Face Your Wilderness

The wilderness is a scary and lonely place - a place where none of us would ever volunteer to walk through. But there's a reason why God may be calling us into the wilderness and that is to receive what we could never receive outside the wilderness. Will you face your wilderness? 

We all have our own version of what our "wilderness" may be. Your wilderness may be getting laid off from a job, not getting accepted into your dream college, or maybe having to let go of a relationship that you so dearly cherished.

 My wilderness was walking into singleness.  

Just the thought of being single scared me. It felt as if I was really stuck in a scary and dark wilderness all alone. Life is tough as it is, and the thought of having to face it alone made it even harder.  

I couldn't understand why God would call me to such a place of loneliness and hardship. I mean if God was good, why would he tell me to go to this wilderness? 

But through much time alone with God, he opened my eyes to see that the wilderness isn't all that bad. While on the outside the wilderness may seem like the worst place to ever be at, it's in the wilderness that we become strengthened in the word of God like never before. 

The wilderness is the place where God prepares us for His great plans for us. 

Even Jesus himself had to go through the wilderness before he started his ministry. Right after Jesus got baptized, he was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. Matthew 4:1 says, "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." 

Jesus was parched from not eating or drinking for 40 days and 40 nights and he was alone. On top of that, he was tempted by the devil. But through the wilderness, Jesus learned to rely on the word of God alone. Jesus would reply with, "It is written" for every temptation that was thrown at him by the devil. 

In Matthew 4:4 Jesus tells the devil, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" The wilderness was the perfect place for Jesus to learn to depend on the word of God, and it is also the perfect place for us to learn as well.

We must learn to use the word of God to overcome the schemes of the enemy - to say "It is written" over all temptations and obstacles we face. 

After Jesus overcame his wilderness, he started his ministry full of power through the Holy Spirit. He began to preach and heal everywhere he went. Matthew 4:24 says, "News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases..." 

God wants to use our lives just as mightily as Jesus's life, and the only way for that to happen is for us to go through the wilderness. God has plans to use us in ways our minds cannot even fathom. With great power, we must have great faith. The only way for our faith to grow and be strengthened is to face the temptations of the wilderness. 

It's in these moments that we learn to rely on the word of God as we go through hardships. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is alive and active.." The word of God has the power to strengthen us and cut through all our temptations and doubts. Ephesians 6:17 describes the word of God as the sword of the Spirit. God has given us his word so that we could be overcomers and live life in his freedom. 

What wilderness has God called you to? Will you trust God and be still in the midst of temptations and hardships? Even if it hurts? Even when it's hard? 

There's a reason for the season you're in. Don't run away from your wilderness, but press on knowing that God has a purpose for this season of hardship. The wilderness may be the place where we're stripped away from everything, but it's also the place where we receive the all that God has for us - his presence and provision. So remember, face your wilderness. 

Prayer: "Lord, give me the courage to step out to where you're calling me to go. I know you will be with me every step of the way." 

A Love That Never Fails

We're all looking for love - a love that never fails and one that we can always rely on. While our natural instinct may be to look for unfailing love through our loved ones or spouse, we'll soon realize that the people we thought would have unfailing love don't actually have it. There's only one place to find a love that never fails and that's found in God.

It hurts when a loved one doesn't keep their promises to you. That's where I found myself not too long ago. I got so upset when someone close to me didn't do what they promised to do.

I felt hurt, abandoned, and somewhat betrayed.

What really made me hurt was realizing that despite them loving me, I couldn't depend on them 100%. I had mixed feelings of hurt and anger that I had to bring it up to God.

But it was in that moment when God asked me, "How many times have you made promises to me that you've never kept? How many times have you turned your back on me?"

God's questions to me were so eye opening. I realized how patient, loving, and faithful he has been to me despite my faults. It was in that moment when God revealed to me his true unfailing love. Unlike the love we find on this earth, God's love for us never fails. 

God's unfailing love is nowhere to be found or matched. 

Psalm 136:1 says, "Praise the Lord! He is good. God's love never fails." What does this verse mean when it says God's love never fails? It means even when we turn our back on God, his love never fails. It means even when we make promises to God that we don't keep, his love never fails. It means even when we don't love God, his love never fails. 

God will never stop being faithful to us even when we are unfaithful to him. His love always pursues us even when we're not pursuing him. He will continue to send people into our lives to speak his truth and will allow certain circumstances in our lives to happen to draw us back to him. 

No matter how difficult our situation may be, we can always hold on to the truth that God's love never fails. While other people may leave us or break their promises, God will never leave us and his promises stand true forever. 

Psalm 89:33 says, "but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness." This is a promise from God that we can hold close to our hearts. We can trust that God is faithful and will never betray us. God's love doesn't mean life will be easy, but it does mean that he will carry us through our struggles and bring us victory for our good and His glory. 

I don't know what season you're in, but will you hold on to God's unfailing love and truth? Will you run to him and allow his love to transform your life? 

God has already shown his love to us by sacrificing his son Jesus on the cross. Through Christ, we can be in right standing with God and receive all his blessings and promises. God's love is one that we shouldn't miss. It's a love that will truly transform our lives and set us free from all the burdens of this world. 

Know that you have a father above who loves you, and one you can always rely on. You never have to be afraid that God will leave you because his love for you will never fail. So remember, God's love is a love that never fails. 

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that your love for me never fails and that I can rely on you to always be there for me. 

Can What Is Dead Be Brought To Life?

Can what is dead be brought to life? I'm not just talking about physical death, but spiritual death as well. When we've been hit rock bottom, it can seem hopeless to get up and try again. But no matter how dead you may be, God can still bring you back to life.

I've hit rock bottom before. Not once. Not twice. But too many times. 

And maybe you have too. 

When life gets hard, it's easy to feel hopeless and even give up completely as if we were truly dead. But just because we have been tossed and turned too many times does not mean God can't turn things around for our good. 

If God was able to raise Jesus from the dead and bring him back to life, what makes us think God couldn't bring our hopeless life back to life? If God can bring life to what was physically dead, he sure can bring life to those who are spiritually dead. 

Psalm 88:10 says, "Do you show wonders to the dead? Do their spirits rise up and praise you?" In this verse we find a soul who has been overwhelmed with grief and blinded by faith, asking God if he could still do wonders for the dead. You might be asking God that same question today, and the answer to that is yes - God can bring all who are dead back to life. 

No matter how dead or hopeless you may be, God can do wonders with your life and turn it around for your good and his glory. What makes God amazing isn't his power to turn what is already good and make it great, but his power to turn what is dead and make it alive. 

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 says, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?..But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Our victory lies in the hands of Christ. When we surrender our lives to Christ and make him our Lord and Savior, we will always find victory at the end of our battles. 

From the very beginning, God breathed life into dust which created you and me (Genesis 2:7). If God could turn dust into life, he surely can bring our hopeless situations back to life. It's never too late for God to work his wonders into your life. God can work his miracles anytime and anywhere for you. 

If you are you facing a dead end, will you put your trust in God's almighty power? There is only one thing that can change your life and that is God. Follow God in where he takes you and trust that he will turn your life back around. 

Stop proclaiming your hopelessness and start proclaiming God's faithfulness. 

Now is the time to proclaim that God is able over whatever situation you may be facing today. God is able to use your life regardless of what you've done and is able to do wonders to a life that was once dead. Nothing can stop God's love and power from saving you except yourself. If you will allow God to save you, he will. 

Psalm 88:1 says, "Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you." Call upon God and know that he is your God who loves and saves. God has special plans for you and is here to bring you back to life. So remember, what is dead can be brought to life.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that you are a God who saves. No matter how hopeless my life may be, you have the power to bring it back to life.  

Work or Rest?

Work or rest? These are 2 choices that we have to make each day. When there's that long list of to-dos it becomes very easy to choose work over rest. So how do we get a healthy balance of both? How do we prevent ourselves from choosing one more than the other?

My definition of "resting" is working. From college until now, I have always chosen work over rest. I work almost 247 and could almost say that my hobby is working. But there are days when my work finally catches up to me, and God tells me it's time to push pause.

But I can't.

Resting from my work causes me to stress and feel guilty that I could have used this time to be more productive. The times when I do relax, my mind always planning and scheduling how I will take on my upcoming tasks. Whether it's for my work, blog, or ministry, I just couldn't seem to find a way to truly rest.

I finally reached a point when weariness started to creep in and it was in that moment when God reminded me that resting was a part of his plan and a gift for all of us.

We were never made to be in bondage to work, but to walk in the freedom that comes only through Christ. 

Jesus says in Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." We were never made to carry all the burdens of this world - that's God's job. We are to trust that God knows what we need and how to get it done.

God is most capable of establishing our plans. Even when we are resting, God is still working. Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps."

I somehow ran into a book written by a Christian author called "Doing Busy Better". In that book, I was challenged to ask God what really drove my desire to always work. I've always thought I was a workaholic because I was just an ambitious person. But after asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to me what truly drove my restless working days, I realized that my motives to work myself so hard were my need to prove myself.

I've made a lot of mistakes in the past and choices that made people look down on me. Without me realizing, I relied on my work and accomplishments to prove to others that I wasn't a mess up, but that I was worthy and good enough.

But God reminded me that my identity wasn't in the things I do, but who I am through Christ. I am chosen, loved, and a child of God. Maybe you also need that reminder today.

You are chosen, loved, and a child of God. 

No matter what you've done or what you will do, God loves you just the same. God chose to sacrifice his son Jesus even when we were a sinner and not worthy of him. God doesn't need us to prove ourselves worthy because his love for us is greater than anything we could ever offer.  Romans 5:6-8 says "..when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly...God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

We don't need our work or accomplishments to define who we are. God has already called us worthy and loved. We can't rely on our work to be the source of who we are because once we lose our work or fail, we lose ourselves. But when our foundation for our identity and value is in Christ, we will never be shaken. When our identity is in Christ, we have firm ground to stand upon. 

Whatever season you are in today, know that God loves you. He does not love you more or less for what you have done but simply loves you for who you are because he created you. God is your maker, your father, your lover. Will you choose to surrender your life to him? Will you choose to rest in his love and who you are in Christ?

God has given us the gift of work and rest - to enjoy working and to enjoy resting. All of that can only come when we know who we are in Christ and when we give our burdens to him. God is always in control and he doesn't need us constantly working. So remember, work and rest.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that I can rest knowing you're still working in my life. 

Restoring All That Was Lost

Is it possible to restore all that you've lost? Maybe it's peace that you've lost from all the hardships you've faced or love that you've lost from a recent breakup. Whatever it may be, God has the power to restore all that was lost.

I've lost many things in life. I'm not just talking about physical things or people that I've lost, but even spiritual and emotional things. There was a time in my life when I lost my sense of purpose, the joy of living, the peace to withstand through unknowns, and the hope to move on. 

I was broken and empty. 

I only had myself to blame because I had walked away from God. Little did I know that walking away from God would cause me to lose everything. 

But God is good. He is so good that despite all the things I did, he still gave me a chance to walk with him and renew my life into something beautiful. Fast forward to today, I have seen God restore my life and given me purpose, joy, peace, and hope to live a life that enjoys his presence and brings him glory to all. 

God can restore whatever the enemy has stolen from you. 

When we surrender our lives to God and obey him, he restores to us all which was lost. Deuteronomy 30:2-4 says, "...obey him with your whole heart..your God, will restore everything you lost; he’ll have compassion on you; he’ll come back and pick up the pieces from all the places where you were scattered. No matter how far away you end up, God, your God, will get you out of there."

Many times it's our own sin and disobedience that causes us to lose the very things that God never intended for us to lose. However, because of God's unfailing love for us, no matter what we've done or where we've been, he is always available with open arms to restore all that we've lost. God sacrificed his son Jesus so that we wouldn't have to be bounded with our sins, but would have a chance to live eternally with him through the gift of his grace.

If it’s love that has been stolen from your life, God can restore it by overwhelming you with his unfailing love.  If it’s joy has been taken away from your life, God can take your pain and restore it with his joy and peace. If it's self-worth that you've lost, God calls you worthy and chosen today. God has given all we need through Jesus. All that we need to do is give our lives to God and trust in his timing of restoration. 

God never intended us to live a dry and dull life, but a life to the fullest. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Don't look anywhere else for restoration because true restoration can only come through Jesus. When we turn away from God, we will only find ourselves farther from obtaining what we truly need in life. Psalm 85:1 says, "You, Lord, showed favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob." God wants to show favor in your life today, will you let him? Will you turn away from your old ways and walk into his plan of restoration for your life?

Whatever you have lost in your life, know that God wants to restore it back to you. God loves you and has amazing plans for your life beyond what you can see. Don't let the enemy steal what God has given you. So remember, God can restore all that was lost. 

Prayer: "Lord, would you restore to me all that I've lost as I surrender my life to you."