God is Always With You

Your worth to God isn’t dependent on your self improvement efforts. The truth is, God won’t love you more because you get promoted, lose weight or learn to play an instrument. Humor alert! 🙂

God loves the “now” you. Not the person you planned to be or the person you wish you were. The torture of self judgement is completely understood by God. He knows how we struggle to change, to get better, to be better. He sees the two steps forward and one step back that happens to people every day.

But He has a different perspective than we do. He sees our future lives, the ones we’ll be living for a lot longer than this 100 years. He doesn’t withhold His love, waiting until we’ve got our act together to accept us.

In John Chapter 5, verse 24, Jesus says: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” [NIV Bible] When we believe, we are accepted by God. Don’t deny yourself the relief that God’s unconditional love brings.

Proverbs is known as a book of wisdom. I have always enjoyed reading Proverbs, because there is so much good, practical advice in it. Real life situations are covered in its pages. The truth is spelled out, and I know I can rely on it to guide me.

Proverbs Chapter 4, verses 25-27 speaks to living in the present:  Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or to the left, keep your foot from evil. [NIV Bible]

God wants to help us make decisions that will benefit us. A lot of times, I’ve made decisions that have ended up punishing me. It can be really hard to see what will end up hurting us in the future. Because God knows everything about us, all of our circumstances and vulnerabilities, He is our best guide into the future.

I like to say that hindsight is knowing what you should have done after you didn’t do it. 🙂 When those times come, cut yourself some slack and go to God. Tell Him what you feel–defeat, frustration, anger, regret–He can handle it! He can settle us and show us mercy. It’s so important to accept God’s help, because if we try to do it all on our own, we get weary and run down.

These verses talk about now, not about what you’ve already done that you wish you hadn’t. Not what you fear will happen in the future, because that can overwhelm us. Make level paths for your feet by talking to God about everything. Reading the Bible will nourish you from the inside out. Remember that you don’t have to be able to interpret everything you read. Leave it up to the Holy Spirit to help you understand. Even when you feel like you just aren’t getting it, keep reading the Bible because God is speaking to your spirit. You are absorbing it and learning from it even if it doesn’t seem to be happening.

Read your Bible expecting (yes, expecting in bold faith 🙂 ) to get something out of it every time you do. God wants to help you with every part of your life. Talk to Him, read the Bible, accept Him into your life and let Him take the reins!

This Scripture is known as the Parable of the Lost Sheep, and you can find it in Luke Chapter 15, verses 1-7. Jesus Himself speaks about the people who need Him the most–people who don’t know Him…

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Him [Jesus].  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent.” [NIV Bible]

When you start to believe in God, He celebrates! He rejoices because He knows that your eternal life will be saved. He has gotten through to you, and that was His objective all along!

You are worthy of God’s welcome and His love. Don’t put off approaching God until you think He’ll approve of you. He approves of you now.  Embarrassment and shame keep people apart from God. You don’t have to be “good enough” to become a Christian. God requires one thing from you, that you believe in Him. You may never feel ready to come to God, but you are ready right now!

Wealthy people are admired. Good looking people are admired. Talented people are admired. Successful people are admired.

Our worth in this life is largely dependent on what we do and how we look. Attractiveness, accomplishment and achievement are highly valued. And if you have all three of them you’re golden! 🙂

It isn’t wrong to be gifted in these ways. But if we start to feel bulletproof, we might not see a reason to look for God. If this life is good, why question what happens when you die?

Knowing God can be tricky when you don’t realize that you need Him. When you are strong physically, emotionally and financially, you may be deceived into believing that you can handle your life without God. Until a job loss happens. Until a trip to the doctor becomes an unexpected blow. Until you lose someone you love. Until an addiction swallows you whole.

We are all human, and we will all face trials. We can’t take the uncertainty out of our lives. We can’t predict the future. We can’t protect all of the people we love, and when it gets down to the nitty gritty, we can’t protect ourselves either.

You can’t decide how it will all turn out. But you can believe in God and connect yourself to Him. You can allow Him to be your security. When you place your faith and love for God above your own abilities, an intense relief unfolds. Deep down, you know you can’t do it all, but you don’t know where to get help, so you keep on doing what you’ve always done. It’s working, right? You tell yourself, “If something really bad happens, I can handle it like I’ve handled everything else.”

Even if you’re great under pressure or a rock during crises, you are still vulnerable if you aren’t looking to God to sustain you. You can’t stop your body from aging. You can’t stop unexpected deaths. In short, you can’t do it all! But you don’t have to, God is here. He is here to give you your best life after this one is over.

What happens when you die? It’s not nothingness. You aren’t over! You are more than a body, and God didn’t create you to live one lifetime. He created you to live for an eternity. The key is to understand that life does go on, and you have to choose to believe in the One True God now. After you die, it’s too late. Believe God now, in this life, and your eternal life will be saved!

In Isaiah Chapter 45, verse 22, God says, “Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” [NIV Bible] We don’t know what tomorrow holds. Believe today and become a part of God’s eternal family!

I’m glad you’re here! You are important to God, and He wants you to know Him. He wants you to see past the notion of a theoretical god or higher power. There is only one true God, the Lord Almighty. You don’t have to go through someone else to contact Him. He is available to everyone who will believe in Him.

If you seek a different god, you can’t receive any strength, guidance, love or blessings. No other god, “higher power” or spiritual path can give you an eternity without trouble, pain, loss or fear.

My goal is to be honest and clear about who God is and how you can invite Him into your life. God knows you already. He loves you as you are now, no preparation is necessary. He understands you like no one else does. He wants to help you, guide you, and give you a perfect eternal life with Him.

If you are reading this, you are already seeking God. Take the next step–tell Him you believe in Him, ask Him to forgive you for what is past, and declare Jesus as your Savior. Believe the truth–God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to be sacrificed for the sins of everyone in the world. To be forgiven, to be right with God requires that we acknowledge and believe that Jesus shed His blood for us, as He was directed to do by God the Father. When we believe in the one true God and the One He sent, we are given the right to be called children of God, and we receive the gift of eternal life.

This life can end without warning, so this is an urgent matter. How long is this life? A generous estimate is 100 years. Compare that with 10,000 years. Which would be more important? Eternity is an infinite amount of time. Your eternal life must be the highest priority! Don’t wait to start knowing God. Now is the time–Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” Revelation Chapter 3, verses 19 and 20 {NIV Bible]

Open the door!

God’s mercy and forgiveness is described in Psalm 103, verses 8-14–The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our inequities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. [NIV Bible]

Mercy is undeserved favor. It’s more than just being sympathetic. Mercy is an emotion that fuels an action. Forgiveness is an act of mercy. By accepting an apology, we forgive and show mercy. As many people know, forgiving someone who isn’t sorry (or who doesn’t acknowledge a wrong was done) helps to release anger and emotional pain. The power of forgiveness can’t be overstated because it transforms lives.

Reserving judgement is also an act of mercy. When we choose not to judge someone, we extend mercy to them. Turning a debt into a gift is mercy; second chances are mercy.

I’ve done wrong things enough times not to deserve mercy from God. But He gives it to me anyway because He is compassionate, He is loving, and His love for me isn’t dependent on my life’s report card.

There’s no greater mercy than the mercy of God. You can trust that if you believe in Him, He will help you no matter how guilty you may feel or how low you think you’ve sunk. Being forgiven by God restores us. We can get a fresh start and stop looking back. Look into this Scripture and believe it!

I was in my backyard last week, enjoying the sun and flowers, when I noticed a hornet flying a few feet away from me. Then there was another one, and I wasn’t enjoying myself anymore.

I’m not deathly afraid of hornets, but I wasn’t comfortable. Hornets are known to be more aggressive than bees and more likely to sting. I was more concerned for my cat than for myself. I thought, “What if he gets stung and has a bad reaction?” After that, I started watching everything that was flying around me, and I was getting pretty uptight! 🙂

I realized that I couldn’t keep watching every minute, and that I had to ask God for His protection. I prayed then, asking God to keep my cat and my family safe from being stung. After I prayed, I started to unclench. My hyper vigilance was unsustainable, so I gave the job to God.

In Psalm Chapter 91, verses14-16, it says:  “Because he loves Me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.: [NIV Bible]

God rewards your faith in Him. He gives you what you cannot give yourself. God is your security, and He works around the clock! You don’t need eyes in the back of your head. You don’t need to play out various scenarios in your mind, trying to predict what will happen.

God is Sovereign. He is above all created things, and He can help us in ways no one else can. In Jeremiah Chapter 32, verse 17 it says: “Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.” [NIV Bible]

The hornets were a small threat, but every time you trust God to protect you, it strengthens your faith. You will grow with God in the small steps, too, learning to trust Him more every time you do it. There is no concern too insignificant to bring to God. Anything you fear can be laid at His feet!

“One day at a time” is a pivotal teaching from NA and AA. For people in recovery, thinking about the future can make staying sober more difficult. To imagine not having the escape of getting high or numb can be overwhelming. Not knowing what will happen in your life makes it seem impossible to know how you’ll get through it.

In Matthew Chapter 6, verse 27, Jesus says, ” Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (or a single cubit to his height?)” Now that’s some major perspective! Jesus goes on to say in verse 34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” [NIV Bible]

So Jesus is acknowledging that this life is tough. And He is also advising us to handle each day on its own so that we don’t get overwhelmed.

So what can we do when we are in the midst of a very hard day? In Matthew Chapter 11, verses 28-30, Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” [NIV Bible]

A lot happened during my childhood that left me uncertain and insecure. My childhood was worse than some and better than others. I understand that suffering is relative. There is always someone who has felt more pain and endured more than I had to. And I am grateful that God gave me His mercy and comfort long before I truly acknowledged Him.

I know what it’s like to barely get through the days. I hope it doesn’t sound too self-pitying to say that I refer to my bad days as “surviving my life.” But this much I am sure of–God understands me, He knows what I go through, and He cares.

Since I was saved 12 years ago, I have had the comfort of knowing that I will live past this life. I know that my grief, my depression, my fears, my lost potential, my failures, my pain, all of it will be replaced with an eternal life that won’t include any of the above!

I love this Scripture from John Chapter 16, verse 33: Jesus says, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.” [NIV Bible]

Be honest with God. Tell Him you don’t know how to stop worrying about the future. Tell Him you need His help to get through the day. Tell Him you need relief. Go each day, one at a time, not alone, but with God.