Freedom from Guilt in the Passing of a Friend-

A few days ago, one of my friends passed away.  We hung out a lot during my teenage years, but over the years I lost touch with her even though my sister stayed in touch. Her death was sudden…shocking…completely unexpected. Young & loved by many, I don’t think any of us saw this coming.

I hadn’t talked to her in years but there were times when a mutual friend of ours told me that she would ask about me, but I never offered up any contact information. I just accepted the nice thoughts and went on my way.  A few months ago I ended up reaching out to her and “friended” her on Facebook and she even liked my Luminate Your Path page, but this was the extent of our contact. No messages, no comments, nothing.

 

Then, a few days ago, my sister informed me that she had passed away. My heart sunk to the bottom of my stomach as I was in disbelief.  It’s true that years had passed since we talked, but I couldn’t escape this overwhelming feeling of sorrow, sickness, and disbelief.  There was definitely another source to my pain that was adding to the sorrow of her loss….

I kept thinking: “Why didn’t I reach out to her or get in contact with her?? I could have talked to her about Jesus and explained to her that He loves her so much that he died on the cross for her sins & wants her to accept Him as her Lord & Savior!”  I could have shared with her not only the secret to freedom in this life, but also the secret to freedom in eternity. Guilt overwhelmed me and I thought of how selfish I was and I felt responsible for what I didn’t say and what I didn’t do.

Imagine a loved one who is dying of cancer or some other disease and you have the cure! Imagine that you know exactly how they can get rid of it and get well! Now, imagine having this knowledge that could save their life, yet instead, you keep it to yourself and your loved one dies.  This is how I felt… I felt I had the secret to LIFE in Christ yet I kept it to myself.  Please understand that I am in no way saying that I knew her heart or what she believed. I truly don’t know; God does. I am just merely explaining my feelings of regret & passiveness.

That night on my way home from work, I prayed to God the entire car ride. Mentally I know that I don’t control who accepts the Lord as Savior and who doesn’t. I also know that if I were meant to have spoken to her about God, then my own ignorance would not have prevented God’s plan from happening. But emotionally, I felt destroyed.  The Lord brought a few verses to my mind as I continually went through them in my head. One of them I had just read that morning. Coincidence? Hardly. It was fresh in my mind when I needed it the most.

“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 

The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 3:5-9,11)

I know the Devil attacks us at our weakest moments…he likes to attack when we are most vulnerable, and this is exactly what was happening. The Bible says “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”  (1 peter 5:8) So you see, God wasn’t placing this guilt on me; it was Satan’s lies trying to deceive me into thinking that I had the power to change someone’s heart.  By the time I pulled into my driveway that night, the Lord had already started to relieve me from the guilty feeling of responsibility & I began to feel comforted. Although damaging thoughts still creep in my mind every now and then, God’s word is more powerful than anything I think or feel. Heb 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and powerful…..”

I had to come to the end of myself that night, which is actually an ongoing process in my daily walk.  I keep reminding myself that God is the one who works in us “both to will and to act according to His good pleasure.” (Phil 2:13)  He is the one who causes someone to grow… He is the one who “wakes us up spiritually”.  “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:44)   “He went on to say, “this is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” (John 6:65)

As for Me? I am simply a worker of Christ. I am a tool used by Him to accomplish His will. And the best part is, He doesn’t NEED me to do so! I am free because I know that God is Sovereign..He is in control..and He doesn’t rely on ME to do anything. (Psalm 135:6, Psalm 115:3,)  

There is great freedom when you discover how truly helpless you are without the Lord & there is great freedom in discovering that it is not in our efforts that His will is done, but it is in our surrender that He accomplishes it. “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30)

Corrie Ten Boom said it well: “You should not try to be anything but an open channel for the Spirit of God. You never can be anything else, even though you may think so at times.  Follow the pathway of obedience, and you will be used by God far beyond your own powers” (pg. 20 Amazing Love)

I will truly miss my friend who passed away and my heart aches for my sister, friends and family who will dearly miss her, but at the same time I am comforted in knowing that I do not have to understand God, I just have to trust Him. Hopefully I can move forward in boldness in my future relationships and focus on being a “channel for the Spirit of God” to flow through. As one of my best friends put it earlier, “I don’t want this experience to defeat me, I want it to ignite me”.

Please feel free to share your comments - I just ask that you be respectful! For daily encouragement, like us on FB! https://www.facebook.com/Luminateyourpath

EVOLUTION VS. GOD

Let me ask you a question: Do you think it takes greater faith to believe in God or Evolution?

 

"Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence"

Richard Dawkins

 

"By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible."

Hebrews 11:3 The Word of God

 

According to a Gallop pole of 2012, 47% of individuals believe that 1)" human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process" or 2) "human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process."

 

46% believe that "God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time in the last 10,000 years or so."

 

7% had no opinion on the subject.

 

Answer this question now: Which percentage do you belong to??

 

 

Regardless of your answer, I have attached a very interesting video on Evolution Vs. God. It's not a lecture movie!!  Give it a chance, it mainly deals with street interviews of various people/students. I really hope you take a little time to watch it! I know you will like it & it will definitely get you thinking about the subject at hand.

 

I encourage you to watch it with a friend, your significant other, or even your kids. I'd also like to hear your comments on this issue so once you watch the video feel free comment on this article.

 

 

 

 

 

Colossians 1:16 - For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

 

AMEN!

 

Be sure to like us on FB! https://www.facebook.com/Luminateyourpath

 

 

Evolution, Creationism, Intelligent Design http://www.gallup.com/poll/21814/Evolution-Creationism-Intelligent-Design.aspx January 2014

Emotional Dependency (Christmas Blog)

Why is it that we look to others to make us feel good? Whether its wives looking for their husbands to appreciate what they do, husbands looking for support and encouragement from their wives, parents looking for their kids to be respectful and obedient, or even kids looking to get love & care from their parents...to be comforted and complimented. Friends looking to just be reassured and to "feel better". Employees wanting to be acknowledged and appreciated by their bosses and bosses wanting their workers to work hard & not disappoint.  We fill many various roles each day and each role comes with us expecting something from someone else.  Think about it...what was the last thing you expected from someone (you may have to think about this one because it probably comes so naturally yet subconsciously). 

More importantly, when was the last time you were hurt, or disappointed because that person did not give you what you wanted/needed at that moment.  Your wife didn't encourage you like you wanted her to..your husband didn't appreciate you like you wanted him to,..your son/daughter didn't obey you right away like you wanted them to...etc.  Time after time, day after day we go through this continuous process of trying to get others to fulfill our emotional needs & when they fail us, we are left upset, frustrated, sad, and even disappointed.  If this is the way you operate, you are essentially giving others control and free access to your emotions to do whatever they want with them. What they say or do determines your outcome. That doesn't seem right, does it? So why do we allow ourselves to go down this road of expectancy & disappointment over and over again? It is time we stop hinging our emotions on others to fulfill.  Now I'm not saying that we should not lean on each other for support & encouraging because the Bible clearly states that believers should do this (1 Thess 5:11,1 Peter 4:810, Gal 6:2, Heb 10:25), but what I am saying is that our dependency is in the wrong spot.

Instead of being emotionally dependent on one another, we need to be emotionally dependent on God. Many people think that God comes with limitations & that it’s unrealistic for Him to fill all of our human needs, but this type of thinking is flawed. The Bible provides many verses telling us to do just that. To rely on God for ALL our needs. Not just our physical needs or mental strength, but our emotions too. 

Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.(Phil 4:19)

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
(Matt 6:31-33)

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. 
(2 Cor. 9:8) 

One of the greatest things about depending on God is that He does NOT DISAPPOINT! When we need Him to be there for us, He is there. Always. He won’t be running late & He will not disappoint.  He is our Counselor, our Comforter, & our Helper.  Get this, He knows your heart & what you need better than you know it!  One of my favorite sets of verses is found in Psalm 33:13-15

From heaven the Lord looks down
    and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

God FORMS our hearts. He made our hearts! Do we now think that he doesn’t know what’s in them? When the truth is so plainly laid out, why do we still resist to allow ourselves to become fully dependent on Him? Why do we insist on depending on other people for fulfillment when they are guaranteed to disappoint??? I hope if you’re reading this you really think about what I am saying because the message here could truly set you free. If you put your emotional dependence in God’s hands & go to him when you need comfort, help, encouragement, strength, etc, then you will start to realize that your episodes of self-pity and disappointment occur less and less often.  You will also see that during the times when you do get disappointed or feel self-pity, those actual moments will become shorter & shorter.  You won’t harbor those feelings for hours or days. They will begin to dissipate more quickly as long as you run to God for fulfillment. 

I know we are all human & relying on one another to carry each other’s burdens and lift one another up is Biblical, but the primary source of our dependency should be Jesus. Then you can lean on one another. Put your emotional dependency in this order & you are destined to have a healthier mindset and a happier heart.  

As Christmas Time rolls around again this year, more opportunities for disappointment seem to surface than any other time of year. I encourage you to pray & read the Bible. Look for verses that pinpoint your struggles & memorize them. Turn your dependency to Christ & lean on Him. The best thing about all of this, is that His availability is not restricted to Christmastime.  He is available ALL throughout the year. Which leads me to my last & final point:

Don’t make Jesus a “seasonal” tradition just like Christmas Trees & Santa Claus & presents. I encourage you to make Him part of your everyday life…spend time with him in January & February and every month that follows leading up to Christmas.  Many people turn on their so called “Spirituality” around Thanksgiving time and then once the New Year hits, it tapers off.  How do you think Jesus feels? He is taken out of a closet & put on display in a manger for a couple of weeks (theoretically & realistically speaking) and then stuffed back into storage. That’s the same thing we do with Jesus in our lives.  We take Him out when it’s convenient…we go to church more often around the holidays…we try to be nicer to people and more giving…and we even sing songs about Christ’s birth. But then, when we lose the excitement & hype of the season, we shove Him back into the darkest, furthest closet in our hearts only to dust Him back off 11 months later. 
A relationship with Jesus is not a seasonal thing. At least it shouldn’t be.  I’m not saying this to lecture you because I struggle with this as well, but the peace, hope, comfort, security, and happiness that you yearn for and look forward to at Christmas can be attained throughout the entire year. Instead of a new year’s resolution, make a lifestyle resolution this year. Decide to incorporate Jesus into your life more frequently & you will begin to feel an inward transformation as others see an outward one.

I wrote the poem below a few years back but it still holds true until today. Some of you may remember this from when I gave them out, but I encourage you to read it again & keep the message with you all throughout the year.  I have been praying that at least one person will come to Jesus this year or even be restored to the right path in their life and return to Him. 

 I hope you all have a Blessed Christmas! See you next year!

DESTROY PRIDE & BE STILL

2 Kings 2 23-25 is a very odd passage of Scripture in terms of its placement. I was reading through 2 Kings and this paragraph didn’t seem to fit the storyline.  It seemed a little “off the cuff” and I even re-read it to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.  After I re-read it, I still did not understand its relevance and once you read it, you might not either.

From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.

Pretty violent story huh? Well the Old Testament is full of violent stories which I am slowly finding out J  Shortly after I read this passage I continued on with my day & it was brought to my attention that I too was being “jeered” at only behind my back. It was not anything major, but internally I got very upset & frustrated. (The NKJV actually uses the word “mocked” instead of “jeered”) I could feel my blood pressure rising although I managed to give the appearance that it didn’t bother me.  Truth is = I was fueling inside!!  Why did this bother me so much? Why was I so upset over this when I know people thrive on gossip & when I know the story was misconstrued!

Have you ever experienced this? Has someone ever made fun of you, or talked down to you, or have you ever had a conversation with someone and you know the minute you walk away they are talking about you?! I’m sure we all have or do experience something like this. It just eats at you and you can’t shake the feeling.

Thankfully, the passage of Scripture that I mentioned above is what came to my mind at that moment. “Ah-ha”  - J  Now it made sense.  You see, when I read the story about 42 boys being killed by bears for simply making fun of Elisha, I thought, “man, that’s kind of harsh”, “poor boys”, but what I failed to do was look at it from the other perspective.  This story demonstrates the lengths God will go to in order to protect those who love Him. It displays His great power that can be utilized in the lives of His children. So instead of letting myself say “poor boys”, I now say “Great God”. God handled Elisha’s battle…even our smallest battles God can handle.  Not only is He able, He WANTS too.  Nowhere in the Bible does He say “You shall fight your own battles and do the best you can and THEN I will step in and take over”.  Instead it says “THE LORD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU, YOU ONLY NEED TO BE STILL” (Exodus 14:14). 

So while I was sitting there absorbing the words I just heard about what occurred behind my back, I re-read this passage & everything clicked. I prayed and asked God to relieve these horrible feelings of retaliation that I had. (In my mind I was already making up what I was going to say when I saw these people). Within a couple of minutes the intense feelings started to subside, and I realized that God was going to take care of things for me. I realized that none of this even mattered.  “Who cares?” I thought. “God knows the truth & that’s all that really matters”. An amazing thing happened during those few minutes. A true peace came over me, and at this very moment, I can laugh at the situation. “How petty” “How petty”. 

 

Another thing I realized was that the main thing that was causing those bad feelings to rise up, was my pride. Yes, I said it, Pride.

 

I didn’t want people to think something bad about me, especially if it wasn’t true! I didn’t want people to develop a false idea of who I am. This was really what was bothering me. It was the root cause of all of my emotions. (Interestingly enough Pride has been something I’ve been battling with anyway & praying about). Hmmm..maybe this was Gods way of helping me overcome it.  Either way, it worked.  Not completely of course because I’m still human, but it helped me learn to take a step back, and let God do what He does best: fight my battles for me & take care of my enemies.

With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles. (2 Chronicles 32:8)

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

(Rom 12:19)

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
    with your right hand you save me.

 (Psalm 138:7)

Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
 for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away….

The wicked plot against the righteous
    and gnash their teeth at them;
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he knows their day is coming

(Psalm 37: 1,2,13)

Psalm 37 is a great Psalm I encourage you to read! It provides many verses about how God will care for those who are saved & trust in Him & how He will take care of our enemies.

I hope you were encouraged by this blog. God cares about even the smallest things in our lives & I encourage you to keep a couple of these verses handy so you are prepared the next time your pride or character is threatened. Remember, Don’t React....let God Act.

 

Like us on FB! https://www.facebook.com/Luminateyourpath

NO SIN TOO GREAT...

Most of you know that I was saved at an early age in life, but for many years growing up I had drifted from what I believed & from what I was taught.  I struggled with sin and although I knew I wasn’t honoring God, I had trouble getting my life back on track.  You may be experiencing something similar right now in your life. Think about it…is there something in your life that you are struggling with?  Do you feel stuck?

During my time astray,(many years!) a couple things kept going through my mind such as “why should I ask God for forgiveness when I know I’m probably going to end up doing the same thing again”.... or, “I keep disappointing God, and it’s pointless for me to pray to Him when I know I’m going to sin again”.  So, instead of praying, I convinced myself it was better not to pray.  It was better for me & God to just stay away from Him altogether since I wasn’t living the way I knew I was supposed to.  BIG MISTAKE.  Can I just tell you, that this way of thinking is the devil getting into your head.  Where in the Bible does it say, “if you sin, do not come to me if you plan on sinning again”? Where in the Bible does it say, “If you are going to disappoint me again, then don’t bother praying”? I’m telling you, this mentality is so wrong, yet I am convinced that so many others, besides myself believes these lies!

It’s actually the complete opposite. God wants us to come to Him immediately after we have sinned. He doesn’t want our sin to fester…the sooner we admit to him our wrongdoings, the sooner He can bless us. Don’t believe the lies of Satan.  God knows we are going to sin again…He isn’t asking for perfection.  I challenge you to go to God in prayer (even if you don’t feel like it) & ask God for forgiveness even though you know you are going to commit the same act again.  God will work in your heart & you will begin to feel a change within yourself. The longer you delay, the more satisfaction you give Satan and the more heart-ache you give the Lord. 

Let me ask you this. Have you ever committed a sin so bad that it deserved jail time?  In the book of 2 Samuel, David commits a horrible sin! One that would warrant a lifetime sentence in today’s society.  He committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, & then had him murdered!  This is the same David that killed Goliath… the same David who God had made King over Israel! But listen to what his friend Nathan said to him right after David admitted to his sin “The Lord has taken away your sin” (12:13).  There is NO SIN TOO GREAT for God to forgive & NO SINNER TOO SMALL for God to save. Now due to his sin, David’s son (which was conceived through adultery) died when he was only 7 days old, but the Lord then blessed David with another son who rose up to become a great man of God himself and eventually King over Israel: Solomon.

God can turn your worst mistakes into blessings. He is waiting for you to come to Him in prayer & call out to Him for help. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19) I believed Satan’s lies for many years & kept ignoring God.

 

Don’t lose out on precious time. Stand up to the brainwashing & fall down into prayer. You’ll be amazed at what God will do.

RICOCHET

Many people carry the heaviness of their problems and their burdens every day from the time they wake up in the morning until the time they go to sleep at night. In addition, many of us are carrying our friends and families burdens and problems also. We are supposed to help one another, but we should rely on God to carry it all.

Jesus said "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”(Matt 11: 28-30).

We are promised that we WILL FIND REST if we give our burdens to God. Why is it so hard to do so? Why do we feel that we have to carry everything and do everything ourselves? Why are we so stubborn to let go??  Maybe it has something to do with the way the world perceives strength. The more you can handle..the more you can accomplish..the more money you have...the more education you have..MORE- MORE- MORE- means GO- GO- GO.  We feel like we have to be in control of everything! No wonder we are run down & hesitant to give our problems and concerns to God. 

BUT, It is when we are at our weakest, that we can actually be our strongest through Jesus Christ who empowers us. It's the complete opposite of the worlds view. Be weak so I can be strong? Absolutely. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness....That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."(2 Cor 12:9-10)

I challenge you to start each morning and end each night by talking to God & giving Him your problems..be specific & ask Him to help you.  He is waiting to lighten your load. The question is..are you ready to give it up?

Hope you find this encouraging-

RICOCHET

My load is so heavy

Too much to bare

Can barely get up

Call out in despair.

So many problems

Nowhere to go

Carry you too?

But I can’t say “no”

So I pile on your burdens

And add them to my own

Now I can hardly move

Reaping more than I’ve sown.

You are my downfall

You pushed me over the edge

But I just realized:

I was already on the ledge

For my own burdens

I cannot blame you

Handle them alone

Not what I should do.

So I prayed to the Lord

To put in my hand

Something to help me:

A strong rubber-band

Little did I realize

That I had it all along

Oh it worked fine!

I was just using it wrong.

I absorbed my burdens

And others as well

Bounced them back onto me

Couldn’t stand, so I fell

But now I see freedom

And now I am free

God said “use your rubber band

And ricochet up to ME!

Your rubber-band will never break

Nor will it ever wear out,

For my strength is endless

You have no reason to doubt.

So I will wait here for you

Day after Day

As you learn how to trust Me

And send your burdens My way”

 

***A few people have asked me about commenting on my posts. Just go to my blog site (should be able to access from your email) & click on "no comments" & a window should pop up***

http://luminateyourpath.blogspot.com/

 

Like us on FB! https://www.facebook.com/Luminateyourpath