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

Tag: Endurance (Page 2 of 3)

Serving God Out Of Pain Or Passion.

April 22, 2023 /

Elda Othello-Wrightington

Are you serving God out of your pain or out of passion?

Is it possible to do both? Friends, I believe the answer is Yes. The Cross is a combination of both pain and passion. Jesus suffered much pain for us, yet His passion was that we would be reconciled to the Father. For everyone who believes, John 3:16 makes that so clear. We will not perish but have eternal life. If you are reading this and have yet to accept the Lord Jesus into your heart, today is the day! I encourage you to do so.

The beautiful thing about Christ’s pain and passion was and is still; we witness how God longs to communion with us through it. And get this. He really wants to share secrets with us.

Recently, I was standing in line at a fast-food joint and out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed two little girls whispering and giggling freely with one another while what seemed to be their mother placed an order for happy meals. As I stood there, I could not help but wonder, what were these little girls talking about? What secrets could they possibly be sharing with one another? And then it occurred to me: God has secrets. God has secrets that He longs to share and reveal to us. The Bible says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” –Deuteronomy 29:29.

As I have been reading through the book of Deuteronomy, this passage stroked my heart so. “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all of your heart and with all of your soul and live.” –Deuteronomy 30:6.

Now, I’ve never been circumcised; however, removing the foreskin sounds painful. Its original purpose was to set the Jew apart from others and, more importantly, to solidify their commitment to God’s Convent—that being their heart was indeed for the Lord. Throughout my reading of Deuteronomy, the theme I found the Lord speaking most of was that He wants our hearts. He wants us to live in His rest, in His will. He desires us to be truly free despite pain and adversity—living above whatever circumstance we might face. And the beauty of all this is that God wants that we LIVE free even when we are in pain!

Did you catch that part in the above passage? Because I sure did!

Sometimes that pain can come through life challenges, disappointments, and setbacks. Over the years, I’ve found the purpose of God allowing such pain is often tied to the condition of our hearts. And if we are intentionally mindful of what’s happening within them, we might see those painful moments are actually heart “check-ins”—or circumcisions. God nudging us to examine some part of our lives, walk, our attitude—or His removing something from us entirely because it does not reflect His own heart.

Friends, it is possible to be passionate in the midst of your pain.

It is possible to allow your heart to wonder, linger and desire more from the Lord. Keep hoping and believing for more! What pain has touched your life, making it seem too hard to worship or praise Him? To serve God? What pains and transitions keep you distracted from Him? Because as painful as the process of circumcision sounds, there are rewards to the process. Being set apart comes with rewards and blessings!  

For instance, have you ever wondered, “What in the world is the lord doing in my life?”

Are you in that place in life where there are so many transitions and decisions to make that you’re just not sure which one to choose? Or opportunities that were once before you seem to be ending, and you’re not sure what your next move should be.

Friends, can I say once more that God Has secrets to share, and He has answers for your questioning heart? 1 Corinthians 2:9-12 says: “However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except for their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.”

Friends, God longs to reveal secrets to us freely. I hope you caught that! So, stay passionate about pursuing Him even in the midst of your pain. The circumcision process is definitely painful, but it also has its purpose and its rewards. And one of its best rewards is our being in constant fellowship with God—the Reveler of all Truths.

Embers

November 20, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

How do you start a fire with ashes?

Seasons come, and seasons go. And often, it feels like we have nothing left to give. Nothing left to offer on the altar. Our spirit is consumed, burnt out. Our fire has slowly subsided, and we cannot reignite it. Thankfully, we serve a God who makes beauty from ashes. And it is His Spirit that can reignite the embers of our souls. I’m not sure why some seasons are ripe with passion while others feel like a drag, but one thing I know is that Jesus is the one constant through it all. Whether mountain-high or valley-low, our circumstances will quickly begin to inform our perspectives if we’re not diligent about keeping our fire burning.

The fire of the Holy Spirit makes us come alive. It is all-consuming. He is an indicator of our spiritual health. And while He may ignite feelings of passion and vigor, He is not in and of Himself, a feeling. The Holy Spirit is the Living presence of God inside of us. Just as God was the Flame that met Moses at the burning bush, He is also the Flame that meets us within our hearts.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” –Romans 12:9-13.

“Be fervent in spirit.” In Latin, “fervent” comes from the word fervor, meaning “a boiling violent heat.” This language is clear. By the power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible to maintain a living boiling, “violent heat” within our hearts. Keeping our flame alive is not accomplished in ways that come naturally to the self-serving, self-absorbed human heart. It comes from total surrender to the Lord and His will, which is servitude. His heart is that the world may know Him, but it is also that He may have a relationship with His bride, who is His church.

Years ago, I felt myself slipping into laziness. I would have what seemed like an endless list of chores to be completed. I prayed that God would give me the energy to do what needed to be done in the mundane day-to-day tasks. In my prayer, He showed me two things: number one, I was giving in to laziness, and number two, I had the power to overcome laziness before it could overcome me. The word I got from the Lord during that prayer was this: whatever it is you don’t feel like doing, do it. I was expecting God to change my habits in a moment. I wanted Him to make me want to do all the chores and all the tasks. I was ready for Him to grant me my wish of instantly becoming a laundry lover. Instead, He reminded me that I also had a part to play in my prayers. I have never forgotten those words whispered to my spirit that day. I have carried them with me since.

You see, complacency leads to embers, not flames. When you don’t feel like showing up, it is when you need to show up. When you don’t feel like honoring the person you are doing life with, you need to show up and outdo them in showing honor. When you don’t feel like you have a fervent heart, you must go before the Lord and ask for a refill. Romans 12 is clear, serving the Lord will only ever increase your fervor.

“find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them… everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” –Ephesians 5:10-11; 13-14.

As we go about our lives, it is impossible to never be around nonbelievers. That is why it is of utmost importance to the believer that they stay close to the body of Christ. Our flame is kept alive there by the flame of the brother beside us. When we come to Jesus, His light exposes our wickedness. It makes us uncomfortable and causes us to live differently. Romans 12 doesn’t say to leave the people of God. It doesn’t say to stay around people who hate God. It instructs us that serving the saints (other believers) gives us life! Ask God for His Birdseye view when your circumstance seems to be guiding your perspective. If you feel hopeless, rejoice, knowing that you have hope even when you can’t feel it. If you’re suffering or facing tribulation, choose patience instead of complaining. Seek out the good instead of pointing out the bad. If you don’t feel like praying, pray anyway. If you don’t feel like serving, serve regardless. If you don’t feel like being hospitable, do it despite your feelings. Our faith is not based on emotions. It is to be laid down, an offering on the altar of our hearts for the Lord and others.

Of course, mentally, we must take time to reset and find our bearings, but we cannot live there. Complacency is a detrimental dwelling place for our souls. Reset and then press on!

Today, I pray that you are encouraged to find the flame that burns bright within your heart. If you feel down, I will echo the words in Ephesians 5:14. “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” I pray you find your zeal as you serve the Lord and His people and grow in generosity.

And if you read this today and said, this is me! I can relate to this. But have not asked Jesus to be Lord of your life. Then that is your starting block. The surest and only lasting way for the fire in your heart to begin burning brightly! “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” –John 14:6.

One Last Twist.

October 1, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” –John 15:4.

Abide in Me—remaining in perfect oneness, holding white-knuckled fast no matter what happens, staying attached and rooted. Webster defines abide this way: to remain stable or fixed in a state. God has been holding up this command to abide before me, turning it like a kaleidoscope. Abiding in Him will look the same, yet different from past seasons.God has been exposing the extent of our powerlessness. Making clear our great need for Him, now, more than ever; is that even possible?

Here’s the thought. Such shaking is upon us that if we foolishly allow ourselves the room to be lulled into thinking anything we do, have been gifted to do, can be done on autopilot, in our own power, we will quickly learn just how inept and hollow we are. Equally, in our foolish attempts at playing god, we risk being deceived, swept away by the faulty wisdom and ever-changing winds of this world.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, reminds his reader that all life is cyclical. “There’s a season for everything and a time for every matter under the heavens: a time for giving birth and a time for dying, a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted.” 

Everyone and everything under heaven has set times embedded within them. Every tombstone makes it blatantly clear. Even the leaves are attesting to this truth. What was once a tender bud in March turned into a rich green swatch in April—then onto a lush, green canopy. A shelter made possible by summer’s warm embrace. Now, these same leaves are changing yet again. Fiery, burnished reds and rich golds now.

Season following season, divine order, it’s how our God decided all creation would best work. One thing relies on another, with every-thing reliant on Him. Hence, today’s verse.

All of life, an ebb and flow, a holding on and a letting go of. Except that is where our relationship with God is concerned. That must be fixed, deeply rooted, unshakable. Listen to how King David describes those who abide, remain in, hold fast to God. “And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers” –Psalm 1:3.

In this, our most sacred, most significant relationship, there must never be a letting go. Unless that is, Jesus asks it of us.

And even then, our letting go isn’t of God; it’s of things. Of places, people, habits, jobs, relationships, thought patterns, or our worn-out, tattered way of doing things. When God impresses within us, when we get that knowing in our gut that God is asking us to let go of, move away from, change, or rid ourselves of something or someone, that is the only time a Blood-bought believer ought to let go of something which God has used to bless them. Until such time, we are to stand still. Remember, Beloved, you are no longer our own. You’ve been bought with the very highest price, Christ’s own spotless Blood.

Oh, sure, you can make decisions for yourself. You’ve been afforded that choice. You can, at will, change cities, homes, jobs, and relationships.  But here’s the thing, if it’s not God’s will for you, His timing, His “thing,” do you really want it?

My answer? Nope. No thanks. Been there, done that, and it was a total disaster!

God alone gives and takes away in every season—nothing is random. There are no accidents with God, only things we simply do not understand—yet. Job teaches us this lesson. God always, always, always has a plan. And it’s always good. “And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” –Job 1:21. So we either trust God or decide to rebel to take over God’s role in our lives? Thinking we somehow know better than He, what’s best for us, our lives, ministries, family life, relationships, etc. Judas did this. And we can read how it eventually ended for him in Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 24.

Today, so many are walking through a season of change and challenges. For some of you, just holding on to your faith in this present darkness is taking its toll on you. Yet just as change and changes are happening all around us in the natural, so too in the spiritual. God is up to something in that unseen realm—beyond the veil. We can feel it. We know it. God is moving, preparing, putting the finishing touches on, if you will, the place He’s gone ahead to prepare for us, his beloved children—His Bride. He’s finalizing his plans. God is removing, shaking loose, and making room for the fulfillment of His promises—every last one, the final turn of the kaleidoscope. So hold on for just a bit longer, Beloved. Trust God. He has promised to complete what He started in you. Besides, His strength, not your own, will bring you safely through these winds of change.

And so, weary one, I join my prayers to our Lords, the Apostle Paul’s, and to that great crowd of witnesses who have gone before you, having finished their race. Hang on! To your faith, your God, determinedly. Abide in Him. “So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong” –Hebrews 12:12-13.

What does that look like? Well, it’s more than just staying close. Abiding is obedience to Truth. And Jesus Christ is Truth.Abiding is oneness with God. Being bound to, united with, dependent on Him and His Holy Spirit for every-thing. Abiding is the embodiment of our covenant relationship with God.

I’ll end where I began, with a reminder—an S.O.S.

God is up to something in that unseen realm—beyond the veil. We can feel it. We know it. God is moving, preparing, putting the finishing touches on, if you will, the place He’s gone ahead to prepare for us, his beloved children—His Bride. He’s finalizing his plans. God is removing, shaking loose, and making room for the fulfillment of His promises—every last one, the final turn of His kaleidoscope.

Yet there is hope, friend. There’s always hope, so long as there is breath in your lungs. But this hope is found in Jesus alone. He is the only Way to the Father. The thief on the cross is your proof. “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” –Luke 23:41-43.

So, if you’re His, I encourage you to abide in Him. But if you’ve yet to ask Christ into your heart, know this, the winds of change are blowing. You don’t need to be a Christian to recognize this. Turn on the news, read the front-page headlines, buy a gallon of gas or milk. Take a look outside your window, friend. Creation attests to the fact that everything is about to change. So please, turn to Christ today. “…if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved” –Romans 10:9.

Unending Love, Amazing Grace.

July 16, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“And raised-us-with Him and seated-us-with Him in the heavenly-places in Christ Jesus, in order that He might demonstrate in the coming age the surpassing riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” –Ephesians 2:6-7.

‘Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear And Grace my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear the hour I first believed. My chains are gone, I’ve been set free My God, my Savior, has ransomed me. And like a flood, His mercy rains, Unending love, Amazing Grace. The Lord has promised good to me His word my hope secures He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures. –Chris Tomlin.

Via His Word and various worship songs, the Holy Spirit has spoken to me throughout the day. Stirring up in me reminders of His Holiness, His Power, His Amazing Grace, and Love. God has been refreshing me. Re-minding me (returning to my remembrance); He is not finished with me yet. His ongoing work of sanctification, my being made new, constant. “ And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” –2 Corinthians 3:18.

God has been reminding me of just how easily I forget what, said anemically, is the extra-ordinary privilege I have been afforded in having been chosen in Him. My having been saved by the finished work of Jesus, His life, death, and resurrection. My salvation, costing Jesus His life. I have been humbled today, brought low. Not in a bad way. That’s not the Holy Spirit’s style. Instead, I have been reminded that I am standing on Holy ground whenever God shows up as He has today; I’ve been in the very presence of my heavenly Father. My knees bent, hitting the floor in adoration and awe, feeling the weight of His glory all around me. Who am I that God would come to me?

Now, hear me here. I don’t say this lightly or with some false sense of humility.

I understand I am God’s child and that it is very natural for us to commune with each other. Yet, even knowing this; still, a holy reverence overcomes me whenever my Father shows Himself as plainly as He has today. And I pray that never changes. May I never lose my awe of such a Holy, Loving God.

In His infinite mercy and unfathomable love for us, His children, we who have been chosen in Christ Jesus from before the foundation of the world stand as living testaments, open letters, epistles of God’s unplumbed love. Both now and in the world to come. Irrefutable proof of the supernatural power of our God—to men and angels alike. In 2 Corinthians 3:3, the Apostle Paul says the following concerning your being a living testament to our God. “You show that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

Listen to how Angelica Duncan describes your being a living testament: “To be a living epistle means you are a living, breathing, walking letter of God’s goodness, glory, and grace!”

So for those whose memory of that precious sacred moment, the Sovereign God of the universe first revealed Himself to you, has dimmed. That very instant, God plucked you out of the kingdom of darkness, placing you safely, instead, into the Kingdom of His Marvelous Light. The Lord has sent me here today to lead you back. Back to the remembrance of the most wonder-full, life-changing miracle you have ever or will ever experience. The hour you first believed. To stir up a re-minder of the very precious gift of faith entrusted to you.

Hold tight to this Truth, child of God! Clinging to it as if to a lifeline, “your” lifeline. Salvation is nothing if not personal. Re-membering, Christ died for you.

No other gift, no matter how great, will ever have greater worth than the gift of your salvation. No healing or blessing, no ministry, spouse, no-thing will ever surpass you receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. Nothing. “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have” –2 Peter 1:10-12.

I pray you never forget the very second this unsearchable miracle occurred in your life, having been seared into your memory, indelible, until the Lord calls you back to Himself.

That very second when, like Paul, scales fell from your eyes. Then, for the first time in your life, you saw clearly. Not by human hands, mind you—no Ananias prayed over you. “Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again” –John 3:5-7.

Instead, you were persuaded God had sent His Holy Spirit to visit you as surely as He visited Mary—depositing eternal life into your belly. Filling you with His eternal promises and sealing you in Himself for all time, birthing a new man from the old. You have been washed clean, prodigal. Never forget that Truth! “In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God]” –Ephesians 1:13.

Chains that had you bound for years, some for a lifetime, falling to the floor. You have been set free from sin, death, and the law; because of Christ Jesus. Because God so loved you that He sent His only Beloved Son into this world to die in your place. All that “whomsoever” might be reconciled to Him, now and forever. “He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2.

Remember, too, child of God, when your eyes close to this world, they will open to an eternity spent in the loving presence of your Lord. Never lose hope then. “Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” –Luke 23:43.

Beloved brothers and sisters, listening to Chris Tomlin’s Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) Holy Spirit reminded me of the Truth Paul shares with us in today’s Scripture. And so, I’m passing along this oft-needed reminder to you, too, wanting to stir up what the Holy Spirit stirred up in me. A reminder of who I am in Christ Jesus. Contrary to how I may feel in moments of weakness, doubt, or fear, Christ is not finished with me yet. And neither is He finished with you. Keep moving forward, child of God. Keep trusting in God alone. “Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints” –Ephesians 6:18.

Friend, if you’ve yet to ask Jesus, who sets us free from our past, into your life as Lord and Savior, do it now, please. Why stay bound to your sin, addiction, or pain for one more minute? Live free this instant! “A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” –John 8:35-36.

The God of Suddenly.

May 21, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

Hagar called Him El Roi, The God who sees me. He is the God of those who feel insignificant or forgotten. God of the one who has drifted—gone astray, that wanderer, the pride-full one, the rebel, the backslider. He is the God of the one who has not picked up their bible in weeks. Jesus is “I Am,” the Triune God who has always been. “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”  He is God of the “suddenly.” Calling, reshaping, pruning, refining, purifying those that are His, called by His name, chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.

Personally, I take great comfort in knowing that God is both Alpha and Omega, knowing my end from my beginning. There is great comfort in the knowledge that God cannot change. He is steadfast, my Anchor. Holding me fast through the violent winds of adversity and trials, when “suddenly” winds threaten to uproot me from the very place I stand. He is my Rock, my Firm Foundation. Even though, whether intentionally or permissively, He sends these winds of change, reminders to loosen my grip on, not get too comfortable in, a world I’m just passing through.

God alone ensures we do not fall, that no enemy trap or snare overtakes us.

This great, vast, unplumbed God who refuses to fit into our small, finite imaginings of Him; this God we cannot fully comprehend, “I Am Who I Am,” has, inconceivably, deigned to take up residence within us. The burning Fire of His Spirit, groaning within! And, that He remains fully God, holy, pure, and Sovereign, still, while living in our fallen vessels makes my head swoon! It leaves me in slack-jawed, stupefied awe of the One who so loved us that He offered His only Son, Jesus, savagely beaten within inches of His Spotless life, nailed to His Cross—He hung there and died in our place.

Our God is so far beyond my ability to fully take Him in, and I am grateful for this. As God’s children, how blessed we are to rest the full weight of our trust, all of our hope in Him—in His every promise.

Friends, remember, we are the only ones caught by surprise when the “suddenly” of life happens. Every “suddenly” that changes the familiar trajectory of our lives, God saw coming.

Nothing ever catches our God off guard. In truth, He built these twists and turns into His plan for our lives somewhere in eternity past. Using them to build our faith and trust in Him, make it stronger. Being Sovereign, God certainly allowed them. “Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil” –Job 1:8. Yet as willy nilly, as random and wholly disruptive as “suddenly” as they may appear, be reminded today: these unexpected tests and trials are intentional, Beloved. Remember too: “…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 8:58.

Your loving Father has allowed each “suddenly” into your life, being used to help bring about your purpose—to mold you into the image and likeness of His Son. Romans 8:29 makes plain this Truth, listen: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” And in 1 Corinthians 15:49, we read this promise: “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall, also bear the image of the man of heaven.” Beloved, God has a plan for your life. Like every brother and sister before you, you came into the world to be used by God. The very moment you gave your life to Jesus, you gave Him carte blanche to do with you whatever He sees fit. This, long before you had any idea what He may ask of you. Long before your first, “suddenly” appeared. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” –Isaiah 6:8. Read how Molly Law explains this complete surrender to God:

The use of “Here I am Lord” reveals purpose. Isaiah was saying he was here on earth for a specific purpose, and he wanted that purpose to be the Lord’s. As he immediately followed it with “send me,” he didn’t wait to hear what the Lord would say but wrote a blank check to the Lord, a universal yes to God’s plan for him.

Jesus says it this way in Luke 9:23: “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”  

This denying self and taking up whatever cross our Father requires of us, part of “counting the cost” Jesus spoke of in Luke 14. “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”  Many who had followed Jesus because of the miracles they’d witnessed or the power-filled Words of Life they’d heard left Him when He spoke this.

From the beginning, well before Christ wrapped Himself in flesh and lived among us, Jesus knew those who would surrender all and those who would think the price of following Him too great, walking away. Only God knows whether they’ll ever reconsider their foolish choice. I pray they did and do return to God. This life is but a vapor. And eternity, a long time to be separated from Jesus.

So here’s the question each child of God must answer: Do you truly trust your Father? Are you willing to lay down your life and take up your cross?

When that whiplash-like suddenly comes, and it will surely come, will you trust God when you can’t see a conceivable way the pieces of your well-ordered life will ever fit back together now that God just upended it? Fitting you in where He’d have you go, doing what He’d have you to do, for a season or a lifetime—whether or not it makes any sense?

I mean, will you really trust God? Abraham, trust Him?  Ready to plunge that knife kind of trust Him? “And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son” – Genesis 22:10. Leave everything familiar behind to go wherever God leads you, trust Him? “The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” –Genesis 12:1. I know; it makes you a little nervous to think that God might ask any of this of you. Jesus understands that. “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” –Luke 22:42.

Yet, Beloved, these are the terms and conditions you agreed to.

The price you said you’d pay to belong to Jesus. This Truth is a hard thing, I know. I’m there myself right now. Standing, toes on the line of my next “suddenly” with God. Thankfully, because of His great mercy and grace, I know my Father well enough to know that, contrary to how I may feel about this, God is faithful—I’ve been here before.

So, since He has permitted this “suddenly” to touch my life, though uncomfortable and trying certainly, I am confident it is for my good and God’s glory. Equally, God is faithful and, by faith, has already given me the grace, strength, wisdom, time, and all else I may need to carry out His latest plot twist. I’ve banked my life on this Truth. And if you’re saying, “me too, I’m also in the throes of a suddenly,” I pray your strength for this same certainty. I encourage you to re-mind yourself of God’s faithfulness in your last “suddenly.”

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” –Romans 15:13. “Suddenly” will come, brothers and sisters. That’s a guarantee. The question is, will you still pick up your cross and follow Him when it does?

Friend, if you have read this far yet have not asked this God I’ve spoken of, the Only True God, Jesus, into your heart and life as Lord and Savior, I pray you’ll do that now—understanding you are not here by accident, there is no such thing. Instead, this Loving, Sovereign God is calling you to Himself. He loves you. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” –Isaiah 55: 6-8.

Run, Don’t Walk.

April 2, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise against me, spouting malicious accusations” –Psalm 27:10-12.

David knew firsthand the sudden, waspish sting of betrayal. That gut-punch instant when the enemy of your soul lands some unexpected blow straight to your solar plexus, leaving you disoriented, stunned, silent—air-less. As Christians, we expect this from our enemy. After all, Scripture has taught us that he comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). But what about when our “enemy” comes wrapped in the flesh of a friend? Worst yet, a trusted family member. A mother or father, sister, brother, that beloved grandparent?

What do we do in that instant?

How do we respond to such an attack?

As always, God’s Word holds our answer. God’s Word alone the guardrails that prevent us from going over the edge when pain, fear, betrayal, or some other “suddenly” blindsides us.

Recently, I faced this very situation. Satan used the one person I naturally expected to love and comfort me to bring me to my knees—I was left air-less by their vicious verbal assault—stunned, silent. Yet God brought beauty from my ashes. He used this experience—dare I say permitted it (think Job), to refine me, mature me, draw me closer. In this most painful of times, God re-minded me of the most straightforward, most basic Truth; He alone is more than enough. He is all I need. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” –Psalm 46:1.

At that moment, and for some days following, I didn’t want to talk with anyone. Not my beloved pastors, though I know they care for and cover me in prayer. I didn’t need to call my dearest sister or brother in the faith. I just needed my Father. I just needed to be still. In that most painful of times, only God would do. “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” –Exodus 14:14. At that moment, I was reminded that there are instances in life where we need specialized help. One doesn’t call 911 when they get a flat; they call 911 when there’s been an accident. When someone is in imminent danger, is injured, or has been harmed. God used the crushing weight of my betrayal to remind me He wants to be my first call. The One I call on in my hour of need—period. He alone upholds me.

Yes, God has grafted me into a loving, supportive Body of brothers and sisters. Yes, God’s blessed me with loving, caring, hands-on shepherds, and I am grateful to Him for these blessings.

But not one of these can take God’s place in my life.

No one can love me as Jesus can. Not one person possesses the precise Words of life I need to hear at that moment I need to hear them. Because what I need, only God can provide. He alone is my Lord; no one knows me as my Father does. “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower” –Psalm 18:2.

Ed Jarret says this about God’s abiding presence: God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, is with us in a very personal and intimate way. The God of all creation lives within me. He comforts me in challenging times. He teaches me his ways. Ed’s simple words encapsulate the bigger Truth Jesus shared with His disciples on the last night He would dine with them, this side of eternity. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth” –John 14:16-17.

And though that bitter sting of betrayal may last for a season, the Holy Spirit of God is alive within us—always. Empowering us to overcome, forgive and heal, to pray for the very one who betrayed us. Christ alone is eternal and Mighty to save. “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock” –Psalm 27:1;5.

And while scholars cannot pinpoint a specific time in David’s life when He may have penned this Psalm, they seemingly agree on this one point: David knew precisely from whom his strength, comfort, and ability to forgive and move forward flowed.

Right now, many of God’s children are standing on the very edge of their breakthrough. Yet fear, or some impending threat from the enemy they see in the natural, that unexpected betrayal, has caused them to lose sight of their true position, that of being smack-dab in the centre of God’s will. Beloved, don’t let this temporary pain, the fear of what you see happening around you, blind you to what God is doing in your midst, regardless its severity.

Child of God, I know how hard it is for you not to run as fast as your legs will take you from the pain of the moment you’re standing in right now, to not fold before the giants staring you down. Yet, amid the pain, while you’re still smarting over that betrayal, allow me to lead you back to Truth. Back to Who it is that will mend your broken heart, restore your troubled peace, speak Life-affirming Words of love over you. “For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.” –Psalm 27:5

I, too, have experienced that same blindsided stupor you’re experiencing. That “suddenly” when the air was sucked out of the room. When some news or someone’s bitter words, that diagnosis, or that trusted someone’s startling betrayal hits you so deeply, everything inside goes numb. I get it; I do. But please, just breathe for a moment. Because there are times, we need someone else to speak into our situation—our fear or pain. To redirect our focus—we’ve momentarily lost our footing. “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend” –Proverbs 27:17.

Dear friend, I’m not suggesting it will all be okay by Tuesday. I have no idea about your situation—the scope of your loss or pain. I was simply sent here today to share God’s promise to bind up your broken places and to encourage you. To remind you of God’s Sovereign timing, His eagle-eyed ability to swoop in at the very second our enemy’s talons are about to inflict some fatal blow, taking him out, causing him to fall. “When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident” –Psalm 27:2-3.

Be encouraged, child of God, and don’t find it strange these trials—this pain or betrayal, have come to visit you. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice insofar as you share in Christ’s sufferings so that you may rejoice and be glad also in the revelation of His glory. If you are reproached because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” –1 Peter 4:12-14. Instead, put the full weight of your trust in the God you profess. And know this: for as long as our Spirit is wrapped up in this flesh, there will be moments in each believer’s life when God will allow some adversity to test us—God is maturing us, refining our character.

Answering that prayer, we whispered at midnight, Shape me and mold me, Lord. Make me look more like you. Let Thy perfect will be done in and through my life. “But let patience perfect its work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” –James 1:4.

Child of God, if you are staggering under the sting of some recent trial, some pain inflicted at the hands of another, some betrayal, I encourage you to run—not walk, to your Lord. Pour out your heart before Jesus. Invite Him into your very raw and wounded place that He might minister healing and restore you—lest some root of bitterness takes root in your heart, poisoning you.

And if this is you, and you’ve yet to ask Jesus into your heart, please, do it today. Let Him into your every wounded place. Ask Him to wash away your every sin, restoring newness of life to you and fresh hope into your dry places.

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” –Psalm 27: 13-14.

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!

The Dawn Is Breaking!

January 22, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

I left for work during the wee hours of the morning before the sunlight could break through the night sky. About 30 minutes into my commute, the world began to manifest its colors. The light of day began illuminating the road before me. Amid the morning beauty, I thought, “the dawn is breaking.” While it may have been a sort of narration in my mind, the phrase had a hopeful prophetic undertone. That phrase reverberated within me for the remainder of the week, provoking the wonder of possibility. I began to contemplate venturing into new rhythms of life.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace” –Ecclesiastes 3:1.

There is a rhythm to life that expresses itself as seasons. This rhythm has surrounded us since the dawn of creation. The sun rises every morning and sets every evening. The moon makes its appearance, getting outshined by the sun in the morning once more, resetting our 24-hour day. The seven-day week begins fresh every Sunday, followed by the fast pace of work and family, ending every Saturday. A year has twelve months divided into four seasons, each ushering in its divine purpose. Sowing, reaping, resting, and rejuvenating. Ecclesiastes describes how every individual also developed a rhythm for what fits our pace of life.

But what happens when it seems as though our rhythm has failed us?

While we love that consistency gives us a sense of security, this passage in Ecclesiastes assures us that our environment is ever-changing. I believe that God, the originator of rhythm, was the one to build this desire for consistency into us because only in Him He can it be fulfilled. What happens when you must take an unplanned pay cut? A family member gets ill, and you have medical bills and schedule changes that your rhythm is in no way in sync with your current rhythm?

You see, it is these moments that build our faith in God. We must accept that the rhythm of life is constantly changing and adapting to whatever comes. If we expect things to stay status quo and refuse to move with the shifting seasons, discouragement will set in, leaving us filled with doubt and fear. As the seasons of life change, we must trust that the One who remains constant and is unchanging is the same One who knows our end from our beginning and will see us through.

Scholars believe that the writer of Ecclesiastes was King Solomon, the king of Israel. He had a philosophical mind, always searching for the meaning of life beyond what his wealth could buy him. If anyone in his time could have shifted anything for his benefit, it was King Solomon. He was the son of David, heir to the throne. The Old Testament describes him as “having wisdom that surpassed all the men of the East and all of Egypt” –1 Kings 4:30. Solomon was incredibly brilliant and wealthy, able to obtain anything he wanted. Some believe that Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes after amassing his kingdom and possessions at the end of his life. He acknowledges that just as there are seasons in a year, there are seasons, or rhythms if you will, to this life; a time for everything.

You may be in a building season, where the future is bright, and you feel hopeful for what lies ahead. Conversely, you may find yourself in what feels like a tearing-down season where everything is seemingly falling apart. You may be mourning, but remember, “weeping only lasts for a night, but joy will come in the morning” –Psalm 30:5.

The dawn is breaking. There will be a new day, and what you are experiencing is only for a moment. Fix your eyes on God through every season.

When you begin to shift your perspective from the here and now to the big picture, you will become much more resilient in times of trouble. When I’m ill, I remind myself that I may be sick this week, but I have the whole rest of the year to be well! Or weeks when I am busy working nonstop for days on end, I step back and look at the big picture. I take a deep breath and realize that I am exhausted this week but remind myself there are still 51 weeks before me. I can rest next week (and believe me, I do). I choose to fix my eyes on the Lord to give me the strength to get through whatever I may be experiencing. I know that it is only through Him that I can persevere with unexplainable joy and peace that brings me through to tomorrow—because the dawn is going to break soon.

At the end of Ecclesiastes, we read these words.

“When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity” –Ecclesiastes 12:13.

You and I have our rhythms. We have our predictable schedules, but this year, let’s make a point of aligning our every step with God’s commands. The commands to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31), even in a world that encourages turning off anyone who disagrees with us. It is the command to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9), even when our circumstance is scary. It is the command to trust God with all our hearts (Proverbs 3:5) in the face of financial need. It is knowing, on principle, that the dawn is breaking soon; that your circumstances are just that- circumstances. And circumstances are temporary. Hold on to hope by looking ahead. There is a new day approaching, and it just might be your breakthrough.

If this seems impossible, it’s because it is without the help of the Holy Spirit. I invite you today to make God the center of your life, leaning on Him for direction and fulfillment. He will give you life and life in abundance. I pray you are filled with joy as you walk with the Lord through your life, knowing that He will carry you through the trials and rejoice with you in your victories. If you have not asked Jesus into your heart, please, do it today. The dawn is breaking, and we are not promised tomorrow. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” –Revelation 3:20.

Right Before A Shift.

January 15, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” –Genesis 12:1.

My walk with the Lord has taught me, and Scripture stands as my most noteworthy witness. That often, just before the Lord is about to open a new way before you—before He calls you to walk a bit further down the path of the “plan and purpose” He has for your life; a shifting of sorts must occur. And, sometimes, that shifting feels more like a typhoon than some gentle welcomed breeze. Suddenly, everything that was stable and ordered just moments before is somehow swirling wildly in the winds of change that just ripped the roof of your proverbial house!

And yet not every season is ushered in by such a cacophony of change. There are seasons where the shifting is gentle and slight, measured, almost imperceivable. Yet irrespective of its size, God’s purpose behind these seemingly sudden shifts is to shepherd you into releasing those things, those habits and defaults that no longer serve you. Nor will they work where God is taking you.

God is making room for Himself to usher in “a new thing.”

And newness often can make little or no sense—except in hindsight. Particularly when said newness in no way coincides with the plans, you have for yourself! What you had running with Swiss watch proficiency in your life starts falling apart, unraveling overnight. Where surface certainty once lived, safe and seemingly snug, you now find yourself living literally on a minute-by-minute prayer!

Some call it a season of crushing. Others still, all hell breaking loose in their lives.

It’s a series of events, sudden or lingering, meant to propel you to a new level of being and walking with the Lord—into a deeper faith. Of the greater revelation behind “the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” –Jeremiah 29:11. And though this typhoon of change may seem willy nilly, cause you pain and discomfort, separate you from friends, family members, ministry, the city or town in which you live, your job. Though it may upend life as you’ve known it, the Truth is, everything is falling into place. You are on the very precipice of a forward projection. The exact spot where God would have you to be—precisely positioned for your next leap of faith. God is changing your trajectory, just as He did Father Abraham’s.

God doesn’t always announce when He’s about to shift or shake our lives.

Ruth had no idea the plan—the new life, God had waiting for her on the other side of Moab. While standing on that crossroad of decision with Naomi, Ruth didn’t know that the path she was about to take would lead her to be King David’s great-grandmother—through whose line Messiah would come. And Esther, or Hadassah as she was known, certainly didn’t know when she was being rounded up with all the other beautiful young Jewish virgin girls in her province that she would become King Ahasuerus’s next queen—destined to be used of God to save a nation. Nor did David, that overlooked shepherd boy, know he’d be crowned Israel’s King while he was out protecting the sheep in his charge from a lion and a bear—then Nathan, the prophet, showed up. And suddenly the trajectory of David’s life was forever changed. And Moses couldn’t have known that some 40 years after he had traded in Pharaohs’ opulent palaces for the arid backside of the desert, God would choose him to deliver His people from Egypt, that once familiar cradle Moses had called home.

Beloved, Scripture is replete with evidence of God suddenly allowing the lives of those He’s chosen for Himself to be upended somehow.

God is ever building our character—our staying power, our faith. “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” –Hebrews 12:7-11.

Even Father Abraham experienced more than one of these “shifts” with the Lord; divine turnarounds each. Each projected him further and further into God’s plan for his life. Step upon unwavering step of faith eventually led each of these giants of the faith to be precisely positioned where God would have them to be.

One day, Abraham is working and resting at his family home, and the next, God tells him to pack it up and move away. Leave behind the familiar and go instead to a land where God would lead him. To drop the full weight of whatever faith Abraham possessed into His loving, Sovereign hands—then trust Him to use that faith to guide him to his purpose. “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” –Genesis 12:1.

God had a plan for Abraham’s life. A future that would see trials and testing, separation and loss, a wealth of faith was being birthed in Abraham. After all, how unwavering a faith Abraham must have possessed to believe that even if God allowed him to take the life of Isaac, his only son, God would indeed restore Isaac—resurrecting him.

Nations and peoples would be born from Abraham’s loins, from his tenacious belief in the immutable faithfulness of God. “By faith Abraham, when he was tested [that is, as the testing of his faith was still in progress], offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises [of God] was ready to sacrifice his only son [of promise]; to whom it was said, “Through Isaac your descendants shall be called.” For he considered [it reasonable to believe] that God was able to raise Isaac even from among the dead. [Indeed, in the sense that he was prepared to sacrifice Isaac in obedience to God] Abraham did receive him back [from the dead] figuratively speaking” –Hebrews 11:17-19.

Father Abraham, Ruth, Esther, Moses, and David. And beyond, to Peter, Paul, and so many stalwart brothers and sisters who share and shared this immutable faith. Not faith in self. They did not trust in their own abilities or intelligence, wealth, health, beauty, or even place confidence in their God-given abilities. Their faith was in Christ alone, as it must always be. In His strength and mercy. His abilities and Sovereignty. In His grace and justice and Truth—our Due North. Each knew God held their next breath in His Sovereign hands—a gift—as was their destiny and length of days. Dropping then, the full weight of their measure of faith squarely on Christ. No matter what happened, they lived and died for Him. Believing in Him alone—until their last, no turning back. No plan B in place.

And if we are to survive more, thrive, in the coming season of shifting’s and siftings that God will allow to touch our lives—testing us, refining our faith in the fires of affliction as with pure gold, we must be shackled, trussed, to Christ alone. To His Word. His Truth and strength.

Like the great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us, we, too, must believe that God is. Minus this elemental belief, we cannot hope to please God. We must believe that His every Word is True, contrary to what we may see happening around us or feeling within. Willing to give up any-thing, even unto our very life, that we may hold tight to Christ. Otherwise, we might not survive the shifting and shakings that are happening now nor those to come.

Don’t believe me? Next time you’re in Church, notice the empty seats. Recall the missing faces—those there last year, who aren’t there now.

We must be rooted and grounded in Christ, my brothers, and sisters. Holding firm to Him alone, come what may. I’m encouraging you, in love, Beloved. Hold fast. A shift is coming. “Since he heard the sound of the horn but failed to heed the warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood” –Ezekiel 33:5-6

And friend, if you have yet to give your life to Christ, I pray you’ll ask Him to show Himself real in your life this day. Time is short, and none of us are promised tomorrow. The times we are living in testify to what I’m sharing with you. Ask Jesus into your life. He loves you. “Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent. 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 3:19-21.

Living Prepared.

August 28, 2021 /
MaryEllen Montville

“The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut” –Matthew 25:4-5;10.

Preparedness: the state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action; the quality or state of being prepared.

Staring out my window that morning, this is what I heard in my spirit: In the days to come, there will be no time to get ready; you must “be ready. On the tail of those two words came Matthew 25 and 2 Timothy 4. “Show me, Lord.” I opened my Bible and began reading. Now to say that no two words had ever reached their hand that far inside of me would be a lie; God had certainly done this before. Reached within me, pulling me out of myself somehow and to Him. But one never quite gets used to God “suddenly” speaking with us, do we? At least, I pray we shouldn’t. It has been my experience that when God speaks in this “suddenly” way, I need to give His Words my full attention. Firstly, because God is talking to me; secondly, experience reminds me something is about to happen/shift/manifest or change entirely. And that is what I shared with the church last Sunday.

A week has passed since that “be ready” Word was given to me, and this I know, I need to sit with His Word awhile longer as He continues to unfold its layers for me. Also, that a Word given in season is seldom for my ears only; sure, it first pours through me. Cleansing, realigning, correcting, convicting me, as only God’s Word can. Yet its other purpose, another reason it’s been entrusted to me, is to share it with you and you and that group of people gathered over there, like some warm, delectable tear-away loaf. Offering “whosoever will ” the opportunity to reach out and break off a piece for themselves. Allowing all of God’s goodness to do within them what only His Words can.

My foundation laid then; we’ll delve in today by looking into the first Scripture that dropped in my spirit, Matthew Chapter 25. Into our need as believers and those yet to believe for self-examination. And we’ll conclude next week by unpacking 2 Timothy 4 and our responsibility as believers towards those who have yet to receive God’s Word. I say “yet believer/s” because Scripture assures us that no one has drifted so far from God that He cannot draw them back to Himself. No one is too sin-full for God. “He did this so that they would look for him, and perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from any one of us” –Acts 17:27.

As I read Matthew 25, the parable of the wise and foolish virgins caught my attention. Reading through these thirteen verses, I knew I was precisely where the Holy Spirit wanted me to be. “The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut” –Matthew 25:4-5;10. I understood these verses were speaking to the state of our relationship—or lack thereof, with Jesus. As I read, I immediately grasped Holy Spirit’s Words “Be Ready” to mean the one thing that separated these wise and foolish virgins had been their state of readiness. Sure, all ten had closed their eyes in the natural. Weariness had set in. The lateness of the hour had caught up with them all. I can relate, can’t you? Yet the five wise virgins had come prepared. Having with them everything they’d need to keep their lamps lit in the event the bridegroom was somehow delayed.

And so, the moment the Shofar blew, announcing the bridegroom’s arrival, the extra jar of oil they’d carried along with them was at the ready. Trimming their lamp’s wick, these five wise virgins were up on their feet, lamps ablaze, and following close behind the bridegroom the moment he appeared. These wise virgins represent those who sit daily at the feet of Jesus, drinking in His Word, His presence—filling up their lamps and their jars both. They always want more and more of Him. Offering up their bodies, living sacrifices, pouring out their very lives to Him again and again, their honor. Hearts postured before their Bridegroom as John the Baptist’s once was, in humility and deference, in love. “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” –John 3:30. And yet, like John, while these wise ones wait and keep watch, they are not idle; they continue to work while it is still day, putting hands and feet to their faith if you will, “He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was stranger and you took Me in” –Matthew 25:34.

These five wise ones represent those who know, in the very marrow of their bones, in their heart of hearts, as Peter did, as John did, only Jesus matters in this life. His will and plan—no distractions. In this world, there’s only Jesus and service to Him. Pointing everyone they know to Him. Living flat out, sold out, forsaking all else for Him—”no turning back” as the song so aptly directs us. “Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You [alone] have the words of eternal life [you are our only hope]” –John 6:68.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” –Matthew 28:19-20.

Sadly, the five foolish virgins in our parable knew only enough of Jesus, gave only enough of themselves to Jesus and to those around them to keep the meager, barely alive flame on their wick, burning. Maybe it was distractions that overtook them? Selfishness, laziness, the cares of this world, or pride, perhaps? It could be they were so chuck full of religion—of knowing their Bible inside and out, there was no room left within to nurture a passionate and lasting relationship with its Author? They had no reserve from which to pour, no Resource to store from no ember to fan into flame. They had nothing available to them to burn when what little fire they did possess was dying out. These foolish virgins are much like that soil described by Jesus in Mark, Chapter 4. “But they don’t develop any roots. They last for a short time. When suffering or persecution comes along because of the Word, they immediately fall [from faith]” –Mark 4:17.

One commentator expresses it this way: Jesus explains that the ground represents a shallow person who quickly accepts the gospel and seems to grow in faith very quickly. But their character is weak. They can’t absorb the spiritual truths they need to grow in faith. And so they “fall away.” To “fall away” doesn’t just mean to reject the gospel; it means to return to a life of sin. The parable of the bridesmaids serves as a call to self-examination. Are our priorities aligned with God’s priorities, or are we so distracted with secondary concerns that we risk missing what is most important — Jesus. And our living for Him?

And to these foolish ones who have neither time nor inclination to prepare for or pursue Jesus now, He speaks in such a way that makes the very blood of the wise run cold: “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 …’ Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers” –Matthew 7: 21-23.

I thank God for His unfathomable mercy. Knowing, trusting, that while there is still breath in our lungs, there is hope. Why am I thankful? Because of family members and some friends who have yet to accept Jesus as Lord—because of you too, friend, if you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. Please, if this is you, don’t allow another moment to pass before asking Jesus to come into your heart. Repent of your sins, we all have them, and let Jesus do what only He can. Wash you completely clean of everything you’ve ever done, filling your lamp and jar to overflowing by placing His Holy Spirit within you, your assurance that you’ll not run out of oil. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” –Matthew 25:13.

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