You are not alone (Peace during your struggles)

Last week I had to go to an oral surgeon to get two teeth extracted.  I was not looking forward to this experience.  I had never had oral surgery before and I already didn't enjoy going to the dentist for routine check-up and cleaning, so I certainly was not looking forward to having a more invasive procedure in my mouth.  I knew it had to be done, but I was feeling stressed about it.

I sent my prayer request in to a few friends who knew this was something that caused me anxiety.  Then a couple of days before my surgery, I fully poured out my heart  to the Lord, telling him my fears; fear of how much pain I would have to endure and  the  fear of the unknown.

I was going into "uncharted" territory and I didn't have control of the procedure.  My husband had to work, so I would be driving myself to the doctors. Even though I chose to have a  local anesthesia instead of being knocked out, I didn't know how I would feel afterwards and I didn't want to be "alone".

The Holy Spirit led me to Philippians 4:6-7:
"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

As I dwelt on that verse, I realized that I had two choices:  I could either pray and remain stressed about the upcoming surgery, or I could pray and believe God's promise to give me peace that would guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

I decided that I would trust God's promise,  and at the same time the thought "hit me", I would not be alone, Jesus would be with me.  He is in me, so He would be with me through everything that I would experience during the surgery, as well as afterwards.  He would give me the strength that I needed to endure any discomfort, complication, or pain.  This  truth gave me peace.

 God also  graciously provided a sweet friend to drive me to the surgery and back home again.  He then gave me the idea to ask the surgeon to explain the procedure as he went through it, which the surgeon gladly did. I found  the procedure fascinating and gaining some understanding of it, caused me to feel more at peace.

Yes, I did experience some pain, discomfort and stress, but as I sang praise songs in my head and reminded myself that  I was not "alone",Jesus was with me , My focused changed and I experienced the peace I needed moment by moment. This was another "letting go" moment in my life, trusting Jesus to be with me through it all.

As the Lord walks with us on our journey through life; He continues to build our trust in him and  remind us of his faithfulness.  This life is not easy; there are many struggles that we face, but we can always know that we are not alone and Jesus will walk us through each and every one of our trials.

When I find my faith being stripped down to the very basics; one song comes to mind, "Jesus loves me, this I know for the bible tells me so."  Believing and trusting in the love of God for me, gives me peace because it means that I am trusting in His goodness toward me, no matter what trial I experience.

Your struggle today may be great or small, it doesn't matter; the Lord has promised to give you peace as you surrender your concerns to Him with a thankful heart.  Remember, he will be with you in the challenges you are facing every day.

May the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, today.  Amen

Love,
Triss

Seated at the Table ( Accepted and Loved)

This morning  I was sitting drinking tea and reading "Seated with Christ" by Heather Holleman.  My finite mind was trying to grasp  the truth that God has "raised" me up and "seated" me  in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6).

I am seated with Christ in the Heavenly places.  I have a seat at the table of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  My mind says this is true, while my heart is struggle with, "I believe help my unbelief!" As I was trying to embrace the concept of "being seated with Christ", my "little girl" insecurities came to the surface and I honestly told the Lord that I needed to feel loved. I didn't feel worthy of the heavenly seat and I was having a hard time fully accepting the truth that I have a seat at the table of the King.

I reread Ephesians 2:6 and this quote from "Seated with Christ":

 "I am uniquely called, uniquely contributing and uniquely loved just like everyone else at the table. I can cease comparing myself to others. Nobody's inferior. Nobody's superior. We're on a mission together, and we're too busy serving a great King to bother with comparison and self-consciousness."

As the truth of realizing that God has seated me in the heavenly places with Himself, it "hit" me, that God's love for me was big. I don't have to compare myself with others and wonder how I can get him to love me more. His love is big enough for me, just as it is big enough for everyone else. He has enough love  to satisfy my need, as well as enough love to satisfy the need of each person. My Heavenly Daddy won't  ever run out of love!

I didn't have to try and get His approval and to make myself "worthy".  He already had placed his approval on me and made we worthy, through saving me by His grace in Christ Jesus my Lord.

Ephesians 2  continues to say that God has "prepared" good works for us in Christ Jesus.  This is another truth that needs to go down deep within me, to the core.  God already has good works for me to do and I don't have to fight for my place on the team.  He has a place for me; I just need to follow His lead and I will accomplish what He has called me to do. He has a calling and work for each of His children.

When I stop running around trying to accomplish what I think needs to be done and I just sit down, spend time listening to His word, I begin to hear His voice clearer.  My soul calms down and I rest in the knowledge that He will accomplish His work in me for this day.

(Abba Father, precious Jesus, Help us to understand what it means to be seated in the heavenly places with you. Give us a greater understanding of your love for us. May your truths change the way that we see ourselves,others and especially You.  Thank you for your love for us.  Thank you for the hope that we have now and the hope for the future when we see you face to face.  May we listen to Your Spirit and follow your lead.  Amen)

Ephesians 2:4-6 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been save-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,"

Good News for the New Year

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”  John 3:16-17

John chapter three, verse sixteen is a well-known scripture and a simple and valuable truth. Many people are making New Year’s resolutions to be healthier or to do something of consequence and value in the upcoming year.  They want to find something to “hold on to”, something that makes a positive change in their lives.  As we start a New Year, the hope of the Good News of salvation through Christ is for all who believe in him. This is something of value to “hold on to” that will make a difference in our lives.

 Every year people make resolutions to change for the better. What could be more important than focusing on what is of eternal value and what will truly last beyond this coming year?  2018 will have its enjoyable moments as well as its trials and struggles, just as there were in 2017.

We can either decide to “seize the day” and just live for the moment, hoping for things to change for the best, or we can live each moment for eternity, which will make a change for our best.   In I Corinthians 15 the apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians of what is really important and what they need to “hold onto”, in the midst of their lives and every day struggles.

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.”  I Cor. 15: 1-2

These people in Corinth had received, believed and were saved, by the Good News of Christ death and resurrection for their sins.  They needed to “hold onto” that truth and keep moving forward in their faith in Christ, so that it could continue to make a change in their lives.

The Good News is only useful for those who receive it, believe it and hold onto it.  If you don’t make it a part of your life, how can it change you?  It can’t, but to all who believe in Christ’s redeeming power through his death and resurrection, it is a power for salvation that lasts beyond 2018 into eternity.

If you have a relationship with Jesus, keep “holding on to him” because he is faithful to “hold onto you” and you have hope for this year and beyond.  If you don’t have the eternal hope of Christ in your heart, then I hope and pray that you will take a step of faith and believe the Good News that Jesus died for your sins, he was buried, he rose again on the third day and he is still alive and saving people today!

(Father God in heaven, thank you for the eternal hope that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord! Lord Jesus, give us the grace to hold fast onto you and the hope we have in you. May we share the hope of  the Good News with others this year, so they too can receive a hope that changes them internally for eternity.  Amen)

A Word for the Weary

Isaiah 50:4 “The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.  He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen as one being taught.”

Today is a foggy, dripping dreary looking day, and as I sit here watching the cars go by and a busy day starting for the students and staff across the street, I enjoy the time to sit, rest, and listen at the Master’s feet.

Life feels busy with many changes and often I get whipped up into the frenzy of life and don’t take enough time to be still the presence of my Jesus.  When activities start to control and “drive” me, I begin to lose focus on what is important and then I become weary because I am so busy do, do, doing!

At the beginning of this school year, my mother-in-law, Bonnie, moved in with us.  Even though we knew there would be change and challenges, we welcomed this wonderful loving woman into our house.  At the same time I transitioned from working full time to part time so I could stay at home more and be a companion for Bonnie.

This should have “slowed” me down, but it hasn’t much.  Curt and I found that Bonnie needs more support than we realize.  Bonnie is also experiencing big changes in her life and  she is transitioning from being fully independent to learning to depend more on others for support. Helping her through this transition to give up some of her independence  is another challenge for us.  We realize it must be hard for her also and we want to honor her, as we support her in this changing season of her life.

We are also experience changes which are not connected with my mother-in-law moving in, and through this process of multiple changes, I find I have  become “weary”.  Part of this weariness has been trying to hold on to things that the Lord wants me to let go of  and stop trying so hard to make everything work out the way I think it should.

I am learning to let go of activities, expectations, my selfish desires, etc.… and instead listening more to my Savior, and allowing the Holy Spirit to focus my thoughts and activities in a way that is more in step with His plan for this season of my life.

I am grateful for a God, who is so patient and gentle with me.  He is the Good Father that calls me back to himself. He allows me to make mistakes, to fail, and then to come running back to his arms for loving comfort and instruction.  When I start to stray off the path, He is there to gently but firmly redirect me onto the path that he has for me.  

God’s heart for all his children is to lead them on the path that is the most fulfilling for them but because we are like sheep, we tend to get side tracked and go astray, thinking something else will satisfy us. In reality it only makes us weary. Thankfully, Jesus the Good Shepherd is close by and when we are worn-out, he picks us up and sets us back on the right path again.

Dear friends, if you feel weary on this journey today, take time to rest in His presence, to tune your heart to listen for his instruction and hear a word from the Lord that sustains you.

(Shepherd of our souls, Help us to hear your voice clearer.  Lord, when we start to wander or we trip, please gently pick us up, give us rest in your arms and then place us back on your path again.  Jesus, you are are our Good Shepherd, may our ears be listening for your voice in the midst of the busyness.  We rest in you today and trust you to guide us along the way. Amen)

Jesus came to set the prisoners free (Are you feeling chained down?)

“...he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened.”  Acts 16:24b-26

Sometimes we are in situations of crisis that make us feel like we are prisoners.  We may be in a place where we feel "stuck"and it seems "dark", but our spirits still can be free.

 In the book of Acts, Paul and Silas had been and put in chains and were stuck in a dark dungeon.  They hadn't done anything wrong and yet they were being beaten and mistreated.  They were now in a place that  limited their contact with others, as well as their mobility. 

How hard it must have been to not give into discouragement. They had been  obeying the Lord and sharing the good news of Jesus with others and even released a girl from a evil spirit.  Their payment was rejection, beating and imprisonment.  

Have you ever felt that way?  You are doing all the right things and then, Bam! you are hit with an unexpected trial. When this happens to me, I often fall into the trap of feeling discouraged.

But Paul and Silas didn't let this road block keep them down;instead they starting praying and singing to the Lord.  They knew where to put their focus; back on God. 

As they praised the Lord, an amazing thing happened!  The earth quaked, the prison doors were opened and all the prisoners’ chains fell off.  The jailer was distraught and would have killed himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped, but Paul told the jailer that everyone was still there.  This made an opening for Paul and Silas to share the gospel with the jailer and his family.  The whole family repented and were saved.

Something else that stood out to me when I read this passage in Acts 16, was that “the prisoners were listening.”  There were other people imprisoned too.  Those prisoners heard the faith and hope of Paul and Silas’s through their prayers and praise songs. The Bible doesn't tell us, but  I wonder  if any of those prisoners listening to Paul and Silas became believers too.  What I do know though, is that the prisoners heard and witnessed the power of Paul and Silas's God.

This passage in Acts 16, encourages me to remember to pray and praise the Lord when I feel like I am  stuck in a “prison” situation.  God is still doing a work in me and can use me to be a witness of His power to others, even in my weakness.

 At some point in our lives, all of us will probably experience the feeling of being stuck in a trial that seems to continue on, but our spirits don't need to be stuck! Jesus came to set the prisoners free. We can find freedom in praise; for as we praise God, our focus changes. Instead of being pulled down into the darkness of the situation, our spiritual eyes look upwards towards Jesus; He is our light and life. In his presence we experience true freedom!

(Oh Lord Jesus, you are the One that sets us free.  I pray that no matter the struggles we are going through today, may we turn our eyes to you and lift you up in praise.  Lord, lift us out of any dark pit; change our focus and may we see your marvelous light.  Our hope is in you our Everlasting God. Father, lift us above the challenges we face and may we rejoice in you today.  We pray this in Your name, Lord Jesus.  Amen)

Jesus watches over you and me.

There are times in our lives, when we feel alone and isolated, but the truth is Jesus is watching over us.  He sees the tiny sparrows in their nest and he sees us too.  He values the creatures he created, how much more he values the children he saved.  Jesus has promised never to leave or forsake us.  He promises to be with us through the valleys and the shadows.  When we can’t see him in the valleys and the shadows, we need to cling to his promises, for they are true.  We need to read them, proclaim them, sing them and believe them.

I often find that as I meditate on God’s promises and sing and speak them; they move from my head to my heart. That is when I start to really believe them and the clouds part, the sun comes out and my hope in Jesus returns.

My dear friend, if you are struggling in a valley or in the shadows; remember God’s promises in Christ Jesus our Lord. Think on them, speak them, sing them, until they become a reality in your life again.

Love,

Triss

Matthew  6:25-27

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns — and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his lifespan?…

Matthew 10:29-31

²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.^[a] 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

"His Eye Is On The Sparrow” Words by Civilla D. Martin, 1905
                 Music by Charles H. Gabriel, 1905

Lyrics
Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Chorus:
I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.


"Let not your heart be troubled," His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Chorus


Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me

In the Shelter of the Almighty (poem)

I dwell in the shelter of the Lord Almighty. I hide myself in the shadow of His wings. 

He is my place of refuge and strength. He is my God in whom I put my trust.  

He delivers me from the snares and traps of the enemy.   

When my feet falter and my heart feels faint;He is there to catch me. 

He lifts my head to look at Him.  He picks me up and places me on Jesus my Rock and shelter from the trials that threaten to beat me down.

He comforts me in the loving care of His arms. His shield of truth protects me from the fierce barbs of my enemy. 

I call to the Lord in my time of trouble for He is near and He will answer me. 

He satisfies me with his grace and goodness in the morning and lifts my spirit to soar above the sea.  

I will sing my praise unto my God, unto Jesus my King.

Psalm 91, Psalm 27