done to you.

They came to Jesus and asked for help. And He asked a simple question. 

“Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

And He asks the same of us today.

With our addictions. With our diseases. With our fractured relationships. And broken hearts.

When we don’t know where we fit in. Or where we belong.

When the weight of so many responsibilities has us overwhelmed and exhausted.

When we’re blind. And cannot see.

Do we believe? Do we think He is able? Do we know that Jesus is Lord?

Oh, Lord that we would have this faith. This simple faith that just believes and doesn’t doubt. The faith of two blind men, who had never seen you but believed. The faith that gave them the boldness to approach you. The faith that gave them the courage to ask. The faith that knew in their hearts, that you were the one. That you ARE the one. Give us that faith, Lord. Where despite everything, we believe. That we go to you with our needs. That we trust you for our help. That it’s you we seek out. That it’s you we ask. Forgive us, Lord, when we’ve placed our faith in this world instead of you. May from this day forward, you never have to ask where we stand. May the words of our mouth, and the meditations of our heart, forever give witness to the faith we have in you. In Jesus’ Name we pray.

When you're tired of the fight

Sometimes you get tired of the fight.
You get tired of the constant battle.
You get tired of always feeling like your world is falling apart.

And you want to tap out. 
You want to throw in the towel.
You want to chalk it all up to defeat.

Because you're done.

You are so done.

And satan laughs.

he LAUGHS.

Because he knew just how to get you.
he knew what buttons to push.
he knew exactly what to do to get you to break down.

he knew it was just a matter of time before you started thinking about giving up.

This isn't his first time coming for you.

If you're living in this world and think that satan isn't trying to destroy you,
every minute of every day, you're wrong.

he'll send distractions.
he'll send disappointments.
he'll send despair.

And not just to you.

he'll send it to everyone around you.

Because if he can surround you with desperation, he knows you'll start to feel desperate.

And he knows desperate people do desperate things.

Like turn away from God. 

satan will stop at nothing to get you to give in. 

he will do everything, to keep you focused on your problems, instead of focused on the Cross.

he needs to keep you distracted.

Because if he can keep your eyes off of Jesus, he wins.

If he can keep you from doubting God's Word, he wins.

If he can keep you so consumed with despair, he wins.

he WINS.

And you weren't born for him to win. 

If you are in the middle of a battle right now, you better believe satan is after something you have.

The question is, "are you going to let him have it?"

Everything you need to overcome this fight, God has already provided. 

But you have to choose where you put your faith.

In the one coming to steal, kill and destroy.

Or the One who came to give you peace.

Look to God. Cling to His promises. Trust in His Word.

The world will have you believe there's no hope for what you're going through.

But the Word of God reminds you that He has overcome the world!!!

 

God is always on our side

I was tired, but the Lord stood at my side.

I had sinned, but the Lord stood at my side. 

I was unworthy, but the Lord stood at my side.

Broken.

Beaten. 

Overwhelmed.

Overcome.

But the Lord stood at my side.

There is nothing that can separate us from God.

Nothing that is too much for Him to bear. 

God wants to take our anxiety, our fears, our distress.

But we refuse to give it to Him.

We want to fix it.

We want to be in charge. 

We want to prove we don't need anyone.

That we got his.

And sometimes we just want to clean ourselves up before we go to Him.

Wipe off our faces.

Smooth our clothes.

Brush our hair.

We don't want God to see us like this.

Dirty.

Disgusting.

Disheveled.

But we forget that God already sees us.

He already knows.

And He already willingly paid the price with the Blood of His Son.

No matter what we're facing.

What enemy is against us.

What demon is tormenting us.

God is right there. 

By our side.

Wanting us to trust Him. 

Wanting to give us His strength.

We can't do this life alone.

No one can. 

God is waiting. 

What are we waiting for?

Is God's Word enough for us?

Remember Moses? God wanted him to go to Pharaoh on His behalf. But Moses didn't want to go. He didn't feel like he was the right person for the job. And so, he questioned God.    

But God, who I am that I should go?

But God, what if they don't believe me?

But God, what if they don't listen to me?

But God. 

But God. 

But God.

God was performing miracles right in front of him. He was showing him the impossible was possible.

He was reassuring every doubt. He promised to be with him.

But despite it all, Moses still doubted.  

You would think God appearing in a burning bush would be enough.

You would think Him turning a staff into a snake would be enough.

You would think His every Word would be enough. 

But it wasn't enough for Moses.

God was standing right in front of him. Asking him to believe. Asking him to trust Him. 

"I will be with you," He promised.

And yet Moses still needed more.

It's easy to read that account in the Bible and call him crazy. "How much more did he need?" we ask.

But if we're honest, most of us are just like him. 

We need more too.

God will provide an opportunity and we hesitate.

"Are you sure, God?"

"Isn't there someone better, Lord?" 

When faced with using our faith, we question God as much as Moses did. 

"Why are you asking me to do, what I am not able to do?" 

The question from Moses becomes the question from us. 

And God answers from His place of promise.   

Abraham wasn't able, He reminds us.   

Joseph wasn't able. 

David wasn't able.  

Sarah.

Ruth.

Mary.

None of them were able.

But none of them stopped at what they weren't able to do.  

In the most uncertain moments of their lives, God asked them to believe. 

That though they weren't able, He was.  

And now He asks us the same.

When we're faced with hard moments. When we're overcome with doubt.

When we're scared.

When it's too hard. When it's too much.

When we don't want to do what God is asking us to do.

Will we still do it? 

Will we trust Him anyway?

Will we listen to the promise of God's Word?

And will His Word be enough for us?