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.

The Lord is with us

We're surrounded by bad news. 

But the Lord is with us.

The enemy is near. 

But the Lord is with us.

We've grown weary in the fight. 

But the Lord is with us. 

No matter the battle.

No matter the news.

No matter the circumstance.

The Lord is with us.

When the night grows dark. 

When our faith has diminished.

When our tears keep falling. 

The Lord is there.

Fulfilling His promise.

Offering us hope.

There will be moments when it seems we should give up. 

When everything seems pointless.

When all seems lost. 

But life is never what it seems. 

And the Lord is never more than a breath away. 

The news may sound bad. 

The enemy may have surrounded. 

The darkness may feel like it will never end. 

But the Lord will overcome it all.

No matter how hard. 

No matter how long. 

No matter what we face.

We can't give up.

We can't give in. 

We can't lose hope.

The world will try to defeat us.

That's a guarantee.

But our trust should not be in this world. 

And so, on our knees, we seek God out.

On our knees, we change our perspective. 

On our knees, we build up our faith. 

With our tears and with our prayers, we give it all to Him.

We are in a battle. We know it.

And we are weary of the fight. 

But God does not grow weary.

God does not give up.

God does not give in.

He stands ready.

To defend.

To protect.

To comfort.

The enemy has been trying to distract us. 

To get us to turn our backs on God. 

But we see it now. We've caught on.

We were fooled for a minute, but not anymore. 

Our faith is tired, Lord, it's so very tired. 

And we can't do this alone. 

So we look to you. 

We're standing on your Word.

We're asking you to save us. 

And we believe this one thing. 

The world has tried to destroy us, it has done its very best, 

but you Lord are still with us,

and you will carry us through. 

 

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?

 

God took my mom

God took my mom. 

When I was 6 years old and knew nothing about life. 

Before I had a chance to know her. Long before I would have a way to remember her. 

He took her. 

And I grew up never having a mother.

If God can see all, if God knows all, if God is in control...did He not think I would want a mom? 

Or deserved a mom? 

Or needed a mom? 

Did He not care how painful it would be? Did He not care how awful it would feel? 

Did He not care about me at all?

Because I thought when you loved someone you wanted the best for them. You sacrificed for them. You made sure you did everything in your power to help them.

And it didn't feel like God helped me. It felt like He punished me.

And I had no idea why. 

I just knew I hated it. 

And there were moments that I hated Him. 

When you're little, no one comes up to you and tells you it's going to be ok. 

Most don't come up to you at all. 

Because people shrink from talking about death. 

They don't know what to say so they don't say anything. 

And that just makes you feel like you shouldn't talk about it either. 

So you just smile. And say you're good. And keep your hurt inside. 

And hope no one notices how different you are.

If I could only talk to my younger self now. If I could only have a moment to pull her aside and let her know she would be ok. That she would grow up to be strong. And compassionate. And capable.

If I could only let her know, that this pain would become what made her never go to bed mad. That it would make her not be scared to tell people they were important. 

That she would never shy away from telling people she loved them. Or be worried what people thought because she insisted on hugging. And looking for the good.  

If I could only have a moment to tell her that this loss would become what pushed her to make sure people knew, especially young people, that they could overcome hard things too. And that her greatest joy would be to find opportunities to cheer them on. 

If I could just talk to her and tell her to hold her head up. That God had not punished her. 

That God had not let her down.

And that God would walk with her each step of the way without her mom. 

I can't go back to tell her, but I can make sure to never forget.

How my greatest pain became my greatest purpose.  

And I can make sure to pass the message on. 

If you're facing a loss. 

If you're feeling like God has taken someone away from you.

If you're mad. If you're doubtful. 

If you're in the middle of hating God.

I'm here to tell you to hold on to hope. To surround yourself with people who remind you of the good. To believe your loved one is not gone, that they live on in you. That their life may have ended here, but it has not ended entirely. That their heart still beats inside of you. Their goodness still lives on inside of you. That each breath you take is a living testimony to a love that never ends. That they don't have to be here to make a difference. That your life is the difference they make now.

So choose kindness. For them.

Choose gratefulness. For them.

Choose forgiveness. For them.

And most of all, choose to go on living. For them.

Because even on the days it doesn't feel like it. 

Even in the moments you don't care. 

God loves you.  

I know the pain is hard.

I know it. 

But there is a bigger picture we will never see.

And a bigger plan we will never know.

I used to think the truth was that God had punished me.

That He took my mom from me. 

But the truth was my mom was God's child before she was my mom.

He loved her first.

He didn't take her from me. 

She wasn't my belonging.

She was His blessing.  

And though it took me awhile I realized, His blessing never left. 

It still remains.

And I promise one day you will see,

that it remains for you too.  

 

Coronavirus Battle Plan - Trusting God in the fight

I can't read one more thing about the Coronavirus chaos. 

I can't hear one more news briefing. Listen to one more opinion. Take into consideration one more theory. One more speculation. One more best guess.

I can't and I won't.

At least not today.

Not because I want to bury my head in the sand and pretend it's not there. But because I've given enough time to what the world says. I've given too many of my minutes to worry, and anxiety and fear. And I refuse to give it anymore. 

I know I'm not the only one overwhelmed. We are surrounded by information overload. Some of it accurate. Some of it inaccurate. And us in the middle trying to distinguish between the two. Trying to figure out the truth.

People are fighting. And hoarding. And saying awful things to each other. And I wish I could say it was happening far away. In some other country. In some other town. But it's happening in our country. In our town. It's happening right in front of us. 

And some days it's happening because of us. 

And I keep saying I can't wait for the world to get back to "normal". Until I realized today that maybe normal isn't a good goal. That maybe normal is what got us here in the first place.

This virus has shown very clearly where our hearts are.

And our hearts are IN this world. 

Because our hearts are OF this world.

And God is wondering where His people are. 

He's wondering why we're spending more time in the news than in the Bible. He's wondering why we're spending more time spreading fear than spreading faith. He's wondering why it's easier for us to believe CNN, or FOX, or Facebook, than it is to believe Him.

He's wondering why, when faced with the impossible, we don't think He's enough. Why we haven't spent time with Him to find out what He needs us to do. 

We say we're acting in wisdom. But whose wisdom? 

The world? Or His Word?

If we believe in God. If we believe that He loved us enough to send His only Son to save us. Then surely we can believe that spending time with Him in the middle of a crisis is where we should be.

We should be consulting God for His opinion. We should be asking Him for guidance. We should be seeking Him for peace.

We're in the middle of a battle and we know the One willing to fight the battle for us.

Before we say one more word, or type one more response, or post one more opinion, let's seek Him.

Really seek Him.

Let's ask Him to lead us. Let's ask Him to direct our steps. Let's ask Him to direct our hearts.  

Our faith in the world has only filled us with worry. And anxiety. And fear. Maybe it's time we turn off the television. Turn off the internet. Turn off the distractions. 

Just for the day. 

[Heart check. Was our immediate response to fight against this idea? Or did we consider it something we could do?]

It's not putting our head in the sand. It's putting our heart in His Hands. 

We are more than willing to fill our lives up listening to what the world says.  

God stands waiting for us, to be willing to fill our lives up, listening to Him.   

-----------------------------------------------------------

We're in a battle. It's time to make a battle plan. If you don't know how or need direction, you can click back to this previous post and print out a free draft to get you started: How to make a Prayer Battle Plan with God. The printable link is in the middle of the post. I did mine the other day. I put on some praise music, printed out a battle plan, and opened the Bible. 

And I went from anxiety to peace. 

Immediately. 

When we seek God we find Him. Always.

don't give up

don't give up.
though you're tired of fighting,
tired of falling down,
tired of wondering why life has to be so hard,
don't do it.
don't throw in the towel.
don't surrender to the struggle.

don't let what you think is the worst moment of your life,
become the last moment of your life.

refuse to let today defeat you.
refuse to let today define you.

refuse to let what the world says about you be the only thing you hear. 

don't let the pain be the only thing you see.

today you are alive.
today you are breathing.
today you may be hanging on by a thread,
but you're still hanging on.

that is not an accident.
that is not a coincidence.
that is not by chance.

God has you.

He's got you.
He's not letting go.

so hold on.

hold on tight.
and keep your eyes on Him.

because you may be in for the fight of your life...
but you are not in the fight alone. 



"For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do. But our eyes are on You." 2 Chronicles 20:12

I know you're mad at God

I know you're mad at God.

I know you're doubting anything you ever believed about Him. 

I hear you telling people He can't be real.

Suggesting He's a fairy tale.

Spouting your hatred of Him because you're mad at what you think He's done.

You look at this world and you see the pain.

You see the corrupt.

You see the evil.

And you tell yourself a good God wouldn't allow bad things.

A good God wouldn't let people fall.

A good God wouldn't,

couldn't,

shouldn't,

sit back while His children suffer.

And so you reject anything that remotely suggests that God is on the throne.

Because you want nothing to do with serving a God like that.

But you can't base your faith on what others have done.
Because you'll see their failures,
you'll see their shortcomings,
you'll see their moments of hypocrisy,
and you'll decide that their flaws are the reason why God can't be real.
Not a God you want to believe in anyway.

But just like your body can't survive on what someone else has eaten,
your faith can't survive on how someone else has lived. 

You have to have your own conversation with Him. 
One in which you ask the hard questions.

And you stop to listen for the answers.

That's the hard part. The stopping long enough in your anger to listen. 
The quieting your mind long enough to hear Him speaking to your heart.

But the hard parts in life are often the most necessary. 

The hard parts are often the ones that help us the most. 

You've turned from God because someone else has sinned.
You've lost your faith because someone else has failed.
But their sins don't prove that God doesn't exist. 
And their shortcomings don't prove that God has fallen short.

It just proves we live in a fallen world. 

A world that breaks His heart too. 

I know you're mad at God. I know you think He's let you down.

You've told the world your pain.

It's time to tell Him.

He knows you've walked away. 

And He's waiting for you to come home. 

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ Luke 15: 20-24

when you're tired of holding on

hold on. 

there's so much wrapped up in those two words.

but how do you hold on when you're tired?

how do you hold on when you're slipping?

how do you hold on when you just want the relief of letting go?

and so you let go.

you stop holding and you let yourself fall.

sometimes we're so worried about falling we don't realize our holding on is the problem.

we've held tight for so long we believe it's all we can do.

that it's all we should do.

that if we FALL we've FAILED.

we have this crazy belief that nothing good can ever come from a fall.

but we've forgotten that falling teaches us.

falling helps us.

falling pushes us to stretch. to reach for help. 

to trust that God has something bigger. that God has something better.

we have to remind ourselves of that.

like a baby learning to walk, we were born with an innate desire to get up.

to keep trying.

to keep reaching.

to FALL and to TRY again.

think on that. we were born with a natural inclination to never stop trying. and yet as we grow older, the world and all its obstacles, all its distractions, all its troubles...trick us into believing that it's no use to try.

that it's no use to have faith.

that we're never going to stand.

but that's a lie from the pit of hell. because satan wants nothing more than for us to give up. he wants nothing more than for us to believe that God has forgotten us. 

he wants nothing more than for us to let this world and not God's Word become our focus.

Micah 7:8 tells us "Though I fall, I will rise again."

there's our focus. there's our promise.

there's our WORD.

we don't need to worry about falling. God's already there. 

and He's promised we will rise again.

so today we let go. and we look up. and we reach out.

and we let God's Word...and not this world...be the source of what we're holding on to!!! 

don't lose heart when life gets hard

sometimes life gets hard. 
and sometimes the hard lasts a long time. 
and no matter how hard or how long we pray, it seems like nothing changes. 
the hard is still there. and the hard has a sneaky way of turning into hopelessness. 
we become stuck in discouragement. we become overwhelmed by despair. 
because we think there's no way out. 
no way that would make us happy. no way that would give us peace. 
but if we hang on we find that the hard is what makes us better. 
the hard is what builds us. 
the hard is what gives us hope. 
like muscles that need to be worked to become stronger, the hard is what gives us strength. 
it doesn't feel that way when we're in the middle of it, especially when the middle stretches on for what seems like forever, but God has a way of taking the hard and helping us. 
He has a way of taking the hard and healing us. 
He has a way of taking the hard we thought would literally break our hearts and changing it into the grace that gives us new ones.

^"16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸So 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."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

God can take what looks dead and give it new life

months ago i saw that i let my store bought bag of potatoes go bad.

again.

they were soft and sprouting everywhere. i grabbed the bag and headed for the dumpster.

in my mind they were no good.

worthless.

garbage.

on my way out one of the ladies that works with us saw me.

"where are you going with those?" she asked.

"i'm throwing them away," i told her, "they're rotten."

"they're not rotten," she said as she took the bag from my hands, "they're perfect."

"perfect for what?" I asked.

"for planting," she told me.

over the next couple of days we got the ground ready and we planted those old potatoes. i didn't see

much hope in them but i did it anyway. as the plants grew my doubts grew as well. they didn't look like

much. in fact they looked pretty ragged.

but we watered them. and weeded them. and watched them.

and we waited.

as i was digging through the dirt at harvest time i was amazed.

there were potatoes everywhere.

and i couldn't help but think about the miracle.

how God took those old worn out potatoes and produced new ones.

how He took what looked like garbage and made it into something with value.

how He took what i wanted to throw away and showed me it still had purpose.

and so it is with the world and how we treat the people in it.

we're quick to toss out. quick to discard. quick to throw away.

we're quick to label. quick to decide who is no good. quick to decide who is worthless.

but just like those potatoes, we are wrong.

because God is able to water and weed and watch.

He can take those who look like they have no life and breathe new life into them.

He can take those who look like there's no hope and give them new hope.

and He can take those whose lives look meaningless and give them new meaning.

God can take what is old and make it new.

it may look ragged at first. it may look doubtful. it may look hopeless.

but God is not phased by what it looks like.

man sees the outward appearance. God sees the heart.

get the ground ready. plant the seed. and wait. 

patiently.

because what God did for life of the potatoes, He'll surely do for the life of you.

"Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it?" Isaiah 43:18-19


-keep the faith...God loves YOU!!!

-colleen