There are times I feel like I’m growing in the Lord a lot — hearing His voice clearly, devouring the Word daily, and walking in mercy toward others consistently. Then there are other times when I feel like I’m stuck — where God seems far away, I can’t seem to get into the Word, and I’m walking around with an angry edge. 

Part of it, I’ve come to realize, is that I don’t always adapt to what’s going on around me. In other words, situations in life change but I don’t want to. I don’t want to accept the changes in my family, my job, my health, my finances. And I know it is simply a CHOICE to acknowledge things and grow or not. Unfortunately many times I choose NOT to grow and it’s because of fear. 

Then the other day I read something that helped me with this.

I knew I have had a fear of the unknown at times, and with God’s help, it’s gotten better over the years. But what I read said that it’s not always what we don’t know that causes us to fear, but it’s the pain and loss of what we do know.  Meaning this — it may be more difficult to let go of the familiar territory in our lives, the people and places we’re accustomed to, our routines and habits, and other circumstances we’re acquainted with, than to embrace something new. Sometimes it’s not necessarily what we’re afraid to go to, but what we’re afraid to turn loose of.  

In Luke 9:57-62 Jesus explains some of the challenges of being His disciple.“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Vs. 58) Now for me, I can get real comfortable right where I’m at — same seat at church, normal exercise time, usual places to shop, familiar people to hang around. It’s all good. 

But as we follow Him, we don’t always know where life is going to take us. Jobs can shift. People may move. Children will grow up. Family members pass away. I find it interesting that in the Matthew 8 account of this story, immediately after telling His disciples how unconventional their lives may become, they all got in a boat with Jesus and a storm came up. (Matt. 8:23) Boom! Just like He said —you never know what you’re going to get!

Except one big thing we do know we’re always gonna get — we’re always gonna get Him. God will never leave us or forsake us. He’ll be in the floodwaters and fire with us. He’ll go through the storms and struggles with us. He is Immanuel — “God with us.” (Matt. 1:23)

Therefore, I can choose to grow, because He is with me. I can face the unknown, because He’s with me. I can let go of the past, because He’s with me. I can get courage to change, to advance, to try, to mature, to believe, because He’s with me. And I can get permission to fail too, because He’s with me and doesn’t judge me. 

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”— Serenity Prayer

He’s with us, y’all. Let’s choose to grow. 

(By Cyndi)

By Guest Writer, Pam Oglesby

As a Christian, what message do you show others? I am not particularly talking about spoken words, although that is important too. So let me tell you a story.

My neighbor and her daughter stopped by my house yesterday to visit. The woman said to me, “I can tell your leg hurts as you are moving it around so much.” Her 8-year-old daughter spends time with me occasionally and she had told her mother she noticed sometimes my leg was still and sometimes it was not. The little girl thought that me moving my leg meant it hurt and she was right. I had never told her that I moved it because of pain, as I was doing that subconsciously, but she noticed it anyway.

So, if an 8-year-old picked up that kind of information, what else do we show others without realizing it? I really started thinking about that.

It could be a frown while thinking of a problem, or even a scowl. Maybe we are so caught up in thought that we quickly greet someone with a curt “hello” instead of a friendly one — or maybe no greeting at all. What if we keep our arms folded in front of our bodies when we’re around people? Does that subconsciously say, “Stay away from me?”

What does the Bible say about greeting others? What does it say about our actions?

1 Peter 5:14 — Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 — Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

John 15:12 — This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Matthew 5:16 — In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

These verses tell me that being a Christian means loving others, greeting others with joy, and to perform good deeds. Our actions are observed by others and they may notice something when you are not aware of them doing so. 

So, today, think about your actions and your re-actions when around other people. I hope people look at me and see a Christian.

                                       

This week I had one of the best days of surfing in my life! It was awesome! The waves were perfect, there wasn’t a crowd yet, and the “vibe” in the water was super chill and fun. People were hooting and hollering for each other’s rides, yipping at the grandeur of the waves, and one guy even prayed out loud thanking Father God for the opportunity to share it all with everyone. It was really quite a spiritual experience. 

I relived those waves in my mind throughout the entire work day, relishing in the joy and wonder of it all, wishing I could stay in those memories forever. And even as I laid my head on my pillow that night, I rode one more sweet swell into a blissful dream thinking, “What a great day that was!”

Then the next day came. 

It was a busier day. I had appointments throughout the morning so I couldn’t surf until a midday lunch break. So after my last task I stopped and checked the waves on the way home. It was packed with surfers. Bummers. And the wind was up a little more. More bummers. Though the waves still looked pretty good (very similar to the previous day) something inside of me was discouraging me from wanting to go — it was like I was looking for excuses to not go surf. But why? That’s weird, I thought. Why am I not jumping at the chance to repeat the day before?

I dawdled around a bit, stalling and wondering why I was so conflicted inside, especially considering the previous day’s exuberance. I wanted to go surf, yet I didn’t. Finally my heart relinquished its deep secret — I was afraid. Afraid? Yep. I was afraid it wouldn’t be as good as the day before and if I went out today I’d be disappointed. Inwardly I figured it was better to stop where I was and enjoy the past experience rather than move forward and experience something new. Ouch. Here comes a lesson from Papa God.

So many times I look back at the good old days when “God did this,” and “God did that,” and “Oh, it was so wonderful back then!” — commemorating the past. Yes, He’s done some absolutely marvelous things indeed over the years! And not just in my life — I’m sure you have some great testimonies too. But we can’t live in the past. We can learn from it, savor it, remember it, and let it inspire and encourage us, but the reality is, it’s over. He’s doing a new thing today. Let’s not revel in the miracles that God did but in the miracles He’s going to do!

My fear was keeping me stuck on yesterday and hindering me from moving forward. And I was making excuses in order to hide that fear because I wasn’t letting go of the past and trusting Him for the future. I needed faith for today.

 Heb. 3:15 — “Today, if you will hear His voice…” 

Today. Not yesterday, last week, or last year. This present moment. Today. 

Today is not going to be like yesterday. It isn’t. I have to keep moving forward — ever learning, ever growing, ever trusting, ever believing.

Okay. That’s it, my friend. I’m going out to surf now. Let’s see what God has for me today. 

(By Cyndi)

It’s very easy to hear or see something on media and make a quick assessment of it’s validity; I’ve been culpable of this myself. However, we have a filter and The Truth to analyze and determine if we should believe it or not — The Word of God.

The Bible is the Word of God. Period. And, yes, not every single topic and subject is comprehensively explored in the scriptures, but we can see the heart of the Father and know His nature in them. 

For a while there was a fad going through the body of Christ — WWJD, or “What Would Jesus Do?” Not a bad way of thinking, but I feel it still leaves a little to be desired. What about, “How can I express the heart of Christ in this situation?” or, “If the Spirit is living in me, how should I respond in a manner that would reflect Him?”

Most of the time and in most situations, I simply respond — usually in the natural — without thinking through any of the spiritual ramifications. I’m not some “super-spiritual” “always loving and kind” person, though I’m in the process of being changed to His image daily. (2 Cor.3:18) We’re all in process. But imagine for a moment if I took the time to think things through rather than quickly responding (or judging). 

Thinking it through was exactly what Jesus did in John chapter 8 when a woman caught in adultery was brought before Him. He didn’t abruptly respond, but He bent down and wrote on the ground, taking a moment to check in with His Father and wait upon His Word. Now if only I could remember to do this! (sigh)

It’s so easy for me to jump on the bandwagon and run with the pack whether it be in favor of something or against it. But Jesus wasn’t in a hurry. He took the time to wait and listen. He took the time to come apart from others and spend time with His Father, alone. He found time to play, laugh, heal, eat, and pray. 

So my dear reader, I encourage you (and myself) to take time. Take time to think it through, whatever “it” may be. Filter it through the Word of God; analyze it in the Light of His nature and character. Be a modern-day Berean and see if these things be true or not, then try to react in such a way that expresses the love of God. You never know what may happen. I’m gonna try.