never alone

 Do you ever feel alone?  I know I have and in some moments I still do.  We may all face situations that seem to make us feel alone.  In today’s environment, I have realized that many people feel extra lonely due to the circumstances of quarantines, social distancing and lack of social events. We have been forced to be alone. For some, they are kept away from family and cannot visit. This breaks my heart as I think about how lonely that feels. There has been an uptick in depression and suicide among all ages, even children. I know of some right in our small community. This concern weighs heavily on my heart. I truly believe the enemy of our souls has taken advantage of these times and has began to speak sadness and depression into people.

But I know the God of hope. I can find hope and offer hope in the One who is our Hope. Jesus promised to always be with us. In Hebrews 13:5 it says, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  This verse is one of the verses that always resonates with me when I feel loneliness, sadness, or overwhelmed by life. I am not alone. God is by my side. He is in my heart and he loves me more than I can even fathom. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is my confidant, my comfort, and my friend. He is there when no one understands. He is there when the world seems to pass by. He is there when I may not be able to reach out to others. He understands. He cares and he is there.

I have listened to people talk about depression and have even experienced it myself. It can be very hard to find a way out. But I know I can call on the name of Jesus. He is always faithful and true. He is my joy and my hope.  I find I can praise Him through any storm and he is ready to rush in with what I need. He has carried me through many rough times and has never left me even for a moment. He is always knows my need before I even ask.  I know he carried me through loss and pain. He guided me through uncertainty and the unknown. He has proven over and over that he loves me. I can see how he has worked in my life in the past. I know he will do it again.

I can share this hope with others. God has really spoken to my heart many times the verse above and I want to be a light to others that hope is always available in Christ. We can trust him and know he is with us even to the end. I am prayerful that each day, I can share his love with someone and be a light of hope to a lost and despairing world. There is always someone who needs to know that they are loved. There is always someone at the end of their rope reaching out for just a little hope. Be the light. Offer hope.  Keep shining Jesus to the world. Be there when it seems no one else cares. He will be there for you and he will be there in you.

enduring faith

The definition of endure is:

 en·dure

verb

 

1.suffer (something painful or difficult) patiently.

"it seemed impossible that anyone could endure such pain"

2.remain in existence; last.

"these cities have endured through time"

 

We often must endure hard times, struggles and difficulties. We have attacks on our faith, our bodies, our families, our strength, and even our beliefs. We face a lot of things in this world because we are humans in a broken world, and as Christians, we face spiritual attacks as well. I want to encourage all of us to endure and build endurance.  I used to run.  In middle school, I could run a mile without any trouble. I enjoyed running.  Now, I do not have the physical endurance to run even a quarter of a mile.  I can walk it, but my body has lost endurance. To build endurance, you practice.  You keep practicing and pushing past the last level you achieved. Spiritually, we also need to build endurance, pushing past the last level we achieved. We can only do this spiritually by partaking of the spiritual nature of God through prayer, study, fasting, and fellowship.

 

2 Timothy 2:3

³ Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

In the Bible we have many examples of endurance. Job endured many hardships and troubles. He lost his family, his wealth and his health, yet he never lost his trust in God. Paul endured many trials and physical beatings. He remained steadfast. Jesus, himself, endured for our sakes. The widow persevered by continually going to the unjust judge until he acted on her case. The Bible is full of people who endured.

 

In more modern times we have examples as well. I look in my own family for one example in particular.

My cousin posted a picture of my grandparents the other day. They were young and holding their first two babies. She posted it and talked about the heritage. She said, “My grandparents were some of the hardest working people I knew and faced so much adversity. They were overcomers. When I face issues in my life, I remember my grandparents. Perseverance ignites in my soul and I know I can breakthrough and excel.”

My grandparents endured and pushed forward in faith. In the midst of great loss and pain, God was their refuge, their stronghold, their strength.  Their faith in God excelled and grew through every trial. They endured the loss of children to illnesses yet, they were encouraging and praying for others going through the same circumstance. They were known for their enduring faith. Like my cousin said, I can look at their example of unwavering faith in God and be encouraged to persevere through the storm. 

 

Hebrews 12:1-2

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

 We have all these examples for us to look to and develop our own endurance. God has made sure we have witnesses that have testified about the trials they have gone through, so we can know what is possible. He is the one who endured the cross and understands what it means to run this race. He knows what kind of strength we need to endure.

 

 

We need to build endurance by being rooted and grounded in Him so we can endure. In Ephesians we are given the reasons we need to be rooted and grounded. When we place our roots deep in Christ, we can endure all things. Like the roots of a tree going deep, we can sway in the wind and move a little as the storm blows, but we will not be moved because we know him. I think of the mighty redwood trees in California. They are tallest, largest trees in the world. The tallest stands at nearly 380 feet tall. These trees do not stand alone.  The roots are known to reach out and intertwine with the trees next to it.  They gain strength and provide strength to the other redwoods near them. Their roots hang on to one another and become a source of strength to one another.  Shouldn’t this be so with the body of Christ?  We should be a source of strength and endurance to others in the Body of Christ. This is what it means to be in communion one with another. We are standing firm together rooted and grounded in love and while storms may blow and we may even bend, we stand together rooted in Christ. Even the great apostle Paul wrote in Corinthians about feeling distressed and was glad when Titus showed up to encourage him.  He needed Titus to be there and provide strength when he was weak.  We need one another and we need to be there for one another. That is how the Body of Christ is intended to work.  We are to be a source of strength for one another. We should be able to go to one another and find support and prayer from a brother or sister in our times of need.

 

Ephesians 3:14-21

¹⁴ For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁵ Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

¹⁶ That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

¹⁷ That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

¹⁸ May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

¹⁹ And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

²⁰ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

²¹ Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

 

Build endurance by being planted in the body of Christ, attached at the roots to the Source of life and strength.  Christ is the source of our life, our breath, our being. He shed his blood for us that we might live. We can be grounded in Him. He is the branch and we must be attached directly into him. The tree that is beside the water is pushing its roots into the source of life, the water.  A tree far from a source of water, can suffer and may not survive if someone does not bring it some water. The tree that is planted close to the source of water will grow in depth, beauty and magnificence. It will stand against the storms. It will bear fruit and be a nourishment for others. Stay close to the Source of life by reading and studying, prayer and fasting, and of course, fellowship with His Body.

 

Psalms 1:1-6        

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

² But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

³ And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

⁴ The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

⁵ Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

 

By being persuaded and firm in our knowledge of whom God is. You cannot stand on something if you really don’t believe it or if you are persuaded.  If you cannot explain why you believe, you can be persuaded not to believe it.  You have to know beyond a shadow of doubt who God is, and who you are in Him.  He will never leave us nor forsake us.  We sometimes leave him. I have seen some who have left their faith in God because a trial came their way. They were not firm in the foundation of truth, who God is, for them to defend their faith, lean into their faith and survive the trial. You must be persuaded.  Are you persuaded? Romans 8:38-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  Only we can choose not to believe this. I choose to be persuaded regardless the trial or storm.

 

Romans 8:38-39

³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

By allowing the Word to be planted deep in our hearts in good fertile ground, we find the strength we need to endure. Jesus spoke about this in the parable of the sower. The seed needs to fall on fertile ground. We must keep our hearts ready and fertile for the word of God to be planted and grow in our hearts. When we have the word of God deeply planted in our hearts, we are able to recall it when we need it.  There are so many times, a scripture comes to mind at just the right moment. If I had never read it or heard it, it would not be there when I need it.  The other day, as I was feeling overwhelmed, a scripture rushed into my remembrance, I wrote it down and stuck it to my computer screen at work.  I needed that scripture at that precise moment. God’s word is sharper than a two-edged sword. It is our weapon and it is powerful. When we speak his word, and pray his word, it changes the atmosphere and brings life to the situations that seem dead. Knowing his word and applying it, brings about our greatest weapon for enduring the hard times.

Matthew 13:18-23

¹⁸ Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

¹⁹ When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

²⁰ But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

²¹ Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

²² He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

²³ But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

 

Withstand and keep standing. That is the essence of endurance. We have the whole armor of God for us to use. We can stand and then keep standing in the face of all adversity, even when it doesn’t seem to make sense. We can keep standing. We can endure the hardness of this life. God is on our side. He will bring us through. We just stand on that promise. We stand on his word, we stand with one another. We keep standing.

 

Ephesians 6:13

¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 

Sometimes, we may be at the end of our rope, so to speak. We may face great defeat, but we can keep standing. God never fails us. He will always bring us through. Endure!!!!