The New Normal of a Different Beat

Infusions of Faith

"Arise, my dearest. Hurry, my darling.

Come away with me!
I have come as you have asked
to draw you to my heart and lead you out.
For now is the time, my beautiful one.:

Song of Solomon 2:10 (TPT)

Weddings are usually joyous occasions, a time for families to come together and celebrate the happy couple’s new beginning. Often, parents have dreamt about what that day would be like. The engaged have imagined waking every morning to the love of their life. However, as the big day approaches and the preparations are about complete, almost everyone can feel the angst eking in. Some are effective in keeping this special time relaxed and peaceful. Others have mini meltdowns, and some will experience complete freak-outs! Why? The familiar is slipping away as time marches on.

Just like the lead up to the big wedding day, embracing change can be hard, even if you’re adventurous or were looking forward to the new change. There’s a comfort in what’s always been, rather or not things have actually been the way you’ve liked. The rhythms of life will change. I’m reminded of the traditional wedding reception, the feasting and dancing. The DJ or sound tech playing all the hits - different genres, bad dancing, and the poor people who couldn’t find the beat with a magnifying glass.  But we still dance, never knowing what song is coming next or if we’ll even like it. 

At Nigerian weddings, the bride and groom dance all night if they can, knowing the more they dance, the more money family and friends will bestow upon them. Finding their step in the beat, and letting the different rhythms glide into step, they dance…we dance even when we’re tired.

Just like couples dress and prepare for their wedding, The Lord is making sure our wedding garments don’t have any spots or stains, no wrinkles to speak of.  During this time, we are being prepared as the bride of Christ.  People are answering to the monogamous call and commitment to Christ.  They realize honor for the Bride and Groom are in order. The sacred vows of matrimony bring together hope and strength, the holy and mundane as one.  All around us people are hearing the rhythms of God.

Just as we cheer when the new couple first kiss and embrace, let us give our unabashed love to the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.  May our spoken and unspoken expectation be rooted in how good he is and what he declares over us.  May we grow in trust as he is the source we rely on.  For many, it is not easy facing the uncertainty of tomorrow.  It is just as difficult confronting the pains and pressure of today.

To be honest, the last 6 months have been overwhelming; meaning I have been saying “I am fine” for 5 months, and within the last month I just caught up with my emotions and am now able to put them into words. This process of delayed recognition is part defense mechanism and part growth process.  Whichever, the delayed time allowed me to keep the wave of emotions at a distance until being able to let them in without being controlled or drowned by their flow. During this time I had to learn the new rhythms of God. I have had to pause, find the beat, and jump in.

There is power in pausing -- and even in emotional time-delays. Embracing these times is hard. But in the pause, in the preparation, we can hear the song change, the beat shifts and gain new purpose and perspective. We are beginning new chapters with different genres and methods, learning to move in what we’ve never seen or experienced, and embracing new people along the way. The Bridegroom is taking the lead; follow these new rhythms with grace, mercy and justice.

Resources

Managing Change - Crisis Response Network

Coping With Change: The New Normal

The New Normal of Trust and Dependency on God!

 Infusions of faith

 Phillip Maurice is our guest blogger this week.  He is a son, a father, our brother and a great musician and psalmist. He is a cancer survivor and a recent kidney transplant recipient. He is a walking miracle! This week he shares his thoughts on God's ability to reset our lives.

"Here's what I learned through it all: Don't give up; don't be impatient; be entwined as one with the Lord. Be brave and courageous, and never lose hope. Yes, keep on waiting - for he will never disappoint you!"               Psa. 27:14 TPT

I have been hearing many people say, ”I can’t wait to get back to normal, or when I get my life back...” Our way of life, prior to January 2020, will not manifest the same way again. I believe that if you are a New Testament believer, the season we are living in now, has shifted with the new decade.  During this shift of GOD there has been a leveling of the battlefield. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, one ethnicity or another, young or mature - we've all been impacted by this new reality. I encourage us to stop mourning the past life before this pandemic. Why? GOD has hit the reset button on life! (1 Thessalonians 4: 13)

It is important to know that the plan of GOD has never changed. It has and always will be to build HIS Kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven! Understand, GOD is the greatest recycler and rejuvenator ever! HE did not create Covid-19, but knowing he can and will use anything for HIS glory, we as believers must be full of faith. Be the Womb of faith in the earth.

GOD is releasing HIS favor, blessing, and growth in this season! To catch it, you must walk and dwell in the spirit, having an unwavering, unshakable faith in HIM! There is absolute evidence of HIS power and believable trustworthiness! 

The Bible admonishes us to put our utmost TRUST in HIM; not in horses, leaders, or things of great value. Put your TRUST in GOD! Let faith arise! Trusting God will require us to look to HIM always and for everything. Have you ever thought of, or heard of the gift of Dependency? The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:7 cast your cares upon HIM, for HE cares for you. Matthew 11:30 goes on to say, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." GOD is extending to us the gift of Dependency! He knows that to follow HIM, and to partake of HIS suffering, we are going to need some help. Psalm 27:13-14 says, "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

Can you think back, if you will, to a time when you trusted in your abilities or the abilities of someone that said they had you covered? Was it a time, that in the end of it, you were left in a worse condition than when you started? What did you do to come out of it? Are you winning now in that area? Truly, I say, in HIM only can we depend! I have been brought through so many “I don’t know how I would make it without a trustworthy, dependable, GOD on my side” situations. The sum of it all is, HE kept me!

What if your path in life is governed by the faith you have? Your dependence on Him is a grace, a gift like no other - receive it today!

Resources

You Have Kept Me.  By Philip Maurice

Let Faith Arise by Phillip Maurice

The New Normal of Balanced Books

Infusions of Faith

Recently, Arlene McPeters, a friend of ours, shared a post from a prayer group. It spoke to our hearts in meaningful ways. As we watch the scenes playing out across our community, our nation and around the world, it's easy to become angry and wonder if God is paying attention. This post helps us to understand that ultimately God settles all accounts. We hope you enjoy this excerpt from the Facebook page, Hitting The Ground Running For Jesus, as much as we did. We share a few thoughts afterwards on how to go through the waiting period of your "balancing" process. May God speak His peace to you this week.

 

“...I will give them back everything they’ve lost. The last word is, I will have mercy on them...”  (Jeremiah 33:26, MSG)

"Balancing Your Books 

In accounting, the term balancing the books means making up for a loss. If an account has a deficit, when you balance the books, you have to first take all the losses, all the deficits, and total them up. Then you know how much you need to add to balance it. When the books are balanced, nobody can tell there’s ever been a loss.

In the same way, God has promised that He will balance the books of our lives. We all go through things that put us at a deficit—a rough childhood, the loss of a loved one, something that doesn’t make sense. If nothing changed, we would be out of balance. Life is not always fair, but God is fair. You may go through seasons when you’re out of balance, but God is going to settle your case. He will add up all the losses, the disappointments, and the heartaches, and He will pay you back.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You have seen the hurts in my life, and You feel my pain. I may be unbalanced right now, but thank You that You have promised to balance my books. I believe that You already have a way to settle my case and pay me back. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” "

A Few Thoughts...from Jill and Michael

Grieving losses is a natural reaction during the balancing process.  Although God moves to make things right, He does this in His own time.  Often, His timing includes loss, sorrow, joy, successes and many other emotions and experiences.  It’s hard to accept and imagine that a loving God would use seemingly negative situations to bring about good things.  Many of us are familiar with the promise that God will work things out for our good, if we love him and are called according to his purpose.  We are less understanding about the fact that His "working out" usually includes a journey.

As we learn to trust God to balance the books, we must accept many situations that we do not understand and that might be out of our control.  However, even in the midst of this uncertainty, we can grab hold of eternal truths:

1. God is still in charge.
2. God is not surprised by anything happening in our lives.
3. God gives grace to endure, overcome and thrive.
4. God is with us in the middle of every circumstance.

So, as you walk with God through the balancing process, be sure to be fully present with God, fully aware of God, and fully dependent on God. Enjoy the journey and may your books be balanced by his grace.

 

Resource

 God Is Faithful by Norman Hutchins

 

 

 

 

 

The New Normal of Discontentment

Infusions of Faith

"I pour out my complaint before him; I reveal my trouble to him." Psa. 142:2 CSB

God ’s orders: “Go to the royal palace and deliver this Message. Say, ‘Listen to what God says, O King of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne—you and your officials and all the people who go in and out of these palace gates. This is God ’s Message: Attend to matters of justice. Set things right between people. Rescue victims from their exploiters. Don’t take advantage of the homeless, the orphans, the widows. Stop the murdering!'" Jeremiah 22:1‭-‬3 MSG

I recently heard a Pastor say that non-violent protest has never worked. I believe he said this for a few reasons.

1.) In the cases of non-violent protest he referenced, those who were non-violent were on the receiving end of violence. Therefore in essence, the presence of violence negated the non-violent agenda. 

2.) He stated he is angry, and tired of seeing men of color still being killed at the hands of the police.

3.) He is tired of seeing the police be judge and executioner; protesting hasn't changed that. 

4.) He is tired of seeing believers who are white be non-responsive when black and brown people are killed unjustly.

5.) He is frustrated with a system that shields and protects blue (police) from taking personal responsibility when unlawfully killing black and brown people.

I can understand his anger and frustration. I believe he has a legitimate position. I feel many of the same emotions. However, I have to see these events through a different lens.  There are a few shifts in reality that I feel we must embrace as believers to try and regain a sense of perspective.

1.) The world is fallen and full of sin. We see the result of sin in the police killings. These are issues of the heart as well as of corrupt systems.

2.) Although we are born into ethnic groups, with Christ we are made into new creatures. That is the beauty of being in God's family. Our vision is changed to look at, and respond to, events as kingdom people first, and then through our ethnicity second.

3.)This means we experience the pain and suffering of this world as we recognize the lordship and authority of a sovereign God. Love ultimately wins when it lives in his people.

4.) We must mix our faith (and tears) with action. We cannot say we believe God without finding God's heart and reflecting it back to the world in practical ways.

It is tiresome to speak of peace when war is raging in our hearts. We have to settle the war. The psalmist poured out his complaint to the Lord. He was pressed on every side and needed rescue. Much like what we see today, systems are designed to disadvantage others, allowing justice to be distorted and perverted. But today, many are simply pouring out their complaint to others, looking for redemption from an unjust world.

As believers, we must pour out our complaint to God, in belief that he is and that he rewards those who diligently seek him. Pouring out our hearts to God is an act of faith. Listening to his answer and obeying is also an act of faith. No matter what it looks like, God sees and he hears. He is not slack in fulfilling his promises; Heb. 10:35-39 says, though the answer seems to tarry, wait for it. Do not give up on God's kingdom rest because of societal ills.

I believe He is calling us to be doers of the word and not hearers only. He is a God of mercy and justice. He will use us to speak his truth to unjust systems. Our political parties and justice system need to hear the collective voice of the kingdom declare, "Enough!"  As believers we are to be mirrors reflecting the purity of God's word and standing for change for the wounded and oppressed.

Why? God does not stand for corrupt systems and abuse of power. Eventually all unjust systems will be judged. We must "go and deliver this message." In our circle of influence, we must speak, act and advocate for change.

We are in place to establish a New Normal of Discontentment. Choose not to revert back to being silent observers or ethnocentric respondents. We can be discontent enough to be Kingdom Advocates: advocating for God's agenda of righteousness, justice, peace and love. We must remain in the rest and faith of God. Let's be discontent and be the change to the glory of God!

Think About it

God does not stand for corrupt systems and abuse of power.

We are to be mirrors reflecting the purity of God's word in a murky time.

We are also a voice to speak God's truth to unjust systems.

We must speak, act and advocate for change. And we must remain in the rest and faith of God.

Be Kingdom Advocates: advocating for God's agenda of righteousness, justice, peace and love.

Resources

Body Language: A conversation of Race and Restoration in the Body of Christ (Dr. Anita Phillips)

Twelve steps to racial harmony - Newsweek Article 

The Summer of Discontent (Dr. Martin Luther Kin Jr - Audio)

The Summer of Discontent (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - Transcript)