That was my diagnosis, and that’s what stayed way past its welcome.
I self-medicated.
I went to the doctor.
I got a shot.
I got antibiotics.
But none of that touched the cough of all coughs that I had kicking. Did I mention having a cough right now is the most taboo thing in the world? Yeah. Fun times.
I finally broke down and went to minor care where they gave me IV meds that finally did the trick. I had Covid last January and the doctor said the way this bronchitis lingered was due to the residual effects.
Seriously? I am so over Covid.
But it got me thinking – what are the residual effects of our sins? What’s sticking around long term whether we want it to or not?
Because even though there’s forgiveness and grace and mercy – there are still consequences. And those consequences don’t just affect me, they have the potential to affect every person I surround myself with and even future generations.
Now that’s something to keep at the forefront of all decisions that we make. The choices we make today have the potential to hinder and haunt us for a long, long time.
Let’s stay prayed up.
Let’s stay in the word.
Let’s be ready to battle against the temptations that this world flings at us day in and day out.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10-11
The garage, closets, and underneath the bed are places I tend to stash unfinished projects. The beginning of something – things I started and have left undone to finish (if I do) another time.
My intentions started out strong and then the creativity and work came to a halt. Some of my unfinished projects are labeled with things like “loss interest” or “not turning out like I’d like.”
Quite honestly, I’m pretty proficient in starting things – just not as good at finishing them.
There are times in my life where I have felt a little incomplete, as if my promises were forgotten or like I was stuck in a place of questioning the way things were going or not going.
Throughout scripture we find God’s Word reminding us that He has been with us since the very beginning. Verses like Genesis 28:15 where God reminds Jacob, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised.”
The phrase “will bring you back” carries the idea of returning to an original starting point. Starting points indicate where things begin. We find the beginning of all creation and our original relationship with God in Genesis. We also find the fall from that relationship and the beginning of death and separation. But there is hope because we also find the promise of redemption through the offspring of Abraham.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-18
I find hope that God, the creator of all beginnings, is working to bring his purposes for me to completion – molding and making me. The promises I have stored in my heart are not sitting on a shelf somewhere but are near and dear to the Father.
“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6.
Be confident of this friend…
He is walking beside you.
He is surrounding you with a hedge of protection.
He will not leave you.
He is not limited or bound by space, distance, or time.
There is no power or force that can stand in the way. He is continually working to fulfill what He has already arranged and appointed for your life.
“And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
Our blessings and hope are always in Jesus – the author and finisher of our faith.
I am in an art class and the last few weeks the project has been two point perspective. My drawing is basically like a vanishing city landscape. It is one of the more complex projects I guess.
But I did not see it as complex. In fact, I thought I wasn’t doing enough until one of the kids looked over his shoulder, saw my artwork, and said, “How much extra stuff are you adding. That must have been so hard.”
To me it looked like the simplest thing ever. I remembered each tiny thing I did, and it didn’t seem hard. But then I looked at it in a different perspective. “I would never be able to do something like this. How? That’s so hard.”
I realized this is exactly what we do.
God is an artist, and His artwork is unknown to us. It is a work that is not finished, but He knows exactly how it is going to look when He does finish. It is the ultimate masterpiece.
Everyone’s life is the little tiny details. The things that make it so complex, so beautiful, and without them it would be dull.
Don’t question whether you are valuable or not. God chose you to be a part of his masterpiece. He knows everything about you.
And the details are necessary, so don’t think that God doesn’t love you.
To us all we see is the whole masterpiece not the beauty of the details. We don’t think we are important, or that you have to be something out of this world to be important in his masterpiece.
But God plans you and knows you perfectly, so why bother trying to change your life instead of living it to its fullest by serving Jesus.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14
Let’s become love starting today. What does that mean anyways? We have an amazing God who exemplifies love in every aspect of His nature. Many of us know that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). In fact, God committed the ultimate act of love for us. He took on human flesh and walked this earth to take on the penalty of our sins. We don’t deserve such great love and kindness. God loves us unconditionally regardless of our shameful tendencies and backgrounds. Jesus actually tells us to be a reflection of Him and to love our enemies. Loving others is loving God.
Let’s become love in a world full of setbacks and difficult people as Bob Goff communicates in his book, Everybody Always. Loving each other is what we are meant to do and how we were made to function. Will this be uncomfortable and messy at times? Absolutely. Use Jesus as your motivation and guide.
Loving your neighbor is more than just keeping easy relationships. Loving your neighbor means getting out of your comfort zone to love those who are different from you. Yes, even those who are particularly difficult to love. This will take a great amount of patience and humility, and you may be misunderstood at times. Talk to God about it and find encouragement in His word. Keep going.
Love others the way Jesus loves you. Let’s become love today.
Have you ever wondered “How long Lord? How long?” You may be praying about certain things, relationships, or situations but nothing is happening. Many of us have thought this or have felt this way, so you are in good company!
Even the Psalmist, King David, felt this way and shared his feelings in Psalm 13. There is always something happening whether we see it or not. God is always at work and he never sleeps or slumbers. It’s often during the waiting seasons that our growth happens. Patience has its perfect work in us and our faith increases during these times. Our spiritual muscles get stronger as we praise our way through.
One of the most important things we can do while we wait is to live fully present in each day. Jesus told us to not worry about tomorrow or be distracted by focusing on future concerns. Instead he wants us to live each day abundantly, experiencing and doing all he has for us. Each day is a gift that God gives us to rejoice in and praise him. Some practical things we can do each day to keep our focus on the Lord while staying in peace and joy are:
Set a specific time each morning to spend time with the Lord.
Use a clock, alarm or timer to help you stay on track.
Have a time of worship, prayer and Bible study during this time.
Don’t complicate it! Example: set 5-10 minutes for worship, 5-10 minutes for prayer, 5-10 minutes for Bible study.
Use tools like the Bible app for Bible study or Spotify for worship music to help you get started.
Listen for the Lord to speak to you. Don’t just talk at him.
Do this before you open social media, text messages or email in the morning.
Don’t get discouraged if it takes you a bit to get in a routine.
The Lord said he has given us everything we need for life and godliness, so ask him help you focus and make time with him a priority. Always remember to thank the Lord throughout the day for all he is doing and has done in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of all the things Jesus has said and to lead you each day. Lastly, remind yourself daily and anytime you feel overwhelmed or discouraged that God has never lost a battle, he is faithful in all his ways, nothing is impossible for him and no word from God has ever failed.
Hope you all have a wonderful day filled with his peace and joy, and that you abide in hope for he who promised is faithful!
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me. ~ Psalms 13:5-6
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~ Matthew 6:34
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ~ James 1:2-4
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ~ John 10:10
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. ~ Psalms 34:4-9
About four years ago my family decided to get our certification in scuba diving together. The course consisted of some challenging exercises, but the most challenging was navigating underwater. My sister and I were dive partners and were told that one of us would need to be the navigator (legit compass and all) and the other was responsible for making sure we were swimming in the right direction. You can imagine my confusion since there are apparently no google maps underwater!
My sister and I decided that we didn’t need the compass and we could probably make it to the destination without it. So we began the exercise and we were killing it. All I’m saying is Micheal Phelps would have had some competition. However, when we thought we had completely aced the test, well you know how that went. We were way off course and not even close to the right spot.
When I think of this story I often laugh at how naive we were for thinking that we did not need the one tool that was given to us to help us reach our destination. How many times in our lives do we think yeah I don’t need that compass, I don’t need to know what the Word says, I know where I’m heading, I’m going straight. I got this. I can do it on my own.
And then at some point the waves and the temptations start to ever so slightly turn us and we aren’t even heading straight anymore. But we don’t even notice until we’re up out of the water, so far off course, and we wonder “how did I even get here?”
Ephesians 6:11 says to “put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.” Ephesians 6:17 says, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God.”
It is a battle both won and ongoing and we were made to fight, but not with our own armor and weapon. We are made to fight with the armor of our King Jesus.
So often the Holy Spirit will speak to my heart through music. It might be a song I’ve heard hundreds of times before, but it comes on the radio and I hear the lyrics at just the right moment.
Yesterday a friend randomly sent me a link to: Reckless Love by Corey Asbury:
“Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me.
You have been so, so good to me.
Before I took a breath You breathed your life in me.
You have been so, so kind to me.
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.”
I have been reading the story of Esther. It was one of my favorites as a little girl. God’s chosen people (the Isrealites) are in captivity, experiencing God’s judgement and people hate them. One powerful man hates them so much he makes an awful law that will allow the Isrealites to be slaughtered. But one of the Isrealite girls – an orphan being raised by her uncle- is chosen in a beauty contest to be the new queen, Esther. She and her uncle have an important conversation in chapter 4…
Esther ch 4 vs13-16 “Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
I love Mordecai’s profession of faith. He believed God would keep the promises he made to Abraham and preserve his chosen people, and then Mordecai invited Esther to risk her life and play the part God had ordained for her. I love that Esther was terrified. She knew she needed to fear God over man. She knew that He was ultimately in control… but she was still afraid and asked everyone to spend the next 3 days fasting and praying. Even once she got into the presence of the king she delayed the hard conversation. As a child I admired her beautiful bravery… as an adult I admire how she surrendered her life, her fear, her comfort and security. She put it all in God’s hands and obeyed, and he used a young girl to save a nation.
Sisters and Brothers, our sovereign creator placed us on earth to live and serve him NOW. He makes no mistakes. He is never surprised. He is working around us to seek and save the lost and inviting us to play a part in history by bringing Him glory. He spoke over you before you were created and he has placed you here – for such a time as this.
He may ask you to surrender: your hopes and dreams, your wealth, your comfort, your pride, even your life. We certainly have a legacy of sacrifice. But he will be faithful to fulfill his promise to us. He will replace our doubts and fears with supernatural peace. He will fill our hearts with joy even when nothing in our world makes any sense- like Esther probably felt too. We can praise Him in every situation and thank him for choosing us to fulfill his sovereign purpose.
Don’t miss out!
Don’t be too busy, or comfortable, or terrified to be included in the work God is doing in our time. And if you need a girl to fast and pray with you – you just let me know.
First of all whose standards are you trying to measure up to?
Yours? Unobtainable.
Hers? Unreasonable.
His? Impracticable.
The worlds? Impossible.
I fall short.
And I’m not being mean – because you know that’s not who I am – but you fall short, too.
[We] will never be:
Smart enough
Savvy enough
Pretty enough
Strong enough
Skinny enough
Rich enough
Talented enough
Good enough.
And the list goes on and on and on.
And on.
But.
Thank goodness we don’t have to gauge ourselves against anyone’s standards but God’s. Open His word and let Him speak to you. Let His words be the only truth that resonates in your soul from here on out.
▪️Psalm 139:14 tells me that I am wonderfully made.
▪️Proverbs 31:10 says that I am more precious than rubies.
▪️1 John 3:1 says that I am His child.
▪️John 3:16 tells me that my God loves me so much that He sent His son to die for me.
Somebody testify.
The truth of the matter is that when it comes to God’s measuring stick you will always be top-notch. And that, my sweet sisters in Christ, is all the measuring you’ll ever need.
I think every day we wear shields or armor to hide the daily battles we deal with in our head and heart. The shields hide our anxieties, hurts, mental battles…..the list could go on. The past couple of years have shown all of us that going at it alone does not fair well for those who try.
Growing up my Mom use to say m, “God does not give us more than we can handle.” I’m sure many of you reading this have heard this saying or you said it out loud or in your head as you are reading this. One thing I think my Mom forgot to stress is that through my struggles I’ve always had a partner helping carry the weight, so it wouldn’t crush me. Faith!
Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go.
There were times where my faith faltered and I wasn’t sure that treading in deep water was ever going to end. I wore a smile and moved through the motions that life was okay – it was normal. I know you are thinking when is my positive point going to shine through. Well, it is when the skies aren’t showing a ray of sunshine that you remember you have the brightest light ready to lead the way! Turn to your faith and cast your fear, doubt, and anxiety to him.
His light will fill you with hope, encouragement, and strength. Above all, He will clear your mind from the doubt and replace it with a renewed spirit of hope. We all need hope and faith every day so that we may face whatever unfolds. Hold tight to your faith if you are struggling, and if you are not be the flashlight for others and help light up their hope and faith.
Psalm 18:28 For You light my lamp; The Lord my God illumines my darkness.
John 8:12 -I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
My faith is my flashlight! Have you charged your battery?
Rays of Sunshine inc 