A lot of time I hear the words thrown out that we are all God's children... but is this true? What does the Bible tell us?
The Bible says we're either God's children through faith in Jesus Christ, God the Son, or we're his enemies in rebellion against him. These are two very different relationships we can have with God, the creator of the universe. God DOES NOT WANT us to be his enemies, so he intervened so we can have relationship with him. On our own we are not OK. Most of us know this, but some are in denial. We do things we know are wrong and can't figure out how to stop! The Bible calls our problem, our not-rightness--sin. It's our nature to often choose what is wrong over what is right-- to choose what is easy or good for us only. We can't fix our sin problem on our own. We need God, who is sinless, to save us. If you are not a follower of Jesus I want to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with you. If you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, be encouraged--this is the Good News that has already saved you! In this sin filled world we are separated from God on our own. Our attempts to be good are never enough to match God's holiness (perfect goodness through which He is set apart). However, to bring us back to relationship with himself God the Father sent Jesus Christ, God the Son, to redeem us. Jesus is fully God and fully human. What a mystery! He was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead by God the Father (Romans 3:22-29). Through faith in Jesus we have access to God the Father. When we repent of our sins and believe Jesus is our risen Lord and Savior, he sends the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts, sealing us for the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:3, Ephesians 4:13). Though these references are true-- I invite you to meet Jesus through the biographies of his life as told in the Bible in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (also known as the Gospels). We don’t come to faith on our own. Out of God’s grace he gives us the gift of faith so no one can think they had a part in their salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). Though God calls all his children to him we do have the choice to reject the Lord. If you don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ or if you feel distant but want to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior then pray to him. If you don't know what to pray it might sound something like this: Jesus, I have done bad things in my life and sinned against you. I need your forgiveness. Please forgive me. Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins (the bad things) and rose again. You defeated both sin and death. Jesus, I believe you are my Savior and I want you to be the Lord of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Since before you were born the Lord God has been wanting you to know him personally. He calls us to him and walks with us in our faith journey. If you're a believer who feels disconnected or have recently taken the name Child of God I encourage you to get connected in a church near you that emphasizes teaching from the Bible and confesses that Jesus is the risen Lord who defeated sin and death. Jesus as the Son of God, brings us into God's holy family through our faith in Him as Lord and Savior (Galatians 3: 26, Romans 8: 11-17). In Christ we are legitimate heirs with all the rights of a son or daughter (Galatians 4: 3-7). Instead of seeing our sin, God sees us clothed in Jesus' righteousness. If you believe in Jesus as Lord your name is Child of God. I pray Be Blessed Prayer helps you remember your identity and inheritance. If You're not sure what it looks like to be called Child of God in your life and how that affects your identity I encourage you to check out Identity Restored: Child of God. To God be the glory, Sarah
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I was living in Houston after Hurricane Harvey. The stories of love, compassion, hurt, fear, faith, ____ were incredible, overwhelming, surreal, ________. I didn’t have the words. So what could I do with that?
What do we do as believers in Jesus Christ in such a situation? What do we do when God allows a major storm, physical or otherwise, to touch our life? I stood still in God's Word when I felt overwhelmed. I had already learned to do calligraphy to help my quiet times with God because I can’t do calligraphy well and focus on anything else other than the words… one… by… one. And in that quiet time I meet with God. Writing in calligraphy helped me still my mind, pray, and listen differently. When I felt overwhelmed over it all I came back to the prayer my Savior taught me to talk to my Father, the Lord's prayer. So I shared Jesus’ prayer with you, though you’ve probably heard it before. I pray that you will pray with me, remember Jesus loves you, and trust that God already knows what you need (see Matthew 6:8 and Matthew 6:25-34). As Christians, when we are able, we need to do more than pray, though. We are also the hands and feet of Jesus. After the hurricane had passed my family was able to help others who had been affected. As I thought back to my response later, I think it fell into three categories that we can apply to any storm that enters our lives: 1) We pray. God is still in control even when our world seems like it is spinning out-of-control. No matter what happens God is Sovereign and we can ask him for help and for him to help others. 2) We serve and give where the Lord leads us. My kids were very little when this emergency happened and I was their primary care-giver. Due to health issues I also wasn't able to help with some of the more hands-on help. So I served my family first and I helped make some meals for those who were in need and for those who were helping. My husband was able to have a more hands-on approach where possible. God used us in different, but useful ways. 3) We believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. When we’re overwhelmed we can recite the character traits of God. God's character gives us renewed hope. He is unchanging, just, loving, merciful, graceful, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present, to name a few traits of his character. We can also remember the cross—that Jesus Christ, our God, loved us to death and then beat death with His resurrection. We trust in Him and live out our faith. To God be the glory, Sarah Copyright August 2017, Be Blessed Prayer. All rights reserved. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139: 5 (ESV) I opened my eyes to the morning with, "I'm on the throne, stop holding on, and just be held..." singing in my mind (Just Be Held, Casting Crowns, 2014-- Thrive Album). It was weird to wake up to that. I wasn't in crisis but I prayed "thank you" any way and got my day started.
... and then it hit... the fear... fear about my children's future, fear about my decision making… the fears dog-piled on me... I realized, after a moment of freak-out, "Oh, that's what that song was about!" The Holy Spirit was talking to me the moment I opened my eyes because he knew what would be in my heart and the flaming arrows that would be coming my way (Ephesians 6:16). Fear. It's a weapon of choice by the Deceiver against me (and many believers). Fear translates to, "your God isn't big enough to handle insert fear generating problem here. Except I know that the doubt inducing whisper accompanied by heart-gripping fear is not from God Almighty. I know what His voice sounds like. The Holy Spirit doesn't speak to me like that. He wakes me up to an "I got this" song in my heart reminding me that the Lord Jesus is on the throne sitting next to God the Father. As I was working on moving beyond the fears of the day I "happened" to read a Proverbs 31 Ministries devotional on combating fear. I then remembered a verse from Psalm 139, a chapter that reminds us of the Lord's power and love for us. I remembered, "you hem me in, behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me" (Psalm 139:5, ESV). Just like my day-- starting with a love song, attacked by fear, followed by a fear fighting devotional and Bible verse-- I had been hemmed in behind and before by the Lord's grace. The second part of that verse, "and you lay your hand upon me" is not to be dismissed (Psalm 139:5b). You can’t touch someone (lay your hand on them) if they're far away, you have to be close. When the Lord hems us in and lays his hand on us he's with us in the midst of our struggle. We are not alone and we have nothing to fear. Before that morning Psalm 139:5 had no personal meaning to me, but I know it was God's way of encouraging me to keep up the fight and trust him. Jesus is big enough to handle it all. Child of God, I don't know what flaming arrows are coming your way. I recommend you fight fire with fire, the fire of the Holy Spirit. Through prayer and personal Bible study, God will squelch the flaming arrows of the evil one and will reignite your heart for Him. Jesus is big enough, more than big enough. To God be the glory, Sarah Would you join me in prayer? Jesus, in you I have nothing to fear because nothing can separate us (Romans 8:38-39). You are bigger than big enough. Please hem me in so my eyes of faith never stray from you. In Jesus name, amen. Reflection: In what way have you been attacked through spiritual warfare: fear, doubt, distrust? In what ways has God answered that attack in your life? Faith-In-Action: Pray Psalm 139:5 (devotional verse) over yourself and believe that the Lord will hem you in and lay His hand on you. How does that reshape what your day looks like? How does He hem you in? For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV Girls maneuvered the halls with their backpacks, teddy bears, and roses, a typical high school Valentine’s Day. Love and the lack thereof were on display. The visual reminders reinforced what I already questioned, “was I unlovable?”
I longed for unconditional love... a love that I wouldn’t find in the halls of my high school. I later learned the love I sought was that of God. What irony, even though I believed in Jesus as my Savior I didn't really trust, know, or experience His love. Being a mother brought me face-to-face with a reflection of the love God Almighty has for us through my love for my children. However, my love for my kids is only a shadow of God’s love for us. God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son, loved us so much they loved us to death… death on the cross. Jesus Christ, God the Son, left heaven and clothed himself in humanity to live His life on the path of the cross, to pay for our sins and redeem us (Romans 6:23). Jesus could have avoided the cross (Matthew 26:53). Instead, He set his eyes toward the cross and the sacrifice He would make in exchange for us (Hebrews 12:2). On the cross Jesus assumed our guilt from our sin. Love, not the nails, held Him firm to endure it. Jesus’ cross death completely paid the debt that our sin debt required (Colossians 2:14) so all who believe in Him as Savior would avoid eternal death (John 3:16). I hate to imagine the pain of the Father, it was the first and only separation from His beloved Son He had ever experienced (Matthew 27:45-51, Beth Moore, Jesus the One and Only). To bring us, His rebellious children, back home the Father had to allow Jesus to die; it was the ONLY way. Reflect on the love of God the Father, God the Son—Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit for you! Pray John 3:16 over yourself but insert your name where it says “the world.” Jesus died for you! He died for me! However, though He died for all, only those who believe will be redeemed (John 3:16-17). My and your debt has been paid; through faith we can rejoice in our freedom (Ephesians 2:8). God the Father raised Jesus from the grave. He is alive! Through faith in Jesus we die to sin and are raised with Him to new life (Romans 6:4). Child of God, I don’t know what the enemy uses as your personal trigger to make you doubt God’s love for you and His faithfulness to His Word. Maybe it isn’t Valentine’s Day, instead it’s a present struggle, past sin, or something once pleasant that now brings feelings of pain due to loss or regret. I encourage you, look through your pain to the cross of Jesus and the empty tomb so you can remember. Remember that you are not just loved, YOU ARE SO LOVED. Wherever you are on your faith journey—repent of any sin and rebellion towards God, believe in Jesus as your Savior, and experience the love of God that is in Christ Jesus! Prayer: Jesus, You love me, You who died. Through You Heaven’s gates open wide. Jesus, You took away all my sin. Let me, Your little child, come in. Lord God, forgive me. Renew me. Lead me in Your way everlasting. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. (Jesus Loves Me: lyrics by Anna Bartlett Warner, 1860; hymn by William B. Bradbury, 1862). Faith in Action: Meditate—let God’s love letter of John 3:16 fill your heart as you read the words slowly and personally. What does it mean in your life to be so loved by God? To God be the glory, Sarah During the global pandemic of COVID-19, I found myself like many others in a job-challenging, physically-isolating, future-questioning period of my life.
Yet God’s timing, being perfect, put me at the beginning of Psalms (the prayer book of the Bible) during my regular Bible reading. Through the Psalms I "heard" others question and deal with similar struggles as me. As I read through the psalms, this is what I learned: Each psalm is a little different—but their main points are aligned and clear: - God is good. - He can be trusted. - The Lord is faithful (meaning He keeps His promises & doesn’t change). - When we don’t know up from down we can cling to the Lord and trust Him to get us through. - God saves His people. The other day I was reading Psalm 27 and the Holy Spirit highlighted the words in my heart. “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps 27:1 ESV). The repetition of the question and the rewording of God’s goodness helps us know that the psalmist is emphasizing these ideas. Let's pay attention, if the psalmist is emphasizing these ideas for himself the words may need emphasizing in our lives today. God is our light and our salvation. Notice the emphasis of MY light and MY salvation as opposed to my light and salvation. This is personal for the psalmist… and it's personal for us, too. No matter the day, we’re all dealing with different challenges… and we need to remember that the Lord, Yahweh (the literal translation of LORD), is always with us. We need to love Him faithfully, repent of our sins, and trust in Jesus as our Savior from our sins. If your path seems dark today ask Jesus to shine His light on it. Pray that your heart would believe and find peace that the LORD is your light and salvation alone. That’s what I’m doing. I’m praying for you, Friend. To God be the glory, Sarah |
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