Archive for the 'Comfort' Category

God Will Never Leave Us  

Published January 12, 2023 Blessings , Characteristics of Believers , Comfort Leave a Comment
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Do you ever feel like God left you or forgot you?  Perhaps we left Him.  I say this because He said “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Heb 13:5).  When we feel like we have been overlooked, that is the time to press in and make sure we are studying the Bible and we are praying for others and looking for God’s hand in everything we do.  I have felt that I was not plugged into the God circuit as strongly as I wanted to be and when I focused on my time with God and praying and blessing others, I was able to see God at work again. 

This year of 2023 is a year to realign with God and refocus on learning about God and being obedient in loving and blessing others.  When we take the focus off of ourselves we can see God at work in others and affirm that He never leaves us!  If nothing else, just look around at the beauty around you that is all created by God for us to enjoy!

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Fear or Faith?

Published March 8, 2020 Characteristics of Believers , Comfort , Faith , Sharing your faith , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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I’ve watched the news reports on the Coronavirus over the past several weeks, and I’ve watched the fear growing in our communities and the world. I think it’s great that we have highly educated, highly intelligent people at the World Health Organization and our own Center for Disease Control working on containment and a cure. It’s also great that there are so many resources out on the Internet giving us information about how to prevent getting it ourselves. But I don’t see very much Spiritual information to keep us healthy, so let’s explore that in this blog titled, “Fear and Faith.”

Okay, at its most basic level, faith is complete trust, belief, or confidence. Fear, on the other hand, is the emotion caused when you think something is dangerous. Theoretically, you could have complete faith in something really bad, such as the possibility that a virus will attack you, and then it would be compatible with fear. But when I talk about faith, I’m talking about faith in God. And when I talk about faith in God, then I just don’t think we can operate out of faith and fear at the same time. That’d be like saying that it’s day and night at the same time (it just doesn’t happen, and don’t be trying to argue about eclipses and whatnot). Trust in God means that we fear nothing except being apart from God.

Fear

While God certainly created the emotion of fear, it’s used most often as a tool of the enemy to distract our focus from our worship of our Lord. I lump ordinary worry into this toolbox, too, because fearfulness causes us to worry about what might happen. Once I read where someone said that FEAR means, “False Evidence Appearing Real,” and that’s a pretty good way to look at it. Usually, once we’ve had time to reflect, we can see that what we feared is actually false. But for some reason, we have a tendency to at least initially believe and fear the false evidence. God knows this, which is why In the Bible, virtually every time an angel of the Lord appears to someone (like when the angel appeared to Mary) the first thing the angel says is “do not be afraid.” God knows how powerful fear can be if it’s not used for its proper purpose, and so He wants us to keep it in perspective.

There are several verses in scripture telling us not to fear. Most of us have heard the familiar 23rd Psalm, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for you are with me.” Similarly, Psalm 46:1-2 states, “God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give away and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” Psalm 91:4-5 states that with trust in God, “you will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.” Isaiah 41:10 states not to fear simply because God is with us, and in Romans 8:15, Paul writes that as believers we didn’t receive a spirit that makes us “slaves” to fear.

The Bible speaks of the “fear of the Lord,” but don’t take that the wrong way. As Pope Francis correctly stated, “The fear of the Lord, the gift of the Holy Spirit, doesn’t mean being afraid of God, since we know that God is our Father that always loves and forgives us,…[It] is no servile fear, but rather a joyful awareness of God’s grandeur and a grateful realization that only in him do our hearts find true peace.” It’s a reverential respect for our Lord and a fear of displeasing Him so that we strive to walk more intentionally in obedience and repentance.

Faith

Like fear, the Bible has a lot to say about faith and belief – with hundreds of references to both terms. By the way, as a rule of thumb in the Bible (and in life), if something is important enough to mention more than a few times in must be really important. That’s certainly true of faith and belief.

Our entire relationship with our Lord is birthed out of faith and belief and grows from these foundations. If the enemy wants to get us off track, all he really needs to do is to plant a bit of fear, doubt, or unbelief, and that automatically starts to erode our faith. He did it in the garden with Eve when he said, “You will not surely die.” Just a little bit of doubt, and suddenly everything changes. Fear is especially potent because it’s such a strong emotion. “Sure, I believe in God,” one might say, “but I’m really afraid that I might lose my job (or house, or health).” That sentence, and others exactly like it, requires a “but” in the middle of it simply because deep down we know that the two things – fear and faith – are foundationally incompatible.

So, how do we combat fear? Through our recognition of faith. And there are lots of ways to do that. I know from personal experience that the only way I can have a measure of peace in this tumultuous world is to constantly feed my faith through the Word of God. I’m routinely assaulted by outside influences, so I have to remind myself of God’s Word, and I have to be in the Word daily. Reading the Bible strengthens my faith, just as playing a lot of video games might strengthen my thumbs. It’s just a natural byproduct of the action.

But there are other ways to recognize and build faith. My husband spends a lot of time looking up answers to thorny theological/philosophical questions. The more he knows, he says, the stronger his faith becomes. You don’t have to start with such complex topics, though; you can build your faith intellectually by reading other authors’ books, articles, and blogs about faith or their stories of how they built their faith. Other, more “spirit walking” ways include prayer, meditating on the attributes of God, and talking with other followers of Jesus. That fact is – as I wrote before in my book – the more you go looking for God, the more you’ll see God at work. And seeing God at work automatically increases your faith. These days, I look at a car driving down the street and marvel at God’s creation.

Paul talks about faith being a shield (Eph. 6:14) that can deflect all of the arrows of satan, so it’s defensive in the sense that it blocks the lies and fear thrown at us daily to take us out of alignment with God. But faith can also be offensive, giving us the foundation to confidently wield the sword of the Word and spirit-filled prayer. That’s why Jesus said if we have faith even as small as a mustard seed, we can move mountains. (Matt. 17:20) It’s faith that heals, faith that raises the dead, and faith that protects.

And that’s why our faith in God should cause us to look at this virus – or any virus – differently. Remember, saints, that although we are in the world, we are not of the world, and we are indwelled with the Spirit of the God who created the universe. So, bottom line, is that our faith should erase any fear of disease. Now here’s the hard part: that doesn’t mean that we won’t get a disease. And it doesn’t mean that we won’t die from a disease. It means that we shouldn’t fear it.

Throughout my book, I talk about understanding the supernatural world, but not forgetting to do the natural world things. So, yes, wash your hands! Cover your cough! Don’t sneeze on your friend! Sure, go ahead and buy supplies – you ought to do this anyway, by the way – and try to limit your exposure to places and things that can give you an illness. Do all this “world” stuff. But don’t worry, because your life in this world is only a prelude to the eternal.

Last week our pastor said that he had zero fear of the coronavirus, simply because if he got it, he’d either come through it on this side, surrounded by nurses giving credit to doctors and drugs, or the other side, surrounded by the angels of heaven singing praises to God. Either way, fear simply shouldn’t enter into it.

Faith Not Fear

This isn’t the first big virus, and it won’t be the last. And yes, one day it will be this or something else that takes you home. My personal belief is that God keeps us alive so long as we are completing our calling – the thing that God wanted us to do to grow the Kingdom. I call this a sort-of “spiritual immunity,” and it keeps me constantly working, making sure that when I do get called home I haven’t been called because I gave up. There’s really no time for fear in a life like that.

So, continue using your own spiritual immunity by helping others to see what a follower of Jesus looks like when he or she presented with something people think is fearful. Show them a life without fear. A life with faith. A life walking in the Spirit of God.

Romans 10:17 states, “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” And the word of Christ, in this instance, is saying “do not fear.”

Stand Fast in Times of Trial

Published January 18, 2013 Comfort , Faith Leave a Comment
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My heart has been especially burdened lately with the trials that many of you are experiencing. From lost jobs, to financial difficulties, hospital stays, and even family deaths, there just seems to be a lot of stuff happening that just isn’t fun. But I’m writing this blog to tell you that I have had confirmation from our Lord both from His Word and through several of His servants that He has not left our side. In fact, He’s right here holding out His hand to you so that you stay close to His protection and comfort. God wants you to stand fast in your times of trial.

When we talk about standing fast I always remember that the Bible says in Ephesians 6:11-13 for us to:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

This passage means that life is not without difficulties. We will experience them, and we must be prepared for them. We must stand and face them head on. The good news is that with God on our side, there is nothing we can’t face and see through to the end. Sometimes just facing the trial head on is really all God wants. In my opinion, God is constantly looking for examples of people who face the troubles of the world with peace, grace, and a sense of calm knowing that He is ultimately in charge. It’s those people who really make a difference in the natural world.

I still remember a man who I met at a Denver area church who told me he had just lost all of his life’s saving in the Enron debacle. He was so calm! It didn’t seem to bother him one bit, and surely that same problem could easily lead to depression or even suicide with any other person. I’m sure that everyone who meets him and hears his story will be moved, like me, by his faith in God to turn even that great trial into a triumph through standing firm. He told me, “Well, I guess God wanted me to work when I thought it was time to retire. He must have something really great in store for me.” Can you imagine how pleased God is that this man still believes and tells others about His glory?

You should realize, of course, that not all trials are from the devil. That’s because many times we have made improper choices that set certain problems into play. Nevertheless, Satan is going to take whatever problem you initiate and use it to steal from you or destroy you if he can. Really, because of God’s grace, that’s the really exciting choice we have every day. No matter what happens, no matter how difficult we think something in the world is, we can choose to let Satan use that difficulty to really mess us up, or we can choose to let God use the same difficulty for His glory. If you really focus on what’s happening supernaturally, you can even find hope and some joy in even the worst times by simply knowing that what God has in store for you later will be so great.

When my husband, Tim, went back to Kansas to take care of his sick dad, things could not have seemed lower. No matter what he did, he couldn’t find out what was wrong with his dad, and after a while Tim had to quit his job to act as a 24/7 nurse. A lot of people fretted over the situation and warned Tim that he wouldn’t be able to find work again and that he would go broke, etc. Well, at that time Tim had a choice: (1) let Satan use the situation to cause hopelessness and despair, or (2) let God use it to show His glory. Tim chose number two, constantly telling people that God would surely find him another job, and the money would be no problem because God would surely work everything out. In the end, Tim was able to spend the last year of his dad’s life with him. He talked to many people in Kansas, including his dad, about God’s will and favor. And you know what? We never even really felt any lack of money due to losing his job. There was a sense of peace, even in the middle of a huge trial, by just knowing that God was in charge and that He would use the situation to lead to something even greater.

No matter how your trial originates, you still have the same weapons – namely the grace of Jesus dying on the cross, the Word (Bible) of our Lord, and our community of believers to provide encouragement, enlightenment, and strength. It’s so important to just stand and face that trial, rather than to run away, hide in a comfortable place or hop a boat on the river of denial J . If you try to ignore it, the problem will still be there when you return – in fact, it might have even grown into a bigger issue. And while you’re standing firm, sharpen your sword, which is the Word of God – dig into your Bible to refresh your memory of who you are and the promises our Lord made to you.

When I have things going poorly in my life I try to step back and ask a few questions and quickly move to the resolution.

1. What have I done in the natural world (like sin or un-forgiveness) that may have contributed to or started this difficulty?

If I identify something that has started the problem, then I accept the responsibility for the action or sin and ask for forgiveness. I then look for the resolution – it may mean humbly apologizing to someone, or making amends in the situation, or just standing in there for the natural course of things – like when you break a law and have to go through the court system. Sometimes I’m not sure what the root cause is and I just go to prayer and ask for revelation on what I have done. I ask for forgiveness, blessing, and supernatural help. Once I’ve done this, I try to leave it alone and let God walk with me through the problem however long it takes. That means that I try not to worry about it or continue discussing it. I simply release it so that my heart can remain pure and free.

2. Have I forgotten to pray spiritual coverage  to keep me and my household protected?

Sometimes I realize that I have gotten overly confident in my flesh and that I have not asked, on a daily basis, for God’s supernatural wisdom and perfection. This usually happens when I don’t get in the Word for even one tiny verse and my focus gets off my Lord and His purpose for my life. I immediately ask for forgiveness and ask for supernatural wisdom, revelation, and protection over me, my friends and family, my household and any one that I come into contact with each day.

3. Maybe I am doing the right thing – if so, is the attack from the enemy simply one designed to get me off track from living a Godly life?

If I’m on a Godly track and I think I am doing exactly what God wants me to do, regardless of what the world would say to do, then I just smile and feel fortunate that the enemy is trying to deter me from accomplishing something big. When this happens, I know that it’s some of the strongest demons that are in play, so I try to remember that it’s important now more than ever to press into my Lord through prayer, His Word, and His people. The Bible says that some demons react only to prayer and fasting, and so sometimes I fast.

And so, my beautiful brothers and sisters, stand firm! Be armed with the knowledge that your Heavenly Father is right there with you to help you muscle through your difficult time! In the end, getting through it by standing firm and choosing to side with God will be worth it. Whatever your trial may be, if you choose to walk with God, He will bless you with wisdom, abundant peace, and sharpened tools for life in the natural world.

Ministering to People in Grief

Published November 12, 2012 Comfort , Love Leave a Comment
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Ministering to People in Grief

Often times we will interact with people hurting with grief.  Know that grief does not only come from loss of loved ones through death, it can also come from the loss of a relationship, marriage, job, pet, etc. 

During this last year I had six loved ones pass on to be with the Lord. While that was all happening, a lot of very well-intentioned people said a lot of well-intentioned things to me. I know they were trying to comfort me because at one time or another I had said these very same things to people when I thought they needed comfort. But I also had people say things that I found very comforting. Let me tell you what those things were so you can use them yourself.

1.  “I’m so sorry for your loss – I can’t begin to know how you feel.” It was so nice to have someone just say they felt sorry for me. Plus, I liked it when they said they didn’t know how I felt. So many times people say they know how I feel and the first thing I think is, “really?” I also had someone say that they were sad when they experienced “something similar.” That was okay, too, because it recognized those subtle differences that made our losses different. 

2.  “I know you’re really going to miss them.” That’s a fact for sure, and I can’t imagine a time when saying this won’t be true. Let’s put it this way – if you say this and it’s not true, get ready for a pretty interesting story. Most of us miss people when they’re gone. This is a lot better than saying something like, “they lived a good, long life.” Although that might have been true for the passing of my 94-year-old grandfather or my 84-year-old father in law, I would rather have had them around for a few more years. 

3.  “How are you doing – what can I do for you?”  This is a very practical question that told me that they were willing to chip in when things were rough.  Believe me, that’s helpful and comforting. A lot of times when people die, you just aren’t sure what to do, and having someone offer up a little help can really calm you down. This is a lot better than saying something like, “Well, they’re no longer suffering.”  While this might be true, my first reaction to this is to think about them suffering. 

4. “Can I pray for you?” Man, can you ever! I’m always looking for people to pray for me, with me, around me. Even if we didn’t do it right then, together, I found a lot of comfort in knowing that someone was going to speak to God about me and my loved one. Christians tend to fall back on certain “company line” statements about death, such as “They’re in a better place,” or “you’ll see them again,” or “it was their time to go,” but for whatever reason, these statements just didn’t do much in the way of comfort for me. That was a big revelation because I think I’ve said each of these things a hundred times.

I had one person put everything together and say, “I’m so sorry for your loss. I’ll pray for your heart to be comforted and I know you will miss them a lot.  I still miss my _______ because my love was so deep for them too.  Let me know if you need my shoulder to lean on or to talk about your loving memories.  Can I buy you lunch? ” Now, that was a good one!  

Things I learned in my encounter with losing family and friends

Published July 2, 2012 Characteristics of Believers , Comfort , Forgiveness 2 Comments
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I recently experienced the loss of four loved ones during a seven month period.  It was a surreal time, and I hated going in to tell my boss what was going on in my life.  I bet he thought that no one could make up something this crazy just to get out of work.  I wondered if people would be afraid to be around me since death and dying was so frequently affecting my loved ones.  During this rocky time, my husband was out of town taking care of his ailing father, who also recently left us to accept his promotion in eternity – death number five.  It was a bit much, and, like McCauley Culkin in the movie, I was home completely alone.

I couldn’t help but wonder, “why, God, why?”  “Why are you taking so many of my loved ones at this time?” I began to understand how fragile and fleeting this life is here on earth. I heard someone say that we often treat this life as if we’re humans having a spiritual encounter, when in fact we’re really spirits having a brief human encounter.  This statement alone gave me peace to understand that the bodies we occupy now are but temporary, and that at least our eternal bodies must be glorious and feel more like home.

Overall, my recent experience surrounded by so much death and dying solidified several truths that I’d heard, but hadn’t grasped or practiced at a higher level.  Here they are:

1.  Be nice to everyone and practice empathy; there really isn’t ever any good reason to be mean or vengeful.  It may not always seem natural to operate out of mercy and love rather than out of judgment and contempt, but the spiritual benefits are enormous.  There are enough negative people in the world who are looking to criticize others that you don’t need to criticize, too.  Remember that even though we have our golden ticket to eternity based on our belief that Christ is the Son of God, we are still accountable for our actions.

2.  Make peace and forgive those that have hurt you, even if you feel that you didn’t do anything wrong.  Step up, grow up, and offer the olive branch of peace.  Think about how bad you’ll feel when your friend or family member dies and you didn’t have a chance to make amends.  You have a choice to live a life free from the pain of unforgiveness.   Think about the ultimate model for forgiveness – Jesus.  He didn’t come back and seek out those that persecuted and put Him to death to get even. In fact, even while on the cross, He asked His father to “forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  Luke 23:34.

3.  Remember that you aren’t alone – God is with you so press into Him!  During this painful time I had so many people tell me how strong they thought I was.  I told them that if I looked strong it was because I was being held up by our heavenly Father.  I’ve never been more aware of the protection, peace, and compassion of God than during this time.  I surrounded myself with excellent spiritual manna such as truth-teaching TV programs, the word of God, my Christ loving brethren, and daily telephone prayer with my husband.

4.  Protect your spirit by only spending time with people who lift you up or who encourage you to be your best.  Limit time with the people who drain your energy, push your buttons, or criticize you, even if they are family.  These are the people that the enemy will use to push you into sinful and unlovely behavior.  People may not remember when you walked away exuding mercy and grace, but they will always remember the one time that you snapped. Don’t give the enemy a foothold just because you didn’t bridle your tongue.

5.  Shine up your spiritual armor.  Study Ephesians 6:10-20, and remember that Ephesians 6:12 tells us “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  It’s important for us to remember that although we’re in a war, we don’t have to become a victim or hostage in that war. Every day I asked the Lord to protect me from the evil one and to help me walk in love.

6.  Resist the urge to complain and whine about what you’re going through.  Remember that your heavenly Father will use everything for his Glory, and that when you come through the fire you will be blessed and will have grown spiritually!  I can’t easily explain why bad things happen to anyone – let alone good people – but I can say that those who keep a good attitude and keep their focus on God will come through like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:12-27, who emerged from the fire without even the smell of smoke upon them.

7.  Treat yourself kindly.  Exercise and eat good quality, healthy food. My doctor has been working very closely with me during this time to make sure that I’m rested and feeding my immune and adrenal systems.  The one big thing she keeps stressing is for me to eat high quality, nutritious food.  So resist the urge to eat “comfort food” and stay away from sugar, fast food, and processed foods.  Eat more fruits, vegetables and good organic meats.  Also, treat yourself occasionally to your favorite relaxing activity.  Personally speaking, I love a good spa visit for a pedicure, facial or massage.

Tough times don’t have to beat you down. Do the natural by taking care of yourself, and the supernatural by relying on God for the rest, and even the hardest times will help you grow spiritually and help to continue in your ministry to others! People notice how others handle difficult situations, so let them start taking notes about you!

Be Blessed

Denise and Tim

Arming the Saints Ministries

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