Faithful to the end

Ever heard that song? I hear it every time I am in my van. We call it 'Ariel's song.' Click here to hear it. My daughter requests it everytime we drive anywhere. She sings loud...and could care less if she sounds good. I absolutely love it! Singing is a huge part of my life...and I love that she has that desire. I pray that she never looses it.

God just brought this song to my mind. I love to sing it. I love to remind myself that He is faithful to the end. That God is faithful to my heart. I forget that some days. I doubt that some days. But, those days are getting more and more scarce all the time. satan is being called out. his lies are being revealed. his tactics are being conquered.

Have you experienced that lately? Where you finally realize something that you have been doing...and it doesn't even have to be a bad thing. But it has been being used for evil. Or to keep you from doing good? Let me try to explain. I am on a journey to become more healthy. Mind. Body. Spirit. I won't go into all of the details...b/c that isn't the point. What I will tell you is that I was doing a good thing. I was reading to become more informed of what I was/am putting in my body. I was working out so that I could feel better. What was being forgotten?...my devotional time. If satan can't keep you from coming to know Christ...he will keep you busy. I was focusing on something that I know God desires for me. And yet...my relationship with Him was suffering. As soon as I discovered the tactic of satan...I changed my routine. Now, devotions comes before selfish desires. Even if they are good. Now does it make sense? I know I am being wordy...but I am passionate about this.

God has been revealing how satan has been working on my lately. And I am flying through his plots to destroy me...left and right. So, he has to come up with new ways. This last one hit me hard. I had to ask for prayer...from a woman I have never met. Jenny is her name. And I am so thankful for her obedience. She is literally accross the country. Washington is her home. God told me to ask her to pray. She agreed. And that was it. I believed that she was praying...and I went on with life. I was praying as well...don't get me wrong. I didn't leave it all to her. I have responsibilities in my life as well. But when I got the email today...and she told me that she thinks of me everyday and prays for me...I was in shock. My circumstance...changed. The relationship that I was loosing and couldn't grasp onto...was restored. My eyes instantly teared up. Such simple words.
"I think of you daily, and pray for you each time you come to mind." Those words were proof that I had revealed another scheme of the enemy...and God had destroyed it.

Does He do that for you? Because He can!  You just have to believe in the power of God. What is it right now that is getting to you? How are you feeling defeated? What are the lies that are being spoken to you? God will destroy them. I know He will. I believe it with all that I am...because without Him...I would have been crushed long ago. You don't have to live defeated. You are to be victorious in Christ.

Call satan out. Tell Him that you aren't afraid. Tell him that his lies hold no power over you anymore. Tell him that you are stronger than you seem. Tell him that he is to fear you...because God is about to call him out for the cheat that he is. he is about to exposed.

And when that exposure comes...then it is in your hands. You have to change. Look at what you have been believing. Think about it. And decide that that will not work on you anymore. Decide that satan will have to find a new way to keep you from the truth of Christ. Change...because each time you will become stronger. More confident in the God that you serve. You will see that He is faithful to YOUR end. He is faithful to YOUR heart!

Know any difficult people?

Me too. Ha ha. I know that I am talking a lot lately about the same subject. It is what I am studying right now...so stay with me. I wait on God to reveal what I am to share..so there must be some others out there struggling with this too.

Love the unlovable. How does that statement instantly make you feel? A bit uncomfortable? Maybe annoyed? Are the excuses already starting to form in your head? Well...you are not alone.

The most difficult thing about loving the unlovable is that we must go against what comes naturally. It is natural to be selfish. It is natural to think only of ourselves first. It is natural to dismiss the un-natural compassioin that we feel towards a difficult person.

But, aren't we called to be a peculiar people? We are called to let those sinful natures that we are born with...die to become alive in Christ. We are called to go against the flow. To go against the sea of sin...stand alone if we must...to love that impossible person. The rude. The errogant. The hurtful. The selfish. The prideful. The conceited. The lost. When it all comes down to it...we are all lost, deserving of the same grace and mercy.

It says this in Matthew 5:38-48 (NIV) "38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

Go back to verses 46 and 47. What is it about loving those who love you that seperates us from those who have not received Christ? Nothing. We are not better than non-believers, but we are called to live differently, and to be noticable as believers in Christ. Different because our love is not on condition. And different because we let that love cover, hide, erase the multitude of sins that make others seem so unlovable.

If someone who was one of the links to your salvation...found you too unlovable to waste their time on...what would your eternity look like? As my pastor says..."Be weird." =) Be a Jesus Freak...and love it!!

No...I don't do that. Do I?

Question: Why do we tend to devalue people when they irritate us?

Well, if we were to always see people as their true value. As sons and daughters of The Most High God. As co-heirs with Christ. We would not feel right about being irritated. If, we can see them through the eyes of the world...that judgement just doesn't seem quite so harsh.

We see them as less for our own sake. Our own guilt. Our own shame. We can lessen the blow to our own self-esteem if we can just talk ourselves into believing that we 'have a right' to be irritated.

I don't know about you...but I have not been treating ALL people as though they are God's precious children. Jesus is always our ultimate example. If He had gotten irritated everytime He was tugged on. Interrupted. Woken up. Kept behind. Followed. -People would have missed out. Healings would have been missed. Prayers would never have been interceded. Lives would not have been changed. Salvations would have been lost. People would have stayed in their brokenness...whatever form it came in...just because Jesus was irritated they dare interrupt His sleep, His prayer, His journey, His sermon? Thank goodness we don't serve a God like us. But, the hope of Christ is in His revelation.

When God reveals the devil to you. his sneaky ways. his schemes. his lies. his weakness. You now hold the power through Christ. Knowledge. Revelation. These are the things that satan fears.

He had better fear me. I become stronger everyday. Everyday I become more of a powerhouse for Christ. I am tired of being used for evil without my own awareness of it. I want to stop infecting people...and start affecting them! Who's with me??

And the winners are....

Tiffany Eastman and Beth Dean! I prayed that God would choose. So I hope and pray that you two women enjoy these devotionals that you will soon be receiving. Just email me your address so that I can send them out. vanesaknapp@yahoo.com

Have a great day everyone! Take time to stop and get with God. He always has time for you...make time for Him! =)



Titus was my helper this morning. His little, innocent hand picked out the names. So if you are thinking of being angry that you didn't win...take a good look at this cute little man face, in a pretty pink hat. (Thanks Gramma Cate. Ariel loves the hat you made for her..and apparently, so does Tido. Haha!)



Feelings

We all have them. We all get them hurt. Sometimes almost to the point of feeling crushed. Destroyed. I don't know about you, but I feel entitled to mine. Whatever form they may come in. Hurt. Anger. Shame. Frustration. Sadness. Discomfort. Sorrow. Disappointment. Envy. Weakness. Depression. So many forms they come. Each with its own degree of severity.

If we are honest, there are probably times that we wallow in our feelings for as long as we can remember them. We will even go so far as to replay in our minds, the moments that led up to those feelings. Over and over. Just as we start to get ahold of ourselves...another thought pierces through. You replay the words that were said. You replay how you responded. Maybe even throwing in a few new comments so you could wound them just like you were hurt. Things you didn't say, or couldn't say. You feel entitled to those feelings. And you should, right?

Uh, not so much. See this from God's view. Remember the story in the Bible 'The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant'. In Matthew 18:21-35 Jesus told of a man who was forgiven a great debt, but in turn did not forgive a much much smaller debt. Sound familiar? If God viewed us...as we view others when we have our feelings hurt....we would all be toast. But, if God could feel any of those towards us, His grace, mercy and forgiveness would still remain. Jesus was tempted to suffer those negative feelings. Do you think He dwelled on them? Do you think He did an instant replay over and over of when He was betrayed by those who claimed to love Him? Nope. He always came out victorious. Perfect. He would turn His cheek so the other could be wounded. His scars. Only physical. Emotional scars did not define His future.

Want to be more Christ-like? Follow that example. Let that be your legacy. Let that define the future of your family, and how they deal with emotional scarring. Change the course of your generations to come. It's not too late. No matter how far you feel that you have slid, God longs for you to come to Him just as you are. Broken. Confused. Worried about what is to come. Be excited about where He is going to take you. Just come.

If it's been a while since you have read that passage in Matthew....I suggest you read it. Can't find a bible?...no excuse. You are online reading this...and you can click on this link and read it now. It is that easy. This parable is told by Jesus. I always read His words with greater attention. Pay special attention to verse 35. Don't feel comdemned. Feel empowered that the truth is not masked. Know that others struggle with this, and they are victorious through Christ.

My husband had a challenge for our worship team last night...if we have an unresolved issue with anyone on the team...to fix it so we can be unified to worship together, and to lead others in worship. Not singing, worship. There is a difference. Isn't that how we are called to be with everyone? Unified. If you feel like you can't 'fix' it right now, pray for them. Daily. For 15 minutes. Seems simple right? Fifteen minutes is a long time if you are annoyed, hurt, frustrated with someone. But, as I have said before....you can't spend that much time at the foot of the cross, and not be changed. God will change you. God will bless them through your prayers. Everyone is worth the effort, promise!

True selflessness

My devotional today asked me this question..."What does God's willingness to become human say to you about His compassion for you?"

My response...

It is unlike any other. It proves that He is selfless. That He had our heart, our life, our future in mind while He was suffering. It proves that we serve a compassionate God, and when we show compassion to others...we have a trait of Christ. It proves that He did it for all of us, knowing that we would be sinful. It proves that He planned on forgiveness being our saving grace. IF He had planned on NOT forgiving even ONE of our sins...then His choice to become like us would have been pointless. We can only enter Heaven without blemish. That means the blood shed on the cross had to cover each and every sin!

Show compassion to someone who doesn't seem to deserve it. You didn't.

It starts with a gentle nudge

You have felt it. The nudge of God. 'Talk to her.' 'Give her money that you have.' 'Sing the song I have laid on your heart.' 'Hug her.' 'Pray with her.' That is what even this post is. I read my devotional yesterday morning and it was talking about this exact subject. I immediately remembered a story from a few years back. My hands are literally falling asleep, and it is painful for me to type today, but the nudge of God is greater. I like it gentle...not so much when it is a shove. Haha!

I was at church a few years ago...and the pastor gave a challenge. Pray for God to send you to someone this week. I prayed. Honestly I did. But, I was at home all week. With just my husband and kids. I didn't see a single person. So, I thought...HA...I got off easy on that one. So, it is now Saturday night. Week is almost over. And Eric and I decide that we are going to get some chicken wings from a bar that is not to far from our house. For some reason that it is unimportant...and I don't remember...we had a disagreement. So on the way to pick up the wings...I was annoyed. I was scream praying to God about how mad I was. Silly...but I felt better.

So, I get to the bar. I am uncomforable just being there. So I keep my wool peacoat all buttoned up. Hat on. Obvious to others that I am not planning to stay. I go up to get and pay for my food. And there was a problem. Apparently the wings were frozen and were taking longer to cook. Great. Here I am. Annoyed. Sweating. Red faced. And now I have to wait even longer. Ugh!

I stand...again to make it look as though I am uncomfortably not staying. I can't help but overhear this conversation happening on the other side of the room. A mother and what seems to be a late teenage daughter, screaming. I tried not to stare. Finally, the young girl stood up and stormed out. Clearly not happy!!

For a second, the eyes of the mother and mine met. I quickly looked away from the mother's gaze, as if to say that I hadn't a clue what had just happened. Pretty soon I see her rise up out of her seat and make her way over towards me. So I did what any judgemental Christian woman would do. Look down, and maybe she'll walk by. Not proud of that...but it is part of this process. A learning experience.

She stopped right infront of me. And asked with gentle eyes and a sweet voice..."Would you like to sit with me?" Here it is. This is my moment. I prayed for this moment. I could feel the gentle nudge. I responded..."No, thank you. I am just waiting for my food." Again she says, "You could sit with me while you wait." Another, slightly firmer nudge. Again, I say, "It should be done any minute." A third time, this time a bit of pleading can be heard in her voice, "Please would you sit with me? I am lonely." In my mind I was like....'For real God? Seriously...I get it. Geesch. Okay I will go!' So finally after the shove that caught my compassion...I said, "Sure."

We sit down and she begins to tell me what just happened between her and her daughter. She tells me that they have been struggling a lot lately. I tell her that I would love to pray with her. Her eyes brightened right up. She said she would love that. So, as to not to draw attention to myself...I ask her if she is almost ready to go. My food had come...and infront of her was only one lonely bottle of beer. I told her that we could pray outside. Ashamed? I guess so. I couldn't believe that I was being so silly. It was prayer. It was a women I had never met. It was a place that I don't often go. What is the worst that could happen?

So, her response to my question on if she was ready to leave...."I will wait til I am done with my beer." Again I was like....'God, you are not going to make this easy on me are you? Okay, I will do as you lead!' So, I said..."Alright we are going to pray right here". She grabbed both of my hands accross the top of the table and smiled. Awkward...yes. I prayed whatever God was speaking to me. I had no idea if that seed would later flourish...or if the conversation would even be remembered. As she stood, it was apparent that that was the not the first bottle of beer she had finished that night.

I gave her a ride home, and I returned home crying. Just as I had come. This time the tears ran not out of anger...but out of humbleness. Out of shame that I would even dare try to hide my faith. Out of gratefulness...that after all that I did wrong...He still used me! And now, I only remember the lesson that I learned. I don't feel ashamed. I don't dwell on my faults. I dwell on how God can take the slightest shred of willingness...and use it for His purpose. I am not sure if that prayer was for the woman at all. But I know it was for me!

Listen to the whispers of God. He is a gentleman. He longs to use you, for you! He wants to unleash His power in your life...for your faith. His Kingdom will gain...and you will grow! That is a Win Win! =)