..................................................................................
by Inspiration
Ministries
“The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The
Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?” - Psalm 27:1 NIV
Hello dear friends.
I’ve walked with the Lord many years now, and each year I become more
convinced of His great faithfulness.
But I’m also increasingly aware that I must appropriate His
love and faithfulness and take them as my own in
order to receive their benefits in my life.
I’ve found that one of the clearest indicators of whether I’m truly
appropriating God’s love is how I handle adversity.
It’s easy to proclaim His faithfulness when I’m on the mountaintops of
life, but can I still see His love in the valleys?
What about you?
When you face a heartbreaking situation, do you want to curl up in a
ball and wish you could die?
Does your blood pressure skyrocket, your heart pound, and a sense of
doom overwhelm your mind?
Do you cry a lot and feel overwhelmed by a sense of loss?
These are all natural feelings.
After all, King David said, “God
Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust” (Psalm 103:14 NASB).
But as Believers in Christ, we are called to respond to the storms of
life with faith and confidence.
When I was a young woman, I didn’t always react well to bad news.
Although I knew the Lord loved and cared for me, I didn’t understand
how to dwell in His love and peace in difficult situations.
Thankfully, I’m now much better at walking in God’s love, and I’ve
gained a deep trust that nothing happens to me that He hasn’t
allowed.
Abiding in His Love and Care
Jesus makes a life-changing statement in John
14:20: “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in
Me, and I in you.”
Here’s a good way to think about this verse…
Take four envelopes. Write “God” on one, “Jesus” on the second, and
your name on the third.
On the fourth envelope, write “Jesus” again.
Put the fourth envelope (with Jesus’ name) inside the one with your
name, showing that Jesus is inside of you.
Then put the envelope with your name inside the second one with Jesus’
name on it, testifying that you are inside of Jesus.
Lastly, put all three envelopes inside the one marked with God’s name,
showing this…
You are totally covered, inside and out, with
Jesus and Father God!
This is a tangible reminder of Jesus’ wonderful promise: We are in Him
… He is in us … and He is in the Father!
This is something we can count on … a truth we can take as our own
and appropriate into our lives.
It’s a solid fact—one that will never change.
When we see life this way, what can we fear? As
David said, “The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I
fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1 NIV).
Dear friend, I hope you grasp what I’m saying. Everywhere you go,
everything you do, day and night, you are fully covered by the Lord’s love!
God is right there with you, and there’s not a moment that goes by
that He’s not aware of what is happening in your life.
Nothing can surprise Him, and He promises to work ALL things together
for your good if you love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28).
I’ll admit, sometimes it doesn’t FEEL like we are totally covered by
God’s love.
Our emotions can tell us God isn’t faithful and doesn’t really
love and protect us.
God has made us emotional beings, so our emotions aren’t necessarily
wrong.
But should we put our trust in our feelings and
emotions? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Satan is the great deceiver and loves to play on our emotions.
He lies!
He hopes we will REACT emotionally to difficult circumstances rather
than RESPOND to them by walking in the truth of God’s Word.
A spiritual battle rages between our feelings and God’s truth.
But the more time we spend studying the Word and communing with our
Heavenly Father, the better equipped we are in dealing with each battle, able
to take our thoughts and feelings captive to the truth of Scripture (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Choosing Not to React
One day I received a phone call from someone very dear to me.
She was upset, and what she shared with me was very disturbing.
I could have reacted emotionally, carrying that conversation around
with me for days and probably not sleeping well for weeks.
But I made a choice during that conversation not to
react emotionally, and I was amazed at the composure I felt.
The problem I heard about that day was very real, but I knew instantly
that God could intervene and bring an answer.
Instead of reacting out of fear, I felt the Holy Spirit calm my
spirit.
I told my friend God would give us a solution if we pursued Him with
our whole hearts.
He would make a way where there seemed to be no way.
I knew we would totally disarm the enemy if we removed our negative
emotions from the situation.
Yes, Satan’s plan is to destroy us, but we win the battle by choosing
to be anchored in God’s love and faithfulness.
So if you are facing a difficult battle right now, please know that
God can intervene and bring you victory.
You will look back some day and thank Him for what He has brought you
through, and you will praise Him for what you have learned.
My friend, I pray your heart will be grounded in God’s love (Ephesians 3:17), enabling you to find
comfort and strength amid life’s storms.
Even though you and I will face difficult times, we can be confident
of how the story ends: We win!
Your friend on the journey,
Barbara Cerullo is devoted to authentically
sharing God’s love with women. She authors From Barbara’s Heart,
where her spiritual insights, heartwarming family stories, and delightful
anecdotes encourage readers with God’s faithfulness. Her husband, David, is CEO of Inspiration Ministries.
No comments:
Post a Comment