Saturday, September 18, 2010

Refuse to be Defeated!

I say refuse to be defeated because did you know it's a choice? When life happens and you're faced with a circumstance you don't like, whether brought on by a bad choice or something you had no control of, living in defeat is not your only option. Your circumstance does not control your happiness, you do. I am convinced that no matter what you are dealing with, there can be something positive right in the midst of your troubles, if you choose to see it. I speak from experience because had I not decided to look for the good in those times when I honestly didn't know how I was going to make it through the day, I wouldn't be able to tell you that there is victory when you dare take a chance to look for something positive instead of convincing yourself that you're hopeless. No one is a hopeless case, especially for those of us that know we belong to Christ. We have a God that is more powerful than any issue we are facing today or will ever face in our lifetime. Depending on what you are going through, the good may not be clear to you right away. I can understand that, especially those days when I felt as though I couldn't function because of the fear, worry, panic cycle I was on. I didn't see how anything good was in that, but looking back I can see the good because it was during that time that I got closer to God than ever before. As that relationship with Him strengthened, so did I. See when you are so far down and you realize that you have no one else to turn to but God, you will get to know Him real well. The best part is when you get to the other side of your problems realizing that the only way you made it through was because of God's sovereign grace. That's when His goodness becomes crystal clear. I remember feeling so strengthened and restored. I trusted God in a whole new way, and in addition to that, doors of opportunity have been opened for me which would not have been possible if I didn't go through those tough times. Yet, in order to experience all of this, I first had to choose to want to face and overcome the challenges I was dealing with.

I believe too many times when people are in a bad situation because of something wrong that they did, they run from God because of guilt instead of seeking Him for help. Truth is, we are His children so why not come to Him just like we would run to our parents if we needed help. He loves us and we are no shock to Him. He knew you long before your troubles. Furthermore, when God sees us take a step of faith by believing that He can take us through our hardships, His grace and mercy is there for us to simply receive. I am reminded of the story in Matthew 15:22-28 that speaks of a Canaanite woman that came to Jesus, crying and asking Him to have mercy on her and to heal her daughter. After asking for help, Jesus replied to her, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." After hearing this the woman knelt down and said again, "Lord, help me." He then replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread, and toss it to their dogs." With that she replied, "Yes, Lord but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." I love this story because here I believe it's obvious that Jesus is testing this woman's faith, and what tenacity she had! If you notice, the woman first said to Jesus, "Have mercy on me." It doesn't say why she needed it, but instead of being defeated by guilt, she asked for mercy and then for Jesus to heal her daughter. We need to do that! Don't let guilt be a barrier between you and God. Admit what you did wrong and then ask for help no matter how bad your situation is. This woman knew it didn't look good for her daughter; however, defeat was no longer an option for her. By faith, she went to Jesus for healing because of who she knew He was, and with that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. I believe we need that type of boldness with our faith. We don't have to bow down to defeat, anxiety, depression, guilt or any type of condemnation because no matter how bad things look in the natural, we have a God in the spiritual realm that can make all things new for you and me!

Have a great day everyone and remember to walk in love and speak in peace.

Love,
Anita