By Erin Elizabeth Austin

When I decided to write a series on believing God, I knew it was going to be a challenge. I’ve often been told I have a remarkable faith in God, but secretly, I knew my trust in God was greatly lacking. Don’t get me wrong. If there was a litmus test to measure a person’s faith, I probably would have done fairly well. But there were cracks in the foundation of my faith – areas where I struggled to fully trust God and take Him at His word. It’s why it took me so long to finally write this series, because I wasn’t looking forward to tearing down the walls around my heart and do an honest assessment of my trust in God. Yet I’m so glad I did! Not only have I learned why I struggled to believe God would fulfill His promises in certain areas of my life, but I’ve also learned so much about who God is.
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There are many facets to our Creator, as evidenced by His variety of names. I know I don’t know everything about God there is to know, nor have I reached the pinnacle of my faith. However, one of the greatest things I’ve learned through this study and I pray you have as well is that God is trustworthy. He has made hundreds of promises to us, His children, throughout Scripture and He will fulfill those promises. He only calls us to believe.

As I went through my list of the names of God, I kept coming back to one in particular that’s found in Jeremiah 16:19. It’s Jehovah Ma’ozi and it means “The Lord is my fortress.” For those of you who don’t know, fortress is an interesting word. It means “stronghold.” And here’s where it gets interesting. The word stronghold means “a place of safety or protection.”[i] Think about that for a moment. When it feels like our world is caving in, God is our place of safety. No matter what, we are secure and safe in Him, but we have to make Him our fortress.

​As I spoke with my doctor about why I was suddenly so sick, she told me this battle I’m currently fighting is a good thing. In her words, “It’s your Mt. Everest. There will still be some mountains to climb once you get past this, but God is going to use this mountain to get you where you need to be.” Sometimes, we have to climb a mountain to step into the next phase of life. It’s treacherous and challenging, not to mention exhausting. The only way to survive is to choose to believe God is using this mountain to do something amazing. He hasn’t abandoned you while you climb. Let Him be your fortress. Choose to plant your feet, stand firm in your faith, and believe God no matter what.

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.” ~ Psalm 121:1-3

[i] The Strongest Exhaustive Concordance; 2004

By Josie Siler

Jesus is in the business of transforming lives; it’s kinda what He does! When I think of biblical examples of transformed lives, one person in particular comes to mind. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any greater transformation than what took place in the life of Paul, also known as Saul[1].
 
Saul was an Israelite; he was not only part of God’s chosen nation, he was from the tribe of Benjamin and had been circumcised when he was eight days old. He grew up to become a Pharisee, living in strict obedience to every detail of the Jewish law, and demanding the same of others. He was zealous in His faith, so when the church started to grow he did everything in his power to destroy it. (Philippians 3:5-6)
 
Saul was present when Stephen was killed and he fully approved of his death (Acts 8:1). He then traveled the area, literally dragging followers of Christ out of their homes, men and women both, and throwing them in prison. His intention was to destroy the church (Acts 8:3). Scripture tells us that “Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers (Acts 9:1, NLT).”

I can’t help but think that Saul thought he was all that and a bag of chips. People probably admired him, feared him, and/or wanted to be him. But then, one day, everything changed. Saul encountered Jesus in the most dramatic fashion.
 
He was on his way to Damascus, with permission from the High Priest to gather up any followers of Jesus he could find and deliver them to Jerusalem in chains (Acts 9:2). As he neared the city, a bright light appeared and Saul heard the voice of Jesus asking why he was persecuting Him. He was told to go into the city and await instruction. The light vanished and with it, Saul’s sight. He was blind. (Acts 9:3-8)
 
He remained blind for three days until Ananias, a brave follower of Jesus, obeyed the Lord’s command to go and lay hands on Saul so that he could regain his sight. When he did, scales fell from Saul’s eyes, he was baptized, and he immediately began preaching about Jesus. (Acts 9:9-20)
 
Wow, what a transformation! So, what really happened? What changed? Yes, there was a dramatic vision, but the real work happened in Saul’s heart. He encountered Jesus and He decided to follow Him. That was the real dramatic encounter, and it’s something we can each experience for ourselves.

We can go about our lives saying all the right things. We can be zealous in our faith by doing all the right things, but heart transformation isn’t about what we say or do, it’s about what Christ has done. True change and growth only happen when we encounter Jesus and decide to follow Him. We can read Paul’s own revelation about this truth in Philippians 3:8-9.

Our own personal transformation occurs when we understand that salvation and unity with Christ are gifts that are given to us, not because of anything we have done, but because of what Christ has done. This can be hard to accept because we humans are all about “doing” and “earning” things. It’s hard to believe that we don’t have to do anything to earn God’s love and acceptance.
 
But really, what could we ever do that would be enough? God’s standards are so high that we could never meet them, not in a million years. But God knows this, and that’s why He sent His Son, Jesus. Through Christ, and our unity with Him, we’re reconciled to God. We’re loved, accepted, given new life, and are heirs with Christ.
 
When we encounter Jesus and decided to place our faith in Him, we instantly become royalty, a son or daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords. It’s why Jesus came. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him (John 3:16-17).”
 
Do you believe, not just that God exists, but believe in Him? Have you placed your faith in Jesus and decided to follow Him? If so, rejoice in your unity with Him and remind yourself that life isn’t about what you do, it’s about who you know!
 
If not, you can do so right now. Pray with me, “Jesus, today I have encountered You and I believe in You. You’ve opened my eyes and my heart and I choose to place my faith in You and follow You all of my days. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me, loving me, and being my life. Continue to reveal Yourself to me as I follow You. I love you, Jesus! Amen.

By Josie Siler

This week I got to eat two of my favorite meals. While similar, there is one big distinction that struck me as a good analogy as we’re learning what it means to be united with Christ. I’m a visual person; maybe you’ve noticed. I love word pictures, examples, and stories that help me understand spiritual truths. I hope you like them too, because I’m going to tell you about the one I discovered in the midst of a couple of tasty meals!

Earlier this week I went to my parent’s house where mom made Paleo Dutch Babies. You use a whole lot of eggs and get this delicious, giant, fluffy pancake-like creation that completely fills a large, deep skillet. We top it with fruit and real maple syrup and it’s really healthy. We also top it with ice cream – which isn’t quite so healthy, but it sure is delicious!
 
We used raspberries, but they were frozen. So my mom heated them up and melted them down on the stovetop so they turned into this thick, rich sauce. We spooned it over the fluffy pancake and wow!

Yesterday mom and dad came over to my house and I made another favorite meal, a fruit soufflé. It is also made with a lot of eggs and turns out fluffy and delicious. This time I used fresh strawberries that I purchased yesterday at the local Farmer’s Market. Mmmm, fresh!
 
In this recipe you layer sliced fruit on the bottom of the dish and put all of the fluffy egg mixture on top of the fruit. Top with a few chocolate chips and you have another perfect meal.
 
These meals are similar, but the difference in the fruit is important. A lot of times we think of Jesus as being close to us. He walks with us, He leads us, and He never leaves us or forsakes us. This is true, but there’s more to it than that.
 
When I think of the relationship I just described I think of the strawberries layered in close. Jesus is right there next to us, close and intimate. But those strawberries keep to themselves. As close as they are, they are all still individual berries.
 
But the raspberries we had earlier in the week, they were unified. When they’re heated up and melted down, they blend together so well that there’s no way you could ever pick out one berry. It’s impossible. The berries have become one; they have become part of each other. In fact, you can’t really even call them raspberries anymore because the individual berries are gone. They have become something new entirely, a sauce so thoroughly combined that you can’t tell where one berry begins and another ends.
 
That, my friends, is unity, and that’s the relationship we have with Jesus. If we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we’re united with Him. It’s who we are, whether we realize it or not. It’s not something to be hoped for or to long for, it has already been accomplished.
 
Ephesians 2:13 (NLT) tells us, “But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.” Not only are we united with Jesus, we are brought near to God through the blood of Christ.
 
You see, through His death and the shedding of His blood Jesus paid the price for our sins and gave us new life – His life. When we choose to follow Jesus we’re united with Him, becoming one with Him. The trials of life heat us up and melt us down until we come to the end of ourselves.
 
That’s what happened to me. I was walking through life like a strawberry. I was close with Jesus, and I knew Him well. I trusted Him, I followed Him, and I did my best to honor and serve Him. But trials in life – chronic illness, tragedies, and the like – heated me up and melted me down until I had a meltdown. I was done. I didn’t know what to do and I was so very weary.
 
But that’s right where the Lord wanted me because that is where I finally realized that I was living a life I wasn’t meant to live. I was striving hard and trying to do life in my own strength. I had Jesus as close as I thought He could get, but I was wrong. He wanted so much more for my life, and He wants so much more for your life too.
 
When I understood who I was in Christ, that we were united – truly one – the pressures I had placed upon myself were lifted off my weary shoulders. God didn’t intend for us to carry heavy burdens. He sent Jesus not only to save our souls, but to give us new life. Like the raspberries turned into sauce once we realize our unity with Christ we understand that we really are a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come, and this new life in Christ is good. It’s so very good!
 
Do you know Jesus? Do you know the power of being one with Him? If not, talk to Him about it. Tell Him that you’re weary and that you want to live life united with Him. Ask Him to reveal to you the truth of who He is and who you are in Him. That’s a prayer He will be thrilled to answer!

By Josie Siler

It was a beautiful summer afternoon; the kind where towering thunderclouds peppered the soft blue sky, making me hungry for vanilla ice cream piled just as high. Humidity soaked into every fiber of my being and movement was restricted to a snail’s pace. Severe thunderstorm watches were issued, and I waited for the summer thunderstorm that never came.
 
A few days later…
 
It was a beautiful summer afternoon; the kind where the sky is so blue you’re not sure it’s even real. I had been out and about earlier in the day, but I was hiding from the humidity in my air-conditioned office, hard at work on something very important, I’m sure.
 
I have a tendency to lose track of time while I’m working, so when my office grew dark I thought it was getting late. Oh bother, I forgot to eat supper, again! I glanced at the clock that’s hidden behind my computer screen and realized it was still early in the evening, not even 5:00.
 
Huh. It wasn’t supposed to rain today. All of the weather forecasts predicted beautiful weather and clear skies. The deluge that pounded my house a few minutes later proved the forecast models wrong, yet again. Rain poured off my roof and shot out cracks in the gutters. The wind blew so hard and so long I was sure I was going to lose some trees. No weather watches had been issued, but I found myself watching weather that was doing some damage.
 
This has been the pattern across western Wisconsin this summer. The forecast models just can’t predict what the weather is going to do. One town can be getting a doozy of a thunderstorm while two miles away there’s hardly a sprinkle. Thunderclouds threaten the worst and then pass us by without incident.

There has to be a lesson in all of this, right? It didn’t take me long to see the connection. Like the thunderclouds that promised rain, Christians can look the part. Especially if we grew up in the church, we know how to play the game. We know how to look spiritual, talk about God, and hide our shortcomings and sins.
 
We know how to appear holy, but without the power of Christ, we’re all show. Just like the thunderclouds in the summer sky, we’ll blow on by without producing a thing. We’ll be stuck in the same old patterns of hiding our sin and weaknesses and pretending that everything is “fine”.
 
Friends, we don’t have to live this way. Romans 7:4 (NLT) says, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.”
 
When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we died with Him. Our spirits literally died with Christ. We died to the power of the law, we died to the power of sin, we died to the need to pretend all is well, and we died to our flesh. But like Christ, we didn’t stay dead. We’re alive in Christ. We’re united to “the one who was raised from the dead” and our spirits are raised from the dead too. We can now walk in the Spirit, united with Christ. As we walk in Christ, we can “produce a harvest of good deeds for God.”
 
It is Christ who lives in us and through us, as we allow Him to. We can stop trying so hard; we can stop puffing ourselves up like a giant thundercloud and instead allow Christ to work through us. The harvest of good deeds comes as a result of being united with Christ. It isn’t a result of our own efforts or striving, it’s a result of Christ in us.
 
When we live out of our unity with Christ we can be like the surprise thunderstorm, always ready to pour out rivers of living water to those who are parched in this dry and thirsty land.