self help – Grow Anyway

STOP and ABOUT-TURN

December 14, 2022December 13, 2022by Liz Goss2 Comments

There are 2½ weeks left in 2022 and I have a message for you: stop and about-turn. When you read those words, they probably caught in your throat and you instantly thought of something. We all need to stop and turn around in some area. So let’s look at twenty things we can stop doing and how we can turn them around with truth from scripture.

STOP: taking control

ABOUT-TURN: remember God is in control

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” – Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: worrying

ABOUT-TURN: pray

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: saying “I can’t”

ABOUT-TURN: say “I can”

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” – Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: giving into temptation

ABOUT-TURN: escape temptation

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” – 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: giving up

ABOUT-TURN: persevere

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” – Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: letting anger control you

ABOUT-TURN: forgive

“Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.” – Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭11‬ [‭NLT‬‬]

STOP: letting your mind wander

ABOUT-TURN: control your thought life

“We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” – ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭5‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: filling your mind with garbage

ABOUT-TURN: fill your mind with virtuous things

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” – Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: hanging out with people that lead you to sin

ABOUT-TURN: find friends that help you grow

“Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”” – 1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭33‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: feeling guilty

ABOUT-TURN: confess and be forgiven

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” – ‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: sinning over an over

ABOUT-TURN: confess your sin and stop

“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.” – Proverbs‬ ‭28‬:‭13‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: doubting

ABOUT-TURN: trust

“But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.” – Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: looking everywhere for truth

ABOUT-TURN: look to God’s word

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” – 2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭[NLT]

STOP: asking everyone around you what to do

ABOUT-TURN: ask God

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. – Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: blaming other for our wrongdoing

ABOUT-TURN: take responsibility

“For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” – 2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: getting drunk

ABOUT-TURN: take your problems to God

“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,” – ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: speaking harshly

ABOUT-TURN: be gentle with your words

“Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can break bones.” – Proverbs‬ ‭25‬:‭15‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: holding people responsible for their wrong doing

ABOUT-TURN: love each other

“Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” – ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: holding grudges

ABOUT-TURN: forgive

“But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”” – Mark‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

STOP: following whatever ideas you want

ABOUT-TURN: discipline yourself by scripture

“Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly.” – 1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭[NLT‬‬]

Now for the challenge:

Pick one thing to STOP from the list above.
Write down what you need to do to ABOUT-TURN.
Memorize the related scripture verse (or carry it around with you) this week.

liz goss

You Can Experience God Now!

September 21, 2022September 20, 2022by Liz Goss1 Comment

Could it be that God needs to grow us into people who can handle having a deeply personal relationship with Him? It is always easy to point our faces to the sky in exasperation and wonder where God is. After all, we are trying to find Him. We are seeking. Isn’t that our job? To seek?

This my friends is limbo land and we’ve probably all taken up residence here at some point in our lives. Feeling like we are holding up our end of the bargain and begging God to just show up. Seeking. Knocking. Very focused on getting right before God and trying to manage our inevitable disappointment because we just can’t feel Him.

But while we are focused on feeling God’s presence, finding God’s will and knowing what He wants us to do, God is just… here. I know it sounds too good to be true after all our trouble and effort but it’s actually (sorry) not required. Our striving doesn’t earn His notice. He is noticing you right now.

And that’s why I say God may need to grow us to a place where we are able to have a beautiful relationship with Him. Because He is always with us. Jesus’ parting words to His disciples were: “and be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew‬ ‭28:20‬)

God is always calling you to see more true reality. He is always looking for your gaze. Never doubt His perpetual protection or wonderful nature. We just need to get better at understanding Him. We need to learn who He is so we recognize Him. Keep our spirits open and sensitive by thinking on holy things. And most of all, we need to believe that God is with us because all too often we find exactly what we are looking for.

Experiencing God isn’t just about doing more – it’s about seeing more clearly.

VERSES TO PONDER:

“He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” (Psalms 91:4)

“Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the Lord replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand.” (Judges 13:18)

“Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

liz goss

COMMIT TO CHANGE (a how to guide)

August 17, 2022August 16, 2022by Liz Goss2 Comments

Have you ever had something hard to do? Maybe there is an attitude that you want to correct, a habit that’s gotten the better of you or something you know you need to do. But even when you know we need to make a change it can be so difficult. How do we even start?

God gave the Israelites some help in this area. He knew that they struggled with their attitudes, habits and to do what’s right. So he began with this advice:

“And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NLT)

The first step is committing ourselves wholeheartedly… which is hard to do. It’s easy to begrudgingly decide to do something. Or make a change even though you don’t want to. Or drag your feet but to it anyway. But God says we need to commit with our WHOLE heart. Need a song to get this idea flowing?

WHOLEHEARTED by: Rend Collective

Next we have to battle our forgetfulness. Have you ever gone to bed with the best intentions to make a change when the alarm goes off the next morning… just to forget why you were planning to get up early? So what does God suggest? Repetition. God tells us to repeat our commitments over and over to others. Talk about them at home and away, morning and evening.

Do you need to commit to making a change? Do you need to stop or start doing something so that you are bringing glory to God with your whole life? We all do!! Keep Deuteronomy 6:6-7 in front of your eyes this week so that you remember what God is prompting you to work on. And then do it with all your heart.

liz goss

Have You Ever Read Numbers?

July 13, 2022July 13, 2022by Liz GossLeave a Comment

In case you are looking at the screen in confusion, Numbers is the fourth book of the Old Testament (right after Leviticus) and it has nothing to do with math. Instead, Numbers showcases the faithfulness of God. Unsettled and weary as the Israelites often were (and tempted to envy everything they left behind or saw surrounding them) they were the most blessed of ALL people. Even in the wilderness, God dwelled in their midst – no other nation had the presence of God.

I love this book because we get to see God intimately interact with people. It’s breathtaking. Scary. Exhilarating. Frightening. And nestled inside of Numbers is a truth I want to shout from the rooftops: God desires to do life with you.

But in order to do life with a holy and just God we will have to wrestle with this verse from Numbers, “The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty.” Numbers 14:18

Interestingly enough the first half that I bolded is usually where people stop the quote. And while it’s a great half – it’s only half. See the Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, but he’s also pure. He cannot live with unexcused sin, which is why we see example after example of God’s punishment of the Israelite people in Numbers.

BUT. You and I are living in a time where God’s presence is even more precious because it is accessible. United through the sacrifice of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit we have become the dwelling place of God. And while the Israelites could not completely escape their guilt… we can through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Reading the Old Testament is a treasure of truth for our souls, helping us appreciate the true gift of a relationship with God. He wants to live with us. He wants to fight for us. He wants to walk beside us and speak with us. But he will not forgive the guilty. Which is why we need Jesus.

Have you thanked Jesus today for restoring you to God? Did you notice the relationship you now have with God? Don’t miss the heart of the one who knows you best and loves you most. In the book of Numbers, an entire generation of Israelites passed away in the wilderness under the guilt of their sin. God has provided a way back for you this very moment.

If you don’t have a personal relationship with God know that it isn’t because he’s distant. God loves nothing more than to do life with his people. He made a way to remove our guilt at great personal cost. But we have to want it. We have to choose with our lives. God desires to do life with you. Do you desire to do life with him?

liz goss

Christmas Has Come

December 22, 2021December 22, 2021by Liz Goss3 Comments

We are all handling things. Hectic schedules. Kids. Marriage. Jobs. Family dynamics. Sick pets. Cancer treatment. Divorce. Death of loved ones. Disappointment. The list never ends. And because trials keep coming our hearts can get so weary.

Have you ever lost heart when things got more than you could handle?

How does it feel to lose heart? The idea that you have anything special to offer the world… fades. Adventure seems distant and life is only drudgery. And the idea that anyone cares about your heart and is coming for you is only a distant childhood fantasy.

We can lose heart in the midst of life’s really hard moments because we doubt that God is for us. And this doubt is Satan’s oldest trick.

“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. Genesis 3:2-6

Satan knows that if we can take our eyes off the lover of our souls, we can begin to believe his lies. Lies from the pit of hell such as: God doesn’t care what happens to you, God is indifferent to your pain, God isn’t paying attention, or God has other priorities. Satan will throw these ideas across your path like broken glass in your hardest moments, tempting your heart to despair.

But… Christmas. That word is like a sigh of relief from the depth of our souls. God with us. The God of the universe decided that humanity was so precious to him that he would come save them himself. All they had to do was believe. Believe that he was truly for them; here in the person of Jesus Christ and offering restored relationship with God.

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. John 1:10-13

God will allow you more than you can handle to come into your life, because he knows that HE can handle it. God is for you and he treasures your heart over everything else in the world he created. So when life throws hard things your way feel the sorrow, and then take it right to the one who knows you best and loves you most.

I don’t know what you’re handling right now, but Christmas is the best news your heart ever got. The God of the universe came down to prove that he is for you, he loves you, and he would move mountains to reach you.

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. John 14:1

Do not let your heart be troubled. Christmas. Has. Come.

Uncategorized

Godly Sorrow: The Distress that Drives us to God

September 15, 2021by Guest Blogger1 Comment

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. [2 Corinthians 7:10]

I will never forget the year I outlawed the use of the word, “sorry” in my sixth-grade classroom. For some reason, the majority of my students thought that simply saying the word, “sorry” gave them a free pass from any consequence or any need to change their behavior. Saying, “sorry” was the magic word that would stop any authority figure from holding them accountable for their slip-ups and misdeeds and would relieve any feelings of badness and sadness they felt, especially when they were “sorry” about being caught. “Sorry” became the word that could hide them from judgment for breaking the rules, but their version of “sorry” had no power to change their hearts or help them recognize the wounds in relationships they were causing.

So, to move my precious charges from a position of self-centeredness and complete self-absorption, I outlawed the word “sorry” and gave them other phrases to use instead. All year we worked on empathy for others, so that saying, “I have hurt you,” and “This offense is my responsibility,” had a real impact on their hearts. We worked on forgiving and the giving of grace by saying to a classmate dealing with a misstep, “That’s okay, you are still a good person.”

I borrowed a page from the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians as I asked God for help with this tough-hearted little crew He had given me to love. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians had really scorched their hides, demanding accountability for the sin and divisions that had turned their church into a shipwreck. Then, worrying that he had been too harsh, Paul wrote in his second letter to them, that he wanted them to feel the Godly sorrow that would lead to real change.

He wanted them to recognize how truly destructive this current sin-cycle was to their relationship with God, with one another, and within themselves. He didn’t want them to concentrate on outward behavior, but on letting the grace of God and His love penetrate their hearts. Paul wanted the Corinthians to love well, the way Jesus loves, and that meant measuring their behavior by how well they were maintaining loving, healthy relationships. He didn’t want their lives defined by hiding, regret, or being driven away from God and each other by an angry, condemning conscience.

Paul’s Holy Spirit-inspired approach inspired me to help my students move from trying harder to be good and nice and less snarky, to training their hearts to value loving well. Instead of making vows to do better and throwing out a quick, “sorry,” we worked on creating a safe environment where behavior could be evaluated without threat and tools for true change could be discovered and used. I have to admit, that the more deeply we explored this approach, the more of my own “me-sickness” surfaced. God lovingly and gracefully dealt with me, the biggest sinner in that classroom!

What about you? Would you be interested in living a life that leaves no regret, a life defined by true change and healing? Do you want out of the living death of a continuous sin cycle? Embracing Godly sorrow, rather than worldly sorrow is the key. You and I can pray for God to help us turn our perspectives outward so that we have the big picture our sin and mess are creating. The distress we feel at getting caught can be changed to a distress that drives us to a loving Father who is ready to forgive, grant us a do-over, and over time, equip us to love better. We can pray for a more sensitive heart that cares deeplywhen we hurt God, hurt others, and hurt ourselves. That is Godly sorrow. What would it look like in your life?

BY: Stephanie Murillo

For Further Study
2 Corinthians 7: 8-10
2 Samuel 12:13
1 Kings 8:47-50
Matthew 21:32
Matthew 26:75
2 Timothy 2:25-26

Uncategorized

Smelling Like Jesus

September 8, 2021September 8, 2021by Guest Blogger1 Comment

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. [2 Corinthians 2:14]

What is your favorite scent? What aroma do you find most tantalizing? The smell of baking bread? The way the air is perfumed after a rain? What perfume really pleases you? The apostle Paul spoke of his favorite scent in 2 Corinthians 2:14. To understand the context, you have to attend a once-in-a-lifetime Roman parade!

In Paul’s day, after a hard-fought, long and arduous campaign, the victorious Roman general would return home in a triumphant, loud, colorful, parade. What a spectacle! The procession would be led by state officials followed by trumpeters filling the city with ear-splitting blasts. Then large drawings and of the conquered lands and models of fallen citadels would be carried in to the cheers of the crowd. A white bull, destined to be sacrificed, was also a part of spectacle. Chained captive princes, leaders, and generals came next, knowing that prison and execution awaited them at the parade’s conclusion. Officers in charge of punishment, called lictors, brandished their rods as they followed the prisoners. Then came the musicians with lyres followed by priests swinging their censers with sweet smelling incense burning in them. Finally, the general and his army paraded in, wearing all their decorations and garlands, shouting, “lo triumphe!” a cry of triumph. What sights! What sounds! What sweet aromas! Feast your eyes, indulge your nose, for you may never see or smell another one of these parades in your lifetime!

This is the picture Paul has in mind in 2 Corinthians 2:14. He sees Jesus, God’s Christ, marching in triumph throughout the world in a victorious, fragrant parade. You and I, as believers, are part of that magnificent profession! The loving, Christ-like way in which we live our lives is the perfume that wafts over the onlookers, drawing them to Jesus. All the sweetness, tenderness, courtesy, unselfishness, and desire to build others up combine to make the “fragrance of Christ” a scent of selfless love that invites others to join the parade.

Realizing that you and I leave a spiritual scent-trail as we move through each day, perhaps we should ask ourselves, “What kind of aroma or odor does my behavior and attitude release into the world?” I have to confess that my times of selfishness or anger have released some pretty noxious clouds of “Stephanie-stink” into the room. The “fragrance of Christ” was nowhere to be found! No wonder people ran for their lives!

The key to perfuming the world with the love of Christ begins the moment we awaken in the morning. We can pray, “Holy Spirit, help me choose the right scent today. I want to smell like Jesus.” As believers, we can ask our divine Coach to energize our desire to wear Eau de Love instead of going out into the world reeking of self-pity, self-righteousness, or any of the other stenches that come from our smelly, unwashed flesh. We can pray for help because our Daddy-God, our Abba receives us with such grace and mercy. When he sniffs the stink of self, He tells us that we don’t smell good, then offers to wash us with the healing soap of His Word. Our job is to admit we stink, jump in the tub, then, in gratitude for Jesus’ love for us, carry His perfume out into the world.

BY: Stephanie Murillo

Scripture Soap:

2 Corinthians 2:14-16
Ezekiel 20:41
Ephesians 4:2, 15
Ephesians 5: 2
Psalm 51

Uncategorized

Twenty Critical Minutes

August 25, 2021by Guest Blogger1 Comment

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. – 2 Corinthians 10:5 [NIV]

We have all heard about counting to ten when we are angry. Now neuroscientists are telling us that a twenty-minute period after strong emotions wash over us is a critical period. Why is this? The amygdala, a walnut-shaped organ in the mid-brain, whose job it is to detect threat, needs twenty minutes after it “alerts” to calm down. During that time this little organ is hijacking electrical energy from the front of the brain where we think and plan, to the brain stem where we either fight or flee.

So, the moment we become anxious, what we do with that twenty-minute period immediately afterward is critical. We can send up a 9-1-1 prayer, recite Scripture we have memorized, drink a glass of water, or take a quick walk before letting ourselves react. Immediately moving to a worst-case scenario may become our go-to strategy without a steady diet of prayer, Scripture, and reminding ourselves that God can handle even this tsunami of strong emotion.

A theologian from Proverbs 31 Ministries recently pointed out that when we react instead of respond, our actions become “historical and hysterical.” Without training, we will default to old and often ineffective strategies when we are triggered by our amygdala.

You do have a choice.

The amazing part of all this “brain stuff” is that we do have a choice about where those impulses travel when we are angry, afraid, or experiencing any strong emotion, especially during that critical twenty-minute period. But the brain must be re-trained over a fairly long period of time to “take thoughts captive” when the heat is on. When we “take a thought captive” we are literally re-routing electrical impulses down a new neural path!

The brain initially resists this because it has already created “super-highways” of connected neurons. It doesn’t want to slow down to bushwhack through a new neural tangle when learning a new strategy or response. As we pray, read the Bible, memorize Scripture and meditate on it, our brains can learn to slow down to re-tool, re-set, and restructure. When stressed, we can eventually learn to use those critical twenty minutes to pray, “Lord, calm all my fears with Your love. Help me remember Your truth.”

The key is consistent training, which includes reading, memorization, meditation on what we read, and application of truth to a specific situation, all requiring the assistance of our personal Coach, the Holy Spirit. We can also pray, “Holy Spirit, please train me and cue me and give me the energy to respond rather than react when I become triggered emotionally.”

How old are you really?

One last thought: When we react after being triggered, we go to our true emotional age rather than our chronological age. If an unresolved trauma happened between four and fourteen, we react like the age we were when we were damaged and branded by that incident. That is why people act like deranged adolescents or a toddler having a tantrum when triggered in public. So, part of emotional/spiritual development is actively seeking healing and counseling for unresolved hurts from our past. That unlocks us from our stuck places and lets us grow up to use that twenty-minute period in a healthy manner.

By the way, many of today’s Christian psychologists and counselors believe that spiritual growth and emotional growth are one and the same. When we commit to daily training with the Holy Spirit, our Coach, over time, and with God’s grace and truth, our brains can re-shape our neural thought highways so we grow up into mature strategies. God will do His part as we do our part so that fear and panic no longer hijack our healthy responses to threat and big challenges.

BY: Stephanie Murillo

FOR FURTHER STUDY

Philippians 4:8
Psalm 10:4
Psalm 13:2
Psalm 55:2
Psalm 139: 17, 23
Isaiah 55:8
Hebrews 3:1
Hebrews 4:12
Proverbs 31 podcast

liz goss

Flip the Narrative

July 21, 2021by Liz Goss2 Comments

I am very ugly
so don’t try to convince me that
I’m a very beautiful person
because at the end of the day
I hate myself in every single way
And I’m not going to lie to myself by saying
There’s beauty inside of me that matters
So rest assured I will always remind myself
That I am a worthless, terrible person
And nothing you say will make me believe
I still deserve love
Because no matter what
I am not good enough to be loved
And I am in no position to believe that
Beauty does exist within me
Because whenever I look in the mirror I always think
Am I as ugly as people say?

👉🏻 NOW, read from the bottom to the top! 👈🏻

It’s all about perspective! What story are you telling yourself in the mirror every single day? Flip the narrative and change the story, it will change your life. I get it, you are saying Liz… if it was that easy we’d all be problem free. And I know changing your perspective is hard. We are usually pretty committed to our perspectives. We have invested a lot in them.

Kind of like Jonah. He was a prophet and committed to telling people to repent and be saved. He did it well. So well, that when God told him to go preach repentance to Nineveh Jonah said “no way”! When he preached people changed and Jonah didn’t want Nineveh to be saved. They were BAD NEWS. So God had to give Jonah a new perspective, being swallowed by a whale.

Inside the whale Jonah finally got the idea that God was in control and God was the one who could save. He got the narrative straightened out. And once he was seeing clearly God could use Jonah again.

Is there a narrative that you need to flip? What are you telling yourself that isn’t true. Maybe you think you are in control when you need to trust. Maybe you are calling ugly what God has called beautiful. Maybe you are running from what you know God has called you to.

Flip the narrative by praying like Jonah! (chapter 2)

Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

Uncategorized

The Anchor Holds though the Ship is Battered

July 14, 2021by Susan Collins2 Comments

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:2

The Run Free series of sermons has REALLY been powerful. I have been encouraged, convicted, and challenged through every sermon.

This past Sunday, Pastor Rick Blickenstaff took on the monuments topic of doubt and unbelief. Two of the metaphors he used really struck a strong chord within me were: the Anchor and the Post of Honor.

THE ANCHOR

In my last post, I talked about facing the empty nest as a single parent. This is my story of how the life I had planned and the life that I have do not match up. I have wrestled with many ideas connected to this incongruity in my life. The one constant that I have never wavered on is that God is in control.

Pastor Rick told us that the physics behind the rope and anchor is that the load it can bear should be five times more than the load it carries. WOW! That’s a lot of strength. More strength that I have ever had at any point in my life. I know that as I have trudged through the quicksand of depression, confusion, and despair the load that I carried was ALL that I could bear. Fortunately, I am not the anchor in my life. Jesus is my anchor, and that load is way less than 1/5 of the load He can bear.

THE POST OF HONOR

My post of honor is multi-faceted.

I am living as a single person in a world that promotes a sinful lifestyle for singles.
I have raised two children by myself.
I am a prodigal parent.

That is the race marked out for me at this time in my life. We all have difficulty in our personal races. It’s easy to look at other people’s social media feed and think that they have the perfect life. Remember that is the highlight reel. Most of us do not share our struggles publicly. They are reserved for the people who have earned the right to share our vulnerability.

If you’re trudging through quick sand, reach out. There is someone who has been down a similar path or paid the dues to join that awful club before you. If you don’t know anyone, contact Amy. She’ll be gentle, compassionate, and discreet. Just don’t struggle alone.