Tag Archives: Believe

But it’s a long way down…

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Why is it that we find it so hard to surrender our lives to God? We say we have faith and trust Him, yet when it comes down to it we struggle with actually letting go and letting God be in control. Why? I think it’s fear. Fear of the unknown…fear of change…fear of getting out of our comfort zones. Ultimately, we are afraid of not being in control. We stand at the edge of the precipice and stare down, thinking only about how far down it is. I know it seems like a long way down, and in the flesh it is but there is no distance too far for the Creator. God will meet you where you are, but you have to trust Him. When God leads you to the metaphorical cliff, don’t just step off reluctantly…have a bold faith and jump! Each time I’ve “jumped”, I have found that the invisible safety net was right below me all the time. Don’t be afraid to make that move, take that job, talk to that person or make that decision…follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. You know when He’s been talking to you. Surrender your life to Him…let Him be in control and JUST BELIEVE and TRUST! 

Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” 

Psalm 55:22 “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” 

Mark 5:36 “Jesus told him, Don’t be afraid; just believe.” 

It’s not religion, it’s a relationship…

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I think there are some misconceptions about religion vs. relationship with Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, I think that there might be a lot of people that feel like just because they go to church every Sunday that they have fulfilled their quota for considering themselves “Christians” and yet don’t even know that they are missing out on the single most important thing in their entire lives – a PERSONAL  relationship with Jesus Christ!!! We don’t need religion, we need Him!!!

Romans 10:9 says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved”. 

I’m not talking about salvation here everyone, you can be saved and yet still not have a PERSONAL relationship with your Savior! I confessed Jesus as my Savior when I was about eleven and truly believed but my personal relationship with Him didn’t start until the night I came to Him with my life and asked for His help. In that moment when I reached out to Him, it became real to me and I put my trust in Him to actually help me. From that time on, my personal relationship with Him started and has continued to grow each and everyday over the past several years since I reached out to Him. I talk to Him everyday – sometimes in formal prayer but because I talk to Him throughout each day, most of the time it’s just like a conversation I would have with you If I was speaking to you…in the morning – Thank you Father for another new day. At work – Lord, how should I handle this situation? On my commute home – thank you Jesus for the safe drive home today. At home – Lord, what should I do about this problem with my kids? When I’m afraid of something – Father, please give me peace. And the really cool part is…He answers me back!! He answers me by planting ideas in my head, He gives me songs that put things in perspective, He opens up doors that only He could open up…He speaks to me in many ways that I know could have only come from Him!! 

Friends, this is SO MUCH more than religion!! This is SO MUCH more than church!! This is so much more than canned prayers – this post cannot even start to explain how much my life has changed since I put my trust in Him and started a REAL relationship with Him! 

Is He real to you? Have you put your trust in Him? I know He will change your life too if you’ll put your trust in Him. He is trustworthy and will never let you down – He loves you and died for YOU. 

Psalms 22:4-5    

“In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not disappointed.”

Are you in?

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So I heard on the radio this morning that the Christian station I was listening to had done a 30 day listening challenge. A caller was on the line this morning that had taken the challenge and called in with this wonderful story about how she had fallen away from Christ and her friend told her about the listening challenge and she decided to do it and the songs touched her so much that she was inspired to get back in her Bible and it has positevely impacted every area of her life. 

The Lord also uses music to speak to me. There have been many times where a specific song will come on and it is exactly what I needed to hear at that exact moment. There have been days when I’m just feeling down and realized that I had been too busy to turn on the radio or my playlist on my phone and as soon as I turn it on and start listening, my spirits are lifted!

The day I took the leap of faith and gave my notice to my employer back in ND without having a new job lined up in AZ, I remember walking back into my office after just talking to a co-worker about it and I was admittedly thinking “what did I just do?” and right when I walked back into my office, the song “No Turning Back” by Brandom Heath was playing from my phone. There could have been any song playing at that time, but the Lord reassured me with the exact words I needed to hear! Our God is so incredibly amazing, I just can’t praise Him enough!!!

I’m going to issue the same challenge to everyone reading this. If you don’t already listen to Christian music on a regular basis, take the 30 day challenge. Listen to NOTHING but Christian music for 30 days…in the car, at work, etc. If you don’t normally listen to music, START. Make a point to to find a local Christian station and listen. Let’s see how the Lord uses music to speak to you!! 🙂

Looking for God’s Touch

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For those of us that are believers, we’re all looking for God’s touch – how He’s working in our lives, how He’s there to pick up the pieces as they start falling down. So why does His touch seem to be more evident for some people than others? Why is it so clear how and when He’s working in some people’s lives and not for others? You may be waiting around wondering when and how God is going to show up for you in your life but He IS working on everything, in each one of our lives. Even when we don’t feel His presence with us, He’s there. How amazing for us that He IS always there!

God has shown up in my life in a very big way, His work in me is very evident by not only the physical transformation but also the spiritual transformation I have undergone. His plan for my life has and is starting to become clear to me but it wasn’t always that way. Although I believed in God and believed Jesus to be my Savior, I did not feel His presence in my life. It wasn’t until I reached out to Him and called on Him for His help in my life that I started to become aware of His presence and He started to become “real” to me. I understand now that He had always been there, at work in my life but it didn’t become evident to me until I put my faith and trust in Him. Sometimes it’s hard to see the sunlight through the trees, but just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean that it’s not there. He IS there – He always has been and always will be. For us believers, He is the one constant that we can count on in our lives. If you don’t feel His presence in your life like you see Him have in others, there is a reason for that. He is working out every detail behind the scenes and one day in His time, it will be revealed to you. Until then…just trust. Read His word! Seek Him! Have patience and just trust. When the time is right – all the pieces will come together, the sunlight will break through and it will all become clear. Just trust.

Dear Father,

Thank you for the light you have given me so that I may be a light to others! Thank you for revealing yourself to me, for making your presence known in my life. This light that you have given me exists to glorify you and show others of your mercy and grace.

Today I pray for each of your children that you have called and who seek your face but have yet to feel your loving touch. Lord, give each of them your peace…the peace that passes all understanding. Give them a glimpse of their life to come when they are in closer relationship with you. Reveal yourself to them so that they too can glorify you. Fill them with your light so that they can also shine brightly and be a light to others. Father, help them to reach out to you. Help them to get out of their comfort zones and step out of their boxes to reach for YOU…not a specific church, not a specific “religion” but YOU.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.