True Joy

We often think that we would be much more joyful if we weren’t constantly dealing with life’s challenges.  But, true joy isn’t found in the absence of trials.  True joy is found in the presence of God, despite the circumstances, and when we discover that for ourselves, it is powerful!

Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Satan knows that…that’s why he is continuously trying to steal it.  He knows that if he is successful at high-jacking our joy, he will strip away our strength and our hope, leaving us weak and often wounded and unable to fight.  Don’t be fooled…he will use every tool at his disposal to accomplish that.  Whether it’s an effort to discourage, distract, or an attempt to tap into our insecurities, he will stop at nothing to steal our joy.

So, be aware!  Put on your armor and be ready for his attacks!  We know that God has not given us a spirit of timidity or fear, but of love, and power, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).  Let’s name our enemy for what he is…a thief!  He comes to steal and kill and destroy. (John 10:10) But we have a King and Savior who loves us and chose us as his daughters and wants us to not just be happy, but to live life to the absolute fullest…even  beyond what we can imagine…and He equips us with everything that we need to not only stand firm against this thief, but to defeat him!  So hang on to your joy my sisters and claim what is yours through Christ!  It doesn’t matter what is going on or what trials you are facing…God will give you the strength to persevere and to overcome!

“This is the day that the Lord has made; I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!” 

~ Psalm 118:24

Minutes With the Master

"A New Name"

Sometimes I get up on the wrong side of the bed. All day long I feel like I create havoc in my relationships and interactions with others. The enemy lies to me and says that this is who I am. I am a failure. He brings up the past and says, “See, you will never change. You might as well stop trying.”

There were many people in the bible that struggled and had a less than desirable past, but God used them mightily for His purposes. Abraham lied about who Sarah was out of fear (Genesis 20.) Sarah laughed when God told her she was going to have a son (Genesis 18:8-15.) Jacob deceived his father, Isaac, in order to steal his brother’s birthright (Genesis 27.)  Simon Peter was impulsive and out of his desire to protect Jesus, he tried to stop Jesus from his purpose (Matthew 16:21-21). Saul was a murderer but God had other plans for him…to bring the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9).

The good news is that God is in the redemption business. He makes treasures out of broken jars of clay by taking us in our humanness and brokenness and molding us into something beautiful again (2 Corinthians 4:7). With all the people mentioned above, he brought transformation to them and confirmed it by changing their name. This had to help them realize their new identity. God has a new identity for all of us, too. This name is a reflection of the destiny and purpose God has for all of us.

“To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.” ~Revelation 2:17 (NLT)

I believe God is waiting to give us a new name. It is His name for us that will change the way we see ourselves. It is the opposite of the lies the enemy has made us believe about ourselves. When we see ourselves as a failure, He sees us as a work in progress. When we see ugly, He sees beautiful. As we soak in His presence, we can hear Him calling us by our new name. As we believe who He says we are, we begin to step into our destiny. It is a beautiful thing that He wants to do in our lives.

Will you join me as we begin this new journey toward all that God has for us?

~ Marla Brenneman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfFyqSkMiUw

The God of Hope

It seems like so many people around me are struggling these days.  I’m not talking about dealing with circumstances that are inconvenient or less than desirable, but real crisis situations that have life-changing consequences… marriages that are deteriorating at a rapid pace, serious health issues with real life-altering effects, the loss of employment and/or major financial circumstances, deep loss and grief, and other BIG obstacles with BIG fallouts and implications.  When I think about what all of these people that I care so much about are going through, I think back to my own moments of crisis, of which some were not that long ago.  I remember those moments of complete hopelessness…really believing that things were not going to get better…not being able to see past the mountain of obstacles that were stacked high in front of me…feeling that although there were many people around me trying to help, there were equally as many lined up to criticize and judge me and I felt completely alone in my pain and believed that no one understood.

Hopelessness is a powerful thing.  Without hope, we have no promise of a better day…no reason to keep putting one foot in front of the other…and it’s so tempting to just give up and accept defeat, even when the consequences in doing so are dire and might impact far more than just ourselves.

But that’s what makes hopelessness such an attractive and effective tool that Satan likes to use in our lives.  We give him a foothold of despair, and he starts digging a trench a mile deep that we begin to feel like we’ll never climb out of.  He uses every failure we’ve had, every wound and disappointment we’ve experienced or caused others, every bad choice, every insecurity and weakness, every mistake and he just keeps piling it on.  “You screw everything up,” he says.  “You’re never going to change, why even try,” he taunts.  “You’ve gone too far this time, they’ll never forgive you,” he implies.  “You’re never going to be good enough,” he sneers.  “Even God can’t fix you, and why would He want to?” he snaps.

But here’s the thing…Satan is a LIAR!!!  He knows full well that nothing is impossible with God’s help and he knows that God is ready and waiting to dive in and rescue us…He’s just waiting for our willingness to let go and the invitation to do it!  Satan can ill afford for God’s power to take hold of our lives, so he deceives us again and again and uses every weapon at his disposal to keep us stuck and buried.  He wants us to believe that things will never get better, that we are truly alone, and that there is no way out.  But those are all well calculated lies meant to keep us isolated and without hope.

The good news is two-fold…

“A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

~John 10:10 (MSG)

First, we have complete access to the truth…that God loves us unconditionally and has a plan for our lives that is meant for our good.  He truly has our best interest at heart and wants to give us a future and hope that is beyond our wildest imaginations. (Jeremiah 29:11-14; John 10:10)

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.  When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.  When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.  Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” GOD’s Decree.

~ Jeremiah 29:11-13 (MSG)

There is not a mountain or obstacle of any shape or size that He cannot and will not move and/or overcome and He will never leave us on our own to fend for ourselves.  It is through Him that we will find all the power and strength that we will ever need and in Him we can find peace and rest even in the middle of life’s worst possible storms.  There is nothing we can throw at Him that is beyond the scope of His power, His grace, and/or His forgiveness…He truly IS enough for us.

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust him.  For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.  He will cover you with his feathers.  He will shelter you with his wings.  His faithful promises are your armor and protection.”

~ Psalm 91:1-4

Secondly, we know who our enemy is and we have the perfect counter-attack spelled out in the pages of God’s Word that will result in victory each and every time!

“God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. 

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. 

God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

~ Ephesians 6:10-18

The best part is that we already know the end of the story!  It’s already been written and we know who wins…God is ultimately victorious in the end and that gives us the hope of all hopes!

God has equipped us with everything we need to be victorious in this race called life.  No matter the circumstances that we face, we have the ability through Him to overcome and persevere; and if we'll choose to put on that armor and embrace & live out His truth through our lives, there will come a day that we will be able to stand at the finish line and say,

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 

(2 Timothy 4:7)

Then, we will hear the words that I long to someday hear my Savior say…

“Well done My good and faithful servant…well done!” (Matthew 25:21)

~Kris Samovitz