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| "I love you." |
As Larry was digging Chelsea's grave, he was so sad and blamed himself for letting Chelsea out by herself the night she was attacked by coyotes. The ground was very hard making digging difficult, so he stopped to rest and take a drink of water. He stuck the shovel in the ground, placed his gloves on top of the handle and sat down for just a moment.
When he looked up, he saw this - his glove had the universal sign language message for
"I love you." God was there and He knew how Larry's heart was breaking, how he was blaming himself for not protecting our sweet Chelsea. But God reached down and sent him these words of comfort.
It doesn't matter if you or I don't "see" God's hand in this glove. Larry saw it and the message was intended for Larry. God was there. He saw every tear, and He was wrapping His arms around Larry the whole time.
Times like that, when I feel God's presence so powerfully, I have no doubt about how much I'm loved by the Creator of the Universe. Those are incredibly special moments that I don't want to ever forget. But if I don't write them down, I will forget. Satan wants me to forget. I can't let that happen.
There are days when I feel empty; days when I feel God doesn't hear me; and I can't hear Him. I hate those times because that's when I second guess who I am and who He is.
But faith is not a feeling. It's believing when I can't see, and I can't feel.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Faith is believing even when I don't see or feel. If I can see, it's no longer faith. Seeing it makes it a reality.
The apostle, Thomas, believed after he felt the Jesus' pierced side. It was no longer faith for Thomas. It was real and tangible. He saw and he felt. Some day, we'll see Jesus face to face, and it will no longer be faith. It will be sight.
The Enemy wants me to doubt, to waver, to question God's love. He is constantly whispering in my ear that God doesn't hear and that God doesn't care. My weapon against the Enemy and his lies is my faith.
Ephesians 6:16
"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."
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I'm so thankful that I don't have many days when I can't feel God's presence in my life. But when they do come, I feel disconnected and alone. That's when I have to pick up my shield of faith.
Last week, I got up to do my devotional, but I had "writer's block". Nothing was there. I was blank. Everytime I tried to write, the words and thoughts just wouldn't come. That's the morning I found out my sweet puppy had passed away in the night.
That morning as I faced the computer screen, not yet knowing Chelsea was gone, I started writing about overcoming struggles and suffering in our lives. Somehow, my devotional took a different direction and I wrote about Eternity and the Hope we have in Christ. I didn't feel God's presence when I was writing, but after I got the phone call that Chelsea was gone, I knew that devotional was God's way of comforting me. There will come a day when there will be no more tears.
That morning, there were tears, so many tears. And there will be many more days like that when I feel alone and hopeless. On those days, Satan will be hitting me with everything he's got to make me dwell on that hopeless feeling. That's when I know I need to turn to the Word and let God speak - even when I don't "feel" or "hear". I need His Words flowing in my brain and in my heart - drowning out the Enemies lies.
This morning, I opened up an email I receive from Edward Fudge from GracEmail devotionals. It was titled
"Hopelessness is Devil's Deceit". Someone had asked Mr. Fudge what he could do when he felt abandoned by God. He was afraid that maybe he wasn't one of God's elect. He had led a life of disobedience but recently had made some profound changes - turning to God with all his might. He said he didn't feel the presence of God in his life even when he pleads for mercy. He was very worried.
Mr. Fudge had the right answer. He explained that Satan is a deceiver and liar and that he was tormenting the man - trying to steal his joy.
1 Timothy 1:15 should be of great comfort to anyone who may be struggling with this issue. "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners -- of whom I am the worst." Paul's words, but I could say the same thing. Christ came to save sinners. Being a sinner doesn't stop God from accepting us. We sinners are who He calls!
Here's an excerpt from Mr. Fudge's article:
"You say you fear you are not one of God's elect and can do nothing about it. I ask you: Do you want to be with God now and in eternity? Are you sorry for your sins? do you wish to be forgiven? Are you willing to entrust yourself to God's love, power and guidance? If you say "yes" to all of those questions, it is evidence that God's hand is already on you and that the Holy Spirit is at work in your life. We know we are among God's elect because when the gospel comes to us we believe it. 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 "For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because your gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you sake.
You express fear because you cannot sense God’s presence. The apostle John assures us that God’s love is greater than our feelings and that even when we do not feel it , God still loves us 1 John 3:19-20 - Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. The truth is that God was in Jesus Christ, reconciling the world to himself. The gospel is the good news of our salvation. It is true and nothing we can do can make it more true than it is now. The evidence is not our knowledge, our works or our feelings. The evidence is the cross of Jesus Christ and his empty grave. 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 - For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. Because Jesus has set us right with God, all we can do is either believe it or reject it. Whoever trusts God's promise that it is true enjoys forgiveness of sins and peace with God.
Acts 10:43-43 - And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. 43 He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”
Romans 10:9-10 - If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
For our comfort, God has also given us a tangible experience of his forgiveness which is gospel baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. When we are immersed (in the likeness of Jesus’ death) and raised up again (in the likeness of his resurrection), God gives us a good conscience by the resurrection of Jesus Christ . In this sense, we “wash away” our sins, that is, we feel the cleansing that God did in Jesus by his perfect life, atoning death and mighty resurrection.
1 Peter 3:21 - And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Acts 22:16 - 'What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’
Baptism points to Jesus – it is a way God had given us to tangibly declare our trust in Jesus as Savior and to receive a clear conscience. Look only to Jesus and believe the trustworthy saying that he came to save sinners!
I find a great deal of comfort in knowing that even when I don't "feel" God's presence He is still with me. I also know that I long to serve Him. I know that I want to be closer to Him. I want to make Him proud of me. I want others to see Him living in my life. But some days, I just don't have the fire. I feel shut out. Not connected. The spiritual connection seems to be missing. But here's what I know. If it's missing, it's missing from my point of view - not from God's. He is faithful. I can trust Him to be constant even when I get distracted by the Enemy.
Father, Your love and mercies are new every morning. You're with me when I wake up, and when I lay down. All through the night, You watch over me. You are my constant companion and protector. I know this all very well, but some days I struggle to feel Your presence. Thank You for holding me close - even on those days when I don't respond to Your love. I'm sorry because nothing matters more to me than honoring You and showing gratitude for all You've done for me. Thank You for sending me little love notes to remind me of Your love and presence. Thank You for caring about everything that concerns me. Thank You for understanding every tear I cry. Thank You for wiping those tears away with Your constant love and compassion. Thank You for forgiving me when I do fall. Thank You for picking me back up - for never letting go of my hand. Thank You most of all for Jesus and the great sacrifice He made so that I can be forgiven for my sins. I love You, Father, and want to honor Your Son today in everything I think, do or say. Be glorified in my life, Lord! In the precious Name of Jesus I pray these things. Amen.
http://youtu.be/Hx5Y9DhoLJQ - You Never Let Go - David Crowder Bank
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