Sonsofthesea.org

"Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Tag: choice (Page 3 of 7)

Level Up!

November 26, 2022 /
Matthew Botelho

Hello, my dear brothers and sisters. I’m praying that this finds you well and filled with hope in our Lord Jesus. I hope that whatever it is we are crying out for, He hears us. I am also praying that this teaching will come as an encouragement for many. We are coming close to the end of the year. There has been much shifting and sifting in the body of Christ. Holy Spirit is replacing what was good in one season with something greater. With the refining of your faith, room is being made for the new.

 “You are being protected by God’s power through faith for salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last days. You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith-more valuable than gold, which perishes though, refined by fire- may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” –1 Peter 1:5-7.

My brothers and sisters, there is promotion coming for the Body of Christ, for the Body that wants to move forward. Who has an ear inclined to God’s Word. We must not harden our hearts to His voice or instructions. Let us be the Church that comes alive in the Word and Spirit; let there be unification in both, as Christ is not divided.

Dear friends, I am excited about what is taking place! Promotion is coming, or as the title states, the Church is about to Level Up! So many times, I have heard my kids yell that phrase while they play their video games. They get all excited and are blown away by what their character can do and how much stronger they are. This leveling up did not just happen, however. It took hours or even days to make this progress. Have you ever felt like that? You have been in faith, walking it out with our Lord for days. Then those days turn to months. The months to years. “When will this happen for me?” or better yet, “when will it happen for the Church?” Matthew 23:12 (Jesus’ speaking) “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Our posture should be one of submission to God and His Holy Spirit, for He is the head of the Body, The capital “C” Church. The body that keeps its eyes on Jesus will experience an outpouring from heaven. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” How can we, as an individual or a Church Body expect anything from God if we don’t seek Him first, more than anything else? Remember, God resists the proud and boastful. Let me remind you of what happened to king Saul. He was given specific instructions on battling the Amalekites, but Saul thought differently. Full of pride, Saul believed he knew better. His presumed knowing better would prove troublesome for Esther and her people later down the road.

“Then the Word of the Lord came to Samuel,” I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.” So Samuel became angry and cried out to the Lord all night.” –1 Samuel 15:10-11.

In the same chapter, the prophet Samuel rebukes Saul for not following instructions and delivers a blow to his ego from the One who made him king, God! “Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.” –1 Samuel 15:22-23.

Some of you might be thinking, “we live under grace, not under the law. God is not vengeful towards those who do not obey. He will still love us regardless.” To this, I say yes, absolutely, I agree, but. Yes, God does love you! He loves you WITHOUT A DOUBT! Jesus went to the Cross for you and gave His life so you might have an abundance of life! However, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! He does not change. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” –Hebrews 13:8.

But our lifestyle needs to imitate that of our Lord. The kind of relationship we have with Jesus matters, and commitment and obedience are a large part of that relationship. Like every great marriage, you must work at it equally, 100/100. No marriage will last with 100/50. Where is that other 50 going? Look, my marriage would not work if I saw my wife one or two days out of the week. I am not meeting her needs or committing my time to her. The same with our Lord Jesus. How do we draw closer to our Lord when we only visit Him once or twice a week? He is always there, 100 percent in, but you’re walking in the world. Yet you complain that nothing is happening in your Christian walk. Where is that promotion that I was promised?!

My dear brother and sister, my friends, please, heed this scripture! “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord! Will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the One who does the will of My Father in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name? Then I will announce to them, I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!” –Matthew 7:21-23.

 God does not want to keep anything good from you, but if you are keeping yourself from Him, He will not exalt you and bring you to those moments of leveling up in the Kingdom. And if a particular Body is not remaining in His Word or preaching a different gospel, it will be like He never knew them. “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” –Revelation 2:5.

Jesus knows His flock. They are the ones that hear His voice and come running to him like sheep after their shepherd. They recognize the voice of the One who cares for them, feeds them, and has healed them. As we end this teaching, please know that you are all very dear to me. We have never met, but I pray you are on fire for our Lord Jesus. The blood spilled on the Cross was done out of love for you. God’s love is immeasurable. It has no end, my dear friends. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you this day and receive the fullness of the Kingdom only found in Jesus our Lord. Amen. “Will not God grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay to help them? I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man come, will He find that faith on earth?” –Luke 18:8.

Brothers and sisters, let this be the day you have declared Jesus as Lord over your life, and every circumstance is brought to its knees. Run to Jesus, friend. Let this be the day Jesus makes His home in you by your confession of faith in Him. Ask Jesus into your heart as Lord, and He will answer. “Jesus, wash away my sins with Your precious Blood and forgive me of my sins. Today I surrender all of me to you. Amen.”

Fading Out

September 8, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

“He must increase, but I must decrease” –John 3:30.

The cycle of living can feel so exhausting. Wake up, eat, work, take care of the house, sleep, repeat. I think we can agree that at one time or another, we have all understood, related to this reference from Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Utterly meaningless, everything is meaningless.”

We try our best to be good people. Yet leaving a mark on the world feels like a futile effort many days. In the Gospel of John, we are presented with an example that exemplifies a counterintuitive approach to fulfillment. John the Baptist (not to be mistaken with John the apostle who penned the Gospel of John) is introduced in John 1. “There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light [Jesus] so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light” – John 1:6-8.

John was Jesus’s cousin, a prophet who lived in the wilderness. John wore clothes made from camel hair and ate wild honey and locusts. Since his ministry was to prepare the way of the Lord, he would come to the people telling them to repent, to water-baptize them, and to declare there was one to follow after him (Jesus). You can read all about this in Mark 1:1-9.

I imagine John the Baptist would have been perceived as an odd man, but then again, God often moves through those we’d least expect Him to use. For John the Baptist, his ministry was fulfilled by the coming of Jesus.

And John’s purpose? Pointing everyone to Jesus Christ.

In New Testament Scripture, John’s ministry is our first example of a person testifying of the person of Jesus. The Bible says of Jesus, “He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” –John 1:10-11. And while the rest of the world didn’t recognize Jesus, John recognized Him instantly.

God was using John to prepare the hearts of those who did not know Jesus. Although the Old Testament is full of prophecies of Jesus and the entirety of the Bible points to Jesus, John is perhaps one of the first to see Jesus—physically. John gave his whole life to tell the world about the person of Jesus.

There is a great lesson we can learn from John the Baptist about pointing the world to Jesus.

John the Baptist was selfless. While the world teaches us to focus on ourselves, God’s Word teaches us to love others even when they do us wrong. The culture of this world is one of selfishness. It looks inward for its fulfillment instead of allowing its Creator to fill and fulfill its every need, including its unseen needs. The world is centered on self-gratification instead of loving thy neighbor. And as more of society has welcomed the idea of self-centeredness, it has also drifted away from the One who can deliver them from the mental prisons that hold them bound. The result? A society that has increasingly accepted depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation as normal. And while taking care of yourself is essential, it shouldn’t be our sole focus. We were created to love and exist in fellowship. Loving and serving God and one another.

Throughout the Gospels, we don’t read of John focusing on himself. There is no evidence in the scriptures of John focusing attention on himself. Instead, he readily released his disciples when they wanted to follow Jesus. When John saw Jesus passing by, he quickly said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus” – John 1:36-37. John didn’t get offended that his disciples went to Jesus, no. His attitude was one of rejoicing. “My joy is complete” – John 3:29.

Is Jesus enough to make your joy complete? Or is your joy made whole by your job, family, or ministry? While each gives us a sense of well-being, Jesus must be first. Everything else is just extra. Our prayer and deepest desire should be that Jesus fills us more than we thought possible. And, for that to be enough.

John the Baptist baptized with water, but the Bible says that Jesus baptizes (present tense intentional) with the Holy Spirit. – John 1:33.

It is impossible to live a life of faith without the help of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus gives us His Holy Spirit without measure. “The man whom God has sent speaks God’s message. After all, God gives him the Spirit without limit” – John 3:34.

Our human nature is bent on us taking care of ourselves first. So, it is counterintuitive to put others before yourself, including Jesus. The work of the Holy Spirit in us gives us the grace to manifest His love supernaturally. So, I’m not talking about us manifesting love by our own power. The True Source of supernatural love is Jesus Christ, manifest and evidenced by the Holy Spirit at work in us.

The Holy Spirit does not make us do anything or possess us to do anything, however. But He does lead us. Scripture clarifies, “If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” – Romans 8:13-14. The choice is yours.

If we belong to Jesus—have professed Him as our Lord and Savior, His Spirit leads us. Yet, given that Jesus has also afforded us free will, we are allowed to obey or disobey His Holy Spirit’s leading us. Even though the Holy Spirit will always lead us in the way of Truth in Christ Jesus, to abundant life. Not only eternally but also on this side of eternity.

I pray that you invite the Holy Spirit to lead you in living a selfless life that points to Jesus and loves others unconditionally. If you don’t know Jesus, invite Him to your heart today and ask Him to help you live with purpose and fulfillment as He makes your joy complete.

You Are Mine.

September 3, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out” –Ezekiel 34:11.

God knows them that are his and can call his own sheep by name; he knows the places where they are; for he has fixed the bounds of their habitation, and was delighting himself in the habitable parts of the earth, where he knew they would be, even before the world was. –Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible.

It started in the Garden. God’s searching out His own, that is. Draw to His image and likeness; He sought communion with His creation. He’s seeking fellowship with you now, Beloved, even as you read this. God has always desired to be one with you through Christ Jesus. That started way before the Garden. Somewhere in eternity past. When Eden was but a seed yet planted and you, a mere sketch, some faint intersecting lines in God’s mind, waiting to be created.

Yet be sure of this one thing, God knows where you are.

Nothing and no one are hidden from Him, even when we think we are, especially when we may want to be. “When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God” –Genesis 3:8.

We serve a God whose very nature is Love. He is relational—desiring intimate communion with His children. To walk and talk with us, talk with you, friend. God’s love is personal. He knows you by name. And God loves you. Jesus lived as a man and died as one, just for you. The fact that the Sovereign God of the universe, Holy and blameless, desires to know us, be in a covenant relationship with us, with me, borders on incomprehensible. Something just too good to be true. Yet as mind-blowing as that is for this writer to take in at times. I know it to be true. God, Himself has told me so.

He is an intimate, personal Father. One who desires an open-door invitation into our hearts and lives that He might walk through them at will. Listen to how John Eldredge states this truth: Jesus came to reveal God to you. He is the defining Word on God—on what the heart of God is truly like, on what God is up to in the world, and on what God is up to in your life.

Tell me, friend, have you dared to ask God what He’s up to in your life?

Have you afforded God, His Son, Jesus, and His Holy Spirit an open-door invitation?

Have you invited them in—made room for them?

Do you seek, want to know more of, or at all, this God who thought it not too great a sacrifice to send His only Son to die in your place?

Has it crossed your mind that no one else but Jesus ever made such a sacrifice just for you?

“Then I passed by and saw you, and you were indeed old enough for Love. So I spread My cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you, entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine, declares the Lord GOD” –Ezekiel 16:8. As surely as God’s covenant with Israel stands—and it always will. So it will be with you, child of God. Having been grafted into His everlasting promise of Love and devotion, your loving Father will continually fight for you. Woo, you. Desire you only.

God wants, more; He chooses to be active in your life. He longs to be the center of your every waking moment, invited into and consulted about your dreams and decisions.

“Even those decisions I may consider far too dull, too trite to “trouble” God over. Isn’t it too much to ask of God that He help me make decisions? Listen as I talk about my dreams. Bring clarity to my confusion and doubt. After all, He’s God! Isn’t He too busy overseeing the entire planet, to say nothing of knowing the heart and thoughts of every single person—simultaneously? Doesn’t God have too much going on to be bothered with my thoughts and troubles,” you ask?

The answer, friend? Absolutely, emphatically, No! Nope. Not at all. Never.

Psalm 139 makes it plain God already knows everything about you. He’s just waiting on you to bid Him welcome into your life, heart, and your “boring” daily concerns. “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely” –Psalm 139:1-4.

You are not faceless, nameless, nor aimless in God’s eyes, Beloved. God created you on purpose, for a purpose. “As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything” –Ecclesiastes 11:5. You are no mistake. God sees you. God’s way is so much higher than our own. So far beyond our finite ability to take in, friend. You’ve been created to touch lives no one else can. Why? They don’t carry in them what God has placed in you alone. You are as unique as your fingerprint!

So regardless of what you’ve been told, think about yourself. Contrary to your feelings, God loves you and desires to have a relationship with you. Yes, you personally. He wants to make His home in you.

Now please hear my heart. I’m in no way trying to minimize your pain or any trauma you may have suffered at the hands of another. I remember the sting of such wounds all too well. I’m just speaking the Truth in love here, sharing something that can save you. The Truth that can and will heal your pain. With the full authority of one God has healed, I can say that healing from such wounds is possible—no matter how nasty or deep they are.

All things are possible with God.

Friend, God is so acutely attuned to His world. His creation, to you, personally, that even when a sparrow, some little chick somewhere, falls to the ground, it doesn’t escape His notice. “Are not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s leave (consent) and notice” –Matthew 10:29.

God created you. He has a plan and purpose for your life. Still, despite the lengths this magnificent, Sovereign, Loving, relational God can and will go to reach you, the one thing God won’t do, can’t do, is violate the free will He’s given you, died to provide you. You must then choose to say yes and welcome a relationship with God.

The choice is yours. God has done His part. Ask Jesus into your heart today, as Lord, Father, and Friend. He’s waiting for you to say welcome, come in. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” –John 3:16-17.

The Choice Is Yours.

July 2, 2022 /

MaryEllen Montville

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him” –Deuteronomy 30:19-20.

Last Sunday, our congregation witnessed six souls openly profess their eternal allegiance to Christ Jesus when they stepped into the baptismal pool—joyfully taking the next step in their most sacred of relationships: their relationship with God. Their old man left at the bottom of that pool. A new man rose up, breaking that watery surface, stepping out. “and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him” –1 Peter 3:21-22.

These six souls, some walking with the Lord longer than others, one of them for literally one day, decided in their hearts to follow the “narrow path.”

“But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it” –Mathew 7:14. Yet despite its difficulties, each chose to take this path with its winding way, its mountain top highs and valley lows, its sacrifice and loss, partly because of the “Pearl of Great Price” awaiting them at its end. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” –Matthew 13:45-46. But before we all gathered around the pool to celebrate with our brothers and sisters, we heard a powerful sermon preached. One intentionally stitched together with words like sin, forgiveness, and free will, a sermon brimming with the love of God for a sinful world. It was a map of sorts, no, not of sorts, it was a map. One whose X was clearly marked.

It was a sermon packed with hope, making clear that we must choose between life and death.

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead” Acts 17:30-31.

This teaching, though not the easiest to hear, made clear that Jesus, knowing only a Pure, Spotless sacrifice could ever restore the intimate relationship broken back in the garden, determined to wrap His Godly Perfection in human flesh and be born among us. Choosing obedience to the Father, He came into this world. In like fashion, when His work was completed, Jesus chose to lay down on His Cross, leaving this life behind and returning to the Father. “No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded” –John 10:18.

It made clear the wages of sin are death.

Reminding us of what Romans 3:23 makes plain: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It detailed that salvation is a gift from God, freely given, yet each man must open his heart and choose to accept what God has offered him. Men are saved only by accepting Jesus. Not by works, so none of us can brag or boast. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” –Hebrews 11:6.

There is only One way to God, and His name is Jesus. “ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” –Acts 4:12.

According to Scripture, the sinner’s basic problem is unbelief. “And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me” –John 16:9. This teaching reminded us that anyone who refuses to believe, despite proofs, is rejecting Jesus and, if rejecting Jesus, is rejecting the Father and Holy Spirit in kind. Speaking to His disciples, Jesus made this plain: “Then he said to the disciples, “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And Anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And Anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me” –Luke 10:16.

“Unbelief is saying to God, “thanks, but no thanks, Jesus. I’ve heard all you had to say, but you go your way, and I’ll go mine. You’re not worthy of my faith, trust, or love. I don’t want or need you in my life.” –Pastor Lino Braga.

Crickets…

You could have heard a pin drop in the church. We were reminded that the sin of unbelief is alive and well in the church today. Witnessed weekly whenever God’s Word is shared, yet rejected—an ongoing proof of man’s wickedness. “For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed” –Hebrews 4:2.

In conclusion, I’ll add this: The parent of all sin, unbelief, was employed by God’s enemy in the garden.

Satan’s ability to sow seeds of doubt, division, unbelief, even spiritual death in the hearts and minds of others is no new thing. We read of it in Genesis 3:1 when Satan deceived Eve. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” And we all know what happened next. Now hear what Jesus says of those who foolishly choose to follow after the one who desires to keep you eternally separated from God. Keep you dead in your sin, in this life, and the next. “For you are the children of your Father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the Truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the Father of lies” –John 8:44.

Now you may be saying, “wow, MaryEllen, this teaching is harsh. And to that, I’d answer, “Truth is not always pleasant or easy to hear, yet love compels me to share it with you. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” –John 8:32. Know this: God’s heart is that none perish—God loves you. Jesus is long-suffering, full of grace and love and mercy. But His Word assures us He will not tolerate our intentionally rejecting His love forever. Sadly, one day, He will turn away. Quit pursuing you. Quit sending people like me to get your attention. He’ll let you have your own way—remember, you get to choose. God will not force Himself on you.

So, friend, you need not live in unbelief for one more minute.

But if this has been you, please know God loves you and desires a loving relationship with you, regardless of your sin or past; I can personally attest to this Truth. Christ pulled me out of the hotbed of my sins, changing me from the inside out. Not overnight, but steadily, day by day—still. Know that Jesus is offering you another chance today. Choose Him, please. Ask Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior. Repent of your unbelief and be saved. Your unbelief is no match for God’s Love for you. God is not a man that He can lie. Take to heart God’s promise to you found in Isaiah 45:25. “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”  

We Must Choose.

June 25, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” –2 Timothy 1:7.

Amalgamation. For some Christians, it looks something like this: with one hand, we take the Hand of the One True God, confessing Him as our Lord, while with our other, we hold onto the god of our flesh, our habitual, sinful wants, and deeds; playing with dead things, we dip our hand back into our baptismal font, helping our “old man” step out to run amuck for a bit. “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” –Romans 7:18.

Yet Jesus made it abundantly clear that no man can serve two masters—this spiritual principle, as true today as the day the Lord taught us that we cannot serve Him and mammon—Matthew 6:24. The Spirit and flesh will always be at war. Listen to how the Apostle Paul describes this ongoing battle: “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh” –Galatians 5:17.

So who wins this ongoing battle? Answer: Whomever we arm. And for this, I thank God for His amazing grace!

Beloved, we get to choose the victor; remember, Christ has already given us everything we need to win this ongoing war. So we defeat our flesh moment by moment, decision by painful decision; by choosing to put to death the old man with his sinful desires—its contrary-ness to the Most High God. We must be intentional, determined to choose Godliness. Being led, taught, and changed by God’s Holy Spirit, willingly surrendering our old man into God’s capable charge. The Potter then, spinning us afresh, reshaping and folding in, a new, pure, holy vessel birthed from the old. From an acorn, a mighty oak is born. “So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him” –Jeremiah 18:3-4.

“But you don’t understand. I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember.”

“I’m naturally a shy person.”

“I was born gay.”

“My father was an alcoholic. It’s in my genes.”

“I’ve never been comfortable around a bunch of people.

“I couldn’t possibly speak/sing/teach in front of others.”

And the list goes on…

I’m confident you would have no problem plugging in your own “I’ve always been” into this list.

Yet, Scripture makes clear there comes a time in our walk with God when milk must be exchanged for meat—least we stay spiritual children, stunted, never maturing into the fullness of Godly adulthood. A time when we must determine, choose, change over comfort, habit, and the familiar.

As Peter was approaching the end of his life, he shared the following wisdom with us—a parting gift, a spiritual building block, a sure foundation upon which we can build. “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” –2 Peter 1:5-7. Peter is reminding us God has given us everything we need to live Godly lives; now keep going. Press on. Desire more of what you’ve been freely given. Hunger for more, more of God and less of you, more holy boldness, obedience, power, more of what God has for you. Our desiring to live and walk out our faith as Christ commanded, outweighing everything else. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” –2 Corinthians 5:17.

Question is, will we choose to believe this? To put legs under it, walking it out day by day? It is, after all, our choice.

Remember, Christ Jesus has assured us everything we need to live out this “new life” in Him was accomplished on His Cross. Nothing else is necessary—on God’s part, that is. “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. –2 Peter 1:3-4. Any work left to do then is ours; it starts with our first believing in Christ Jesus and then agreeing with Him, allowing Him to change how we define ourselves—from the inside out. Taking God at His Word that we truly have been born anew, spiritually speaking—whether we feel new or not. Choice is the lifeblood of faith—believing in what we cannot see—trusting in it, partnering with the power and ability of the One who has called us out of darkness into His glorious Light. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”–Hebrews 1:1.

We must choose to trust that we have been set free from our “old man with its carnal lust” and are “free indeed” to begin our new life in Christ—with Christ. “For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death” –Romans 8:2.

Living a life of dependence on Jesus now, a life fueled by His every promise. Confident that Jesus cannot lie, we must choose to place the full weight of our trust in God, day by day, living as the new creations we are, or, conversely, we can choose to keep going back, dredging up our old man, dead in his watery grave. Placing our faith instead in “I’ve always been this way.” “My mother/father/ fill in the blank—told me I’ll never amount to anything more than this.”

Yet to mature spiritually, live, and move as God intended, we must allow God’s Holy Spirit unrestricted access to every inch of us.

And yet, amazingly, God has afforded us free will because of His great love for us. This means we can say no to Jesus or His Holy Spirit. Jesus has afforded us the choice to stay stuck in our pain, living fractured, half-lives while on our way to heaven, missing out on the whole, rich, depth of relationship His life, death, and resurrection has provided those who trust Him.

Remember, God’s Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He will not force Himself upon you (even though He is God and can do whatever He wishes). We must bid God welcome. Affording His Holy Spirit unrestricted freedom to walk in and out of the “chambers of our heart,” as jacked-up and messy as they may be. Bid Him welcome into our deepest hurt, that He might roll back that massive stone we placed over our hearts when we were four, twelve, twenty—or yesterday; that instant we swore to ourselves no one would ever hurt us/ have access to our hearts in that same way, ever again.

Yet, to walk in this fullness of Jesus Beloved, in all He has destined for us, to walk in love as He is love, we must choose to live holy, un-comfortable.

Will you join me today in saying yes for the first or maybe the hundredth time, choosing God over self?

And fear not! None of us are worthy of being chosen by God, friend. Isaiah, Job, the Apostle Peter, and Paul have each attested to this truth. Still, you must decide for yourself to choose Jesus over your “I’ve always been.” So, if Christ Jesus is bidding you to leave yourself behind, with all the comforts of the familiar, that you might live in the fullness of all He has for you, which will you choose?

Remember, the choice is yours to make. I encourage you, friend—choose Life. “Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” –John 14:6.

And if you have yet to ask Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior, choose to do so today, friend. Scripture assures us no man is promised tomorrow—Truth remains Truth, even when it makes us uncomfortable. So please, don’t let today pass without choosing to ask God into your life.

How Do I “Guard My Heart?”

June 11, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

“Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life” — Proverbs 4:23.

There must be a good reason for this idea of guarding the heart to be laced throughout the Bible. We see it from the Old Testament through to Paul’s letters to the Churches in the New Testament. What does it even mean to guard my heart? I cannot see nor touch it; how then is it possible to protect it?

What I love about the Bible is that it doesn’t leave us stranded after giving us seemingly impossible instructions. We can find the key to guarding our hearts within the very pages on which Paul writes this statement. Philippians 4:4-7 reads, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Proverbs 4:23 alerts us to the importance of guarding the heart by identifying it as the source of life.

These practical steps outlined in Philippians 4 are stepping stones we have to carry out the instructions in Proverbs 4. While we are instructed to guard our hearts, the Bible also makes it clear that we can’t do it alone; we need God’s help. We see this paradox in contrast between Proverbs 4 and Philippians 4, where it seems that one scripture is telling us to guard our hearts, while the other teaches that it is the peace of God that guards our hearts. I believe this is a sort of a “push and pull ” in our relationship with our Father. We work to live rightly while pushing into God’s resources when we can no longer pull on our strength.

 “Rejoice in the Lord always.” It would be easier if this verse said, “rejoice in the Lord sometimes.”

Instead, it says always. Our rejoicing is so essential that Paul mentions it repeatedly! Why? Rejoicing does something to our minds. It puts us in a different state, inviting peace rather than anxiety. Rejoicing is giving thanks in every circumstance. Sometimes we are so consumed with what’s wrong that we no longer have the energy left to spend on searching for what’s right.

I remember a time in my life when I cried every day. I looked around and was filled with complaints and reminded myself of what was wrong, but slowly I was able to redirect my thoughts to think of what is good, as Philippians 4:8 says. At the time, most days, I had to think hard about what could be good, but as I made it a practice, good thinking became more natural. “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—think about such things” –Philippians 4:8.

Although challenging, changing our way of thinking is possible.

It is rewarding to learn to quit focusing on what’s wrong in life and REJOICE instead over what’s good. The word “gratitude” comes from the Latin word “gratia,” which translates to “grace, graciousness, or gratefulness.” Research shows that gratitude can result in increased happiness in one’s life! (Harvard Health, 2021). This research supports Philippians 4:7. “Let your graciousness be known to everyone.” By choosing gratitude and joy in all things, your countenance changes. As your gratitude and praise to God increase, God inhabits our praises (Psalm 22:3), and the Lord draws near (Phil 4:6). Over time, as gratitude becomes a lifestyle, your joy and “graciousness” will become known to everyone, including yourself.

2. Do not worry.

I know what you’re thinking: it’s easier said than done, but with the help of the Spirit of God, you can live in peace, despite the uncertainties that life brings. Worry often comes with “what ifs.” Worry is faith in the bad things that can happen rather than having faith in God that He will work it out for our good. I’m not saying that life won’t have moments of uncertainty, but there are several places in the Bible where we are instructed not to worry or be anxious. Instead, to have faith and courage, trusting that God is on our side.

When I read these verses, I often thought, “easy for you to say, Bible.” But in my walk with God, I have learned increasingly that this instruction is twofold, more like a cycle of His faithfulness. As we step out in faith, God answers prayers and makes a way, allowing us to experience His faithfulness firsthand. As the cycle continues, we gain the confidence to trust Him for the next hurdle—only to see His goodness repeatedly. The scripture instructs us to pray instead of worry. So, the next time you’re worried, share your problems with God and remind your soul that whatever the outcome may be, God has your best interest in mind.

When we read the following few verses of Philippians, we’ll find a “how-to guide” on having a healthy mindset. And with enough practice, I believe you can discipline your mind to change your thinking patterns. We touched on Philippians 4:8 earlier, but here it is again, including verse 9.

 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” —Philippians 4:8-9.

 Paul is reiterating the possibility of the presence of God’s peace in a very practical way. When you begin to feel panic, remember to pray. Then follow this guide in Philippians 4:8-9 and find something true, right, pure, lovely, or good, and think on that. Train your brain. I am confident that the Spirit of God will help you as He has done for me amid my darkest moments.

The key to God’s peace is trifold: prayer, trusting in Him, and doing our part to discipline our minds to believe God’s Word. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” –2 Corinthians 10:5.

This week, I pray you can find God in every situation. If you don’t yet know Him, He is available to you through Jesus. Jesus wants to give you peace today as you begin your journey with Him.

Citation: “Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier.” Harvard Health, Harvard Health Publishing, 14 Aug. 2021, https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier.

Blessings, in Disguise.

March 5, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“The Israelites were leaving with their arms raised in victory. But the Lord caused Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to become brave. And Pharaoh chased the Israelites” –Exodus 14:8.

“I’ve heard it said, “nothing can stop God’s love, and God’s love stops at nothing.”

The Lord had told Abram that His chosen people would be afflicted for 400 years— “Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for 400 years” –Genesis 15:13. We read of the Israelite’s first steps towards freedom from their oppressor through the lens of today’s Scripture. They were leaving behind some 430 years of affliction and subjugation in Egypt. This bloody, tyrannical chapter in the lives of God’s people coming to a seemingly implausible close; God’s Word is inerrant, All-Powerful, it cannot return to Him void. So even as God spoke to Abram, a non-rescindable promise was released over future generations. God’s people would be free. God’s promise would be fulfilled. All of this then, in God’s own time.

No seeming victory by the prince of this world can ever come to bear over the will and plans of our Sovereign King.

It is God alone who gives Satan both the power and permission to execute his thieving, murderous plots and schemes so that, in the end, all men may witness God’s glory and victory over every evil, giving glory to God for the victory. “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this'” –Exodus 14:4.

So how do we respond when our blessings show up disguised as trials? When the love of God feels like anything but love?

Do we take God at His Word? Do we honestly know, trust, believe that even our trials are blessings in disguise? “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” –Romans 8:28.

Scripture reveals two vastly different responses to this question.

Yet before we read about those, I pray the Holy Spirit gives us a fresh vision, a new level of discernment, that He does what only He can in removing the scales from our eyes, every preconceived notion we have concerning God, period. Specifically, I pray this as we walk through these perilous times of wars and rumors of wars concerning how we perceive God will, or will not, can, or cannot move, in our lives and our world. I pray we trust His Omniscience. I pray He refines us, bringing us to new levels of surrender to His will. I pray we catch a fresh revelation of the Sovereignty and Power of our God—and fully surrender ourselves to Him, leaving our every fear, our unbelief, need for control, our striving, and grappling at His feet. “Father, not our will, but Yours be done.” Amen.

Hear the heart of God’s people when faced with a situation that looked nothing like the blessing they had been told was coming. “As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” –Exodus 14:10-12.

And later, having walked through a seemingly impossible situation, a sea divided, walls of water standing tall, straight, and obedient as soldiers at attention. God continued to stand watch, ensuring the last Israelite stepped out from between the walls of water before commanding them to stand down. God spoke, and the water came crashing down. Exodus 12 informs us some 600,000 men plus their women and children safely crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, the walls of water God had used to deliver His people; He also used to bury their enemy. Yet their grumbling continued. “Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah. So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” –Exodus 15:22-24.

Having endured a season of crushing, time spent in the wilderness, or the fire of affliction, how long do you walk around with your hands raised in victory and thanksgiving before dropping them, beloved? For the Israelites, it was three short days. The sea had been parted. They’d crossed over on dry land. They sang songs of thanksgiving and deliverance; then, their need for water appears to have washed away any remembrance of the miracle they’d literally walked through.

Is it any wonder that God calls us sheep? How easily we forget, go astray, want what we want, forgetting the blows the sin of rebellion once dealt us.

Until we come to a garden, that is. Not the first one; that is where all this finger-pointing, pride, and rebellion was born. It’s in the second garden, during the watches of the night—Scripture informs us it was about midnight that finger-pointing, pride, rebellion, every sin, was poured into one Life-demanding cup. Understanding fully now that accepting the cup meant death, Jesus knelt and prayed. He asked the Father if this bitter affliction might be removed from Him. But God said no. Not only did He say no, He waited as Jesus drank deeply and all, the very last drop of the sins of this world. Your sins—all of them. Mine, too, poured upon His Beloved Son. God knew the Cross awaited Jesus. Just as He knew, the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army awaited his people.

God also knew for our sins to be removed, for us to be restored to Him, Jesus had to die. That had always been part of His plan. We catch our first glimpse of it back in that first garden when innocent animals were killed; their bloody skins used to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness. Even in our rebellion and sin, the heart of the Father is to provide for His children. “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” –Genesis 3:21.

Jesus would eventually finish the work we witnessed in the garden when His Spotless Blood was shed as the final covering for all that those might accept His free gift of salvation.

So how do we respond when God’s love feels like anything but love?

Now, hear the Words of the One who said “absolutely! I’ll go” when asked to lay down His life in exchange for ours. Listen for Jesus’ pure tones of acceptance, resolve, trust, obedience, love, devotion, His wholehearted desire to do endure anything the Father asked of Him. “Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” –Matthew 26:38-39.

And a while later, going back to pray, Jesus’ heart is revealed to us a second time—God always confirms His Word. This same One who took away our sin-blackened garments and, not leaving us naked, cloaks us instead with His Pure White Royal Robes of His Righteousness. “He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink from it, Your will be done” –Matthew 26:42.

Friends, God has given us the unfathomable gift of free will. Not wanting robots that love, worship, or serve Him out of fear or some false sense of obligation or duty, God affords us the privilege of serving Him.

The cup Jesus drank in the Garden of Gethsemane affords us that privilege—still. Your ability to serve God, to call Him Father, to carry His Spirit, alive, in you, is the costliest privilege afforded any man, having cost Jesus His very life.

Two examples. Two vastly different responses. Willful rebellion and self-satisfaction on one side, complete surrender, and the giving of self for another, even unto death, on the other.

So not if friend, but when your blessing comes disguised as anything but a blessing, which of these responses will be yours?

If you have not accepted Jesus into your heart, why wait? Ask Him in now, friend. He’s just waiting for your invitation. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” –Revelation 3:20-21.

Don’t Forget to Remember.

February 12, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

“I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done” –Psalm 143:5

Remember when the simple things brought joy to your childhood heart? I mean, really simple, like getting out of class 5 minutes early or going out for ice cream on a sizzling summer day? How about waking up on Christmas morning to find a pile of gifts ready for your little hands to tear open or when your mom cooked your favorite meal? Then, one day, seemingly while you weren’t looking, the simple things that once put a sparkle in your eye seem so ordinary now.

They’ve become so normal now; you complain when they don’t show up exactly as expected. Gone is the appreciation for the very thing that once brought you such joy. So many times, our spiritual journey can be a bit like this. The curiosity for the things of God can begin to fade when you neglect reading His word, forgetting to look for what He is saying to you through the Bible. The excitement for answered prayer can begin to fade as your prayer life takes a back seat to everyday busyness. God’s provision becomes so ordinary that you don’t even remember what life was like before His bountiful hand touched your life.

Failing to remember what God has done for you is an open invitation for complacency to come in and rob you of your destiny.

The Old Testament describes a cycle of forgetfulness in the Israelites, whom the Bible calls God’s Chosen people. God chose to favor the Israelites of all the people on earth, calling them His own people. Unfortunately, the Israelites’ fatal flaw was that they consistently forgot what God had done for them. They forgot who He was to them as their God, warrior, provider, and protector. For some background, the first few books of the Bible show us a bit of Israel’s history. We see, repeatedly, the signs and wonders God performed to lead His people into freedom.

While enslaved in Egypt, the Lord brought Moses to lead them out of the land of captivity. In these first few books of the Bible, we see God perform impossible acts for His people. These acts included the Red Sea parting for their escape from the Egyptian army, Manna from heaven for their daily bread, and a pillar of fire descending from heaven to lead them on their journey through the desert. They were in the desert for 40 years, as told in the book of Numbers.

When the people complained, it displeased the Lord, for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused.

The mixed multitude among them yielded to their intense cravings, so the children of Israel wept before the Lord again, saying: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium. The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil. And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it. Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased” –Numbers 11:1, 4-10.

When we remember Egypt…

The people of God remembered the wrong things. Sure, they recognized that they had fish in Egypt but forgot that they had been forced to build cities for a cruel master. Exodus 1 describes the Egyptians as “ruthless in all the tasks assigned to the Israelites while they were enslaved.” The people of Israel had forgotten how horrible their lives were in Egypt, but they remembered the meat they had eaten there. The manna that was once a miraculous provision from God Himself became a source of great murmuring and complaining.

Instead of continuing to be grateful for the nourishment given by God, they resorted to wishing they could trade their freedom for slavery again, simply for something different to eat. The Lord was angry with their complaining hearts. I’m convinced that it wasn’t the fact that they wanted something else to eat; instead, it was the fact they looked at God with anger in their hearts rather than as their provider. Asking Him for something other to eat, then trusting Him; however, He would have responded.

There are several stories of people in the Bible asking God for something different, and He provided the change they needed- whether it be laws or victories. He responded to a humble heart that asked for provision. But the prideful heart that complains and makes demands of God is not pleasing to Him. In the same way that the Lord provided for His people in ancient days, He continues to provide everything you need right when you need it. His favor is unmatched and will follow you wherever you go, so long as your faith and trust are in Him alone.

Because of their half-hearted trust in Him, the Lord did not allow that generation to see the land that would have been their home. “Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me” –Numbers 32:11.

While there is so much beauty and redemption in deliverance, equally, there is the danger of slipping back into old habits, reverting to old ways of thinking and behaving. Instead of fully turning their backs on Egypt, they walked, looking over their shoulder as if something beneficial had been left behind. Instead of fully trusting God and looking forward, eyes full of faith, trusting God for the promised land that lay ahead, they looked instead with physical eyes. Eyes that only saw the lack that came with living a nomadic life in the Egyptian desert. They almost entered the promised land but didn’t . The fear of their enemies and their lack faith in God prevented their entering in. The Lord waited for the older generation to pass away before giving Israel the land He had promised them.

God waited for a whole new generation, untouched by Egypt, to take over and occupy the land He had promised them.

Many times, our eyes are fixed on the wrong things. We, like the Israelites before us, remember the wrong things. Think back to when you felt like you were in a desert of sorts.

It’s hard when you don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s hard when you can’t afford the groceries you want to buy. It’s hard when you feel like things are tough at work. Yet, it becomes easy too long for an oasis in those same desert moments, even if it meant taking steps backward to reach it. Yet this biblical account reminds us to keep pressing forward, even when it’s hard. It calls us to live by the principle; God is ever faithful, and feelings are fleeting. It instructs us to walk in obedience to God, even when things don’t seem to make sense.

Jesus is our key to communion with Father God.

Just as He wanted the Israelites free to live in community with Him, He wants us to be part of His family, too. Jesus made the way for that! He is our righteousness. You don’t have to have it all together to come to Him or to pray. Wherever you are, ask Him to come into your heart. Commit to living in obedience to Him with the help of the Holy Spirit. Remember who you are today and who you have been, and, moving forward, never forget what God does for you, and give thanks in all things.

If you know Jesus, take a moment to recenter your heart and mind on Him today. Ask Him to purify your heart and help you trust Him in all things. And don’t forget to remember who He is and who you are in Him. And if you don’t know Jesus personally, if you haven’t fully surrendered your heart to Him, do it today.

“We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first. As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.” For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?” –Hebrews 3:14-16.

Moments.

January 29, 2022 /
Pastor Maria Braga

“Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” –Deuteronomy 8:1.

As it was with God’s people in days past, so it is today. Born-again believers continue to make like decisions and choices, operating similarly to those who came before us. We won’t always understand our spiritual seasons unless we continually communicate with the Father. Are we faithfully reading His Word, fellowshipping, and gathering with like-minded brothers and sisters? Scripture teaches that “iron sharpens iron, so we sharpen each other” –Prov. 27:17. Our part in helping usher in the revelation of our unique destinies is by seeking God’s presence daily through His Holy Spirit at work in us. We must be intentional and vigilant to catch this revelation. We must ready ourselves and be careful to follow the commands of the Lord. These revelations will often come when we are at the feet of Jesus, just as Mary, Martha’s sister, once was. “As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message” –Luke 10:38-39.

Wilderness times of testing are inevitable! They will come. And God will humble us that we may come out of this testing refined, polished, and ready for what He has before us.

Typically, these “God moments” we experience happen when something meaningful happens in our lives. Often, our emotions are tied to these moments. Deuteronomy Eight tells us about one such moment in time.

The Israelites had to experience a season of testing before God allowed them to enter their “Promised Land.” This season of anticipation, of inheriting God’s promise,  a promise that had been spoken of and handed down for generations, was now before them. The moment of their liberation was in reach. Yet knowing the oppression they had endured in Egypt; the Israelites had never anticipated that God’s promise to give them the Promised Land would be attached to a test. A test of their faithfulness—forty years of preparation, wandering in the wilderness.

As anticipation grew in the Israeli-Camp, they expectantly waited out what they thought would be eleven days of preparation before entering in. They were thrilled that finally, after what felt like forever, they’d be ushered into the fulfillment of God’s promise. Yet it would not be eleven days but forty years before they’d walk into their promised land.

God had warned the Israelites to follow His commands carefully, yet they could not obey even this one command. So, it wasn’t the physical distance between Egypt and The Promised Land that had delayed their taking possession of it. It was their disobedience, their grumbling, which had delayed their access. They thought they knew better than God. Disobedience, pride, grumbling, bitterness is what delayed the Israelites from taking possession of God’s promise. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it, this human condition? Our thinking we know better than God? It is so hard, even impossible, to obey God’s commands on our own, trusting God and not ourselves or our ideas. To be quiet and simply obey God. “Be still and know that I am God” –Psalm 46:10.

Before coming to know the Lord, this concept of simple obedience was foreign to me. It seemed unattainable. I was too busy, and “time was gold.” My prayers were quick, and everything else came first. Now that I’ve aged some, I call this time spent waiting on God a gift from my Father to me. I have learned that it is in the waiting that the Lord prepares me for my “moments.” I have assignments to fulfill. Every child of God does. And often, they’re scattered throughout our mundane, daily lives.

Also hidden within the mundane are many distractions. “The Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” –Luke 10:41-42.

While working at a previous job, I remember when the Lord allowed me to share His love with someone, and I totally missed it. For days, I felt guilty for not obeying God. A seemingly small thing, yet it marked my life significantly. It was a missed moment. I was disobedient. I had been saved about five years at that time, yet I was paralyzed still by anxiety and fear; so intimidated, I withdrew. I lived a quiet life, not speaking up or out when I should have.

I was so torn by the fact that I had missed the moment. But I thank the Lord, He set me free from this oppression. From the fear, anxiety, and intimidation that once held me captive. Just as He had for the Israelites before me, instead, that missed moment became a memorial of sorts; it caused me to step out bravely, sharing His love with others instead of being quiet. It was part of my deliverance from these demonic forces that once had a grip on me. I have determined to share my experiences more openly and boldly as the opportunities present themselves. And in making that decision to be bold for Christ, my life was never the same.

Moments can grow, inspire, bless, and transform us as we walk out our faith. Romans Eight assures us of this.

God created us. He knows us far better than we know ourselves. “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Romans 8:27-28. Because of God’s Agape Love for us –aGreek term used to define a particular aspect of love. Love without condition, sacrificial, gracious, and underserved God is the source of agape love.God will allow what He knows is necessary to touch our lives, bringing about these moments that mark us—Think about God’s servant Job here.

And the key to not missing these moments is to spend quiet time with God in our prayer closets.

There is always a reason for all that God does or allows. But, as I said earlier, we must be ready, tuned in to His voice, prepared to receive so as not to miss our moment. As Scripture makes clear in Ecclesiastes: there is a time for everything under heaven. “a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build” –Ecc. 3:2-3.

Let us all pray this prayer throughout our New Year: “Lord, I Trust In You.” Regardless of what may happen, my eyes will stay focused on your promises and the command You gave to follow You. So I say yes, I will trust in You alone!”

Proverbs 3:5-6 says this same thing this way: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Typically, we only want to hear what we want to hear, yet it’s in those quiet moments spent alone with our Father where God whispers the plan He has for our lives, what He is testifying to within our hearts. It’s here too, where we must choose God’s way or our own. I pray, fast, refocus in my wilderness, and my moment appears after pressing, pushing, and standing. It is as though the Lord is saying, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Here is your reward” –Matthew 5:23. My previous test prepares me for the one to come. And I’ll face it with greater confidence, knowing that what I have seen God do before, He will do again – in more excellent ways. There are no limitations with God.

The mission is spiritual, but the victory is supernatural! Victory typically follows our wilderness experiences. It was no different for the Israelites. We witnessed Joshua lead his people into The Promised Land and conquer Jericho.

So be encouraged. Continue trusting in God alone. Follow and obey His commands.

Remember that His promises become our reality. Being one in Him, we will enter the Promised Land awaiting those that love Him and are called by His name. A Land flowing with milk and honey. “On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” –Joshua 4:19-24.

I encourage us all to make the following our New Year’s prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. I give you my heart and make you Lord of my life. Making this decision for the first time takes a measure of faith. And Jesus strengthens us. He makes us new. He promises never to leave nor forsake you. So, march forward into your Promised Land with confidence. Be assured that Jesus will cause “moments” of revelation, the fullness of joy, peace, and abundant life to follow you! May His Love fill your heart as you embark on this spiritual journey! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” – 2 Cor 5:17

A very blessed New Year to you!

Fulfilled.

January 8, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

New Year. New hope. New future.

Often, that is the mantra for an ambitious person stepping into a new year. New Year’s resolutions brim over with eager plans for lifestyle changes, new habits, and new goals. Along with completing these resolutions comes the pleasure of feeling brand new! For the believer, however, fulfillment of vision only feels complete when our vision is in line with the will of God. If you are anything like me, you are great at producing ideas and starting things. Whether we want to do something as simple as reading more books or completing house projects, we are great at beginning tasks but not so great at finishing them. My house has plenty of half-finished projects, half-read books, and half-completed meal plans.

So I thank God that although inconsistency may be a part of my human condition, that less-than-stellar trait God is working out in me, my flaws are in no way reflective of God’s character. He is not a halfway God. He always finished what He started. He leaves no page unturned. “The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does” – Psalm 145:13.

As we look forward to this New Year, let us pause for a moment and invite God into our plans. “A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps” – Proverbs 16:9. Throughout Scripture, we witness God keeping His promises to His children. And there is no greater satisfaction than living and walking in our God-given purpose. We can set goals in and of ourselves and then complete them certainly. But when we do it with God, He multiplies the return on our efforts.

As I read Joshua and saw the words “fulfilled promise,” two things hit my Spirit. First, a promise fulfilled is a vow that has already come to pass, whether it comes from personal efforts or through a gift we’ve received. Second, fulfillment is a feeling of satisfaction—the pleasure of knowing that what has been achieved is a good thing indeed. “Not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed” –Joshua 23:14

Inviting God to be Lord over our goal-setting opens up a way for us to grow in Him. Asking God for His vision enables us to see what He wants us to accomplish. It is beautiful to live out His vision for our lives because, in His vision, we thrive—growing in passion and vigor. When our vision is void of God, it is only self-serving. But in living out His vision for our lives, we do not just come alive within our hearts, but we help build His kingdom in the process. In part, living out God’s vision for our lives means that it will have both internal and external effects in our here and now.

In reading Joshua 23, I found it interesting that there are reminders throughout the text to “be strong and obey the commands of God.” It starts in verse six and echo’s back to the chapter one. Joshua reminds himself, and his people of all the Lord has promised them.

Moses, that great prophet and father of the faith, is long dead, having never entered the land promised him and his people—instead Joshua is the one God had chosen to step into it, leading the Israelites to take possession of the land. The Lord had to appoint a new servant to lead His people into the land He had promised them years prior. And while Moses did not see Israel’s promise happen, God had not forgotten His promise. This promised land, however, was no move-in-ready situation. There were strong enemies in the land who needed evicting.

In Joshua, Chapter One, we read, “Be strong and courageous… do not be afraid.” My favorite reiteration of this command is Joshua 1:8-9. “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Have you ever been let down because someone broke a promise they made but did not keep? Have you ever felt the weight of not being able to carry out what you intended to do?

Be encouraged today that when God makes a promise, He never breaks it. He is always faithful to fulfill what He says. Ask Him what He has for you and trust Him to lead you in His divine purpose for your life.

So, why did God have to remind Joshua to keep the book of the law on his lips? It is because God knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows that man will go his own way, deviating from God and His Word at the slightest inkling of success or the moment we think we can do things on our own. God also knows that it is in our wandering where sin creeps in. And sin deprives us of the plans and purpose God intended for us, robbing the fruit that comes along with knowing Him. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”– Galatians 5:22-23. The fruit of the Spirit is evidence of God working in our lives.

God knows that mans human nature tends to slip into self-serving ambitions rather than maintain a life-giving lifestyle. Be strong, but also remember His word. Remember the way of righteous living that is taught throughout scripture.

As you realize what God has for you in this new year, be it physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally, walk with confidence that He will not fail you. Even if it means you are quivering at the knees a little bit, do what you are called with faith in Him, knowing that He will never let you down. And, if things do not happen according to your plan, do not be discouraged. Keep pressing on, knowing that God has never failed, and He never will. It is not in His nature. Remember also that God’s timing and our own often differ. Trust God’s over your own.

Our God will supply every one of your needs. He is in the smallest of details and will leave no page unturned in your story.

In this time of looking ahead to the new year, be open to wild visions and scary dreams. Do not close the door on things that make you say, “not me.”

Move forward, in things you want to accomplish and those things God wants you to do. In the end, I promise you that you will come away both feeling and being, fulfilled. Having not only the evidence of your dreams realized; you will also have the satisfaction of looking back and knowing that God blessed what He called you to do. This level of satisfaction is not solely for your gratification; it also allows for God’s glory to shine in your life. Your faith will increase as you behold with your own eyes the faithfulness of God at work in your life. Let your faith precede the evidence. As God comes through for you, you will have the surmounting proof that gives you the confidence to know that the Lord has never failed you, and He will not start failing you now.

Today, I invite you to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Let Him be the author and finisher of your faith. Wherever you find yourself today, He is faithful to meet you where you are. He is omnipresent, meaning He can be everywhere at any time. He saw you and knew you before you were born, and He died for you so that you may be saved and live an abundant life. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you and help you find a new purpose in this new year.

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2025 Sonsofthesea.org

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑