Fear not is a direct command of God; yet, as humans how do we do that?  How do we lay aside all fear?  When facing trials, the uncertainties of a move, and when questioning ourselves as to whether or not we heard God correctly; we humans tend to fear the unknowns which are before us.  How do we look into the darkness of a future with unwavering faith?  We search and seek to know the future.  We want every detail to be laid out neatly so as to believe.  We tend to be planners and question God when we find that He may not have laid out the plan in the same way we have.  We may want to believe; yet, deep within us rises the urge to fear the unknown.  Still fear not is a command of faith that trusts in God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and His determined will which is always intrinsically for the the good of His children-those who have been adopted into His family by faith in Jesus Christ.  C. S. Lewis wrote in his book The Problem of Pain the following quote. 

Artwork of Ronald Barba (used by permission)

"God’s will is determined by His wisdom which always perceives, and His goodness which always embraces, the intrinsically good. But when we have said that God commands things only because they are good, we must add that one of the things intrinsically good is that rational creatures should freely surrender themselves to their Creator in obedience. The content of our obedience—the thing we are commanded to do—will always be something intrinsically good, something we ought to do even if (by an impossible supposition) God had not commanded it. But in addition to the content, the mere obeying is also intrinsically good, for, in obeying, a rational creature consciously enacts its creaturely role, reverses the act by which we fell, treads Adam’s dance backward, and returns."  C.S. Lewis from The Problem of Pain Copyright © 1940, C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. Copyright restored © 1996 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd.

So, following the command of God not to fear is an act of trust in who God is.  It reflects our faith in Him, not the circumstances which surround us nor in our own abilities.  It must take our eyes off of ourselves and our circumstances.  So how do we do this?  What are the steps we must take? 

Continue reading Slaying the Dragon of Fear →

Recently I had a friend who was under constant attack by their coworkers who asked me for advice.  They felt defeated, injured, and sad because of the words of their coworkers.  Have you been there?  In this world in which we live, we all have at some time been the victim of others gossip.  What are we to do?  Peter addressed this very issue as he wrote:

1 Peter 2:(NIV)  15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil;live as God’s slaves.

used courtesy of istock.com/Zhenikeyev

Our very nature is to retaliate or to respond with anger in an attempt to clear our own name, so how do we respond with goodness and kindness to the very people who would like to cause us harm?  How does kindness and goodness silence their ignorant talk?  Peter tells us that the key to this can be found in looking at Christ’s response.

1 Peter 2: (NIV)  21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example,that you should follow in his steps.

22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”[e]

23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

If our natural response is to retaliate in defense, then what must we do to be able to respond with kindness?  

Continue reading Silencing the Foolish Talk with Goodness →

Promises are only as good as the veracity of the one promising and their ability to keep that promise.  God’s covenant promises with mankind are based upon His truthfulness, faithfulness and are firmly grounded by His love.  They are not based upon our abilities nor our veracity.  He who spoke the universe into being has the power to keep those promises as well.  When God swore an oath with Abraham, He swore upon His own word because there was no greater power to swear upon. (Hebrews 6: 13).  Back in Genesis 9, following the flood; God established a covenant which was that never again would He destroy all of earth with a flood; thus He placed His bow in the sky as a symbol. (Genesis 9:11-13)a  The rainbow has ever since stood as a symbol of God’s grace and symbolic of more than just this one promise.  Indeed it stands as a symbol that God will complete His promises and will forever remain true to Himself.  It does not mean that judgment will not come; though not as a flood to destroy everything–His bow does stand for judgment as well as for His mercy. 

photo courtesy of Alberto Sepulveda

It stands as a firm sign of His covenant promises to all who believe and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior.  He paid the price, the penalty demanded that justice remain true.  Look at Revelations,

Continue reading God’s Bow in the Sky–Symbol of Judgment or Promise of Mercy- You Choose →

Matthew 11: 28

²⁸Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest

Though Christ has promised to provide us rest, there are moments in our lives that we are filled with sorrow such as described by David in this Psalm.

Psalm 69:

²I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.

³I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.

We wonder in those moments whether we can bare up under the weight of it all.  It was such a moment when my brother died suddenly, when my father died and again with the death of my beloved husband.  The same was true when I was told I had cancer and throughout the treatment for that and later the other illnesses and surgeries which plagued my life.  So often I wondered whether all

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com

this was God’s punishment for my sins and my failures.  I bore my cross with great sorrow and knew it would be worth it to one day see Christ.  As though this was the necessary cross so that I could be made acceptable to God and to be made worthy of His grace.  Yet, that was wrong and that was wrong theology;

Continue reading Yoked to Find Rest →

Would I Love You Even More

I felt the searing, pelting rain

Deep within my soul

I was uncertain where to turn

Or what should be my goal

 

I gazed upon a cross so far

That stood upon a hill

A Lion strong had died a Lamb

He gave His life at will

 

That I so undeserving be

Might see His face of love

A Glimpse of His true Glory

To fill me with from above

 

Would I love You just the same

When my life is filled with shame

When pain is all I know

Would my love for You still show?

 

Can I show Your Glory still

Accept this as Your will

When my heart is broke in two

Cradled in Your hands, renew

As on Your hope I soar

Would I love You even more?

 

This poem I wrote in 2010 after having surgery.  It had been a surgery in the which they had to reconstruct my abdominal wall with pig fascia.  So many prior surgeries had left my abdominal wall weak and I had multiple hernias.  It was necessary to attach the pig fascia to my rib cage which being very innervated resulted in a lot of pain at first.  The first day post surgery, I had lost my intravenous site and no one was able to start an IV immediately; meaning no pain medicine could be given.  As I lay there, I remember that there was a moment in which the pain was so intense that my body trembled, I could barely whisper when anyone asked me a question.  At first, I started to pray to God to just ease the pain; then, the thought entered my mind as to how much more was the pain Christ had suffered when they had beaten Him.  With the flesh torn and the certain bruises encircling His rib cage, followed by all the torturous day while being brought to trial.  No pain medicine would be brought to Him. They then hung Him to a cross with nails driven through His hands and feet.  Suddenly, I realized that my pain was nothing compared to what He so willingly bore for me.  My love for Him grew that day as I whispered a Thank You to my Lord and Savior.  Peace filled my soul.  Without pain and suffering can we ever realize the price He paid for us?  If I never faced trials would I realize my need for Him and the peace He provides?   If I never suffered loss would I be so content with counterfeit joys that I would never seek and find the only True Joy that is found in Him? 

2 Corinthians 1: 3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

 

Question:  Can you remember a time when pain, trial or suffering  resulted in your loving God more?

 

Hope you enjoy this video I found, as I think this song is so beautiful. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnjc1zUXKec

 

© 2013 Effie Darlene Barba

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to any brands, products or services that I have mentioned I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides regarding the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”