In the Fire

    I've talked about feeling sukkerpunched before. Well, those times when everything seems to be going wrong or there's a lot of problems or changes can also feel like you are in a fire. Like you are getting burned.

   I've felt that way before. I feel that way now. There's a lot going on in my life right now. There are problems in almost every area of my life. But there is hope. We only need to look at the Bible to see the hope. Story after story tells us about people who had faith and hope in God.

   One specific story about faith in the fire is about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abbendago. They knew it was wrong to worship a graven image. If they chose not to worship it, they could lose their lives. They would be thrown in the furnace. That was the literal fire they were facing. They didn't know what would happen, but they trusted that God would be with them. They had hope that God would save them.

   They chose to follow God even though it was hard. They chose to do what was right even though it would impact their whole lives. Because they did that, God was with them in the fire. He saved them from death because they chose to follow him.

   So, when you are facing the fire what do you do? How can you trust God more in the fire?

https://youtu.be/AeBaS_w67Ak

Don't Settle

    A few years ago, I began the journey of online dating. I was older than most people were when I started dating. I knew it may be possible that I find someone who was following Jesus but wasn't quite what I had in mind for a husband. I wasn't expecting perfection, as no one is perfect, but I was hoping for someone who could walk through life with me and who was following God.

   As I began the journey, I talked with some guys who called themselves spiritual but didn't believe in Jesus as their personal savior. I stopped talking with them fairly quickly as I knew that I needed someone who would follow Christ. Then I talked with some who were believers in Christ, but something still didn't feel right.

   See, I knew that there wasn’t one perfect person out there for everyone. What I was looking for was someone who could lead our family in a biblical way. Anything else was a bonus. The guys I was talking with were Christian and some were even leaders in their churches so I knew they would be good as a husband. But something kept holding me back from agreeing to be their girlfriend.

   Then I met Nate. He believed in Christ and was a humble leader. In no way was Nate perfect, but he was following the same path I was, and I felt equally yoked to him. And, as a bonus, he had many of the same interests I did. 

   He was more than I could have hoped for. Because, for years, I thought something was wrong with me. I thought no one would want me because no one had shown an interest in me. But that was a lie. God wanted me. He wanted me to trust him. He wanted me to grow in him, lean on him, and love him before I could love another the way God loves. 

   He also wanted what is best for me and it was better than what I was expecting. I was ready to settle. When I say settle, I was ready to find a man who was following God. And, yes, that would have been enough and fine. But God had more in store for me. He had a different plan. And it was so much better than settling.

   So, are you where you need to be in your walk with God? How can you trust in his plan more each day?

Slipping Down the Cliff

     Sometimes I feel like Cliff Hanger from the show Between the Lions. I am holding onto the cliff, trying to climb it, but it doesn’t seem like I'm getting that far. Worse, there are times where it feels like I am slipping.

   What I mean is, when I am in a close relationship with God I am holding onto the cliff and climbing just fine. God's showing me which handholds and footholds to use. But when I miss spending time with him in his word or in prayer I begin to slip. I miss a handhold, and it feels like I am falling.

   These are times when life gets busy. You know the times I'm talking about. When you have school, work, activities for you or your family, church, vacations, bills, etc. And time just gets away from you. That's the time the Devil seems to love the most. He loves poking at your hands and feet to try to get you to slip away from God.

   But here's the thing, even though it's not always easy we do have a choice. When we begin to slip, maybe fall back into sin, we can choose to hold on. We can choose to reach up to God's hand that is right there to grab us.

Follow the Spirit's Leading

    Have you ever had a time when you felt the Spirit leading you to do something, but you chose not to do it? I know I have. One of the times that sticks in my brain the most is when I was in sixth grade. I was in a fight with my best friend. We had not been talking for at least three months.

   Then one day I got off the bus to walk home. My friend lived on my street. I felt the Spirit leading me to talk with her. To try to reconnect with her. To ask for forgiveness. But my pride got in the way. She was the one who wronged me. She should be the one to say sorry. She should make the first step toward reconnecting. 

   I didn't talk with her that day. The next day she wasn't on the bus. The cars that were normally at her house were gone. I had known they were moving but I had no idea it would be so soon. The spirit knew. The spirit told me to reconcile with her, but I chose not to listen. Now, later I did try to say sorry, but she was not receptive to it. Who knows, if I had tried to reconcile that day, maybe she would have been my friend again. I felt sorry and ashamed for not listening to the spirits leading.

   Another time I was at a church event. I was running the sound system. I had just turned the lights down for prayer and began playing a prayer playlist. The person up front was praying. Suddenly, I had a vision of someone I hadn't talked to or heard from in over a year. I saw her talking at the microphone in front of everyone. I heard her ask for prayer.

   I'm not going to lie, part of me didn't want to text her even though that's what I felt the Spirit telling me to do. I didn't want to because this was a girl who had been after my boyfriend. A girl who told me she hated me. And she had cut us off when we tried to help her. But I knew I should listen.

   I texted her that I felt the Spirit leading me to pray for her. Then prayed for her to grow in God and that she would be blessed. I heard back from her. She thanked me and asked me to pray for some more specific things and I did. I felt such peace and joy after I did that. And I don't know what me choosing to do that did for that girl, but we are called to follow the Spirit's leading. We may not see the outcome but it's our job to plant the seeds.

   So, are you following the Spirit's leading? How can you grow closer to God so you can know what he wants you to do?