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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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Where is God?

11/16/2017

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

Let’s be honest for a minute. As more and more atrocities of violence occur in our country every day, many people have thought the question, "Where is God?” Struck with the raw emotion of having a gunman walk into a church or a concert or drive a vehicle into a crowd of people and kill innocent men, women, and children, at some point the question of God’s presence crept into people’s thoughts. Many of us are still in shock and horror that such tragedies could ever occur, and as we come to grips with the scope of what is happening in our country, that nagging question will continue to creep into our thoughts until we deal with it and learn the truth.

Although the fact it’s almost the Christmas season makes dealing with tragedies seem even worse, it seems appropriate that it is the season of Emmanuel – God with us. When Jesus was born, He came to offer hope to a world without hope and peace. The key word being “offered.” God has never forced Himself on us. That is the big difference between people and animals. When God created us, He chose to give us the gift of freewill. An animal doesn’t have this gift. When a skunk feels threatened, he will emit an odorous spray. A spider will make webs and catch insects. Fish will swim. They don’t get to choose to do something different if they get bored of being what God created them to be. Yet it’s not that way with people. People can use this life to do whatever they want – whether it’s right or wrong, good or bad. We can choose to worship God or deny His existence. We can choose to be a teacher, a rock star, or even a murderer. We can choose to use our lives to do some good in the world, and unfortunately, we can also choose to do evil in this life and harm others. That is why Jesus came to this fallen world when He knew people would hang Him on a cross to die. He came to forgive our sins and show us a better way. He came to point us to God.
Yet people continue to reject Christ and His free gift of salvation. Because of this, there is still evil in the world. But even beyond that, our country has told God we don’t want Him. We’ve taken God out of schools; we’ve taken God out of the government; we’ve taken God out of our entertainment; we’ve even taken God out of sporting events. Sadly, even some churches are stepping away from the truth of God’s Word because its message isn’t popular with society and may offend someone. As a nation, we have told God He isn’t welcome, and because He’s a gentleman and won’t force Himself on anyone, God has stepped back. What we’re seeing right now is what happens when we remove God from the equation. Evil prevails and dominates the hearts of men.
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But this doesn’t mean God has abandoned us when tragedy strikes. It doesn’t mean He’s forgotten about those of us who are trying to live our lives to do some good. Personally, I can’t help but wonder if He ever has to restrain Himself from intervening when people try to destroy what He created. Throughout Scripture, Jesus is depicted as sitting at the right hand of God when in Heaven (see Matthew 26:64, Matthew 23:24, and Mark 16:19). Yet there’s one time when Jesus is shown to be standing at the right hand of God. In Acts 7:55-56 when Stephen is being stoned to death for his faith in Christ, we are told twice that Jesus was standing at the right hand of God. God doesn’t just sit back and relax while we mortals are suffering. He is very aware of what’s happening in each of our lives, and He cares. Not only that, but His Spirit is with us on every step of this journey. Jesus is still Emmanuel, which means God with us (Matthew 1:23).
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God doesn’t abandon His people. Even though our country has turned its back on God, He will never turn His back on those who call out to Him. Even if it becomes illegal to speak the name of Jesus, as long we choose to keep our hearts and minds focused on God, He will always be with us. So the next time it feels like your heart will break into a million little pieces and you are tempted to ask, “Where is God?” remember Emmanuel. You are not alone. God sees you. He knows what’s happening. He cares. And He is with you!

“But Zion said, “I don’t get it. God has left me. My Master has forgotten I even exist.”

“Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I’d never forget you—never. Look, I’ve written your names on the backs of My hands. The walls you’re rebuilding are never out of my sight.” ~ Isaiah 49:14-16 (The Message)
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The Story of Stuck

11/2/2017

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

She was stuck. It’s been over ten years since it happened and I still can see her frozen in fear. It was the first time I’ve ever seen someone petrified, and that image has stayed with me even a decade later.

​Twelve years ago, God blessed me with an incredible, glorious summer when all my health problems decided to stop. I don’t know how to describe that summer other than to say it was a gift from God and one in which I eagerly took advantage. I worked at a Christian girls’ camp as a cabin leader, but even more surprising, I was one of the four staffers who were trained and certified to run the camp’s 32-foot rock wall. For those who aren’t familiar with rock climbing, there needs to be a person who belays. What this means is a person is anchored into the ground wearing a harness and he is connected with a safety rope to the person climbing the wall. A belayer’s sole purpose is to keep the safety rope taut as the person climbs, so if he falls, he goes nowhere. The belayer is literally holding all of your weight up and keeping you from harm. It was a job I should have not physically been able to do, but I’m so grateful I did because it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

​There are many fun stories that came from this experience, but the one I’ll never forget is the day a thirteen-year-old girl made it two-thirds of the way up the wall, and then she looked down. After that, she could not and would not move. For thirty minutes I held her weight while she continually yelled, “I can’t do this! It’s too hard!” Everyone was cheering her on. Our team leader even climbed up next to her to help her reach the top, but she refused to do it. It didn’t matter that I wouldn’t let her fall. Her fear was greater than her faith. And with only six needed steps to reach the top, she decided she’d rather quit and had me lower her back to the ground.

As we finish our Believing God series, I keep thinking of this girl. When I started studying all the areas we struggle to believe and trust God, I knew I had areas I didn’t fully believe God to take care of for me. Yet the more I studied and began to completely trust God, I realized that like the girl, I too was stuck. Unfortunately, I wasn’t stuck on something as simple as a rock wall. I was stuck in life. I had come so far in my walk with God, but the things He was calling me to do were scary. Yes, I knew He had me anchored and I wouldn’t fall, but my lack of faith kept me frozen from stepping out of my comfort zone. Maybe it’s the same with you.

​I’ve loved listening to your stories and reading your comments on each devotion. We have all struggled at some point with fully believing God will fulfill His promises. But the more we believe Him and take Him at His Word, the more we see ourselves the way He sees us, and then is when the fun begins. God has great things in store for you and me, but we have to be willing to leave our comfort zones and trust Him with every single concern. As we end this series, I encourage you to go back and study the names of God and ask Him to show you if there’s an area of belief in which you need to work.​
·         The Heart of a Cynic
·         Waiting on God
·         In Need of Safety
·         When I am Afraid
·         In the Midst of Change
·         When I am Weak
·         Too Much to Handle
·         When God Doesn't Heal
              §  A Healing of the Soul
             §  Why Me?
            §  Walking Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death
·         When Difficulties Come
·         The Valleys of Life
·         Burnt Out and Weary
It’s time to step out in faith and trust the Great Belayer. He won’t let you fall. Do you believe?     

​“If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get His help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.” ~ James 1:5-8 (MSG)
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A War Cry of Faith

9/21/2017

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

Floods. Fires. Hurricanes. Earthquakes. If you’ve watched the news at all in the past month, you know it seems like our world has been cast in an apocalyptic movie. Everything has seemingly gone wrong all at once, and it’s scary.

​As I’ve watched what’s happening, I admit I’ve found myself following social media and I’ve been shocked by people’s responses, particularly in regards to Hurricane Irma. I lost count of the number of Christians who posted something to the effect of: “It’s okay. I prayed, so God will turn the hurricane around.” Let’s be real for a moment. Demanding God answer our prayers the way we deem best is not faith. It’s arrogance! Now before you start sending me emails about the power of prayer please note I believe, as God’s children, we are called to pray. Not only that, but God answers prayers. He is in the miracle-making business. Having said that, I think many Christians have missed an important point about prayer and faith.

​Somewhere along the way, many of us have been led to believe that if we pray and believe God will do what we ask, then it will happen. That’s not faith!!! True faith is never about what God can do for us. Faith is all about God. It’s why this Believing God series has been interwoven with the names of God. If you look at the original Greek word used in Scripture for faith, the word used is “peitho,” and it means “to put confidence in God.” Note that it doesn’t say “to put confidence in God, so He will answer your prayers the way you think He should.” Genuine faith is saying, “God, I trust You no matter what. I lay my requests at Your feet, and if You don’t answer my prayer the way I wish You would, I will trust You know best. I will still believe.”
And that right there is why faith is so terrifying. It’s letting go of our need to be in control and admitting that we can’t see the whole picture. It’s looking at the truth of Hebrews 11:39-40 and understanding that sometimes we won’t receive what we asked for because God has something better waiting for us in heaven. Faith isn’t a math problem, where if we do a + b then we’ll get our desired result. Faith is a daily choice of choosing to believe God no matter what, and when we start to live this out, then God will show up and show out.
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I love the promise found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says, “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” That, my friend, is what prayer is all about. It’s about seeking God and admitting we need Him. It’s surrendering all that we are and trusting Him no matter what.

So many of us have missed the mark when it comes to believing God. We’ve misunderstood what faith really is and we’ve been operating in our own strength. Ephesians 6:16 tells us to “take up the shield of faith so that we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Interestingly enough, the definition of shield in this verse actually means door. Think about that. When our faith is in God, He is a door that protects us and stands between us and Satan. It doesn’t mean the attacks won’t come, but the door is firmly closed.

At the beginning of the summer, I went to the beach with my family. A tradition I have with my three nephews is I take them out into the ocean and we go boogie boarding. One day, while my brother-in-law played with my two youngest nephews in the shallow surf, I took the nine-year-old further out into the water. The current that day was extremely strong, and I was constantly on guard so that neither of us would get pulled out to sea. Needless to say, my strength didn’t hold out for long and after twenty minutes, we had to come in where I promptly collapsed in my beach chair thoroughly exhausted. Barely a minute passed before my three-year-old nephew came running up to me asking why I wasn’t playing. I responded by telling him the water was too strong and it made me tired. After asking if he could use my boogie board, I did what any good aunt would do and told him to be careful. In the innocence that only a child can have, he looked at me as serious as can be and said, “It’s okay. I’ve got this.” Then he grabbed the boogie board in his left hand, turned to face the water, threw his right hand up high in the air, and shouted, “I AM BATMAN!!” He let out what can only be described as a war cry and took off running into the water…straight into the arms of his daddy. The current was still strong and overpowering, but it didn’t matter because he was safe in the arms of his father.
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That image has stayed with me months later. Countless Christians have been operating in their own power, and they’ve run out of strength. They find themselves sitting at the edge of the water, overwhelmed by its sheer enormity and power, and they wonder why God isn’t actively working in their lives. I’ve been there, and I want to encourage you. Turn your eyes onto God. Surrender everything – your hopes, your dreams, your desires, your needs – and let God be God. His plan is so much better than anything you could ever do. Let go of the need to be in control, shout out your war cry of faith, and choose once and for all to believe
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” ~ Hebrews 12:1-3     

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Surviving the Climb

8/31/2017

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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.
For such a small word, belief is a hard word to learn when it comes to believing God. Sure, we believe in God, but do we believe He will do what He says He will do? That’s why daily spending time with God and reading His Word is so vital. We can’t believe Someone we don’t know. I think that’s one of the reasons why God has so many different names throughout Scripture, because they describe the character of God. Not only is He a light in dark times, but He’s our strength, our defender, our refuge. He’s the God who is mighty in battle, the One who will provide, who gives us victory. He’s the One who will deliver us. He is mighty, the horn of our salvation, our great redeemer. He is God Most High.
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"Knowing all of this, sometimes, we have to simply choose to believe. When our world is shaken and it seems like everything is falling apart, we have to choose to listen to what God says rather than what circumstances tell us. I learned this lesson the hard way this summer. After studying the awe-inspiring attributes of God and learning He is trustworthy, I found myself in one of the most challenging times of lupus treatments I’ve ever experienced. As those of you with a chronic illness know, most of the time we judge how bad we’re doing physically by comparing it to previous bouts of sickness. Although it’s not been my worst, this summer has ranked in the top five of all-time worst periods of sickness, which is saying something for me. Every day I have felt like I’ve been hit with a semi-truck. I’m not sure what’s been worse – the mind-numbing pain I feel down in the depths of my bones or the never-ending fatigue. What’s made this even harder is I felt great the first half of the year, but when June came, it was like I’d been sucker punched. The sickness came out of nowhere and, I admit, my first instinct was to cry out to God, “What are You doing?!” It was in that moment I was reminded that faith is a choice. It’s saying, “God, no matter what happens, I will my plant my feet and stand here choosing to believe You. I will keep my eyes on You rather than my circumstances. I don’t know how or when, but by Your grace, I will overcome this."
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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
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An Identity Crisis

5/11/2017

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

Who are you? I had the privilege of attending the Women of Joy conference this past weekend, and this question was asked several times. I’m thrilled to say I knew the answer to the question, something I couldn’t have done a few years ago. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “How can you not know who you are?!” Believe it or not, most people get the answer to this question wrong, and for years, I was one of them.

Most people, when asked this question, respond with answers like, “I’m a wife and mother of two children; I’m a nurse who loves to have adventures, etc.” Yet none of these answers tell who you are! They describe what you do. Intrinsically, at our very core, very few know their identity.

I was reminded of this after the massive response from last week’s devotion on expectations (see http://www.erinelizabethaustin.com/blog/great-expectations). Although the devotion was about our unrealistic expectations of God, it triggered many of you into thinking about the unrealistic expectations you place on yourself and how you struggle because you don’t measure up. That’s why this week’s name of God is my all-time favorite. I think it’s one of the sweetest, yet most revealing names we see throughout all of Scripture. The name is Abba, which means Father in Aramaic.
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When we see our need for a Savior and repent of our sins, Scripture tells us we are adopted as God’s children. He becomes our Abba, our Daddy God. Romans 8:15-17 says it best, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
Let that truth sink down deep into your soul. God doesn’t care what you can and cannot do. He doesn’t care about the size of your portfolio and your bank account. Your net worth in God’s kingdom isn’t dependent on your job. A CEO of a corporation isn’t considered more valuable than a homeless person. If you have a personal relationship with Christ, then God says you are His child. You are valued. You are cherished. You are wanted!
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For years, I could not comprehend this. Life had beaten me down to the point I was beyond broken. I was shattered in a million tiny pieces. In my mind, I knew God had to love me because He was God, but that didn’t mean He was happy about it. Twisted though it was, I honestly believed I was the black sheep of God’s family. Just because God loved me didn’t mean He liked me, so I worked hard to be the best possible person I could be. And then sickness happened. I couldn’t work because my body wouldn’t allow it. I will never forget having to quit my job because I was too sick to work, thinking “What am I going to do now? I was doing all of these things to show God I deserved His love, and now I can’t. How am I going to show Him I’m valuable?”

That time in my life was one of the darkest times I’ve ever experienced, and I am so grateful for it! As odd as this may sound, sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing helped me FINALLY begin to understand who I am and Whose I am. Now I know, I am Erin Elizabeth Austin and I am a daughter of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If I ever become a best-selling author and world-renown speaker, my value will not change from the beaten, broken down girl eight years ago.

God’s love never changes. Even better, it’s unfailing. It’s unshakeable. It’s unstoppable. He is a good Father who loves you when you think you’re unlovable. Do you believe that? Do you know who you are? Do you know Whose you are? Do you know that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords says you are somebody?

If you don’t, know you’re not alone. Ask God to show you the truth of who you are in Him. Pray that He will help you see the beauty of your life through His filter of truth rather than society’s unrealistic expectations. Ask Him to help you block out the lies you have believed for so long. You, my precious friend, have a Daddy God who loves you in ways you can’t begin to fathom. Choose to believe what your Abba says about you. I promise, your life will never be the same.
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“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” ~ Ephesians 3:17-19

© May 10, 2017

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Great Expectations

5/4/2017

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

I’m a perfectionist. To be honest, it’s a family characteristic. Although not everyone in my family is a perfectionist, most of us are. People may disagree with me, but being a perfectionist isn’t always a bad thing. It means I work hard and do my best, no matter what I do. Yet there’s a downside to striving for perfection. It’s unattainable.

I was reminded of this last week when I went to see my nine-year-old nephew play soccer. Unfortunately, he too has inherited the perfectionist gene. I watched him play goalie, his favorite position. Even though I am biased as his aunt, he did an amazing job, especially considering his team has played more games than they’ve had practices due to rain. Under the circumstances, his team played a good game, but they didn’t understand the positions they were supposed to be in during the game, so 80% of the game was played in front of my nephew’s goal. Understandably, my nephew had more attempted goals he had to block than normal for a soccer game, and he did an exceptional job. He blocked two-thirds of the attempted goals, yet seven still made it past him. Being the perfectionist that he is, my poor nephew didn’t see how well he did. He only saw the failures, and by the end of the game, he was in tears. His expectations were simply too high.

As I’ve pondered this over the week, I can’t help but think we’re all like this, whether or not we’re a perfectionist. Since we started this series on Believing God I’ve had more conversations with people about why they struggle to trust God, and the number one reason given is “because a situation I was praying about didn’t turn out the way I expected it would.” In other words, we struggle to trust God because He doesn’t do what we want Him to do.

I can’t help but think of Job, who found himself in a similar situation. After losing everything, he cried out to God, “What are you doing? I’ve been a good person. I went to church. I tithed. I followed Your laws. Why aren’t you doing anything to fix this?!” (Job 31) For a long time, God let Job vent. He just sat there and listened while Job complained, but then, God spoke! I encourage you to read Job 38-41. It’s one of those passages of Scripture we all need to read every now then because it reminds us how great God is and just how small we are. Like God said in Job 38:12, “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, and caused the dawn to know its place?”
Somewhere along the way, we’ve forgotten just how insignificant we are. On this planet, we are the top dogs - the alpha. We rule over animals and things which are weaker than us, so in our minds, it’s easy to forget that we are as small as a speck of dust compared to God. He is the One in control, and who are we to be upset when our expectations don’t line up with His? The further I get into this study, the more I’m amazed at the sheer audacity of believers in Christ. The God who set the world into motion knows our names. He knows the number of hairs on every person's head. Not only that, He knows the number of tears we cry, and He cares! We fail Him in countless ways every day. We demand He do things our way, and when He doesn’t, we say He isn’t trustworthy. And yet, God loves us with a love that can’t be contained. That’s why this week’s name of God is important, because it makes us stop and think about how big our God is. He is El Elyon, “God Most High,” (Gen.14:18, 22).
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​This is actually one of the more commonly used names of God in Scripture. Personally, I think it’s because we need to be reminded that God is the One in charge and not us. As you go throughout the next week, I encourage you to ask God if you have some unrealistic expectations. Maybe you’re expecting to meet your future spouse or get pregnant by a certain date, or maybe you believe a situation in your family will be resolved in a certain way. It may even be that you’re praying for a resolution to a problem and you’re demanding God fix it without stopping to hear what He has to say.

As children of God, we should start each day with one expectation, and that’s to see God. How would life change if we stopped demanding things happen in a certain way and our heart’s cry became to simply see God each and every day of our lives? Problems and circumstances probably won’t reach the resolution we thought was best, but I guarantee we’ll see God in ways we never expected or imagined. He is El Elyon, the God Most High. The God who knows when an ostrich flaps its wings on the other side of the world knows what is best for you and me. Trust Him! Choose to believe that God in His infinite wisdom will work out the minute details of your life in the best possible way. Expect to see God!
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“But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside.” ~ Job 23:10-11

© May 4, 2017​
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A No Good, Very Bad Day

4/6/2017

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

Have you ever woken up knowing it was going to be a bad day? I think, if we’re honest, we’ve all had days like this. Maybe that’s why I’ve always loved the children’s story by Judith Viorst entitled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Not only do I find it amusing, but there’s a lot of truth to it. In case you haven’t read it, the book starts with Alexander waking up saying he knows it’s going to be a bad day because he went to bed with gum in his hair and woke up with gum in his hair, and it was a sign of how the rest of his day would go. Towards the end of the story Alexander realizes that even though bad things are happening he can choose to have fun and make the most of his day. What a powerful truth so many of us adults need to learn!

I’m not going to lie. I didn’t always understand this. For the longest time after I was diagnosed with lupus, I struggled with my attitude. I was often guilty of saying, “If it’s going to happen, then it’s going to happen to me.” Although I didn’t realize it at the time, that attitude set the tone for how each day would go. I expected difficulties, so all I saw were difficulties.

It’s easy to do this when you’re diagnosed with a chronic illness. Let’s be honest. Being sick or the caregiver of someone who’s sick is hard. There’s nothing easy about it. Sickness steals your time, health, money, and sometimes, even those you thought were friends. When that happens, it’s easy to become so wrapped up in what’s happening you miss seeing all the good in your life. Life becomes a series of no good, very bad days.

Yet as I’ve studied God’s Word, I’ve realized we choose whether or not we have a bad day. In Psalm 27:1, we are introduced to another of God’s names. It’s here He’s called Jehovah-‘Ori, which means “The Lord is my Light.” I love the verse because it’s says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?”

We all go through difficult times, times when it feels like our world is caving in and we’ve been left locked in a dark room trying to dig our way out. That’s why it’s so important to believe God is our light. He can give hope and joy on even the darkest of days. I can’t help but think as we approach Easter that God did this on the day Jesus died. Before Jesus’ death, He told His disciples He would come again (John 14:2-4). Even when all hope seemed lost, God was working.
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Therein lies one of the great privileges of having a relationship with Christ. Bad things may happen to us, but God gifts us with hope in hopeless situations. Because of Him, even on the worst of days, there is always a possibility for joy. When our focus is on God, who brings light to every situation, we can honestly say our day hasn’t been bad because God is there.

It's taken me years to understand this, but this is a truth that’s transformed my life. There is a difference in a day being bad and a day being hard. When we say a day is bad, we’re saying absolutely nothing good was a part of the day. We’re, in essence, saying it doesn’t matter that we’re alive, have people who love us, have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. We’re saying everything is horrible and there’s no good to be found. Yet when we say the day is hard, we’re acknowledging difficult things have happened, but we refuse to negate the blessings we have been given. Do you see the difference?

Every day is good when we keep our eyes focused on God because He brings light to the darkest of situations. No problem can outshine the power of God. He is greater!

Do you find yourself going through some dark times? Have you asked God to shine His light into your situation? Jehovah-‘Ori wants to shine His light on your life. Choose to stop having no good, very bad days. Take your eyes off your problems and focus on the One who is greater.

“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” ~ John 8:12
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© April 6, 2017
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More Than Anything

3/23/2017

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

Can you believe it? We’re finally on the last segment of our mini-series on healing and deciphering what God’s Word actually says about it. Over the course of the past month, I’ve had some interesting and often intense discussions with many of you about this topic, and I want you to know, I applaud your tenacity in doing this study. By no means, is this an easy topic. I’m proud of you for seeking God through this issue! So, once more, let’s step into the last part of our study and see what God has to say about healing and death.

I think, more than any other subject, death is probably one of our greatest struggles in believing God. Honestly, I’ve lost count of the number of people who’ve approached me disheartened, ready to quit on God because they prayed for a loved one to be healed and God allowed the person to die. They quote verses like Psalm 103:2-3, which says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,” and then they feel God lied by allowing their family member/friend to die. We discussed this two weeks ago, but let’s stop here for a moment so there’s no confusion. Verses like these are a wonderful promise from God, but if you actually study the original language, it’s written in future tense, meaning God will heal your diseases in Heaven. We all will be completely healed when we reach Heaven, so when you pray for God to heal your loved one and the person dies, God did in fact answer your prayer. The problem is, He didn’t answer your prayer the way you wanted. Again, let me be clear, you should pray and ask God to heal you in this lifetime, and He does sometime answer that prayer; however, you need to be ready to accept whatever His answer may be.
​This is where it gets tricky. People are temporal, meaning even though we know about Heaven, we can’t fully grasp the concept that there’s more to life beyond the here and now. We see what’s in front of us; we feel the pain and hurt of now, and we fail to truly understand we have an amazing future promised to us in Heaven if we have a personal relationship with Christ. Even worse, whenever we encounter problems, we get desperate. We can become so focused on resolving our problems that we miss what God is doing in our lives.
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I never truly understood this until I met Sharon. Even though I only met Sharon once, she changed my life more than anyone I’ve ever met. After speaking at a small church, a friend of Sharon’s asked me to go visit her because she only had a few months left to live. She was dying because of ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. For those who don’t know, there are two common ways to die from ALS – either your diaphragm is paralyzed and unable to make your lungs work so that you literally suffocate, or you choke on food, drink, or your own saliva because you lose the ability to swallow, and you asphyxiate. It’s an incredibly painful, agonizing illness which slowly kills you, which is why I was so surprised to meet one of the happiest people I’ve ever met. I went to Sharon’s home and spent several hours with her talking and laughing. When I asked her how she was so joyful, Sharon’s response changed my life. She told me that for the longest time she was too focused on her illness and her healing, or lack thereof. As months passed, God challenged her to not be so focused on her death that she forgot to live. So, she began to daily ask God to help her see Him throughout the course of the day, and He answered her prayer. She saw Him in her granddaughter’s laughter, in her husband’s tender care, in the sound of the ocean crashing on the shore, and in the kindness of a stranger who was willing to hug her when most people were scared to touch her.
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That moment challenged me and changed me. You see, two weeks after I turned eighteen, I was told I had one of the most severe forms of lupus and would live a maximum of ten years. When I met Sharon, I was eight years into what I called my prison sentence. It was in that moment I realized I was more focused on my healing than I was on the Healer.

Don’t we all do that? We find ourselves in the midst of a major trial and we so desperately want the problem to go away, we become more focused on the solution than we do on the Problem Solver. Even worse, when God does step in, we often thank Him once and then move on in celebrating the fact our problem has gone away. As I’ve studied Jehovah-Rapha, “The Lord is my healer,” I can’t help but feel we’ve all done God a huge injustice. We get angry if He doesn’t answer our prayer the way we want, we pout like a two-year-old, and then turn our backs on Him. We say He’s not trustworthy, even though He’s daily walking with us through our trials, bringing good into a bad situation.

I took Sharon’s words to heart, and began to ask God on a regular basis to help me see Him in each day. His answer blew me away! When I stopped focusing on the negative, I saw God do things I never thought possible. The amazing thing is I just celebrated my thirty-third birthday. I’m five years past my expiration date. I’m still sick, but by the grace of God, I’m still here. Yet, I’ve realized over the years, my healing isn’t nearly as important as I once thought it was. More than anything, I want to see God in each day.

What about you? What is your focus? Do you see God in each day? Are you focused on the healing or the Healer? Are you so focused on the possibility of dying that you’ve forgotten to live? What do you want more than anything?
“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” ~ James 1:12

© March 23, 2017
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Why me?

3/16/2017

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By Erin Elizabeth Austin

I’ve been very honest with you all about my thoughts, opinions, questions, and doubts I’ve dealt with over the years in regards to God and sickness, and I admit, there’s been a lot. After I was diagnosed with my third chronic illness and forced to quit work, I spent over a year studying Scripture trying to figure out what God was doing in my suffering. Once I finally realized that my definition of healing and my understanding of Scripture was wrong, I still couldn’t help but feel dejected, as I imagine many of you were after reading last week’s devotion. As wonderful as it is that God cares about our heart, mind, and soul, that doesn’t take away the frustration of living with a chronic illness. I admit after finally coming to terms with what God has to say about healing and sickness, I still couldn’t help but ask the ever-present question since I was diagnosed with lupus, “Why me?”

​I know from talking with many of you that I’m not the only one to ask this question. To be honest, I think it’s normal when a crisis happens in our lives to wonder why we have to go through difficulties. Whether it’s a chronic illness, a broken family, or financial difficulties, the temptation to throw our hands up in aggravation and shout “why me” is at the forefront of our thoughts. Personally, I asked God this question countless times over the course of several months. After months of fighting with myself and God, I heard a gentle whisper in my soul late one night saying, “Why not you?”

​It’s a difficult question, but it made me stop and think. And once again, I found myself learning some uncomfortable truths from God’s Word. We want God to take away all our problems and fix everything, but we also want freewill to do whatever we desire. We want the best of both worlds, and we can’t have it. God loves us so much, when He created the earth He chose to give us freewill, meaning we can choose to murder someone or we can choose to worship God. We can choose to be kind and considerate, or we can choose to be rude and say whatever we want without thinking about how our actions affect others. God made us different when He gave us freewill. Unlike animals who have certain parameters and rules they must live by, people aren’t confined in such a way. A bear must hunt in order to eat, and he will because it’s been predetermined that’s what a bear will do. Unlike a Disney movie, a bear won’t suddenly decide he wants to be a vegan and eat salad for the rest of his life, because it isn’t in his nature. However, we have been gifted with a life of freewill. We can choose to do whatever we want in this life and unfortunately, we chose sin, which made this world broken. When Adam and Eve chose to willingly turn their backs against what God said, our world became broken, meaning our world was no longer perfect. Brokenness comes in all forms, and chronic illness is simply one of them.

Somewhere along the way, we got the idea that having a relationship with Jesus meant we didn’t have to suffer. Yet because we live in a broken world, we aren’t exempt. The only way for us to no longer endure brokenness is to no longer live on this earth, meaning we’re dead and in Heaven. So, where’s the hope if we’re going to be exposed to sickness?
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that one of my favorite passages of Scripture is found in Daniel 3, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were thrown into a fiery furnace for not denouncing their faith. The reason I love this passage is twofold. First and foremost, we see in verses 24-25 they weren’t alone in their suffering. Jesus joined them in the fire. Therein lies the great promise to those who have a relationship with Christ. Yes, we will endure suffering and hardship in this life just like everyone else, but we don’t walk through our trials alone. We have been promised that God will never leave us or forsake us (Deut. 31:6). Because of Jesus willingly choosing to die on the cross so that we might have a relationship with Him, we are offered comfort only God can give to His children who are going through hard times. He may not take away the suffering, but He does ease the burden. Even better, God will use our trials and turn them into something good. One of my favorite verses in all of the Bible is found in Daniel 3:27 when it says, “The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.”
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Have you ever been around a campfire? As fun as they are, the smell is awful once you step away from the fire. The smell of smoke permeates everything on your body. That’s what normally happens when a person endures a personal trial. It negatively impacts him or her. Yet when we have a relationship with God, if we keep our focus on Him, it doesn’t matter how severe the trial or how big the fire. We will come through and we won’t smell like smoke.

Talk about a testimony! Have you ever been around someone who radiates joy despite all they’ve had to endure? Compared to someone who is negative and bitter, the difference is astounding. People are drawn to those who have hope and joy even though their lives are challenging, and because God made it possible for us to have a relationship with Him, we get to be those people who point others to God no matter what. I want that more than anything else! Yes, I have three chronic illnesses, but it doesn’t have to destroy me because my God is bigger than any fiery furnace this life throws at me.

God is walking with us through the fire! Do you see Him? Are you looking? More importantly, do you smell like smoke?

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.” ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

© March 16, 2017
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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.
    Click here to email Josie.

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