Hope in the Unseen

 

 

Some people will not believe a report or idea unless they can see the proof with their own eyes. Yet, the root of faith is to trust in what we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). There is a fine line between the reality of this world, and the reality of the spiritual, eternal world.

 

We can cross over that line whenever we trust God enough to care for us in this faith walk. We learn to expect God’s truth to be even more real than any fact in this earthly realm. One Bible story that encourages me to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7-9) is the one about the priests stepping into the water before it opened a path for the Israelites (Joshua 3:13).

 

When we expect positive outcomes, even when there is no earthly way that this can happen, we step over the line into faith in the unseen. This is part of spiritual maturity and is a great way to live with constant peace and joy. The material no longer discourages us, because our focus is on God’s faithfulness.

 

We do not quote scripture at God in order to force His hand to give us His blessings. We simply wait on Him; and in His timing and way, He meets our needs according to His perfect will. His provision may not be what we wanted or expected, but it is so much better than our mind could ever conceive (1 Corinthians 2:9).

 

Having hope in the unseen can give us improved mental, physical and emotional health as well. Dwelling on the positive rather than attempting to change the negative is a small adjustment that pays huge dividends. Our new perspective heals us in spirit, soul and body.

 

An attitude of gratitude for what we do have, rather than constantly wanting what we do not have will mature us spiritually and give us a deepening peace within our soul. Appreciating God’s provision makes us joyful and ready to receive more when He is ready to bless us.

 

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that we can only support others as we allow You to bless us, and we want to make a priority of meeting our own needs rather than waiting on someone else to do it. As You fill our cup of blessings, it will overflow on those we contact each day. Help us not to neglect our own needs in our service to others, but to include our self in our daily list of people to which we show care.

 

Remind us that healthy eating, sleeping, having fun, playing with family and friends, relaxing, being creative, and exercising will all help us to increase our hopeful, grateful and optimistic thoughts and feelings. Heal us of the negative “self” talk in our mind. Help us to focus on Your Word to encourage us and to give us life (Hebrews 4:12-13). 

 

Thought for the Day:

Medical research proves that hope strengthens our immune system, heart, survival rate in critical medical illnesses, lowers inflammation that causes pain and infection, and gives us a more fulfilling life with a deeper sense of well-being and joy; focusing on Biblical promises can retrain our brain to meditate on positive aspects rather than negative ones, which reduces our fear, worry and stress levels and increases our healing and serenity.

- Philippians 4:8 

 

A Good Marriage - Fighting with Gloves

 

Bare-knuckle fighting tends to hurt more than a round or two with gloves on our hands. We soften the blows, while making our point, without wounding each other. Every human relationship has its ups and downs. It is how we handle them that makes or break us.

 

When I bring up an issue from our past, my husband accuses me of “getting historical” on him. I guess that is better than “getting hysterical,” which used to be my tendency. I felt trapped by the issue and believed I had to fight my way out of it, so I used anger to protect myself.

 

Kevin taught me to use my “words” instead of my intense negative emotions to express my real concerns. He also asked me not to make assumptions based on my suspicions of what occurred or how he felt, but to ask questions to ascertain the facts instead. 

 

That made sense to me, so I made it my focus for the next few months. Experts say that we can alter a bad habit in 3 weeks by doing something different and changing our focus. I tried it, and this concept really does work well. I formed a new habit that helps us to get along better as a couple.

 

Arguments are not about winning or losing, but about helping each other to change the way we look at a particular problem. We are part of a team, not opponents in a war. Once we are on the same page by praying together about a third option, we create a more peaceful atmosphere in our home.

 

Spending time together snuggling, chatting, sharing a hobby, going for a long walk or a drive in the country, etc. help us to communicate random ideas that flit through our mind. We can chat about inconsequential ideas, humorous anecdotes, the beauty in nature all around us, matters that we read that are of interest to us, etc. 

 

Prayer:

Father God, it is even hard for us to get along when we live by our self. We continually chatter to our self and even argue with our self. Then, when we incorporate someone new into our “space” this increases our chances of discord. We even argue with You at times of prayer about issues that we feel unprepared to face.

 

Remind us to marry someone that we consider our friend, who understands us, supports us, cherishes us and does not make life about them, excluding us in their choices and decisions. Once we do get married, help us to see that trying new things with one another may open up a whole new opportunity to spend time together in a relaxing or fun-filled experience. We also take uninterrupted time to discuss matters that we disagree about, and to find a third alternative, about which we both feel God’s peace.

 

Thought for the Day:

Making time to experience life, to share our heart, to pray about our concerns, and to support one another influences the longevity of our marriage; laughing, having fun, and finding new adventures and places to explore together give us opportunities to widen our horizons and to give us new things to try or about which to converse.

 

The Symphony of Cacophony

 

 

The sound of noises in our modern world usually irritates us. We tune out some of them, but others step on our last nerve and rub us the wrong way, causing annoyance and even stress and emotional wounds sometimes. I try to find a positive focus about these interruptions in the normally peaceful existence of our tiny village.

 

One of the main notes in our cacophony of sounds is our daily train schedule. We hear the roar of the metal wheels on the tracks for miles before each train comes through our village. This sounds like a tornado; and at times, it is hard to tell if the noise is a train or a tornado, which we have at certain times of the year.

 

Eventually, the engine on the train reaches the crossroads of the train tracks and our intersecting roads in town. This is when the train’s horn breaks the silence in multiple screams, both day and night, to warn on-coming cars of its approach. 

 

Shortly after moving here, I changed my focus to realizing that each train barreling down our tracks is announcing that life goes on normally. I feel peaceful that our economy is on track as well, and that goods and services and businesses are functioning routinely with each train that runs through our woods and fields.

 

The next noise that cuts through the peaceful atmosphere of our existence is the usual Tuesday morning test of the tornado siren. They otherwise use the siren to warn residents that a live tornado is invading our area, so that we can get prepared. 

 

This is very unnerving, but it causes us to grab our important papers and reserve cash, and join our friends, family and neighbors in our church basement, which is located a half block from our home. We get to see people that are normally as busy as we are; and we have the time to chat, meet the new babies and furry critters, and pray for the safety of our town. 

 

The next culprit to challenge the serenity of our existence are the delivery trucks that transport anticipated parcels from personal mail, or mail-order businesses. The trucks’ heavy rumbling down our streets and the squeal of the brakes in front of our home, prompt our quick sprint to our front door to welcome the expected boxes.

 

Then, we have the intermittent hammering and sawing caused by one of our industrious neighbors who are updating or repairing their home. This too is a comforting sound because it shows that these families care about their property enough to improve it, and they have the financial means to make these changes. We are so blessed to live in our little neighborhood filled with nature and good friends.

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for helping us to focus on the positive about each interruption of the golden silence that we come to expect in our life. Thank You that life goes on in positive ways, and also for Your protection of us during plagues that bring fire and EMS sirens, and tornado warnings.

 

We look to You as our Great Provider, Shelter, Comforter and Support in all of our needs - even when our sleep is interrupted at odd hours of the night, or our schedule for our day is challenged by the unexpected symphony of cacophony that pops up when we least expect it. We trust You with our whole heart, and we know that nothing in this life can separate us from Your love for us (Romans 8:35-39).

 

Thought for the Day:  

My personal favorite interrupter of our peaceful existence in our little village is the sound of our cats playing with the variety of cat toys strewn all over the floor of our house: balls bouncing off walls, bells ringing as they bat toys down the hall, catnip toys crinkling as they pounce on them, lapping from the diminishing water in their bowl, as well as the crunching of their dry food as they nibble a meal; these are all familiar sounds that bring smiles to our lips.

 

Who is the Judge?

 

 

There are such divergent groups of ideologies in our world today. Even in Christian churches, we have two groups divided into Eastern and Western, and six branches considered Christian churches in these two divisions. Then in Protestantism, one of these six branches, there are actually five major divisions. 

 

Each faction has its own set of ideological beliefs. The reason for this great divide is that there are some irreconcilable beliefs, even among these various religious groups. Then, when we add other ideologies of thought into the mix, there are thousands of various venues of concepts that differ from each other – some in major ways.

 

In politics, we have numerous goals and philosophies that are growing more and more opposite with each passing year. The divide between the various branches of political thought causes a great deal of animosity between members of the same community, family members, and even church bodies.

 

Take lifestyles for instance – so many to choose from now. We can look at two very different philosophies between the “straight” culture and the “same sex” persuasion. Today, we call this the heterosexual group and the LGBTQ group. 

 

At times, heated discussions build walls between two facets of thought, as well as tear down bridges that would otherwise lead to mutual love between the differing parties. We can adopt the goal of accepting one another’s freedom of choice, even if we vehemently disagree with each other’s preferences, world view, philosophy and ideology.

 

If we honor each other, even in the face of our diverse individual inclinations, we lose much of the hostility between us, even if we wholeheartedly oppose each other’s choices. We can accept each other as we are, and we do not need to argue or draw lines or build walls between us and the people involved in these differing beliefs. 

 

We answer to no one but to God for our principles and choices, because none of us are perfect enough to sit in judgment over anyone else (Romans 2:1-3, 11). God left us His Holy Word to guide us through the maze of life’s questions and options. 

 

Some people find the Bible irrelevant, and others of us stake our life on it. Some choose to reject His Word and laws, and instead, to build a belief system more compliant with their own goals and philosophies (John 3:18). However, God is still the only true judge. 

 

He gives us discernment to go along with His Word - which is the ultimate plumbline for holiness; yet He did not die and leave us as judge and jury over one another. We are to judge between sin and righteousness, but God does not give us the right to judge one another, or to attempt to force someone to change to meet our own needs. 

 

Prayer:

Father God, You give each of us a free will to voluntarily form our own convictions and to live by them. You also developed laws to protect us from the negative consequences of some of our possible choices (Matthew 7:13). If we abide by Your precepts and live according to Your perfect plan for our life (Ephesians 2:10), we allow Your Holy Spirit to convict us when we stray from the straight and narrow road that You created to keep us safe both now and for all eternity (Matthew 7:14).

 

Remind us that You are our Judge, and when we pass judgment on one another, or we attempt to make them run their business and life to fit our own agenda and lifestyle, we deprive them of the opportunity to live according to their own convictions; we may not agree with or like their choices, and we may feel ostracized by their principles (John 3:18), but remind us that we all have the right to function in life as we choose without rejecting one another as a person. 

 

Thought for the Day:

Rather than to push our agenda on someone else, we can give them the respect as a human being to make their own choices; we give them the same right that we want to have in order to function in this world the way that we feel the most comfortable; we simply want the same respect afforded to us to run our life and our businesses as we choose, and not to be mandated to change to accommodate someone else’s philosophy of life. 

 

Spiritual Maturity

 

 

As authentic Believers in Jesus Christ, we no longer live according to subjective theories or philosophies of this world. Submission to God allows us to find much more fulfillment in life. We have no need to make excuses for our failings, or to reap the accountability of humanistic choices, which we no longer make (Colossians 3:25). 

 

We abide in His justice, love His mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). Different personality types have various traits, which cause us to make certain styles of decisions. Some are firm and deliberate, others are flexible and impulsive, then we have others who are confrontational and aggressive.

 

This life is full of changes and surprising turns of events. We cannot plan for everything to come out perfectly, because they rarely do. Even if we are sure that our choice is wise, it may still turn out negatively for us. We cannot earn another’s love by our good works – not even God’s love, because His is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).

 

Our only chance at real fulfillment in this life is to submit our life completely to God’s purposes for us (James 4:7). We will know that we are in His will when His peace is ruling in our heart (Colossians 3:15-17). Salvation gives us a spirit-union with the Trinity, and we can rest in the freedom of Christ in us (Colossians 1:27).

 

We fully rely on Christ in seeking His direction, rather than making our own plans and asking Him to bless them (Proverbs 3:5-6, 16:19, 19:21). We decrease our human tendencies so that Christ can increase His holiness within us. We are simply a branch on the Vine of Christ, united with the Father and the Son by the Spirit of God (Luke 14:31, 22:42; Proverbs 15:22, 20:18).

 

Thankfully, God puts His desires in our heart as we seek His will and consult with Him throughout the day. He transforms us from sinful beings to have the mind and nature of Christ, who abides within us (Psalm 20:4, 21:2). We walk away from our former pattern of making our own choices, and we enter God’s rest as we accept His will for each moment of our day (Proverbs 20:24; Psalm 37:23).

 

Prayer:

Father God, help us to break our routine of working for You, and instead, allow You to work in and through us. We want to choose Your plan for every moment of our day, even when we cannot see clearly and have to choose to walk by faith in the unseen world. Even so, there is no striving in our walk with You. 

 

We are the branches, and You call us not to strive and strain, but simply to hang out with the Vine as the nutrients of the Holy Spirit flow through us to produce the fruit that fulfills Your desire for our life. Yes, You call us to work out our own salvation, but then You had Paul turn right around and admit that You give us both the desire and the ability to accomplish this (Philippians 2:12-13).

 

Thought for the Day:

The only striving that God calls us to put forth in our spiritual walk is to strive to “enter His rest.” The more that we mature spiritually, the less the temptations of our flesh, this world and devil have any effect on us; even when Paul admits in Romans Seven that we have to overcome our fleshly desires, God makes it clear in Romans Six and Eight that it is His Spirit that changes our desires, and we are no longer embroiled in the see-saw effect of walking in the flesh or the Spirit. 

– Romans 7:24-25; Hebrews 4:11-16; Matthew 4:1-11

Developing Spiritual Maturity

 

 

Our penchant to sin is often caused by an unfulfilled life, or an incomplete lifestyle. We have too much free time that allows Satan to infiltrate our mind with his lies and temptations that lead us away from the Lord and deeper into the devil’s evil clutches. 

 

Satan uses idle hands and minds as his workshop (Proverbs 16:27). Without a wholesome and meaningful lifestyle, vocation, church family, family life, fun hobbies, etc. we get bored, restless and itch for something exciting to do. Sin is the easiest tool to fill an unfulfilled life.

 

Idle lips also become his puppet for gossip and stirring up strife, which separate even the closest of spouses, friends and church family members (Proverbs 16:28). There is a remedy for this slippery slide into the abyss of demonic clutches, which often cause irreparable hurt and separation from those to whom God wants us to draw the closest. 

 

We are only complete through a relationship with Christ within us (Colossians 2:10). His Spirit inspires us and guides us to spiritual maturity and focus, a satisfying vocation, wholesome pastimes, and friends who share our desire to live a more Godly life in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:12-17). Our yearning to satisfy sinful desires decreases, and our fervor to promote the Kingdom of God increases.

 

God gives us His wisdom, strength, peace and joy even in the smallest and least important events in our life. We find joy in the inconsequential, rather than having to increase the danger and thrill of our hobbies in order to feel fulfilled. Our excitement comes from spending time with Him, rather than seeing how close we can get to sinning without crossing that line. 

 

Like the deer who pants after the water brook (Psalm 42:1-5), we thirst for intimacy with the Trinity of God within us. We yearn for more communion with God than we do with other people and thrill-seeking. We flee temptation and remove the causes or doorways to sin that remain in our life.

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You that the closer we get to You, the less sin tempts us, and the thicker is the hedge of protection that You build around us (Job 1:10-12). We happily walk the straight and narrow road of Your security, rather than hungering after the broad way that leads to destruction and devastation. Instead of engaging in constant warfare with the devil, help us to seek virtue as we bring You joy with our life.

 

This eliminates much of the strife within our soul that causes us to compromise with sin as it strengthens our bond with You in both our spirit and our soul. Positive behavior replaces negative antics that compromise our spirit and soul. Remind us to increase our satisfaction in our relationship with You at the same time that we strength our love for You, so that we will discourage our flesh’s leaning toward sinful appetites.

 

Thought for the Day:

Detaching from sinful behavior will decrease our craving for the unholy and give us the determination and commitment to walk by God’s Spirit, which reduces our attraction to sin; therefore, developing spiritual maturity and constantly loving and worshipping God with our whole heart will ensure that we refrain from passionately participating in sin, which will grieve His Spirit.

- Galatians 5:15-35; Ephesians 4:30; Mark 12:30

 

The Courage of Our Convictions

 

Our attachment and total reliance on God are not signs of weakness or emotionalism. They are declarations of strength, faith in the unseen, and the courage of our convictions. This world is not reality, it is temporary at best. The everlasting Kingdom of God is what life both now and for eternity is really all about.

 

This realm on earth is our testing ground, our purifying fire, our object lessons for the future. The human part of Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered during His 33 years on this earth (Isaiah 53:3), and we do too. He is our whole life (Colossians 3:3-4), and our reason for living. 

 

God’s Spirit transforms our carnal nature into the character and nature of Jesus. The past is forgotten, the future is not promised, and our current shortcomings and failings are of little importance – although we always reap what we sow. Otherwise, there is no striving in our walk with the Trinity of God (Colossians 2:6). 

 

We walk by faith in His faithfulness to finish what He started in us (Hebrews 12:2). We stop striving and we rest from the stress of this world. We do not receive Satan’s condemnation or our inner voice of guilt and judgment (Romans 8:1). God loves us unconditionally, even when we were still lost in sin (Romans 5:8).

 

God’s Spirit will actually transform our carnal nature into the character and nature of Jesus. He also fills us with the fruit of His Spirit – exchanging our fleshly responses with His love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith (Galatians 5:22-23).

 

There is no one with an excuse to reject God’s free offer of salvation. He places in us a conscience that signals us when we slip into unrighteousness; He makes His truth evident within the soul of every person from birth; and He also gives us an awareness of His invisible attributes, eternal power and divine nature throughout all of creation (Romans 1:18-20).

 

Prayer:

Father God, Your Spirit renews our mind, and we adopt Your thoughts and ways as our own (Ephesians 4:23; Romans 12:2). Keep us from cauterizing our understanding of Your purposes and plans by polluting Your truth with satanic lies (1 Timothy 4:2). Help us to walk in Your righteousness. 

 

Thank You for writing Your laws on our heart. You allow our conscience to bear witness to Your ways, and our thoughts to remind us to trust only in You (Romans 2:14-15). Thank You for providing all of Your Born Again children with Your Spirit that convicts us when we slip from the safety of Your narrow way onto the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).

 

Thought for the Day:

Moral standards and what we perceive as Biblical mandates are not the expected behavior that is acceptable to God; He simply asks us to prove our love to Him by keeping His commandments, and He goes one step further by writing them on our heart.

- John 14:15, 21; 2 John 1:6; Hebrews 10:16-26; Romans 2:15