Reason for the Manger: The Christmas Lamb

1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was pregnant. 6While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” – Luke 2:1-7 (NASB)

As we prepared for Christmas this year and all its festivities, we were looking forward to sharing a family favorite with friends, the gram cracker nativity scene. We had a date set and people confirmed to come. Yet, as the date drew closer, we realized things were going to need to be obviously shifted for one simple fact; we had just learned that our PCR tests confirmed that we were covid positive. Not a problem! We invited all to join us online and we would keep everything the same for the date selected.

The morning of the gram cracker Zoom nativity party had arrived, but our eyes were not on the frosting, the plastic wrapped gram crackers, or even the colorful sprinkles which would soon be unwrapped for the fun digital event. No, our eyes were on our pastures outside where a new baby lamb had finally been born. In our bundled-up state, we all ran out to the pasture behind the old, red barn to find the baby trying to nurse with its mother. It wasn’t long before we realized the mama didn’t want to nurse the baby. And with tempers around 25 degrees Fahrenheit, we needed to get the only hours old, shivering lamb inside to warm up by the fire or it would surely die.

Well, it was now about fifteen minutes before the zoom time had been set for the gram cracker nativity party, and nothing had been set up! I prayed for the Lord to intervene in this and make sense of it all amidst the hay, a dog kennel for a sleeping area for the lamb, and other preparations going into full swing for this helpless little lamb at that very moment. And then, it hit me. JESUS IS THE REAL CHRISTMAS LAMB! The time came for people to join and we introduced them to our surprise guest that morning, the Christmas lamb. We began by reading Isaiah 53. The lamb ended up being a wonderful visual for us regarding what Jesus Christ had done for us, spoken of in detail in verses four through six on the zoom call.

“4However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore,

And our pains that He carried;

Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted,

Struck down by God, and humiliated.

5But He was pierced for our offenses,

He was crushed for our wrongdoings;

The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him,

And by His wounds we are healed.

6All of us, like sheep, have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the LORD has caused the wrongdoing of us all

To fall on Him.” – Isaiah 53:4-6 (NASB)

The One who came at Christmas, the best gift humanity could ever receive, was GOD’S CHRISTMAS LAMB.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”- Romans 6:23 (NASB)

The Old Testament addressed the need of death to cover for sin (Exodus 12, Leviticus 4, Leviticus 5, and Numbers 9). What is sin? Sin is unintentionally or willfully disobeying God. The first example of death covering sin in the Bible goes all the way back to the first book in the Bible,  Genesis chapter 3. Adam and Eve chose to willfully disobey what the Lord God had told them and listened instead to a talking serpent. They desired to be like God, but as a natural consequence, disobedience took them further from God. Yet, in God’s mercy and unmerited favor, He gave the first people, Adam and Eve, the first glimpse the hope to come one future Christmas in Genesis 3:15 as He promised the coming of the Messiah.

“And I will make enemies Of you and the woman, And of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise Him on the heel.” – Genesis 3:15 (NASB)

God assured the serpent, the devil, as well as Adam and Eve that He Himself would make this right. Humanity had proven how selfish, easily manipulated, and ultimately helpless we are. And, praise God, God Himself was going to step down into His own creation (John 1:1-5) clothed in human flesh to pay the price for each of our grievances against God.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”- Romans 5:8 (NASB)

Ladies, no one else could have paid the price of death for each of our unintentional and willful disobedience against God. Only Jesus Christ was without sin. Jesus Christ was fully God as well as fully man. He is the only mediator humanity has between God and mankind. What a joyous gift God gave us at Christmas!

“He made Him who knew no sin to be ^[a]sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)

3This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” –  1 Timothy 2:3-6 (NASB)

Ladies, as Christmas is just a few days away, may each one reading allow your heart to pause and reflect. Do you think you are a good person? Good enough to merit eternal life in heaven? As you can see from Scripture, there is not one worthy to merit heaven apart from Jesus Christ, that means not me or you either (Romans 3:23). I currently have COVID and praise God that I know where I will go, when my final breath is taken on this earth. My question for you today is, do you know where you will go for all eternity? It’s not enough to merely “think so” or even to “hope so” —Jesus Christ wants you to know so.

“Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” – John 14:6 (NASB)

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” – 1 John 5:11-13 (NASB)

As we close this brief message on our need for Jesus Christ to take away our sins, I would like to offer you a moment – right now – to come to accept Jesus Christ as your rescuer, your Messiah, your Savior to take the punishment for the sins you have committed in your life and be able to be forgiven by God through the finished work of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for you, for me, and for anyone who will believe it.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I don’t have any excuses. I am not perfect. And I am aware that I cannot make it to heaven on my own. I don’t want to spend eternity being punished for my sins. Please forgive me. Please be the Lord, the boss, and the leader of my life from now on. Cleanse me from all the filth I have done. I believe you died on the cross for my sins, never sinning Yourself, and that on the third day you rose from the grave. Help me to live for You now. Help me to find a good Bible preaching church. And please help me to tell someone I have decided to follow You now. I love you, Jesus. Thank You for saving me. It’s in the name of my Savior Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer: “Through The Valley Of Achor” Week Eleven, Day Three

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer: “Through The Valley Of Achor”

Week Eleven, Day Three

 

“Shout for joy, you heavens! Earth, rejoice! Mountains break into joyful shouts! For the LORD has comforted His people, and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.” Isaiah 49:13 (HCSB)

 

While Jesus walked the earth and was carrying out His public ministry, the Jewish religious leaders continued to grow quite frustrated with the growing popularity among both Jewish and Gentile communities. While traveling to Jerusalem for His final Passover celebration prior to His crucifixion, Jesus rode into town upon a donkey. And according to Luke chapter 19, as He rode near to the Mount of Olives His crowd of disciples were joyously shouting of the miracles Jesus had done. At hearing this, one of the Pharisees within the group told Jesus that He needed to quiet His disciples. Then Jesus spoke, “I tell you,’ He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:37-40). May we realize the sheer majesty and honor due to the name of Jesus Christ that is sincerely deserved and praise Him in unabashed worship and praise. He is true to His promises and He will indeed show compassion and comfort to His people. May we rejoice!

 

Prayer For Today:

Dear God, in all things, You alone are supreme. In all matters, Your will proceeds. Allow me the boldness to hold fast to these powerful promises of Scripture when I need to breath fresh life so that I may praise You with the rest of Your creation. Teach me to thank You for my circumstances so that I may declare Your victory over adversity. Show me Your ways, Lord Jesus, so that I may bask in the fullness of Your blessing both in heaven as well as here on earth and praise You for Your everlasting goodness, mercy, guidance and grace. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

 

 

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer: “Through The Valley Of Achor” Week Seven, Day Six

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer: “Through The Valley Of Achor”

Week Seven, Day Six:

 

“8For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.” Ephesians 2:8-10 (HCSB)

Punishment is what each and every heart deserves due to our moral and spiritual conduct. But, praise be to God above, that all who trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior does not get what we deserve. Jesus Christ stepped down into His own creation to ransom humanity from the punishment we each merited (John 6:40). Jesus Christ did this by taking our flaws and blemishes upon His spotless life as He died on a cross and rose from the dead in victory on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4). As we recognize and acknowledge our utter dependency upon our Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, we are able to extend grace and mercy to others who have caused harm against us. Ephesians 2:10 states that we, as followers of Jesus Christ, were created to do good works for the glory of God. He has prepared these tasks for us and it is our great honor to fulfill God’s calling for our lives so that we may be used by God to help testify to others of the salvation that is freely available to each heart, from every culture, every language and every country (John 3:16).

Prayer For Today:

Lord, I want to bring you honor in each season of my life. I want to do Your will and follow You in faithfulness. Give me the grace to accomplish the tasks that You have placed before me. Help me to use kind words when interacting with (name)____________. I want to represent You well. Give me a heart that is filled with Your grace and Your mercy. Thank You for extending this same mercy and grace to my life. I am lost without You and thank You for Your daily guidance in my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer: “Through The Valley Of Achor” Week Seven, Day Two

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer: “Through The Valley Of Achor”

Week Seven, Day Two:

 

^“Teach me Your way, Yahweh, and I will live by Your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear Your name. I will praise You with all my heart, Lord my God, and will honor Your name forever. For Your faithful love for me is great, and You deliver my life from the depths of Sheol.” Psalm 86:11-13 (HCSB)

 

If we have walked with the Lord for any length of time, each heart can look back with gratitude on all that the Lord has spared us from. In a season of heartache, it is important to keep in mind the many times and seasons when the Lord personally came through for you in your own story. As we travel across cracked roads that are riddled with difficulty, may we seek the Lord in earnest, as we desire to praise God in the midst of our struggles. God has not called us to a situation that is beyond His redemption. If you are not living a life that is bringing honor to God, come clean before God and begin this very day. The Bible states that God is faithful to cleanse us from every kind of wickedness so that we are seen as pure before God (1 John 1:9). With our minds then freed from past guilt and shame, we are able to more fully praise God and focus on living out His truths in praise (Psalm 86:11-13).

 

Prayer For Today:

God, I have hidden this guilt in my heart for years. For the first time, I surrender ______________________ to You. I beg for Your forgiveness and claim the power of 1 John 1:9—that I am now pure before You because of my confession that Jesus paid the price for my imperfection. Give me a cheerful heart. Help me, like Psalm 86:11-13 says, look for ways to live out the truth of the Bible every day. Give me Your eyes and Your wisdom as to when I can share my own story of Your great rescue to (name)___________ who is greatly in need of encouragement. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

 

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer “Through The Valley Of Achor” Week Six, Day Six

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer “Through The Valley Of Achor”

Week Six, Day Six:

 

“When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7 (HCSB)

 

Within the book of 1 Chronicles, there is a brief description of a man by the name of Jabez. His name literally means “he will cause pain” (reference footnote of 1 Chronicles 4:9). Within each of our lifetimes, we will both experience and cause pain. In our times of deep sorrow and great longing, may we cry out to the Lord, as Jabez did. He pleaded with the Lord to be with him, to enrich his territory and to keep him from causing pain to others. The Bible goes on to say that God granted Jabez this prayer of his earnest heart (1 Chronicles 4:10). Much in the same way, Proverbs 16:7, clearly states that those who are your enemies, those who have been inflicted with pain from you, will be at peace with you—when your ways are pleasing in the Lord’s sight. May today be a marker for your heart. Run to the Lord in prayer and ask that He would guide you along the best pathway for your life to bring about good—not evil—in your life, in order to bring the Lord glory. He will do it—just as was true for Jabez and is recorded within Proverbs 16:7. There is no enemy too great for the Lord to subdue. There is no opposition to mighty for the Lord not to overcome. Acknowledge your need for His favor this very day and prayerfully purpose to walk in a way that is pleasing before the Lord.

 

Prayer For Today:

Lord, if it is not arrogant, I too wish for my territory to be expanded for your glory. I too want my enemies to be at peace with me as I seek to follow hard after You. Please grant me the stamina to follow even in the darkest valleys and starless nights. Please help (name)__________ to experience Your richness of blessing and favor, as was true for Jabez and all who seek after You. Thank You for the truth of Your written word, the Holy Bible. Remind me to listen for Your leading this very day. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

 

 

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer: “Through The Valley Of Achor” Check Point and Week Six, Day One

Check Point Two: Be Advised–Severe Thunderstorms with Hail

 

During our last few weeks in the Middle East, prior to parting ways with my husband for a year due to his next assignment, we encountered an incredible storm—unlike any we had ever heard of in this part of the world. Hail, severe wind, booming thunder and flashing lightning lit the sky as pelting rain attacked the backside of our home. As the rainwater and desert dirt were blown violently into the house as the storm raged, a poignant lesson was ingrained in my heart. It is not until we encounter the “storms of life” that we actually see where our “leaks” are. Whether your leaks (or holes) are within your perception of God, your relationship with your spouse, or another topic entirely, the reality remains the same—until the waters hit the house and the winds rage, you would be unaware of the hole. Speaking from personal experience, while weathering the storm, it is vital to remember where your hope and security are found as a follower of Jesus Christ—and that is in the Lord Himself. The storms have proven to be perfect opportunities, if I have been willing to see them as such, as ways to learn to follow the Lord more closely as the chaos, stress and strife of difficult times pound on the walls of my heart. Thus, rather than becoming paralyzed by the overwhelming reality of water “leaking in”, may this current “storm” be used by God in your own stories to push us to the Lord for rescue. May this “storm season” prompt you to take the needed steps to further fortify and protect your “home”—be it your heart, your relationships or even your faith in Almighty God (Proverbs 16:9). Why? Because you are worth it to an Eternal God who loves you (Galatians 2:20).

 

Theme of Week Six: God Knows The Way

Week Six, Day One:

 

“You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me.” Matthew 5:11 (HCSB)

 

When we follow hard after the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, there will come a time when persecution will come. At that moment, may we be shown as faithfully aligned to the Lord as we call out to Him in both sincerity of need and urgency of deliverence. God will not be mocked (Galatians 6:7). Thus, the Lord will be our defender and the One to ensure that all who call upon His name will be redeemed for His glory—in His perfect time. If you find yourself in a place today that leaves your faith feeling attacked or trampled on, realize the great opportunity you have been given to highlight the source of your strength. In the midst of hardship, as Christians, it is in our raw cries for rescue and our heartfelt need for salvation that the world is able to plainly see God on display. Ask the Lord to equip you, this very day, with an ability to stand tall in the midst of insults and crushing circumstances. In doing so, as a Christian you can declare with boldness He will see you through and that there is nothing unrighteous in the Lord (Psalm 92:12-15).

 

Prayer For Today:

Lord, I don’t know where to begin. You see the opposition. You see the massive obstacles I have to get around. I am overwhelmed. Help me to look beyond these present challenges. Help me, as is echoed in Psalm 92:12-15, be firmly grounded firmly in You like the palm and cedar of Lebanon so that I can withstand the storms and challenges that are all around. I want to be found faithful to declare Your goodness and righteousness to all. Please help (name)_________ to be like a palm and cedar as well; sturdy, grounded and bearing fruit until old age, for Your glory. You are bigger than this circumstance. Thank You that nothing catches You off guard. I trust You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

 

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer “Through The Valley Of Achor” Week Four, Day Six

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer “Through The Valley Of Achor”

Week Four, Day Six:

 

“On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.” Psalm 138:3 (NASB)

 

With the LORD, we are truly able to endure any grievance and hardship. With the knowledge that the LORD indeed hears and responds to our cries for help, we can be assured that our souls will be strengthened to walk through even the darkest valley. When life seems too oppressive to escape, call upon the LORD for needed relief. When all resources and back up plans have failed, call upon the name of the LORD as a sure rescue. When your spirit is downcast and needing something to hope in, call upon the name of the LORD Jesus Christ who will both edify and affirm your worth and purpose in life.

 

Prayer for today:

LORD, this is too much. This is too hard. I can hardly breathe. The circumstances are nearly swallowing me whole. Help me! Help me, please! I believe that You rescued the psalmist in Psalm 138:3 and that You can do it for (name)_________ now. Please step into (name)_________ situation and glorify Yourself. I trust You and thank You in advance for how You will rescue. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

 

Identity Theft: The Case of the Missing Christian Church

Have you ever read the Bible and wondered, “Why do Christians of today look so completely different than the Christian church of the Bible?”

 

Stories from the new testament, such as those from the book of Acts, as well as many others, share of a people who devoted themselves to one another in brotherly love and took care of the needs together through the body of the church (Acts 2:42). The problem that many non-Christians have today with Christians compared to those in the Bible mainly revolve around one word: #hypocrisy (Luke 12:1-3).

 

As Christians we speak of a God who loves others, enough so much in fact, that He gave His only Son (Jesus Christ) to bare the burden of punishment for all humanity—for each one who would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved (1 John 4:9-10). As Christians we speak of a God who forgives others and are sure to point out that we have been forgiven by this God, but are slow—if at all—to forgive those who wrong us (Matthew 18:21-35). As Christians we speak of a changed heart loving God more than anything else; while many non-Christians only watch us on an endless pursuit of more “stuff” and never being satisfied with what we have (1 Timothy 6:6-11). Can we see the sincere thoughts of hypocrisy coming from the non-believer? I mean, really, can you blame them for holding such a view?

 

In addition to these observations, many non-believers will note that many Christians do not value sexual purity before marriage and partake in the same drugs, alcohol and slanderous online sites as non-believers—all hoping to get the most “followers”, “likes” and additional peeps added to their “tribe”. Each egging one another on to get the next best and most jaw dropping photo…no matter the risk…no matter the cost. And the question then begs to be asked, how are we different from the world as we are called to be?

 

I mean, seriously. If Christians are just as concerned about getting followed, rather than following Jesus Christ—we have a problem. If the Christian church is more worried about getting “likes”, rather than aligning our hearts to what God likes—we have a problem. When we are more consumed by our digital platform, rather than the platform of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have missed the mark completely. What am I getting at? It’s time for the Christian church to take an honest assessment of priorities by looking at what consumes our schedules and our finances. From conversations with non-Christians, the feeling is that they hear us speaking of political positions more than caring for the status of souls. Further stated, rather than sharing of Jesus to those who do not look, think or act as “we” do, often times the non-Christian feels marginalized from the start and is repelled from wanting to have anything to do with anything we are in fact associated with.

 

Ladies, may we ask ourselves honestly, what has happened to us? Dare I say that we have forgotten what our Lord Jesus taught us in Luke 12:15. It’s time to realize that our identity is not found in our things or even our temporal relationships; our hope and identity is found in Jesus Christ our Lord—and that is a message that all people, of all nations, from all backgrounds NEED to hear. May we close today with the words of Jesus Christ:

13Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17“And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18“Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21“So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

      22And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23“For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24“Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25“And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? 26“If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28“But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! 29“And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30“For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31“But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

      33“Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:13-34 (NASB)

 

 

 

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer “Through The Valley of Achor” Week Four, Day One

DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Katie Messer

“Through The Valley of Achor”

Theme of Week Four: God Is With Me

 

Week Four, Day One:

 

“The LORD will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose waters never run dry.” Isaiah 58:11(HCSB)

 

The LORD looked after the Israelites as they wandered in the dry and austere desert for forty years (Exodus 16:1-3, Exodus 16:35). As they grumbled and begged to go back to the land of slavery due to the hardships of following the LORD, each of their needs were met each day with literal manna and quail from heaven (Exodus 16:13-15). Water was also brought forth from rocks to satisfy the people (Exodus 17:5-6). God provided for their every need. When we feel that we are just barely surviving in a desert setting, may we claim the words of Isaiah 58:11. God will provide nourishment to sustain us as we express our daily needs to Him through prayer. Take heart that just as He provided for the Israelites in their times of greatest need, the same is true for you and your desert living as well. Be on the look out—blessings fall from heaven—even while in a desert.

 

Prayer for today:

Lord, I pray for eyes to see Your blessings in the midst of this situation. I believe that Your Word is true. I believe that You can sustain me as You have done time and time again for the Israelites. Help (name)__________ to tap into Your deep wells of blessing and strength to endure this season. I ask for Your blessing to shower (name)__________ today with the every words and help needed to keep pressing on. You are not done in (name)_______ life. Thank You that the desert is not the final destination! In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

 

Seeing Through True Sight

Have you ever realized how little time is actually spent in sincere quiet? Not only is there the noise of sound, but also that of light. How many times have you noticed an update come across your device screen late at night, only to realize that once you read the notification, you were not able to easily go to sleep? I know I have been there; many times.

The Lord has really been placing upon my heart the need to live only for Him. Not to care what others say on social media or in real life, but rather to focus solely on knowing Him. I am one to talk and share stories, but lately, the Lord has been challenging me in this. “Remember when I was enough?” He whispered to my heart this morning. I nearly burst into tears as I pulled away from morning school drop off for our kids. I was absolutely shattered in the truth of these words.

This was the second time this morning the Lord had spoken clear as day to my soul. As I had looked into the mirror and saw a tired woman staring back at me, complete with the reality that youth was beginning to wave good-bye, the Lord spoke clearly to my heart. “The more you let go of the world, the more you will find Me.”

Feelings of inferiority can sweep into our souls for a variety of reasons at a moment’s notice. Remember, the devil is good at finding ways to steal, kill and destroy our joy, our hope and our ability to follow hard after God (John 10:10). Yet, the Lord brought truth to my soul that did wonders for my anxious heart this morning. Despite what I can see, God does not look at the exterior—period. The human eye can only grasp perspective from the exterior, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Oh what deception our human eyes report! Our eyes see an ocean of sorrow, our faith in God will allow us to see that same ocean part to reveal a way through it. Our eyes see devastating fire of chaos, our faith in God will reveal that we will be sustained through the blaze and we will not be burned. Our eyes see giants, too big to defeat, standing between us and the promises God has given to us; our faith in God reveals to us that God has already given us the victory…now it is our honor to walk in it.

Regardless of what may be weighing you down today, ask the Lord what He would have you focus on. Ask Him for spiritual sight to reveal your freedom through Jesus Christ from the ways of the world. Without the Lord Jesus, we are all spiritually blind. There is so much more going on around us than what we can see with the mere naked human eye. Ladies, I don’t care if you have been a Christian since you were only a few years of age or if you have just come to faith this very day, the moment we begin to take our eyes off of Christ and become focused on the things around us, we will find our spirits downcast and our vision blurred. Why? Our focus was never meant to be on anything other than Christ when seeking lasting satisfaction. Praise God for His redemption and love! How valuable is the One, Jesus Christ, who took my punishment of rebellion against God upon Himself and gave me His righteousness in return (2 Corinthians 5:21). May we pray for our eyes, as well as the eyes of those around us, to be opened to the myriad of ways in which God is working and moving in and through our lives. This very same thing was prayed by the prophet Elisha for his anxious servant, and suddenly, the servant was a gasp at the number of heavenly warriors fighting on their behalf—whom had all been veiled from his earthly sight. Yet, now that the servant could see these angelic warriors, ablaze with fire, the fact that they were surrounded by enemy soldiers no longer caused fear (2 Kings 6:16-17). The battle is the Lord’s! Allow God and His heavenly armies to fight the battles of inferiority, anxiety and silent need on your behalf…our victory is found in HIM.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33