Rest in God’s Promises

 

 

Robyn Hattingh – cbn.com

It’s easy to get caught up with to-do lists, social activities, and work. We live in a society where if we aren’t performing and achieving, we can feel anxious. I certainly feel this regularly. At the beginning of 2021 I decided that I was not achieving enough with my life—even though I had just gotten married and had other struggles to contend with—and I started studying again. I have always wanted to study psychology, but rather than thinking about the practicalities of taking on a four-year part-time course at that stage of my life, I just went for it.

Now, a year-and-a-half later, even though I managed to keep up with the workload and do well, I’ve had to take a break. At the time you read this, I’ll be in the middle of maternity leave with my first child. And while this is an incredible blessing, I have such anxiety about not performing. I want to achieve things. I have a checklist to complete every day. I have assignments and exams that help me feel like I am moving forward in life. For some reason, I don’t feel satisfied unless I am so busy that I’m exhausted and overwhelmed.

Burnt out.

The perfect way to describe the mode many of us live in. Too many responsibilities, spread too thin, expectations that are way too high. Even in churches and Christian communities, these expectations and ways of living are very much the reality.

But God has a promise for us in Philippians 1:6,

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (ESV)

God is assuring us that since He started good work in us, He will bring it to completion through Jesus Christ. We don’t need to work any harder, achieve anymore, or burn ourselves out to achieve the only work that really matters—His work. By living in relationship and obedience to Him, we’re doing enough. Who we are and what we’re doing is enough simply because the God of miracles created us. And because He started the good work in us, we can rest in His promise of bringing it to completion through Jesus Christ.

Today I am resting in His promises. I trust that He formed my baby perfectly and in His timing. I trust that through this journey of motherhood, His good works are continuing. I am trusting that who I was created to be is enough for His kingdom and His purposes for me.

I hope and pray that you can feel reassured by this promise, too. That you believe that you are enough, what you’re doing is enough, and God created you for a time such as this. His good purpose for your life does not rest solely on you, but He will bring it to completion. Rest in that and carry it with you as you continue doing the work and activities you need to do.

Treasures In Jars Of Clay

 

 

Terry Meeuwsen – Co-Host – The 700 Club

The Bible says,

“Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NKJV).

It also says,

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

We are in a battle that has eternal significance. On the surface, it may seem like a personal struggle with some mental or physical area of weakness. That’s what Satan would love for you to think. This is your problem, your weakness, your failure. And it’s bigger than you are. How he loves to see us defeated in these areas of our lives.

For years, I tried to battle these areas of temptation in my life by drumming up willpower, gritting my teeth, and digging in my heels. Once in a while, I’d have a victory, but more often than not I’d end up on my face, riddled with guilt before the Lord. Have you ever seen a cat toy with a mouse before finishing it off? The cat will sometimes sit in condescending amusement watching its prey struggling to escape. That’s how I felt Satan toyed with me as I struggled to overcome. Then I’d fail and think to myself, “How can I be so weak? I know the Lord; I love the Lord; I know what is right, and I want to change. What’s wrong with me?”

If you are in such a struggle about anything, begin reading at verse 7 in chapter 7 of the book of Romans. As you read on into chapter 8 of Romans, you’ll come to an incredible solution:

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Sprit” (Romans 8:5).

How do we live in accordance with the Spirit?

“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15).

The word Abba actually translates to “Daddy.”

This, dear friends, is the key to overcoming. When you are in the throes of temptation, run to the Father! Get into His presence and tap into His power. The Bible tells us that in our weakness God is strong. His presence puts our problems in perspective and floods us with a sense of protection, peace, and power.

If you find yourself in a situation where you’ve been defeated and are filled with guilt, remember,

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

Don’t let the enemy rub your face in the dirt. God’s forgiveness is always extended to us. The Bible says that nothing can separate us from the love of God. When you are in trouble, run to the heart of the Father.

Abba, Father! Help me! The storm is threatening to overwhelm me, and I am weak. I confess my sins and I ask for Your forgiveness. Fill me with Your Spirit and teach me Your ways. Give me the mind of Christ and a vision for who I am in You. I stand on Your Word, which says that “We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.” I rest in You, my Father.

Chosen, Now What?

 

Fiorella Montoya – CBN, com

Do you love surprises as much as I do? I think that Jesus is an expert on that since every day He does something different in my life. A little over a year ago, Jesus introduced Himself to me, a 23-year-old journalist with a desire to learn who was working on a recording set surrounded by lights, microphones, and people with enormous hearts, not only for their work but for their work for Jesus. My job title could have been “God’s production assistant.”

God can also do something different or surprising in your job or church ministry—wherever He has chosen to place you. God chose us and gave us a name and a life for His service. He sits down and takes control he describes in the prophecy about Ethiopia.

This is what the LORD says to me: “I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest” (Isaiah 18:4 NIV).

Imagine Someone with His gaze fixed on our day-to-day life. Sometimes it seems strange, although it is beautiful to know that there is such a great covering over us. And yet, our role simply begins when we first open our eyes to Him. As with an edited piece of video, opening our eyes is only the first scene, followed by the acts that God wants to perform in our lives.

As human beings we carry fears and sometimes those fears are magnified when we forget who walks in front of us. If you still don’t know your purpose, I recommend that you start by accepting that you are chosen by God, then abandon your fears, and start the movie of your own life.

In Isaiah, the people of Egypt were warned that they would be struck down and their strength would be exhausted, but when they cried out to God, He would be there to defend them. The same thing happens when you or I give in to fear.

It will be a sign and witness to the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them (Isaiah 19:20).

The world offers us temptations and there are hundreds of voices around waiting for us to deviate from our divine purpose. Perhaps thoughts like, I can’t, I’m not qualified, I’m too young, or I’m too old are part of the fears that can knock on your door but recognizing that God walks hand in hand with you is the key to defeating doubts and overcoming fears.

Now, your job is to create the rest of the scenes that God planned for your life. Ask Him to help you do that today. He chose you; now what? He will watch over you to fulfill the beautiful purpose He has for your life. Know with confidence that He walks before you and will be a shield against any fear.

Let Your Little Light Shine

 

Iliamari Mendoza-Gómez , cbn.com

Remember those first days, weeks, or months after you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Everywhere I went people would say, “You look different, you have this glow!” I was hungry to learn about Him and so eager to be like Him! But, has it happened to you that as time passes you start getting more comfortable and suddenly you realize that sometimes you’re not as eager anymore? Or is it just me?

God made me take a good look at myself a while ago. I had been sharing my apartment with a friend for a few years, but my friend was not always keeping her part of the responsibilities. Many times I was the only one attending to the upkeep. Even though I tried different ways of communicating these issues and my feelings to her, she was not listening. And so the friendship became strained; nothing I did was working and I couldn’t deal with the state of our living conditions.

One day, my brother, who’s a pastor, said to me, “Sis, I’m going to tell you this as God is telling me to tell you… You must love her!” My jaw dropped to the floor; I was speechless! Then I began to cry, and I said to him, “How? I’ve done everything I know how to do!”

That word stayed with me for a couple of weeks, and one morning as I was driving to work, suddenly it dawned on me, and I said out loud, “What a hypocrite, how can I say that I love God when I can’t stand my friend!” I remember getting to my office, locking the door behind me, and telling God, “Daddy, I forgive her and I place her into Your hands. I’ve done on my own all that I can and I’m letting go of her. If You want me to love her, Daddy, You have to put that love in my heart for her, because right now I don’t have it.”

God changed my heart and filled me with His love. Even though we no longer live together and the friendship is not as close as it once was, I can be there for my friend if she needs me without feeling angry or resentful. The peace that I have in my heart is amazing.

See, we get comfortable with the idea that doing good deeds makes us more like Jesus. But there is so much more than that. The Bible says,

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV)

I learned that God didn’t want me to carry that burden. All I needed to do was talk to Him, be honest about what I was feeling, and He would give me the answer. When we follow Jesus’ example, we will always find out that love is the key ingredient. When we surrender to God’s will, we always be on the right path, and we will be the light that God want us to be here in this world.

I know life can be hard and stressful at times, but I also know the promises that God has for me and for you. Our walk with God must be intentional, not comfortable; ask God to examine your heart every now and then, see where you are, listen to what God tells you to do. Be  obedient and don’t let the worries of life turn off your light.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of Light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8-10)

It’s Just a Flesh Wound

 

 

Linda Vulcano – cbn.com

Years ago, a friend was telling me about a scene from the movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. A character has one arm cut off and then the other, but keeps saying things like, “It’s just a flesh wound! No problem!”

Even though I didn’t see the movie myself, I’m often reminded of that scene when I’m being honest about my personal struggles with unforgiveness.

As a passionate follower of Christ, I know the dangers of unforgiveness. Matthew 18:21-35 records the parable about a man who had a great debt forgiven, only to fail to forgive someone else. His punishment is harsh.

I know I am required to forgive when someone hurts me. My problem is, I often don’t want to admit that I have been hurt.

Like the man in the movie, I say, “It’s just a flesh wound… really nothing!” I end up harboring bitterness and resentment way down deep in my heart, simply because I am unwilling to admit I have been hurt.

I think the problem is, I don’t want to face the fact that once I choose to love someone, I am also giving them the power to hurt me. Such vulnerability is scary. To think I can be wounded by criticism or rejection from someone I care about is sometimes a reality I want to run from.

I want to be invincible to such hurts. The problem is, I’m not invincible. And no one who loves will ever be safe from harm. After all, it was Christ who loved like no one else, and the result was unimaginable suffering.

So, we have to choose. The only way to be protected from hurt is to love no one. And that’s not a real choice. Being hurt will always be part of living in a fallen world.

I attend a church that uses liturgy as part of the worship service. Each week, we confess that we have “sinned in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and what we have left undone.”

Sometimes I need to make another confession – for me a much harder one. “I confess that I have been sinned against.”

My pastor is faithful to remind us often of the scriptural teaching from Ephesians 4:26-27 warning us to not let the sun go down on our anger. I have let many “suns” set while failing to forgive, simply because I didn’t want to admit I was hurt.

Ephesians 4:27 ends with the words,

“… for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”

It’s a sobering reminder of the results of harboring unforgiveness.  A warning that I hope I can remember the next time I am hurt by someone I love.

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.