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Spiritual Endurance

Reclaiming Our Life through God’s Presence

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Reclaiming Our Lives thru God's Presence

Who’s in control?

On a scale of one to five, how do you feel?  With one, being “totally overwhelmed” and five, being “confidently optimistic”?  Do you feel like your life is slowly slipping away?

Well join the club!  Many of us feel that the life we had planned is being delayed or demolished as a result of the pandemic, the economy, and the social/political gridlock we find ourselves in.  Disruptions, interruptions, and conflicts seem to be intensifying rather than diminishing.

The Mental Health Association researched the impact of living in our “new normal”.  Here is a brief sampling of some of their findings:

    • The number of people looking for help with anxiety and depression has skyrocketed. From January to September 2020, 315,220 people took the anxiety screen, a 93 percent increase over the 2019 total number of anxiety screens. 534,784 people took the depression screen, a 62 percent increase over the 2019 total number of depression screens. 
    • Young people are struggling most with their mental health. The proportion of youth ages 11-17 who accessed screening was 9 percent higher than the average in 2019. Not only are the number of youth searching for help with their mental health increasing, but throughout the COVID-19 pandemic youth ages 11-17 have been more likely than any other age group to score for moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and depression.

These statistics are alarming to say the least.  However, they help us quantify the emotional toll and brokenness our nation must now address.

Striving to Cope

While we are striving to cope with what’s happening around us physically, we must recognize the impact to our mental health and well-being.  As our world shifts, there is a way to not only cope and survive but also reclaim our life (Joel 2:25).   We can begin to combat the mental trauma and stress we face by strengthening our spiritual resiliency.

Resiliency is the ability of an object to “rebound or spring back” to its original shape after being stretched or compressed.  Spiritual resiliency, however, is more.  It is about not only bouncing back but also gaining greater strength and capacity than originally possessed.

As believers, we understand that it is God in us (1 John 4:4) that provides us the ability to not only bounce back, but to come back even stronger than before (2 Cor. 4:16-18).  God is greater than anything we may face today or tomorrow.

Life lived in God’s Presence

To build spiritual resiliency, we must put ourselves in the presence of God.  The psalmist understood this when he confidently penned Psalm 139:7-10 (NLT).

I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence!  If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.  If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.

God’s presence offers extraordinary benefit and impact for believers for today and beyond.

First, knowing God is everywhere offers us great comfort.  If we have learned one thing from this pandemic it is that we must watch for potential risks and dangers that may threaten us physically, financially, and socially.  To know that we are never out of the presence of God should settle the faint-hearted.  “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.” (Ps. 46:1-2).

Secondarily, believers living in the presence of God possess great confidence knowing that He is ever-present. In these critical times, recognizing that the “only wise God” (Rom. 16:27) is there to guide and direct our steps, comforts our hearts, and eases our stress (Phil. 4:6-7).  Our faith is strengthened because of who God is.  In, out, or through the storm, we know we are not alone.

Finally, living in God’s presence provides us great clarity as to how we are to live during these tumultuous times (Titus 2:11-13).  This acknowledgment requires that we live obediently according to His Word and under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Yes, even amid this pandemic! (Rom. 12:2; 1 Pet. 1:13-16; 1 John 2:16-17)

The Believer’s reality

Our worldview is based on the reality that we live in the presence of, under the authority of, and to the honor and glory of God.  We know that God is the Creator and Sustainer of life.  He has kept us in the past, is keeping us now, and will keep us in the future.  (Ps. 3:5; Heb. 1:3)

In the presence of God we will find not only what we need to survive today but also prepare us for tomorrow.  By acknowledging the presence of God, we can regain our life.  We can move through the challenges we face mentally resilient, emotionally strong, and spiritually fit.

Will our lives ever be the same?  Probably not.  But our lives can be lived confidently and with hope (Ps. 42:5) because we know we are continually in God’s presence.  Wherever we are, God is there with us.   Therefore, we can move forward and begin to reclaim our lives.  (Jer. 29:11)

Victorious Living

Blue Tassels

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Speak to the Israelites, and tell them to make fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations and to put a blue cord on the fringe at each corner that when you see it you shall remember and do all my commandments, and you shall be holy to your God.”

Numbers 15: 38-40 (NRSV)

Today is my birthday.  Yes, I was born on Memorial or Decoration Day.  Originally held on May 30th, 1868, Memorial Day is to remember people who died while serving in the country’s armed forces.  The holiday (unlike my birthday) is currently observed every year on the last Monday of May and marks the unofficial start of the summer vacation season.  It is so important that we remember notable dates and celebratory events.  Activities such as family and high school reunions and special memorial services act as “points of stability” during times of uncertainty and confusion.  They help us solidify our belief systems by revisiting roots and remembering our past.  It is with this in mind, that I’d like to share my favorite WordBytes, which always helps me remember not only who I am but also, “Whose I am”.

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It is not unusual to see people “wearing” their beliefs. They do this by putting on designated colors to show their affiliation and support. In October, both men and women, showed their connection with breast cancer awareness by wearing the color pink. During the Vietnam War, friends and family wore yellow ribbons to show their support for the young men engaged in battle on behalf of this nation.

The newest trend is wearing rubber wristbands in a myriad of colors to support everything from prevention of animal cruelty to sexual preference.   But the wearing of color as a reminder is not a new phenomenon. In Numbers 16:37-41, God instructs Moses to tell the children of Israel to place tassels on the corners of their garments with a blue tread. These blue tassels, in the form of a flower or petal, were attached to the edge of one’s garment. They were placed there as a perpetual reminder of two things.

First, the blue tassels reminded the Israelites to follow God’s commandments. God’s commands are more than a list of “do’s and don’ts”. They are His instructions on how we are to live in relationship with Him and with our fellowman. God’s commands, found in the Bible, are divine orders to help us live victoriously in a fallen world. By them we are warned; in keeping them there is great reward (Ps. 19:11).

Second, the blue tassels reminded the Israelites to live holy for God. Why was God concerned with holiness? God knew the children of Israel would be tempted to assume the habits and beliefs of the pagan, sinful society they occupied. Holiness demands separation and consecration of oneself for God’s special purposes. Each step of the believer was to be encircled by blue tassels that symbolized the restraints and freedoms of knowing Yahweh (Deut. 6:8-9).

How do you remind yourself to obey God’s commandments?  Many of us don’t even think about God’s expectations for our lives until Sunday morning. What’s your cue to help you live holy? God knew that the children of Israel needed a reminder. In His omniscience, He saw that we needed a reminder, too. Where are your blue tassels?

It’s not easy to live in the world and not be of the world (John 17:14-16). The world consists of the people, place, and beliefs that make up the environment we live in. We interact with the world through our social networks, our jobs and other relationships. Jesus warned His disciples, “If the world hates me they will also hate you” (John 15:18-19).   The world will try to change your beliefs concerning God. They may call you bigoted, intolerant, or small-minded. When this happens, look at your “blue tassels” and continue to walk confidently with the Lord.

SELAH:    What are your blue tassels?  What memory or belief do your blue tassels represent?  Are they seen by the world all the time?

Eastertide

The Reality of the Resurrection

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“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” 1 Corinthians 15:19 (NKJ)

 Christ has risen! (Matt. 28:6)  What now?  The Disciples and the New Testament Church would now face persecution and even death for their belief in Jesus Christ.  If they were to continue the work that Jesus began, they would now need to demonstrate the reality of the resurrection.

The Apostle Paul knew the importance of the resurrection and passionately defended its reality.  He shared the magnitude of the resurrection with the church at Corinth by highlighting the risk that would occur if they did not accept it as “fact” and demonstrate its impact in their lives (1 Corinthians 15).   This danger still exists for believers in the 21st century.  In verse 14 Paul begins to expound the casualty to Christianity if “Christ is not raised.”

First and foremost, our faith is in vain (v.14).  Imagine awakening to the news that Christ’s resurrection did not occur?  How would your belief system be affected?  In what or who would you place your hope and trust?  Second, if Christ is not raised, we as believers have falsely represented God (v.15).  Jesus’ resurrection is the cornerstone of God’s plan of eternal salvation for man (Hebrew 5:9).  Only God could supernaturally raise Christ from the dead (Acts 2:24; Ep. 1:20). To deny the resurrection would also be denying the power of God.  Third and most disturbing, Paul concludes if Christ is not raised, we are “still in our sins” AND our family and friends who have died “have perished” (v. 17).  It was for sin that Jesus was manifested (1 John 3:5) and through His resurrection that the power of death was destroyed (Heb. 2:14).

“The resurrection of Jesus showed that Christ’s oblation as the sacrificial lamb was accepted by God, which is the basis for the giving of the Spirit to believers and the forgiveness of sins.” [1]

Finally, our text for today (v. 19) sums up the dilemma that Christians and the world in general would face if there were no resurrection:  “If we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world” (NLT). If this life is the total sum of our existence, then Christ would have died in vain and our future prospects would be consigned to the dust from which we were created.  Continuity of our existence would be halted with our last breathe.

I question whether we, as believers, fully understand the implications of Christ’s resurrection in the 21st century.  Year after year we proclaim, “Christ is risen!” on Easter Sunday often relegating it to a “social phenomenon” that occurred thousands of years ago.  Yes, we’re willing to accept Jesus’ atoning sacrifice and the gift of His Holy Spirit, but at the end of the day, what changes have we implemented in our lives to reflect the “supernatural manifestation” that took place on Resurrection Sunday?  The reality of Jesus’ resurrection should make a difference in how we live!  Are we living our life as Christ had hoped when He sacrificed His life for ours?  Are we doing “greater works” than Christ did, as He stated in John 14:12?  Are we living each day joyfully expecting His return? (2 Pet. 3:11-12)  NOW is the right time to rededicate our life to Christ and boldly demonstrate the reality of His resurrection.  Let our hallelujah ring out to witness that Christ is raised!

SELAH:  Imagine living today without the expectation of a future resurrection.  Journal the emotions you feel as you consider this ending for your life then praise God for the reality of Jesus’ resurrection.    

[1]  Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology