There Is Someone Who Understands You

 

 

Jessica Teed – cbn.com

Walking through times of suffering is when I have experienced the most spiritual growth in my relationship with the Lord. These often painful and difficult moments have helped shape me into who I am today. Can you relate?

After college, I worked in a very toxic environment at a job that I did not enjoy. I was belittled and criticized, and it seemed that nothing I did was good enough for my boss. Being at work was a daily emotional roller coaster that I desperately wanted to end.

I had only known the Lord for about five years at this point, but I wouldn’t say that I walked closely with Him or depended upon Him. I depended upon my well-paying job to provide for all my needs, and it was more a part of my identity than being a follower of Jesus Christ. When I lost my job in 2007, many emotions ran through me, and I was inconsolable. I felt like the rug was ripped out from underneath me.

Since I had no way to pay rent, I moved in with a friend while her husband was deployed in Afghanistan. I remember feeling so completely lost. I didn’t even know who I was anymore. Negativity consumed me and I struggled with feeling grateful for what I did have. I was angry with God, and I could feel myself drifting away from Him. I was angry at myself, too, for not making better choices with my finances. I was convinced that God was punishing me for my poor choices, and I listened to the lie that no one understood what I was going through.

It was through the help of a close friend that my eyes were opened. She suggested that I read through the book of Psalms and write down words that described who God is in each one. The more time I spent doing this, the closer I felt to God. Little by little, I began to see who God really was. I could also see that He was right there with me, walking with me one step at a time.

God used this to draw me closer to Him. Over the next several months, I learned what it meant to trust in the Lord and to depend upon Him for all that I need. I learned what it meant to seek after Him with all my heart. I learned the truth about who God is and who I am in Christ. The lies I had been believing for so many years were exposed, and God began to bring healing into my life where I needed it the most. As Ephesians 3:20 NLT says, God is truly:

…able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever ask or think.

The truth is, God did not cause me to lose my job, but He did use my job loss to draw me closer to Him. God also chose to use that loss as a way to set me free from a toxic work environment that regularly filled my mind with lies about who I am.

Our Identity in Christ

 

 

 

 

 

Robyn Hattingh - Communications Manager - CBN South Africa

 

What, or who, is your image rooted in?

The older I get, the more confident and comfortable I become with who I am. I think that this is partly due to maturity and regulated hormones, as well as finding security in who God created me to be. But, as we’ve seen in the world around us, our identity is majorly under attack, almost constantly. For some of us it may be sexuality, our role as a parent, or our purpose in life. One of my greatest identity challenges started just as the COVID-19 pandemic took over the world... I was diagnosed with a chronic disease that was influencing every single part of my life.

It was just before I was set to undergo surgery that someone in my team here in South Africa shared this Scripture:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10 ESV)

It came at a time where I was seriously questioning my identity as a child of God. I was struggling to understand why, after so many years and months of prayer for healing, I was still not healed and still in so much pain and discomfort. I was questioning God’s goodness for me, for my family, for who I was trying my best to be for Him. I was looking at people around me sharing incredible testimonies of God’s intervention, sharing about His goodness, and living out profound purposes for His kingdom.

And here I was, in my own eyes, failing miserably. I saw myself as a bad wife, an underperforming employee, and a horrible friend. That became how I identified myself.

This was exactly how the enemy was using my situation to distract me from God. The Scripture above reminded me that our identity and self-image is a big thing. The way we view ourselves has a massive impact on our thinking patterns, decision-making and the way we treat people.

Sometimes we become so busy and consumed, that before we know it, we base our value and worth on how we perform at work, at home, academically, our influence on social media—the list can be endless. All of these things are fleeting. Some days they go well, some days they go very badly – or even some long seasons go badly. I was so caught up in a bad season that I forgot the simple truths that had anchored me for so many years. I became so consumed with myself that I didn’t look to the Word for truth, I didn’t spend time in prayer seeking His comfort and gentle whispers, I didn’t rely on His grace to carry me through my trials.

This Scripture reminded me to get back to the basics. God prepared His good works, His workmanship—He prepared you and me—before we were even born so that we could walk in His promises and goodness. The only sure thing to root and anchor our identity in is God. We were created in His image (Genesis 1), He formed us intentionally and with purpose (Psalm 139), and He never changes—our value and worth will never change.

If you are struggling through your own hard season and have lost sight of your identity in Christ, recite this Scripture over and over until it feels real. Say it out loud, write it down, and put it where you can see it, and as I stand here in agreement with you, pray for God to make your identity in Him ever more real in your day-to-day life and trials.

Do I Hear Guilt?

 

 

Gail Casteen – CBN, com

“Guilt!?! Do I hear guilt?” My friend could easily make me laugh. Even though I laughed every time she asked, her question awakened me to the fact that I’d chosen to shoulder guilt rather than let it go.

Guilt feels to me like a heavy, dark secret that others should never see. Yet, something as simple as making a minor blunder with a choice of words or a course of action can send me spiraling down into guilt. Often, it’s twin, shame, would come along for the ride. It could be nothing deep and dark to anyone, except to me! Still the guilt and shame dogged me.

I confided in my friend about everything. She knew things about me that only she and God knew. For years she would ask, “Guilt, do I hear guilt?”  Then she would follow with a second question, “Jesus died for that, so why are you carrying it?”

Great question. Why was it so easy to slip into the darkness where my less-than-stellar life events were tucked away? The place where when things went wrong, I believed I deserved it – I knew those secrets.  Sometimes it was as simple as, “I should have said this instead of that.” Or “Why did I do that?” Or “When will I learn to think through things instead of embarrassing myself?”  You know the questions.

When she moved across the country, I found the person asking those questions was ME! The answers were invariably, “Yes, I DO hear guilt.” and “Yes, Jesus DID die for that.” So, how do I get out from under that burden? I know. I know… repent! (Hearing that very word – REPENT – carried more guilt!)

In chapel one day, I heard a simple teaching that changed everything. When the teacher started talking about ‘repentance’ I had this sinking feeling, “Oh no. That’s all I need, one more message to make me feel worse about myself.”

But it didn’t go that way. He wasn’t preachy or condemning. He simply stated the fact that repent is made up of two Greek words, ‘meta’, meaning change, and ‘noeō’ meaning the mind. It means to change your mind! What a revelation! Think differently.

I had work to do. I had to learn that when I repented, God heard me and forgave me. That’s where I had to change my mind. It is finished! Once I go to Him and say, “Please forgive me”, it is done. That change of mind has carried me a long way.

As I learn to think differently, I am enjoying a new element of freedom I never imagined. Paul had it right when he said,

Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. (Romans 8:1, AMPC).

Go ahead and read all of Romans 8.  Boy-oh-boy! Talk about freedom.

Take Him at His Word, dark places are illuminated with His Life. He has brought us to this point of joy and liberty to empower us to be who we want to be in Him. Better yet, He’s setting us up to live our lives as He designed us from the foundation of the world.

Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4).

We live in a guilt-free zone! Thanks to Jesus!

Where God Leads, God Equips

 

 

Nadia Yvonne Lopez Ayuso ,  cbn.com

I never imagined I would become a CBN host. Since I was little, I was always very shy, in addition to having a small attention deficit that made me be more in the clouds than able to follow the thread of a conversation. I liked to sing, so I cultivated that dream, and at age 19, it led me to be in media circles.

I worked hard, and although I could sing in front of thousands of people, my social skills remained the same. My heart seemed like a bottomless barrel, and nothing filled it… until I met Jesus Christ. I was finally able to experience the joy that I had long sought. I wanted to tell the entire world that Jesus Christ is real, that He really exists!

Then came the invitation to become part of Vive Más, but the idea of not being able to do well terrified me. I thought if I could not follow a conversation, then how could I interview someone? However, the wonderful production team embraced me and never got tired of supporting me. This experience brought a most special meaning to me from this verse:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:9-10 NIV).

Currently, the Vive Más program has been running for more than four years and God continues to develop my communication skills to carry His message through it. We share God’s wonderful works and see how people are rescued for His kingdom, day by day.

But something completely unexpected also happened during my journey. I can now carry on a conversation! God uses music to take me to places where there are many people who do not know Christ, and my new skills in conversation allow me to share Christ wherever He leads me.

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15).

Sowing the Word of God is sowing love, and in due time we will reap what we sow. This love will not necessarily come from those people with whom we share, but God’s love will fill our hearts with the joy of His presence and the knowledge that we are fulfilling His will in our lives. We may not see the fruit, but we can rejoice in having participated in the work! In this way, we will not get tired of doing good, because our joy is already fulfilled.

Let us do good all the time seeking to reflect God with our behavior, love, and patience. Let us not expect to see all the work finished overnight. Instead, let us sow patiently and in due time we will reap precious fruit with an abundance we never imagined. It is a fallen and oppositional world but we can focus on the fact that one day the work will be complete, and we will enjoy the reward that comes from the Lord.

“Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds” (Isaiah 3:10).

The greatest reward is to be able to serve and be useful tools in the hands of the Lord. Let us not grow weary of doing good, because even if we do not have the skills, those whom God calls, He trains.

What is the weak area of ​​your life that you need to give to the Lord? Do you think He would equip you if He called you?

Ditch the Rotten Fruit

 

Allen Carter – Head of Development/ CBN Europe

Have you ever gone to the refrigerator or the fruit bowl to find that the fruit you recently bought has begun to perish? At that time, you can choose to remove the perishing item or leave it to decay, causing the other fruit around it to decompose. There is much about rotten fruit that is unappealing; unless dealt with appropriately, the smell will linger, the fruit will decay, and spread decay to other fruit.

The Bible talks about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23:

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (NLT)

These fruits are cultivated by the Holy Spirit in our lives. In verses 19-21 we read about “bad and rotten fruit,” which is the result of the works of “the sinful nature.”

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.

It’s unpleasant to deal with the rotten fruit of the sin nature. However, left unchecked, the consequences have serious repercussions.

Like literal rotten fruit, the acts of the sin nature begin to affect our lives and negatively influence those around us. Daily, we must choose to either continue following the desires of the flesh—or we decide to get rid of the rotten fruit and allow the fruit of the Spirit to be evident in our lives.

The choices we make ultimately determine whether we walk in peace or discord. Each choice positively or negatively affects us not only individually, but equally impacts those around us.

In Luke 6:43-45, Jesus says:

“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”

From these verses, we see that our speech is an indicator of the condition of the heart. For out of the abundance (the overflow) of the heart, the mouth speaks. The words that we speak have creative power. They can build up or tear down; they can be life-giving or words of death that destroy.

Let’s pray:
Father, thank You for Your Spirit that produces good fruit in our lives—for our own benefit, and for the benefit of others. Let our attitudes and speech overflow with Your goodness, that You may be glorified. In Jesus’ name, amen.

You Have an Inheritance in God

 

Brenda Williams –  cbn.com

A few months ago, I woke up with the Lord saying that He was teaching me the “love of the Father.” This was very exciting! I’m now listening, waiting, and looking for ways in which I continue to see His love expressed. Everything the Lord does is out of His love for His sons and daughters.

My dad left us when I was three years old. I grew up the middle child of a single mom doing the best she could. I honor her for seeds planted during Bible study with my sister and me at the kitchen table. Through the people the Lord put in my life, He’s teaching me what He is like as Father. And, like an earthly father, the Lord wants us to “graduate” and walk into the higher learning of His kingdom through our one-on-one relationship with Him. Galatians 4:1-2 shows us that we are “heirs” and that God puts “guardians and stewards” over us so we might grow up in all things into Him (Ephesians 4:15) and become mature believers.

My first pastor taught the Word chapter by chapter, verse by verse, and I learned the foundations of Christianity: Yahweh as the only God, Christ as His only Son, and the only way to eternal life; the Scriptures as the explicit, inerrant Word of God.

Later, the Lord led me to a church where I learned of the infilling of the Holy Spirit, His work in our lives, and the healing of old emotional wounds. Now I am seeking to learn the deeper truths of His Word and kingdom. The more time I spend with Him, intimacy with Father God deepens and a knowledge of His love in a more personal way than ever before. I pray we are all faithful in this pursuit.

As His heir, we have an inheritance and Christ wants us to receive all He died to give us.

Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are … a son, then an heir of God through Christ. 
(Galatians 4:6-7)

Jesus called His Father “Abba” as did the Apostle Paul. There are many names of God, but I find this one to be personal and endearing. It makes me feel like I can reach out and touch Him. Truly, we all can. Strong’s concordance explains that “Abba” is one of the most sacred names of God. Abba: our master and teacher, our creator who brought each one of us into being, imparting to us His likeness and bestowing on us His benefits as any parent would want to. Doesn’t that make you feel special? This Aramaic term reveals a deep, intimate relationship. This is God’s great desire for us. He cares about everything that concerns us and we can be certain of His faithfulness. Earthly fathers aren’t always faithful, but Abba is.

Even with the best dad the world has to offer, the void in our hearts will not be filled without knowing God’s love. Abba desires to fill every void in our hearts with His love and presence. I love it that His arms are always open wide to enfold us.

Lord, we open our hearts to You today and ask that You keep us hungry, make us teachable so we can grow up in You. Teach us Your love, the love that is like no other. Fill us with Your love that we may love others as You do.

Fully Known and Fully Loved by God

 

 

Tara Jackson – CBN.com

Embracing who God has made us to be unlocks a new level of freedom. I experienced this freedom in 2016 during my freshman year of college. It was the day I did a “big chop” and committed to wearing my hair in its natural, afro state.

To those who are unfamiliar with the term “big chop,” it’s used predominantly in the black community to refer to the act of cutting off one’s chemically relaxed hair in order to revert back to their natural hair texture. A relaxer (or perm) is a chemical treatment that is applied to curly hair to make it straight. In a nutshell, a big chop is a commitment to wearing one’s naturally curly hair instead of choosing to chemically straighten it. Perms can come with a few major side effects, including extreme burning and scalp irritation upon application of the perm, scabs on the scalp, and, over time, hair loss. You may be wondering, why in the world would anyone get a perm with all those adverse side effects? One word: acceptance.

As a child, the term “good hair” only represented one thing for me: straight, long hair… a European standard of beauty. Based on those qualifications, I did not make the cut. From passive remarks to outright insults of my hair and other kinkier hair textures of African descent, it was evident what was deemed acceptable and desirable for my hair was driven by society. I felt trapped. Thankfully, God’s life-giving Word provided a way out.

You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you. (Song of Solomon 4:7 ESV)

God’s Word outweighs every fleeting beauty standard of this world that strips image-bearers of their true worth. Numbers 23:19 is the Scripture that silenced any lingering doubts about God’s view of me:

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.

If God cannot lie, then He cannot lie about me; if He does not change His mind, then His declaration about me is definite. The decision to wear my natural hair is an outward expression that I believe what God says I am: beautiful.

While my testimony is about falling in love with my hair, my story is not unique. Every day, fellow image-bearers of God are made to feel “less-than” due to societal standards. Whether it be weight, height, accent, skin tone, etc. the world is constantly spreading the message that what God has declared “good” (see Genesis 1:26-31) is not good enough. If you are struggling with acceptance, know that you are fully known and loved by God. There is nothing you must alter to gain His acceptance. You are God’s masterpiece.

Follow God … Not the Crowd

 

 

Jennifer Scribner – CBN. com

When I was about eight years old, my mom realized that I needed reading glasses. Back then, kids who wore glasses were made fun of in school. I was also a tomboy so I was teased every day about something and I eventually felt like I didn’t “fit in” with the other kids in my class. Because I was raised in a Christian family, I respected others and followed the rules but I eventually began to act out in order to be noticed and feel included. I joined in on the name-calling and insults being hurled by the other kids. I’d even be a distraction in class by doing things that would make everyone laugh. The teacher didn’t appreciate it and I got called out on it. I knew better, but I wanted people to like me.

Recently, I was reading through the book of Galatians and was surprised to learn in Chapter two that even Peter, one of God’s closest Apostles, succumbed to some peer pressure. Peter had apparently been socializing with unsaved Gentiles. His conservative Jewish friends would have expected him to teach the Gentiles that they needed to follow the Jewish laws (including circumcision) to be true believers and accepted as Christ followers; but Peter did not. So, when those friends arrived in town, he distanced himself from the Gentiles because he didn’t want it known that he wasn’t living up to the conservative teaching standards.

The Apostle Paul was in Jerusalem at this time and knew exactly what Peter was doing and was quick to expose him in front of everyone:

Later, when Peter came to Antioch, I had a face-to-face confrontation with him because he was clearly out of line. Earlier, before certain persons had come from James, Peter regularly ate with the non-Jews. But when that conservative group came from Jerusalem, he cautiously pulled back and put as much distance as he could manage between himself and his non-Jewish friends. That’s how fearful he was of the conservative Jewish clique that’s been pushing the old system of circumcision. But when I saw that they were not maintaining a steady, straight course according to the Message, I spoke up to Peter in front of them all: “If you, a Jew, live like a non-Jew when you’re not being observed by the watchdogs from Jerusalem, what right do you have to require non-Jews to conform to Jewish customs just to make a favorable impression on your friends from Jerusalem?” (Galatians 2:11-14 MSG)

Like Peter, I felt embarrassed when I was called out in front of my class. I had to apologize for disrupting the class and my teacher. If I felt humiliated as a child, I can only imagine how Peter must have felt as an adult. As a Christian in my mid-40’s, my glasses are now fashionable, and my tomboy ways are more appealing, but most importantly, I realize that obedience to God’s commandments is so much more important than worrying about what other people think. Instead, I should use every opportunity to share the good news by setting a good example for non-Christians to follow.

Pray with me:
Lord Jesus Christ, please help us to stay true to You and Your pure Gospel message. You tell us that Your grace is all we need and to love You with all our hearts, souls, and minds and love others as we do ourselves. As we learn to walk through this life, please give us the courage to avoid peer pressure and the strength to stand on what we know is true about You. Use us to love others into Your kingdom and represent Your open arms and nail-scarred hands.

Pleasing God

 

 

Vernell Windsor – cbn.com

Have you ever been called upon to explain your misbehavior? I remember being in grade school and Sister Susie (changed to protect her identity) poked me in the head to turn around and pay attention. I was humiliated by her actions, but I have no recollection of what distracted me in the back of the room. My lack of attention to her teaching upset her.

One common thread in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is to give God the greatest respect and obey Him by keeping His commandments.

The writer of Ecclesiastes said it this way,

The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you. And that’s it. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 MSG).

From the beginning of time, people have gotten off course from following God’s commandments and paying attention to what He says is important. In Galatians 1, the Apostle Paul admonishes believers for getting distracted from the true teachings of Christ and believing a distorted version of the Gospel:

“I can’t believe how you waver—how easily you have turned traitor to him who called you by the grace of Christ by embracing an alternative message!” (Galatians 1:6).

In his passion for them to understand the seriousness of their ways and why he cares so much about the true Gospel message, Paul says,

“Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or court favor with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn’t bother being Christ’s slave. Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. I didn’t receive it through the traditions, and I wasn’t taught it in some school. I got it straight from God, received the Message directly from Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:10-12).

Pleasing the Lord made all the difference for Paul and he wanted the same for the Galatians. He poked them on the back of their heads with his strong words to get them to pay attention to the true Gospel message. We can all benefit from the reminder to focus on Christ regardless of life’s challenges.

Deferred but Not Denied

 

 

Chanel Abrams – cbn.com

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12 NIV)

I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

For years I dreamed of working as a makeup artist for CBN.

You see, my Christian faith is infused into every fiber of my being. This proved to be a challenge on some of the sets where I found myself and I was constantly monitoring my conversations to be sure not to offend anyone by speaking of this Jesus who I love so much.

But how could I keep quiet about His goodness towards me? The fact that I’m even able to perform the tasks that I do with my hands is a miracle in and of itself. I’ve never had any formal training or been to school for my craft. My hands have been blessed by the Master.

Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time before I mentioned the name of Jesus and was being pulled aside with a stern talking to regarding discussing religion on the set.

On the heels of my fourth rejection I was feeling defeated. I doubted my skill level and abilities. On top of that, there were several instances on the set with other artists where they spoke negatively about me when they thought I wasn’t listening.

One night while searching through social media, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to search “makeup artists” and “CBN.” An artist who had worked for CBN came up. I sent her an email explaining my story and she informed me that she wasn’t able to help me at that time. But sometime later she contacted me with the news that CBN was seeking an artist for the Washington, D.C., bureau! I submitted my application that day. Shortly after that I would receive a phone call for an interview, an audition, and then an offer of a position as makeup artist with CBN. Wow! How amazing!

If you are reading this with a dream that may be deferred, let me encourage you: God hasn’t forgotten about you. I honestly wanted to give up at times. But the race isn’t given to the swift or to the strong, but to the one who endures until the end. Amidst obstacles and disappointments, stand strong knowing that in due season you will reap (Galatians 6:9).

Healing Exposure

 

By Annie Yorty, Crosswalk, com

“Let all who fear the Lord repeat: ‘His faithful love endures forever.’ In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free” (Psalm 118:4-5 NLT).

“Ewww.” I scrunched my face at the sight of fat, juicy earthworms littering the path to my mailbox. Too lazy to go back inside the house for shoes, I tiptoed around them, wary of touching the wriggling invertebrates with my bare feet. A drenching rain after a hot, dry spell had floated the worms to the surface seeking oxygen. Now the July sun blazed overhead, quickly heating the pavement and baking the slimy creatures. An hour later, most of the worms lay shriveled and dying on the sidewalk. Only a few escaped the carnage wrought by the sun. Those creatures from the mud remind me of things hidden in my life—past wounds and sins I’ve buried—that resurface during stressful times.

Wounds burrow into our lives from our earliest days—cutting criticism from a teacher, a bully’s insults, parents who split up, a father who abandoned the family. I have a friend whose beloved grandma died when he was ten years old. No one helped him understand his grief, so he stuffed his loss deep inside. Another friend cannot escape the echoes of her older brother’s jeers about her appearance. Children display remarkable resilience because they often absorb and normalize these painful events. We assume all is well because they seem to move on, but their wounds lurk in the dark.

Adults also bury hurts. Rifts in relationships, being passed over for a promotion, rejection, and many other wounds and sins litter our lives. Wounds usually come from the poor choices of others. But what about the pain we inflict in the form of both unconscious and deliberate sins? Left unconfessed, these also dig into our lives and find lodging.

God warns about how bitterness demoralizes us when wounds and sins remain under the surface, unexposed. “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many” (Hebrews 12:15 NLT).

Did you catch that? Bitterness troubles you and corrupts others. But this verse also offers hope—the hope that God’s grace overcomes every awful effect of bitterness. God’s grace comes in many surprising forms. Sometimes it washes over us like a soft rain gently nourishing the earth. Other times, we find His grace in the middle of flashing lightning and cracks of thunder.

Just as a driving rain floats worms to the surface, so too the stresses of life bring out lingering bitterness from painful wounds or sins. I confess this is true in my own life. I skip along my path happily ignoring some old problem I’d rather not address. Sooner or later, though, stress triggers me to lash out according to my past, unresolved hurts. My “worms” lay exposed on the sidewalk of my life, ready for the light of God’s grace.

Maybe you, like me, have chafed at the discomfort, embarrassment, or regret you feel when God exposes issues we’ve carefully hidden. Have you considered that God, in grace and mercy, may be using your circumstances to push them out from underground to shine His healing light upon them?

Though God’s intense light glares painfully, exposure is the first step toward true healing. In Ephesians 5:10-11 NLT, Apostle Paul advises, “Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.” God’s light of grace shrivels bitterness that has grown fat in darkness until it can no longer tunnel back underground.

Why not cooperate with God when He allows pressure-filled circumstances to uncover what’s wriggling under the surface of your life? Begin by thanking Him for the grace of struggles that reveal your slimy worms. Then settle yourself under His examination light while it burns up any bitterness your circumstances revealed. Praise Him as He clears away dried-up carcasses from the past, so they no longer control you. Finally, revel in the freedom to walk barefoot without tiptoeing around the worms of the past.

Every Tear Will Disappear

 

 

Charmain Hibberd, cbn.com

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

He has also set eternity in the human heart… (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

I was listening to a song recently called “Getting Ready” by Maverick City Music. The song has exquisite lyrics in it that paint pictures of Jesus’ return — His coming on the clouds, returning for His Bride, the church.

Honestly, the song and the imagery that it conjured up in my mind caused me to become very emotional as I realized that I do truly long to see Jesus, face to face. My Savior. My love.

The Bible tells us that God has placed eternity in the human heart. This means that, until we reach our final destination of heaven, there will always be a longing in us. Perhaps even a discomfort or ache.

Nothing that this world can offer will ever come close to the eternal joy we will experience when we reach heaven. The world can offer us only so much by way of pleasure, relief, and comfort. Often, worldly experiences cause us pain and heartache as imperfect people live amongst other imperfect people.

But another promise in the Bible is that all that pain, sorrow, and grief will be wiped away. Gone forever. How wonderful!

If you are in a season of testing or trial, may I encourage you that once you have surrendered your life to Jesus, you have an eternal destiny that will far outweigh anything you could ever dream of.

I do not know what heaven will be like any more than the next person. But what I do know is that the promises in the book of Revelation are magnificent and that our good, good Father God will not disappoint us.

We will not have journeyed this Christian life in vain.

Prayer: Father, as we look ahead, getting ourselves ready for Your return and longing for the day when we get to see you face to face, I pray that You will help us to tread this narrow path with honor, integrity and authenticity. May we never forget that we have a heavenly inheritance waiting for us and may we make it our life’s work to glorify Your name. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The Door of Love

 

 

 

Gloria Azanon - Prayer Line Representative - CBN Guatemala

 

Walking through a lush forest, listening to singing birds, the sound of rushing waters, and feeling the soft caress of the sun’s warmth on my face, I meditate on love.

But what is love? Some say that it is a living feeling, wishing for everything good, something intense—not palpable, but perceivable.

Incredibly, every person needs that manifestation of love. God is the essence of love—pure and perfect, with the greatest acts of faithfulness and kindness without limits, all of which the human mind fails to grasp. Jesus is God’s expression of love.

He doesn’t care what sinful path you may have been on, or how many times your feet may have slipped, or how dirty your clothes are. The Bible speaks of a woman who had a reputation as a sinner. She knew that Jesus was at a certain Pharisee’s house, and she showed up uninvited, threw herself at His feet, and wept. Jesus forgave her sins, giving her a new opportunity. As the Apostle Paul writes:

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2-3 NIV)

The Lord speaks of a change of life and of being filled with His love, which covers sins and casts out all fear. We sometimes allow our faith in God’s love to be clouded by fear. As you read this devotional, As we come to God in worship, we can express how we feel and be honest about what is going on in our hearts. God’s love always renews and transforms us:

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

At CBN Guatemala, we serve and pray for all the people who call on us every day. We understand the manifestation of the love of Jesus and that He is knocking at the door of each one of their hearts. Some accept and others reject the love of the Lord because of deception and sin. Prayer opens a door of communication with Jesus and gives Him the opportunity to enter lives. And then we experience forgiveness and mercy. People who have been healed, set free, and restored testify to the faithful love of Jesus, who called them to His marvelous light. It is a glorious time because the door is open for everyone who believes in Jesus and needs His love!

Jesus holds out His lifelines of love and mercy to you. If you would like to respond, I invite you to pray this prayer with me:

Stay Free of Stinking Thinking

 

 

Angela Mays – Partner Development Specialist, cbn.com

I grew up in a low social-economic community. Life was hard during those years. My father was the only bread-winner and my mother was a homemaker. My father worked hard to provide for his family. It was difficult financially during those days with a large family. Nevertheless, in comparison to others, I always felt we were slighted by God.

My thoughts about God were so negative. I felt He was prejudiced and cared for others more than He cared for me and my family. Compared to others, I felt we should have had better things in life. I thought God was a respecter of persons and races. I believed God loved others more than He loved me.

When I was older, I had an opportunity to visit Haiti on a mission trip. While riding through certain areas of the city, I observed the living conditions of some of the people. Some lived in homes made with straw or other man-made materials without a solid foundation and some lived within wooded areas. I wept during the entire trip because this was a great awakening for me. After seeing all of the poverty in Haiti, I recognized that all these years of growing up I had developed “stinking thinking.”

This missions trip helped me understand there is always someone who may be worse off. God loves the Haitian people as much as He loves me. I was comparing myself with others, not recognizing God’s many blessings for my family. We had more than enough compared to what I experienced in Haiti.

He has always proven to be faithful. My thoughts about God have radically changed since my mission trip to Haiti and as I grew older I understood God was no respecter of persons. He is a respecter of faith. I remembered the countenance on those families was joyous because they had love and each other. Material things do not make a family, but love and unity do; and even when we did not have a lot of material things, we had lots of love.

So when the enemy tempts you to compare yourself with others and think negative thoughts that God doesn’t care or is not listening to you, begin to reflect on the good things God has done for you and praise Him. Then the light will burst through your darkness and the glory of God will shine on your situation.

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.” (NKJV)

When we think on the good things God has done, the joy of the Lord will arise in our hearts and thanksgiving on our lips. The peace of God will rest in our hearts. Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 when those negative thoughts begin to attack your mind:

“… casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, …” (verse 5)

There are sinister forces that seek to destroy us, but we must allow the Holy Spirit to empower us to maintain a renewed and godly mind. Our enemy has been defeated and we do not have to compare ourselves to others. God is good to us all and wants the best for us. We, as children of God, must have the mind of Christ. Stay free of stinking thinking and let us ponder how God thinks; and by so doing, act like His children.