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Confessions and Healing

11/29/2018

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By Josie Siler

A few weeks ago, I made a confession and shared some thoughts on my personal Facebook page. That makes this Facebook official, but I want to share with you as well! Like Erin, I’ve been struggling with my health this fall. (If you missed her last devotion, you can read it here.) My body just can’t seem to behave itself.
 
I want to thank those of you who have been praying for me and encouraging me. You are such a blessing! During these difficult weeks, several people have made comments about my positive attitude. That’s what I want to talk about. You see, I’m a naturally positive person, that’s just how God made me. There is nothing inherently wrong with being positive, but here is my confession. Most of my life I held up positivity as a shield. I hid my pain behind a positive front and wielded my shield with skill. I saw myself as sick and I was miserable, but dagnabit, I was going to look on the bright side!
 
But it’s different now. I’m different now. These last few years I have been on a spiritual journey. I’m learning my true identity in Christ, and I’m learning what to do with emotions that I ignored and stuffed for years. It was the only way I could survive and it was necessary, but I’m done just surviving. I have a completely new perspective on life and it makes all the difference.
 
These last few months have been hard. Really hard. Honestly, they’ve been bad. I have experienced the most intense pain I’ve experienced in a very long time, maybe ever. I’ve experienced subtle and overt spiritual attacks. I have cried tears of fatigue, frustration, and pain. I’ve been sad, angry, hurt, afraid, disgusted, and ticked off. 
But I’m not afraid of these emotions anymore. I don’t have to ignore them or stuff them because they’re “negative emotions.” You guys, emotions are just that, emotions. We can’t help what we feel, but we can help what we do with those feelings. I’m choosing to allow myself to feel each emotion. But I’m also taking these emotions before the throne of God and presenting them to Him. He is the only one who can exchange anger for joy or fear for peace.
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I’ve been reminded once again how important my words are and that what I speak over myself (or even think) is powerful. I’m intentionally speaking truth over my life. The truth of what God says about me and who I am in Christ.

The truth is that I’m in a relationship with the God of the Universe. I am His child, a daughter of the King. My flesh, this body that I live in, is not who I am. In fact, when I received God’s gift of Jesus, the old me died. God’s Word says that I died with Christ, was buried with Christ, and rose from the dead with Him. My spirit - who I really am - is seated with Christ at the right hand of God. I am a new creation in every way and I don’t have to live according to the flesh anymore. I died to the power of the flesh and now I can choose to live by the Spirit, out of my unity with Christ. What great joy!

One day my physical body will be no more, but my spirit will live on. What is true about me someday is true about me today. I am already whole and complete in Christ. I am already healthy. This is the key, friends. Let me say it again. I AM ALREADY HEALTHY.

My physical body may still be experiencing sickness, but I’m not sick. My spirit, who I really am, is healthy and well, whole and complete, united with Christ, seated at the right hand of God. Do you see how that makes all the difference? These aren’t just words, this is what I believe about myself and what I believe about myself will affect how I live and experience life here on earth.
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So, what does this all mean? It means that instead of putting on a mask of positivity, I intentionally choose joy. I choose to be thankful for what God does in my life each day, things like allowing me a moment of laughter, the feel of a steady hand over my trembling one, or kind arms holding me tight after a hard treatment. I accept what God has done for me and I believe that He is causing everything - even the yuck - to work together for my good because I love Him and I’m called according to His purpose for me.

I lay down my shield of positivity and choose to be truly thankful in the midst of the pain, the mess, and the muck. I allow myself to feel and unpack those feelings with the Lord. And I rest. I rest in His deep love for me. I rest in His will, His plan, and His ways. I don’t have to understand everything because I trust my Lord who knows far more than I do and is working out everything and putting together beautiful things that I can’t even begin to see or comprehend from my earthly perspective.

Friends, I don’t feel “positive;” I feel peace. I sneak over to God’s throne, climb up in His lap, curl up tight, lay my head on His chest, and allow His strong arms to comfort me. He holds me tight and doesn’t rush me. I can stay as long as I want. I rest in His deep love for me and there is no place I’d rather be.

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” ~Colossians 2:6-10
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A Season of Hope

11/15/2018

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

I love this time of year! The trees are filled with beautiful colors; yards are covered in leaves; the azalea and rose bushes are blooming…wait…what?? Yes, you read this correctly. My community is experiencing a strange phenomenon this fall. Not only are the leaves changing and falling off trees, but at the same time, the azalea and rose bushes are in full bloom. It’s mindboggling and beautiful all at once.
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I’m thirty-four years old and have never seen anything like this. Living in the south, I can understand the rose bushes blooming if the weather is warm enough, but not azaleas. For those who don’t know, azaleas are a gorgeous flowering bush known for blooming in the spring. It’s actually the flower people associate with The Masters (Golf Tournament) every April. Unless it’s a specialty breed, it only blooms once a year…in the spring! Azalea bushes blooming in November while leaves are falling is unheard of and has many people puzzled.

So, what’s causing this rare second blooming? Believe it or not, it’s storms. My community has been hit hard with not one but two hurricanes less than six weeks apart. On top of that, we’ve had an unusually high precipitation rate from passing showers and storms. We’re dealing with flooding again this week because it’s rained four days in a row. It’s been a season of storms, some big and some small, but the sheer number of the storms combined have created a great deal of stress on the plants. In response to this, the plants have one of two choices. They can cave under the pressure the storms have placed on them and die, or they can bloom.

I don’t know about you, but I find this comforting. I too have been experiencing a personal storm this fall. Doctors have discovered that my body has held onto all sorts of bacteria and viruses over the years. My body doesn’t know how to let them go, so the germ just burrows down deep into my cells, making me sick and weak. I’ve been undergoing treatments to help rid my body of all the bacteria, and it is working. However, there’s a cost to the treatments; they make me sick. Many days I feel like there’s a tug of war inside my body as it releases what it’s held onto for years. It’s painful and exhausting. Just this week, I was told to stop all treatments for two weeks to allow my body time to recover because the treatments have caused severe inflammation in my body. Not only are my lungs and digestive organs inflamed, but my bones are as well. I didn’t even realize bones could become inflamed until it happened to me, and admittedly, it’s something I hope to never again experience. It’s excruciating. I usually try to downplay my pain, but this has been one time I can’t ignore it. I constantly feel like I have 100-pound weights resting on my legs and arms. There have been days where just walking to the bathroom has been a challenge. As I’ve gone through this crazy, unexpected storm, I’m reminded as I watch the azaleas and roses bloom that I have a choice. I can focus on the pain and frustration of being in another time of sickness and allow myself to become bitter, or can I look to God and be filled with hope.
For such a small word, hope isn’t easy to come by when going through difficulties. I used to think it meant ignoring what was happening and wearing rose-colored glasses, but that’s not hope at all! That’s denial. A wise mentor once told me, “Hope’s main objective is not to get rid of your pain but to reinterpret it.”[i] True hope is only found in God. In fact, the very definition of the word for hope in the New Testament is “expectation.”[ii] Even better than that, it’s expectation in God. Hope looks at a problem and says, “It doesn’t matter how big or how fierce this storm is, my God is bigger and stronger. I don’t know how, and I don’t know when, but I expect to see God. My hope is in Him!” And that, my friends, is when we bloom!
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I wish my pain would suddenly vanish, and I am asking God to take it away, but I’m not destroyed on the hard days because my hope and prayer every day is to see God, and that’s a prayer He loves to answer. Do I wish I would instantly feel better? Absolutely! However, I can honestly say I’ve seen God in some wonderful, unexpected ways on the hard days.

Psalm 42:11 says, “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” If we’re hoping for a specific outcome to a situation, there’s a good chance we’re going to be disappointed, but if we put our hope, our expectation in God, we will see Him in ways we can’t begin to imagine.
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When storms come, we have a choice, just like the azaleas. Will we let the storm destroy us, or will we place our hope in God and bloom no matter what?

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” ~ Lamentations 3:24

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[1] Donna Thompson
[1] The Strongest NASB Exhaustive Concordance; page 1526. 
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Has God Forgotten Us?

11/1/2018

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

I’m glad I’m not God. This is a thought I’ve found myself having several times over the past two months. Twice in the past six weeks, my beloved community has been on the national news, something I desperately wish we couldn’t claim. Six weeks ago, Hurricane Florence slammed the Carolinas, and although we’re 200 miles inland, my county was one of the hardest hit in South Carolina. Over twenty inches of rain caused flooding, sinkholes, and washed out bridges and roads. For once, we were the county crying out for disaster relief instead of being the one doing the helping. And then, just a few weeks later, a town in the next county over was devastated with the ambush of its police officers. Eight officers were shot; two lost their lives. Once again, my community was overwhelmed by the pain of unexpected suffering. Then, just this week, the county north of us had a high school student take a gun to school and kill another student. In the midst of all the grief and anger, I’ve heard more than one person ask, “Where is God?”
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There’s not a simple answer, and certainly not one that can be completed in a short blog, but I’ve found myself responding with a question of my own. Could it be that we’re the ones who moved instead of God?

We know from Hebrews 13:5 that God promised He will never leave us or forsake us. We also know from Genesis that when God created the world, He gave humans the unique gift of freewill, meaning we can choose to worship God or deny His existence. We can govern our lives by His Word, or we can pick and choose what precepts we will follow and which ones we will say aren’t applicable to today’s culture.

Over the past twelve years, I’ve had the privilege of working with children from broken families. I cannot describe the joy it brings to help bring healing in a child’s life, who’s known countless heartaches and loss. Yet something I’ve had to learn is I can’t help everyone. Even when I can see the potential disaster ahead, if a child doesn’t want help, then there’s nothing I can do other than point the way and pray she turns to God. On more than one occasion I’ve had a young adult reach out to me after she hit rock bottom because she knew I was a safe person to whom she could turn. 
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As I’ve watched a war of words between not only the political parties but Christians as well, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between our country and the rebelling teens with whom I’ve worked. I’ve seen Christian men and women I’ve admired and respected water down the authority of God’s Word because it was contrary to popular opinions. Others have told me that it doesn’t matter what movies and television shows we watch and what books we read because it’s not as if we’re actually participating in the sin. I’ve watched not only the country divide in their core beliefs, but the body of Christ as well. I’ve heard the same people who say, “It’s okay that we’re not allowed to talk about God at work or in schools because we can go to church on Sundays,” also ask when bad things happen, “Why isn’t God doing anything?!”
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Somewhere along the way, we’ve slowly changed from having a biblical worldview to a culturally-accepted worldview. Instead of God being the first One we turn to, He’s an afterthought when bad things happen. He’s our genie in a bottle we use when we want something or have a problem. Yet despite all of this, God still hasn’t given up on us.

If God were a person, He would have walked away a long time ago, but because of His great love, He still holds on, waiting for people to truly turn to Him. One of the Old Testament words for God’s love for His children means “to be attached to,”[i] and the imagery used is of a person grabbing ahold of the back of person’s shirt refusing to let go. God gives us opportunity after opportunity to turn to Him, but He never forces Himself on us. When we tell God we don’t want Him in our schools, jobs, entertainment, and government He says, “Okay. I’m not going to force myself on you. Just know that I love you, and I’ll still be here if you change your mind.”

God hasn’t moved. It’s us! And the world is getting darker because of it. So, where’s the hope? That’s a question I’ve been asking myself, and God has given me great comfort through the Old Testament. Even when Israel was at its worst and the people refused to worship God and repent no matter how obviously they needed Him, there were still individuals who loved God, and God used them to point others back to Him.

​Where we are right now matters! Each of us has been placed here for such a time as this. We might not be able to change the government, schools, or even the Church, but we can study and know God’s Word, so we will know what He says about a situation. We can ask God to give us a biblical worldview rather than a cultural worldview. We can love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves so that we can point others to Him. We can be a light in a world that desperately needs the light of Christ. We can make a difference, but the choice is up to you and me.

So, have you moved?

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” ~ James 4:8

*For further reading on where God is when bad things happen, read http://www.erinelizabethaustin.com/blog/where-is-god9602547 and http://www.erinelizabethaustin.com/blog/peace-in-the-storm


[i] The Strongest NASB Exhaustive Concordance, pg.1397
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Beauty Among Weeds

10/25/2018

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By Josie Siler

I have a confession to make. I haven’t weeded my garden once this year. Oh, I’ve picked a weed here or there in passing, but it hasn’t had a proper weeding. Summer has completely gotten away from me, and now fall is making its voice heard in Wisconsin.
 
I missed summer. I missed it completely. I had a setback with my health, and one day turned into the next and before I knew it, summer was officially and unofficially over. I’m still asking myself how that happened.
 
Maybe you can relate. Maybe your summer got hijacked too and, like me, you’re wishing for a do-over. Here’s the hard truth, we don’t typically get do-overs. We will probably have another warm spell yet, but I won’t get to fully experience summer again until next year.
 
Is this a hard pill to swallow? Yes. But here’s the thing. I knew I was missing summer. I knew there was no quick fix for my health and what I needed was rest, treatment, and more rest. I knew I was doing what was best for me by taking a break from everything else, even writing. 
 
Weeding the garden wasn’t even an option. Yet every day when I opened my curtains, I saw that mess of a flower bed in what used to be my glorious sitting rock garden. And do you know what I saw there?
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Flowers.
 
That’s right. Growing up in the midst of the weeds were beautiful flower. Roses, lilies, monkey faces, irises, and even a few sunflowers the birds must have planted for me.
 
In the midst of the mess, there was beauty. Every day when I look at my mess of a garden and see beauty growing there, I’m reminded that life is a beautiful mess. Some seasons are messier than others, yet there is always beauty to be found if we’re looking for it.
 
This summer I chose to focus on the beauty of the flowers instead of the mess of the weeds and the ugly hordes of bugs which overtook my garden. If you’re in a hard season of life right now, I encourage you to keep your eyes focused on God and the truth found in His Word. Don’t allow the weeds of life to distract you and bring you down. 

Isaiah 40:8 (NIV) reminds us, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” The flowers will soon fade and the grass growing in my garden will soon wither, and everything will be covered with snow. Spring will eventually come, and with it a fresh start. But we can have that fresh start now if we focus on Christ, who remains steadfast through every season of life. 
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ~John 1:1-5
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Too Much to Handle

7/26/2018

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

I have a confession to make. There is a common saying among Christians that drives me crazy. Let’s call it a Christian pet peeve. It’s a phrase that has been taught all over the world, but it’s not what God says in His Word. If I’m honest, I have to force myself to be quiet when I hear someone say it because I believe this phrase messes with people’s minds more than any other. I know it did for me.
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So, what is it? It’s the phrase people say when they are dealing with great hardship. “God won’t give you more than you can handle.”

After I was diagnosed with my third chronic illness, several well-meaning people told me, “Don’t worry. It will be okay. God obviously knows you can handle this because He won’t give you more than you can deal with.” Admittedly, after the third person said this to me I wanted to scream, “But it is too much! I can’t do this! Living with three chronic illnesses is too much for me to handle!” And that’s the moment God said, “Exactly!”

Let’s look at the saying from a different perspective. God won’t give you more than you can handle. Do you see it? That phrase makes it all about you, what you can do in your strength and capability. Nowhere in God’s Word does it say we’re supposed to tackle this life and its many problems by ourselves. The Bible continually reminds us to go to God. One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 91, which says when we go to God and make Him our refuge and fortress He will deliver us.

So why do people think this phrase is in the Bible? It actually comes from 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” If you look at the original Greek word used here, temptation can mean two things. The first is a temptation, that area of sin with which one tends to struggle. An example of this is when Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days and nights. Towards the end, Satan came to Jesus and tried to tempt Him to eat. The other thing which temptation refers to are tests, like the everyday aggravations of life. For example, when you need to be somewhere at a specific time and you get stuck behind every slowpoke in the county on your drive. How do you respond? That’s what this verse is talking about.

Interestingly enough, Paul, the author of 1 Corinthians, went on to say in a different letter to the church of Corinth (2 Corinthians), “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life,” (2 Corinthians 1:8).

I know, everyone’s thinking, “Well, this is depressing! I’m going to face problems that are too much for me to handle. Where’s the hope in that?” Paul gives us the answer later in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 where he says:
And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
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We’re supposed to turn to God when we face problems! As believers, God has made His power available to us. We access this power when we connect with Him. Like plugging an electronic into an outlet, God’s power is always available to us, but we have to pray. Prayer is one of those topics that make us uncomfortable. We don’t understand how it works, so we tend to shy away from it, not to mention the time and effort it requires. Yet like a curling iron or microwave, if it’s not connected to the power source, it won’t work.

We are going to face more than we can handle in this life. Bodies don’t work the way they’re supposed to; marriages fall apart; jobs are terminated. This world is broken, and if we are looking to ourselves or anyone else to help us handle the problems we encounter, we will fail and fall flat on our faces every time. But there is hope for those who have a relationship with God! He makes His life-giving power available to us. When we cry out to Him and rely on Him when life overwhelms us and becomes too much, God does more than we can imagine (Eph. 3:20-21).

Are you connected to the power source?
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“For You light my lamp; The Lord my God illumines my darkness. For by You I can run upon a troop; And by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.” ~ Psalm 18:28-30   
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The Next Step

7/12/2018

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

Have you ever relied on a flashlight to light the path of where you need to go? Some of my fondest childhood memories involve camping with my dad. We have several places where we enjoy pitching a tent, but our favorite is Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia. Not only is it clean, well-kept, and comes with nice bathhouses, but it’s so quiet and peaceful the wildlife can usually be seen wandering through the campground. We’ve seen everything from foxes and deer to wild ponies. One of our of our more memorable excursions was ten years ago.

I went to the bathhouse one evening, with the plan to sit by the campfire with my dad and our friend once I returned. It was so dark I could only see a couple of steps ahead of me using the flashlight. About two-thirds of the way back to our campsite, I heard my dad quietly say, “Psst! Erin, stop!”

After immediately stopping, my dad continued, “Don’t shine the light towards us. I want you to take the path to the tent. As quietly as you can, get in the tent, and stay there.”

Like anyone who’s ever spent time in nature, you learn to immediately obey when given an order, even when you don’t understand why. Although it wasn’t my plan to spend the rest of the evening in the tent, I followed my dad’s instructions. Safely ensconced inside, I used my flashlight to read, all the while wondering why I was forced to go down a different path. Two hours later, I got my answer when my dad and our friend finally climbed into the tent. Apparently, right after I went to the bathhouse, a skunk decided he liked the campfire and wanted to explore. For two hours, the skunk walked between the chairs, around the picnic table, and circled the fire while my dad and friend barely moved a muscle. As the campfire died down, their little friend decided he had enough and slowly meandered away from our camp. Needless to say, it took both guys awhile to unwind and relax before they could sleep!
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I’ve been thinking about this the past few weeks. As most of you know, I’m a planner by nature. I like to know what’s coming. When God tells me to do something, I can imagine what a mile down the proverbial road looks like, but that’s not how God works. True faith is trusting God for the next step of the journey. It’s admitting that we don’t know the future and surrendering our plans to God. As much as I’d like to know what’s coming, God won’t allow that to happen because then I’m relying on myself rather than on Him. That’s why faith is like a flashlight. Rather than lighting up the whole path showing us what’s coming, faith is a daily reliance on God to help us with each step of our journey. Sometimes, God is gracious and allows us to get a glimpse of the bigger picture, but even then, we don’t get to see everything. It’s why it’s so important to spend time with God daily, both in prayer and studying His Word, so that we have our flashlights of faith showing us the next step to take.
The thing we have to remember is that when we trust God to show us the next step of our journey, He’s sometimes going to take us down unexpected paths. Whether it’s to protect us from unseen dangers or because He has a blessing in store that we can’t begin to imagine, God knows what He’s doing. Just because we can’t see everything ahead doesn’t mean He doesn’t. That’s what faith is – going to God, choosing to trust Him for each step of the journey.
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All of us are walking down paths, holding our trusty flashlight of faith, illuminating the next step. However, for some of us, the battery is weak and starting to flicker. That’s our sign we need to plug back into the power source – God! For others, we’re trying to see the whole path and are so focused on our end goal we’re about to trip because we’re not paying attention to what’s right in front of us. There are countless verses in the Bible about daily going to God. This is why. Yes, dream for the future and make plans, but we don’t want to hold so tightly to them that we take the wrong path.  

God has a plan for each of our lives. Don’t be so set on the destination that you miss where He wants to take you. Go to God daily, grab your trusty flashlight of faith, and take the next step!
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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
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Different

6/28/2018

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

“You’re one of the few Christians I like and respect. Although I admire your relationship with God, I’m afraid if I become a Christian, I will turn into someone who is harsh and judgmental.” These are the disheartening words said by a friend of mine on why she won’t become a Christian, and they are words that even a month later, I can’t forget.

I have to admit I understand her viewpoint. More than once lately, I’ve hesitated to say I’m a Christian, not because I’m ashamed of my faith, but because I don’t want to be associated with the other Christians who misrepresent what a follower of Christ is supposed to be. More and more, I find myself saying I’m a believer or follower of Jesus rather than use the word Christian. The reason for this is simple. We live in a day and age where rudeness and disrespect are a way of life. If someone disagrees with our opinion, then we believe it is okay to argue and prove why our view is right and the other person is wrong. People argue, badger, undermine, and are often downright rude. All one needs to do is spend a little time on social media to see what I’m talking about. 

As I’ve cried out to God about what I’m supposed to do, He’s challenged me to take back the name of Christianity and show others how a Christian is supposed to act. In a culture where political, moral, and ethical debates are a part of everyday life, it is of utmost importance that believers show the rest of the world what it truly means to be a Christian. Below are some guidelines that come straight from God’s Word. We are called to be different!
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  1. Not everything that comes to mind needs to be said. We are all entitled to our opinions, and there are times we need to speak up. However, we need to pray before opening our mouths. Saying the right thing at the right time is just as important as knowing what to say. (Psa. 39:1; John 8:1-11)                                                                                                                            
  2. When we do speak, we must make sure we are respectful to those we are addressing. The tone of voice and attitude of the heart is important. How we say something matters just as much as the words we speak. (Prov. 15:1; Col. 4:5-6)                                                                     
  3. Never react in anger. It is healthy to become angry at something we see or hear occasionally. Let’s be honest. As wonderful as life can be, there are still a lot of problems in society, and it should bother us. However, more times than not, we sin in our anger when we open our mouths. Take a minute to step back and cool off. If we still feel something needs to be said once our temper has cooled down, then we will at least be more likely to say what we need to say with the proper tone of voice, rather than saying something in the heat of the moment we’ll later regret. One of my biggest frustrations the past couple of months amidst all the political debates has been seeing people use Scripture to attack those who disagree with them. God’s Word should never be used to tear people down and belittle them. Yes, we need to know God’s Word and stand on the authority of His truth. But once again, we must look at the attitude of our heart. Are we speaking because we believe we’re right and others are wrong and need to come around to our way of thinking, or are we trying to point people back to God? See the difference? When our thoughts revolve around I, me, and my, it’s usually a sign we need to be quiet and take a step back. (Prov. 14:17; Eccl. 5:6; Eph. 4:26)                        
  4. We are called to love all people, whether or not we agree with them and their beliefs. It is my personal opinion that the body of Christ fails more at this than anything else. Jesus gave us two commandments. Love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second is love our neighbor as ourselves. That should be our daily prayer. Imagine how a group of Christians could change the world if they did these two things! (Matt. 22:36-40; 1 Cor. 13:1)       
  5. Honor God in all we say and do. When we claim to be a Christian, everything we do is a representation of Christ. Most people will never step foot in a church. For many of those with whom we interact, we are the closest thing to Jesus they will ever know. Always keep that in mind, so we don’t say or do something we will later regret. (1 Cor. 11:1-3)

We live in a time where it is becoming increasingly difficult to be a Christian. As more people turn away from God, the more they need to see His love. It doesn’t matter where we stand in politics – Democrat, Republican, or something in between. Instead of debating about who should be the next president, we need to be pointing others to Jesus. That is where we should make our stand!

Honor God in all you say and do. People are watching! The question is, what do they see when they look at you?

*Further Reading: Read 1 Corinthians 2.
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A Necessary Storm

6/14/2018

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

I have a weird relationship with seashells. Living less than three hours from the beach, I manage to travel to the ocean at least once a year. Even as a little girl, I remember my family loading up the car early in the morning, complete with a cooler packed with our meals for the day, and we would spend our day at the beach, arriving back home just in time for bed. Because of that, I’ve always enjoyed searching the beach for the best and most unique seashells. It’s my version of a treasure hunt. For as long as I can remember, God has used seashells to teach me lessons on topics I struggle to understand without His little object lessons.
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Imagine my surprise when I recently made my yearly trek to the ocean, and there were no seashells to be found. The only seashells around were jagged, broken things bearing little resemblance to a seashell. Ironically, my oldest nephew asked me before we reached the beach what it would mean if there were no seashells. I jokingly replied, “That wouldn’t happen. It would mean we made a wrong turn and ended up at the lake instead of the ocean.”

When we got to the beach, it was as beautiful as always. However, it was also different. Rather than seashells, there was seaweed as far as the eye could see. Lining the shore was miles of the brown, slimy plant. My family was baffled. None of us could remember a time when we’d ever seen so much seaweed. What could cause it? Thirty-six hours later, we had our answer – Tropical Storm Alberto.
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To those who live nowhere near the ocean, a tropical storm sounds horrifying. However, it’s just like any big storm. The only difference is it involves the ocean. That’s when it hit me. Even though the weather was beautiful Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday, the ocean was already feeling the effects of the storm. The waves were bigger. The current was stronger. The ocean was responding to the storm, and it was bringing things to the surface that would have remained where they were without the storm.

Life can be like that. We see a storm coming, and we get frustrated. Who wants a tropical storm interrupting their perfectly planned vacation? I certainly didn’t! However, just like Tropical Storm Alberto, sometimes we need life’s storms to stir up and help get rid of the detritus in our lives. That fear we constantly struggle with, the tendency to worry, or the desire to plan and be in control of every event that happens is like pieces of brown seaweed that need to be uprooted from our lives. As it says in James 1:2-4, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
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God doesn’t allow the storms of life to come our way because He’s mean. God loves us! And just like any parent who wants the best for his child, God sometimes says no so that we may obtain life’s best.
No, I won’t stop this storm because it’s scary and uncomfortable. This is necessary. Learn from it. Grow through it. Let My Spirit comfort and guide you through the problems you face. I’m making you into a masterpiece, one that’s whole and complete in Christ.
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Storms have a purpose. God has promised us that when we love Him, He can and will turn even the worst things that happen to us for our benefit and His glory. Far too often, we’re so busy fussing about the storm and lamenting the fact we have to deal with the wind and rain, that we miss the transformation God wants for our lives. We should always leave the storms of life different from the person we were going into it.

Are you in the middle of a storm? Ask God to use it to transform you into someone who is whole and complete in Him. Don’t fight the stirring of your soul when God challenges you to let something go. Remember, He wants more for you than you can begin to imagine.

The storm will eventually pass. The question is, will you leave it changed?

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” ~ 1 Peter 1:6-7       ​
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Ungrateful and Evil Men (and Women)

6/7/2018

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By Josie Siler

The last several months I’ve been going through The Forgotten Way study with a small group of ladies. There is one verse, well, two actually, that author Ted Dekker keeps coming back to and they punch me in the gut every time.
 
I’ve read the Book of Luke several times, so I know I’ve read these verses before, yet I don’t remember ever reading them. I love that God works like that! His Word is living and active and no matter how many times we read it, there is always something for us to learn. The Bible is one book we can read over and over again and never tire of. It’s always fresh and full of life and truth!
 
So, these verses. They’re hard ones. Ones we don’t really talk about. Ones we either skim over or rationalize away. We think that God can’t possibly mean those words. There’s no way He would expect us to obey them. I know, it must be the translation! The original Greek must have put it a different way, a less convicting way.
 
Um... not so much. I just studied these verses and they’re even more powerful and challenging in the original language. Ugh! How, God? How can we obey such hard commands?
 
These are the words of God...​
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. ~Luke 6:35-37, NASB
Do you see what I mean? Hard verses. We know we’re supposed to love our enemies, but how many of us really do? There’s a reason the phrase “I love them, but I don’t have to like them” exists. I’ve said it myself. And if that’s what we think love is, we’re so far out in left field that we’re not even on the field anymore. ​

Friends, that is NOT what God meant by love one another. So, what did He mean? I suggest you read the whole chapter to get a feeling for context, but let’s take a closer look at what some of the words in these verses mean.

We’re supposed to love our enemies. Okay, so what kind of love? We’ve heard of agápē, a noun and the type of sacrificial love we are to have for others. The word used for love here is similar. Agapaō, the word used here, is a verb. It’s an action word. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words helps us understand this type of love a little better:
Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered. Love seeks the welfare of all, ... and works no ill to any; ... love seeks opportunity to do good to “all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith.”[i] 
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Friends, this kind of love is a choice. It’s something we choose to do because God chose to love us that way. Remember, each and every one of us started out as an enemy of God. Romans 5:10 tells us that “...while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.”
 
We’re not talking about frenemies here - you know, those people who we’re kind of friends with, but who are also kind of mean to us. We’re talking real enemies here. Hostile, hateful, and hated people. People who do terrible things. People we think God can’t possible save because they are too evil. People we believe are beyond hope because of their wickedness.
 
IMPORTANT NOTE: I want to say right now that this does not mean you should stay in a violent or unhealthy situation if you find yourself in one. Abuse - physical, emotional, or any other kind - is NEVER okay. Tell someone, remove yourself from the situation, and ask for help.
 
How can we possibly love our enemies? Honestly, we can’t. Not in our own strength. But when we live our lives united with Christ, His love flows through us. We can choose to love the unlovable because of the love that we ourselves receive from God when we’re unlovable.
 
I think that’s enough to digest for this week. In my next devotion we’ll dig a little deeper into what the rest of these verses mean.
 
Spend some time today thinking about how deeply God loves you. How does He show you His love? How does that love change how you love others?

“Long ago the Lord said to Israel: ‘I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.’” ~Jeremiah 31:3, NLT

[1] https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?topic=VT0001710​

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In the Thick of It

5/31/2018

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By Mae Oneday
A note from Erin: Mae Oneday is the author of the ministry, Fellowship Broken (https://fellowshipbroken.com/). She writes under a pseudonym because she is a Christian wife writing about the trials of being married to an atheist. I strongly encourage everyone to go to her website and signup to receive her blog. Her testimony is powerful, as well as encouraging. She reminds us all that we are called to love and minister to all people, especially those who don’t know Jesus.
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I knew it was coming, I just didn't know when. Anna was working her way to a colossal mess at the dinner table, Linus and Gwen were gumming each other’s toes in the pack and play, and Max and I were unloading the dishwasher. Max casually said, "I'm not upset or anything, but I want to talk through the other night so I can understand a few things."
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He was referring to just before bed one night earlier in the week, when Anna said she wanted to talk to Daddy God, which is how I refer to God when I pray. She then proceeded to chat with God for long moments before she turned to me and asked if I wanted to talk to him. Heart pounding, I quietly thanked God for a few things and wrapped up my prayer. Then she turned to Max and asked, "Do you want to talk to Daddy God?" He replied, "I don't talk to him."

It wasn't a bad response when I think about what he could have said. Silverware clanked as he asked if she was learning that at church or if it was from me. I told him I was the culprit. He iterated why he detests Anna saying Daddy God and said it makes him feel like some sort of earthly stepfather to a not-good guy who doesn't exist in the first place.

I responded, "I am doing as I promised. I preface everything I tell her about God by saying 'I believe this to be true.' You are not doing the same."

A few months back I'd overheard Anna tell Max that Daddy God made her. My stomach had instantly begun to churn.

These were words I'd whispered to her before she drifted to sleep, words I'd prefaced with “'I believe.” Max's response to Anna had been swift. "No, he didn't. Mommy and Daddy made you." Instant irritation had made my face feel hot. I had done my best to respect his wishes and he had trampled all over mine.

But that scene was a bad example to use with Max considering we were the ones who "made" Anna from a scientific perspective. Because I failed to make a logical point, it went downhill from there. Max said he doesn't need to preface anything he believes to be true because it's all scientific theory, which by definition is based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. He went on to point out that my "relationship" with God is purely my emotions running rampant. Goodnight nurse—I had nothing. My pea brain sputtered so loudly I couldn’t process anything else he said.
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The old Mae would have listened to Max and done one of two things: 1. Get defensive and make a nonsensical response that would have fast-tracked our afternoon to hell, or 2. Become terrified and get lost in the lonely abyss that is my current situation. Instead I asked the Holy Spirit for help on every level. I listened to Max as best I could and conceded his valid points. I offered no apology but did reaffirm my promise to preface my belief when I speak with Anna about God. And while I loathed every minute of being forced to engage in it, our conversation taught me a very important lesson.
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I must always be ready.

A war has been raging since the dawn of humanity and I finally noticed I’m in the thick of it. If I won’t learn the discipline of a prayer warrior and actually engage in battle, those I love will die. I must make time to be trained by the Holy Spirit and then use every other precious moment my mind is not otherwise engaged to pray in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication.

I did not wish to become a prayer warrior. I despise words or ideas that have been bastardized by over or misuse, which is why to me, prayer often seems like the churchy tactic of last resort. But I can’t argue with James 5:16-18. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”

I do not have the luxury of being married to an agnostic who doesn’t really care what our children believe about God. Max is actively hostile toward my beliefs and will aggressively counter whatever I say to our brood with his perspective. I must expect this. I cannot afford to be caught off guard. It is imperative I wake up seeking to be filled to the point of overflowing with the Holy Spirit. It is essential I allow the Spirit’s conviction which leads to repentance. I must ask the Spirit to clothe me in nothing less than grace, wisdom, boldness, courage, humility, and discernment in order to take up the full armor of God so I can stand firm against the enemy—which, by the way, is not Max.

It goes against every instinct I have, but it is only as I sink my knees to the soul-stained earth that God trains me to become a warrior. I am not left unprotected. I feel the earth tremble beneath me at the roar of my Protector just before metal meets metal and the death blow meant for me is thwarted.
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." ~ Ephesians 6:12-18
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    Erin Elizabeth Austin

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    Erin Elizabeth Austin is a writer and speaker with a passion to help people find healing in the midst of their brokenness.

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    Josie Siler

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    Josie Siler, like millions of others, is living with chronic illness. She is eager to share the hope and joy that she has found in Christ, whether that is in a church, at a women’s retreat, over a cup of hot cocoa, or through a blog post.
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