To Be Free...To Rest

Infusions of Faith

“They heard the message, but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not accept it with faith. We who believe, then, do receive that rest which God promised.” Heb. 4:2-3a (GNT)

“Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matt. 6:34 (CEB)                                                                                                            

To Be Free...To Rest

Last week Michael shared some of his journey facing insecurity and overcoming it with God. His authenticity and transparency sparked a deeper dive into seeking what I may need to boldly face, relinquish and submit to God. As I sat in front of my computer, I prayed to God and pondered about what I needed to release as I wrote this blog. When the topic of worry crystallized in my mind, I aligned with the fact that I needed to face it. However, I resisted the idea of writing about it as a blog post. I didn’t want to weigh in on what has become such a trendy topic to discuss.

But I needed to write about it. Solidifying my commitment, worry and how I could relinquish it. A familiar scripture came to mind and I meditated on it, learning that worry is tied to my belief system. And belief can connect to peace and rest, despite circumstances. Peace and a reliance on God result in rest. But rest is a contradiction to worry, and worry is an enemy of rest and my faith.

As the past months have trickled by during this pandemic, shelter-at-home mandates and the reopening of our cities, there has been a continual intensification of societal pressure. Worry has been knocking loudly at the doors of many hearts and minds. The proverbial shoe has dropped amid social unrest, police brutality, military occupation in our cities, unemployment, mounting bills, confusing medical information, racial discrimination, political pandering, remote work expectations, homeschooling and dwindling small businesses in our neighborhoods. Add that to world hunger, human trafficking, moral degradation and drug abuse etc.; there is plenty to worry about in this world. But what does worrying do?

Worry comes in many forms – from simple/complex concerns, to hyper-vigilance, generalized anxiety, over-analyzation, fear of the unknown, fatalism, and more. In one form or another, worry likes sticking around just to keep us company. In response to these issues, I’ve been rebuking the enemy, submitting to God and resisting the devil, praying, saying affirmations and speaking the word of God over me and my life circumstances.Yet, I’ve found that all these life-giving and God-honoring strategies are null without a key ingredient – true belief.

I realized that I might be carrying more unbelief than belief in my heart sometimes. The antithesis of belief says that I really want to believe God is for me and that He has me in His hands, but I’m afraid He might not come through for me this time. So godly faith isn’t really working for me, because my faith and belief is in what I fear could happen. Heb. 11:6 says I must believe that God is who He says He is, and that He’ll take care of me when I diligently believe and follow Him, even in the middle of suffering. 

Honestly, we can deceive ourselves about our faith. But I find it comforting that we really cannot trick our own hearts nor the Holy Spirit by trying to “fake it till we make it” with God. The sin of unbelief rears its ugly head, unearthing the conflict of belief within. Unbelief must be uprooted, surrendered and exchanged in favor of faith. Jesus asks the disciples in Luke 8:25, “Where is your faith?” And a popular Christian refrain asks, “Whose report do you believe?” 

If I’m fearing and mistrusting the loving character of God in my heart, I am not truly believing in His nature as being good and unconditionally loving towards me. I am not resting in an authentic relationship with Him under false pretenses about his goodness. Even if I am sincere in my desire to want a personal relationship with God, I cannot have it while holding on to worry and unbelief.

So, what does it mean to believe in the character and love of God, especially during times when I’m struggling with worry? What does it mean to believe and trust God, even if ______? Belief means to accept God when He says, “I am…” (Exo. 3:14) This phrase translated means, “I will be what you need me to be, when you need me to be it.” It means I can go to God, expressing my fear, ignorance or confusion about who He is, and I can process any past run-ins between His sovereignty and my disappointment when God has done things I don’t understand.

Like the boy’s father in the gospel of Mark, I can say, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief (disbelief).” To get to the believing/trusting/resting part of my relationship with God, I need to confess to God that I’m afraid because I don’t always have a good understanding of His character, intent or ability to love and provide for my heart and soul in every situation. And I can humble myself to surrender my self-righteousness in exchange for His sanctification process. I can allow God to change my nature as I learn His nature. I can learn to lean on God and believe Him more, worry less and grow to rest in Him throughout any circumstance.

Key Themes:

·It is hard not to worry when I am afraid, but I can decide to do hard things with God’s grace.
·I can pray for understanding and lay down my self-willed heart before Him.
·I can remember past experiences where God’s presence kept me in a challenging season.
·I can rest when I place my faith and belief in His capable and loving hands.
·I can patiently watch my relationship with God develop through ups and downs.

 Resource:

 

 

To Be Free...To Die Free

 Infusions of Faith 

To Be Free …. To Die Free                                                    

Romans 8:1-3 (GW-God's Word Translation)

So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned. ² The standards of the Spirit, who gives life through Christ Jesus, have set you free from the standards of sin and death. ³ It is impossible to do what God’s standards demand because of the weakness our human nature has. But God sent his Son to have a human nature as sinners have and to pay for sin. That way God condemned sin in our corrupt nature.

The challenge with writing is that there is a temptation to take the easy way out and move towards surface or superficial writing. It feels like I am drifting towards that shallow water, safe ground. So, I am challenging myself to be authentic, transparent and open right now.

It hurts to come face to face with my own shortcomings. It’s especially hard when I have been conditioned by life “to put my best foot forward” and to “keep up a good front.” Can I be honest?  I wrestle with being insecure.  I have tons of self-doubt and worry about what others think about me.  I get hypersensitive and defensive when I am challenged on personal areas that I am uncomfortable with.  I deflect questions that make me feel uneasy. I rebuff others who try to get too close to a sensitive area.  I will argue a point only because I don’t want to be wrong. Mind you, I don’t do all these things at same time, however, I pull these tricks out my bag far too often.

Without fail, every time I use one of these tactics from my defensive arsenal, I battle guilt and feelings of self-condemnation.  Another one of my issues is that I can be hard on myself: I can show grace to others but miss the mark with myself. For many that know me, this may seem out of character. But I deal with these struggles when the lights are off, when I am trying to make sense of certain interactions within my heart, between others around myself. 

Jill, my wife, is often on the receiving end of this blowback from my personal struggles.  She is closest and safest, so she often gets the worst of my actions when I’m struggling. I don’t share this as a badge of honor, I share it because I believe I am not alone in this struggle.  Many times, I don’t hear about these issues from others and it seems like everyone has a pristine life with few challenges.  However, the divorce rates, suicide rates, counseling rates, and many other indicators tell me that I am not alone.

“What do we do? Where can we go? I don’t want to be like this! I don’t want to lash out! I want to do better!” I say this frequently enough. “Who can help me? Who can save me from myself?” Does this sound familiar to any bible readers out there?

You may not speak up, but the Apostle Paul did! Yes, there is an answer! The last few verses of Romans 7 (vs. 24-25) and the first few verses of Romans 8 (vs. 1-11) provide us with answers for these issues. I found out I really do have a split personality: my spirit-mind serves one master, and my fleshly desires and defenses serve another.

We (I) have a choice to make. We can continue to bounce back and forth between our emotions that lash out or we can choose a more godly and stable way. According to the scripture above, “Because of the standard of the spirit, (I) can walk in the freedom that Christ Jesus paid for. I must stop acting as if I have to be controlled by my feelings and start controlling my feelings by walking in my newfound freedom.

My mind is free. My emotions are free. I am not held captive like I sometimes want to believe. I can choose how I will respond, but first I must choose to recognize that my freedom comes with a cost. The cost is my will, my pride, my pain, my past, my present, my future, my hopes, my dreams, my fears, my desires, my everything. Freedom isn’t free. Jesus paid for it, but I must walk in it.

Frankly, my temper tantrums and immaturity are directly related to my refusal to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. The Lord saved me from myself, but really my flesh keeps trying to redefine me on its terms – to make me acceptable in my own way. There is nothing in me that is acceptable, because of sin. Not my intellect, my gifts, my looks, my courage, my reasons, my justifications. When you’re talking about the sin-sick soul of man, nothing is worth more than having Christ and His life-giving spirit living through you or me.

Through this blog, I suppose what I am asking myself, “Will I let Jesus truly live as Lord through me?” He has my “YES!” But that “Yes!” means I must die to anything else but His will. Will you join me in my death march to freedom?  I submit to Your will, God, and relinquish my own.  Let’s die free together. 

 

Key Themes

--Facing your struggles is better than a facade.

--If you have trusted to Jesus to do what your sinful nature can’t, your freedom is secure.

--If you haven’t trusted Jesus’ help, the great exchange, in faith yet, you can do that right here.

 

Resources

--Talk to God in prayer:

“God help me to believe you are for me, you are here with me, and that I can trust you to rescue me. Please change me, my heart, my direction. Forgive me for the wrong I’ve done and help me to walk free. Give me the patience and desire to live differently. I ask for your spirit to live in me, in the name of Jesus Christ who gave Himself for my freedom--Amen.”

--Read, perceive, process and believe - Romans: chapter 10, verses 9-10

--Read, perceive, process and believe - II Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17

To Be Free....From Bitterness

Infusions of Faith

Jonella Gaines is our guest blogger this week.  She is a daughter of God, a minister and teacher, a wife, mother and grandmother, an advocate and author, and a creative soul that loves painting, designing and making custom jewelry and accessories. She is lover of people and sincere friend to many. This week she shares her thoughts on God's ability to soften a bitter heart and change a bad situation!

Ruth, chapter 1, verses 19C – 21 (AMP)

…and the women asked, “Is this Naomi?” ²⁰ She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi (sweetness); call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty has caused me great grief and bitterness. ²¹ I left full [with a husband and two sons], but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

From Bitterness to Prosperity

If we are honest with ourselves, we will confess that bitterness and darkness do not feel good. Often during times of bitterness or sorrow, we may even ache physically, spiritually and mentally. No matter how hard we search, we can’t seem to find joy or happiness anywhere. In anger, over real or perceived losses, we can even feel like we are losing our mind.

At one time or another in our lives - we’ve all had bitterness, darkness or adversities. The reasons for bitterness are varied and multi-faceted: broken relationships with friends or family, abuse (of any kind), death, and loss of any kind can all birth bitterness in the heart. In Naomi’s life, she was a woman who had it all and lost it all. When any of these situations happen, we may only see dim reflections of the person or life we once knew.

Naomi’s grief and loss were complex and spanned many years of her life. Her heart was broken into so many pieces that she identified with her pain and suffering so much that she lost her original identify and wanted to change her name. She had no one to advocate or fight on her behalf in her older years. In addition:

a.                          She was an outsider (living as a resident alien in a foreign country).

b.                          She was widowed too early.

c.                           She lost both of her sons.

d.                          She was left without provision.

e.                          As a mother-in-law, she was unable to provide for her daughters-in-law, and eventual one                 left her.

f.                            She had no grandchildren and no prospects of any.

g.                          She returned home so poor that her remaining daughter-in-law had to fall back on the                    welfare system of that day.

Who can relate to her? I know I can in some ways. Even as I relate to her pain, I can also relate to her joy! During times of despair, there’s always the opportunity for hope, love and joy! In the middle of her struggles, the Lord brought a relative (a kinsmen redeemer) named Boaz to her family’s aid. Boaz fell in love with Ruth, her widowed daughter-in-law, and he provided for Naomi while also giving her a grandson in her old age. In time, God turned her mourning into dancing and her sorrow into joy.

In the middle of my pain, God brought peace, clarity, hope and a renewed zest for living. Have you ever seen God redeem your time and give you a new life you thought you'd may never have again?

Just like Naomi, I received the blessings of God as I was carried through dark seasons to a deeper sense of God’s:

a.      Love;

b.      Faithfulness;

c.       Kindness;

d.      Integrity;

e.      Prosperity &

f.        Sovereignty.

No matter what you are going through, I encourage you to stay the course and allow God to transform the bitterness, grief and disappointment you’ve experienced. He is more than able! God shows His love and faithfulness to us because He predetermined to do so.

Be encouraged! There is always light at the end of our struggles because the Son continues to shine in our lives and on us.

Key Insights

We all will experience a time when bitterness is easy to embrace, but God's grace, faithfulness and strength will carry us through it.

God is in the middle of your pain - He hasn't abandoned you.

There is hope and light at the end of your struggle; bitterness can turn into joy!

Resources

Dealing with Bitterness  by James MacDonald (Video)

Root Cause - Bitter Root by Robert Morris

The Heart of Bitterness By Biblical Counseling

TO Be Free...To Be Gracious, Wise, and Loving

13 For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity[a] for the flesh, but serve one another through love.  Galatians 5:13 (CSB)

Facing a pandemic, without knowing who will catch the disease or when it will end, is hard. No one is an expert on surviving socially, emotionally, spiritually and physically in a time like this. We all struggle with multiple stressors during this pandemic; the civil unrest across our country, death of a loved one, navigating other illnesses, or the ordinary concerns we had before this began.

Across the U.S, the shelter-at-home and the mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers, are being lifted. There are many respecting the social distancing guidelines and are also wearing masks for extra precaution. However, there are those who are braving the community bare-faced, without fear or maybe in the face of fear. As a result, in some places we are seeing an increase in the spread of the virus.

For some, following the suggested prevention guidelines for Covid-19 can be a challenge. Seemingly simple instructions, though not easy to do. People have real concerns about personal freedoms being lost, not just for now, but with future issues - with this time period used as a precedent. Others have pre-existing conditions that make breathing even harder with a mask. 

Hour by hour as fear and anxiety volley for control of our choices, we confront our mortality. Let’s face it; it’s easy to forget to refrain from touching our faces or to wash our hands after touching anything! It’s also easy to forget to grab a mask before you rush out the door to pick up something or to abstain from a much-needed hug from a loved one. OR maybe it’s hard to afford packs of masks for your family when you must choose between masks  vs.  having bus fare to work  vs.  taking a LYFT to the grocery store. And for some of us, this is a crisis of faith.  Do I believe that the virus is as deadly and severe as others say?  If I wear a mask, am I walking in faith?

 Truth be told, many of us struggle with self-regulation, refusal skills, and not getting what we want when we want it. We were not ready to be responsible for public health or even taking care of our own health. Some call out this behavior as rebellion. Others prefer terms such as self-centered or socially unaware. Whatever you call it, we have all been called to a public accountability for our choices. 

I would encourage us to go a step beyond public accountability.  We are called to be gracious and wise.  As believers we are free.  We have the liberty to choose to do right or wrong.  More importantly, we have the liberty to choose to do what is loving and kind for others.  As we navigate this new normal and wrestle with our “what ifs”, let's remember that for some, this virus is deadly, for others it’s terrifying, but for all of us, it is an opportunity to walk in love. What grace is needed to respond well? What wisdom to help in a time of serious need? This is an opportunity to use our freedom as an expression of service and love.  Mask up.  Not because we are mandated by the state  but because we have a mandate to love.   It's a loving thing to do.

Resources

Why You’ll Never Be Free Until You Start Obeying God _ Crossway Articles

To Be Free... To Love

 

Infusions of Faith

"No one has ever seen God. 

But if we love each other,

God lives in us, and his 

love is truly in our hearts." (CEV)

God imparts a simple principle to us: to give, you must first receive. Afterwards, you can freely give what you have been given. We have all been given the greatest gift of all: Love.

God created people to love, to share love in a relationship with him. He deposited his creative power within everyone, to express this love to mankind near and far. There are a variety of expressions of love - physical affection, kind & encouraging words, philanthropy, shared knowledge, cultural, artistic and innovative gifts, sacrificial service & patience, a sense of acceptance & belonging, acts of justice and forgiveness and sometimes even temporary disharmony for the sake of a greater unity later. The list could go on. But from the beginning of time to recent history, people have expressed love for mankind by creating a space for healing, progress and for survival during times of struggle. 

Love is a precious gift, from the heart of God, and I refuse to live without it. Neither hate, fear nor pain can take its place. I won't be distracted nor enticed to give it up. It is my life source. If others' love grows colder, love must burn brighter still in you and me. No one can extinguish love because love is an enduring and powerful force that will never end.

There's been a lot of pain, suffering and frustration expressed in America lately, and most could justify their own soapbox. Yet, there is a need to share and express the love of God with everyone, right in the middle of our troubled times. Oh, to be free to create a space of safety and nourishment!  I believe we can express this through art, through poetry.  

So this week we're posting differently. Today is about widening a space for love in our hearts and encouraging love in the lives of others. May our challenges, disagreements and hot debates still be motivated by love as we work towards equity and a better society. With this month's topic, To Be Free...we are sharing prose about love and freedom. 

To Be Free…to Love, Forgive, Embrace and Accept 

Love, in spite of human flaws
Forgive, betrayal and rejection
Embrace and Accept Myself and Others
For who we are

Because of the Creator and Judge of all.

It’s is cliché, but Love never goes out of style,
always in need.
It’s a paradox, some fight for it
Try to hoard it, store it up
Some refuse to give it, Others spurn it.

Unconditional love is hard,
But worth it.
Desperately needed
Duly noted, often toted
And rarely lived.

You can’t subtract from it, it only multiplies.
Nothing can kill it, though you can frustrate it a little.
Love flies in the face of fear and lies,
It just never dies...Love
It’s possible, clever, powerful
It’s the truth
Whenever and Wherever it does live,
it's Forever.

You can mistreat it, but you cannot delete it.

Love freely received; Love freely given.