In Him I Can Do All Things

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13. I find myself meditating on this verse a lot lately because I've always thought of it as doing something, like physically unable to do something and then I rely on God and I'm able to do it. But I missed it...more like I didn't look deep enough until now. You see, this whole mess with Bethel and my mom has been going on for over a month and we're starting to get a little tired of it dragging on in the way that it is. But yet I'm not tired. My emotions are full of peace and joy over the fact that God's got me in His hands and that no matter what my situation I am always able to praise Him and I will always find myself in Him and I will always belong to Him. And physically I'm doing just fine. Mentally I have my days because my flesh wants to get in the way and tempt me into anger, frustration, anxiety, etc. But there's something about this verse that struck me in an unusual way. You see the Bible says that God is love...let me restate that...God IS love - it's is "isness"! Just as I am a woman, God IS love. And when we've taken that step to make peace with God and we ask God to come into our hearts and be Lord over our lives we have this love inside of us - full, complete, not lacking in any form. And with the Holy Spirit inside of us we now have authority and power in Christ because we can claim the name of Jesus over any situation and the same Spirit that raised Lazarus from the dead, healed the lame, gave sight to the blind, bound up the broken hearted, broke the chains of bondage and addiction, will come in power through us to do the same things.

Well that got me thinking. If God through us, because He is in us, gives us the authority to heal, restore, and proclaim victory, and God IS love, then it is love that heals (mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, etc.), restores, frees, etc. It's all because of love. But if we claim this authority, this godliness, and have not love while we do it - if we do not love when we lay hands on the sick to claim their healing - then it is not God. Let me repeat...Love heals, Love restores, Love frees, Love transforms...

It is this all-consuming, unconditional love that keeps me going. My mom says she wakes up every morning with a song in her heart - each time it's a different song that just happens to have lyrics that my mom, when she meditates on it, have a profound effect on her day. This Love, named Jesus Christ, gives us strength to keep going, to fight this battle, to proclaim God's love and justice over an area of sin. We can do this, we can win this battle, we can dance with joy in the middle of the storm, because with God, His Love strengthens us to be able to be victorious when we are suffering for the sake of righteousness. I've probably said this before, that there are many times when our flesh feels the full effect of this suffering, but then we surrender our fear, anxiety, worry, pressures, and uncertainty to the Lord and dwell on His love and we become lifted in our Spirits. And this verse, Philippians 4:13 has been taken so lightly, so almost selfishly by so many (and I'm guilty as well) that because I know God He allows me to get 28 points in a basketball game, or helps me get big and strong, etc. That's all good and great but there's something so much deeper here that we are unable to see until we start seeking God's face before we seek His hand. Ask the Lord to reveal to you a deeper understanding of His Word - He did for me. My life right now is full of so much uncertainty and I should be angry - I have a right to be angry but I'm not.

And it's because, going back to this particular verse, God has given me the strength to forgive these people who have hurt me and my family in such a deep way and He has also given me the strength to pray for their restoration and for them to come into a fuller, deeper, understanding of God's love. It's because of this Love in me that I can be stirred to compassion for the ones who have wounded me because I know there is something so much more greater than people's opinions and actions...the God of the Universe, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Great High Priest, Most High God loves me...lowly, pathetic, stubborn me. And it is because of this Love, it is because of Christ, that I can have a relationship with God Almighty...why would I ever harbor anger and bitterness in my heart towards someone who cannot see that God loves them, someone who is lost and playing the guilt game on themselves thinking that not even God can forgive them. Why wouldn't I forgive them? God gives me the strength to forgive so that He, through my forgiveness, with His Love, can work in that person's life. I can show the ones who hurt me the Love of God because it is God's love that stirs me to compassion to forgive. I pray you see that, that what I'm saying is clear, because this is such a special and wonderful realization for me.

And I want to end all this by saying that God loves YOU, and that He can never love you any less than He does because for Him to love less means that He becomes less God. God IS love. And when you invite God into your life, to be Lord over your whole life, you will be transformed and found in Him. Be at peace my friends!

Peace Beyond all Circumstances

Peace...it's a fruit of the spirit that I've been thinking a lot about over the past three weeks. For so long I've been working at being at peace in my life and I've never found it until I lived with God's peace. Because of one man's sin my family is suffering for standing up for righteousness - our future is so unsure, I no longer have health insurance, no free parking, no tuition benefit, and my future is so unsure. We've learned to take it day by day and constantly seek our daily bread, to live in forgiveness and compassion and to keep our hearts right before the Lord. This situation causes my future to be so unsure and with finances tight we should be worrying so much more than we are. But you know what, I've got so much peace in my heart...I shouldn't have peace but I've got it - it's the peace that surpasses all understanding!

This has been the hardest yet probably the most amazing thing to happen to my family. It's been surreal and it feels like something out of a movie or book, but yet it's our life these days. So many tears have been shed, so many nights of crying out to the Lord in pain over how unfair and unjust this situation is - how because of a few men's sin my family is suffering because we stood for what was right. Mom says I am the most innocent person in all of this, how I never had a choice to decide if I wanted to go through this. But actually in my heart I chose to go through it; I chose to stand with my family and suffer through this because I stand for the truth and when something tries to tell me I must not stand for righteousness I will contend that. And you know what, I've got such peace. Peace like a river - it's constantly flowing, constantly coming, and constantly being filled with God's peace. In the light of God's glory, goodness and love all of this appears so small, so insignificant. My mom was given a portion of scripture to meditate on and it's found in 2 Chronicles 20 I believe, where the armies of I think it's the Amalikites were advancing against the King of Israel and God told him as he was advancing toward the battle to take his position, stand still, and watch the Lord's salvation come. And by the time the King reached the battle field all the armies advancing against Israel and turned on one another and killed each other. Let's just say we are at the "stand still" part.

I understand more what God means to suffer for righteousness because that's what is happening to us. And yet we are triumphing in so many ways. My mom has a job interview with the University of St. Thomas tomorrow for a position that has almost the same job requirements but more pay and more of an impact on the student body. Somehow, God made a way for me to find all of my school books for the fall for really cheap. And there are so many other things that have happened. We are at peace, we have joy and are diving deep into the love of God and it's so wonderful and so special. I don't share these things because as a matter of pride but as a testimony to God's mighty hand, and I know that these are not anything like someone being healed or an entire village coming to the Lord but they still matter in big ways. Almost baby steps towards what has planned for our future. It's a testing of our faith, developing perseverance and taking God's Word to heart in a way that we have never done before.

I do not know what the future holds, but because I trust God I've got a peace in my heart, it flows like a river, and it's bigger and lasts for an eternity. It is beyond understanding and it dwarfs any situation I'm in. It's the peace that is not contingent on my situation or circumstance (and I could say that about God's love and joy as well). It's a fruit of the Spirit but it is also a gift from God.

I will update more (as much as I can) when things become a bit more clear.

Blessings!!!!!