So You Think You're Alone? {On Trials II}

In the beginning, God made man...and man was just man surrounded by animals and plants. God was there, yes, but man needed more. So God made woman.

It's obvious since the beginning of time that humans are in need of other human companionship. We need to fellowship and have others around. It's a fact of life.

I know some of you introverts are shaking your heads, but the truth is, as Christians, we need people. Like I said earlier, we need to fellowship with other believers in order to grow. {Proverbs 27:17}

And then there's this very human thing called loneliness. I'm sure at some point in your life you've felt this loneliness. It's not a fun feeling. In fact, it can very scary thinking you are alone.

One of the dictionary definitions of loneliness is: isolated
When I think isolated, I think of somebody who is wrapped in chains, by themselves, with nobody to hear them cry out for help. They are stuck in a deep, dark dungeon.

So...do you think you're alone?

I have news for you, dear. You're not!
Believe me, I know how incredibly easy it is to feel lonely in a world so crazy and big as this, but this loneliness that often tries to knock me down? It's a lie.

Let's start here:

1. The enemy of our souls wants to destroy us by whatever means necessary, aye? {John 10:10} He doesn't want us to flourish in our walk with God, he doesn't want us to be Lights and speak Truth. He wants to decimate us.
And one of his greatest weapons against humankind is the mirage of loneliness.
Make the Christian (son or daughter of the MOST HIGH GOD) think they're lonely (isolated)...BOOM! Easier victory for him.
But this isolation is a lie. It's a mirage.

Do you know why?

1. God told us that He would never leave or forsake us. Not only that, but He told us to be strong & have courage! Woah! He commands us of these things...so that must mean that through Him we can do it. {Joshua 1:5}

If that's not enough, here's more proof that we're never alone:
2. God gives us the Holy Spirit as a counselor, a friend, a helper...we have a part of God living in us. How crazy awesome is that? The Holy Spirit is our own connection to Abba God as his royal sons and daughters. And the Holy Spirit directs us, helping us along the path if we let Him. {John 14:15-20;26-27}

3. Not only does He never leave us, and does He give us the Holy Spirit, but God "places the lonely in families". {Psalm 68:6}
Now this doesn't mean you have to be an orphan who doesn't have a mom or dad. This means you might just be lonely, you might not have family around, you might not have friends around. Maybe you just moved off to college and you don't know what in the world you're doing. This verse is talking about anybody who is lonely.
God surrounds these people, us, with community--a church family to support, welcome, and encourage. Friends who do the same. God looks after us. We're His kids, y'all. And He loves us eternally. He knows we need human interaction to help us along the way and He provides.

There is proof all throughout God's Word that He never leaves us. We don't have to fear...because our Savior and Author of all creation and life is by our side, holding our hand.

If you are often overcome by loneliness, I'd encourage you to read the verses that I referenced in this post. I'd also encourage you to conduct your own study of God's living, powerful Word and see for yourself that He never leaves.

Know that loneliness is a lie. Whenever we feel it creeping in, turn to Jesus and talk to Him. Tell Him what you're feeling. Read His Word. Listen to worship music.

Ignoring it or occupying yourself elsewhere is not going to fix the problem.

But facing it head on and declaring victory over it in Jesus' name is a sure way to defeat that tactic of the enemy.

For Christus Victor! Christ is Victorious! He has defeated everything. So, why then, do we let ourselves live in the defeated?

Let us live in Freedom as God's Light and Truth shines upon our minds and hearts.
Amen!

God Bless!
Rachel

Reflections {What Are We Fighting For?} [Easter Sunday]

He is Risen!

Christus Victor--Christ is Victorious! Thank God.

So, during this past weekend I've had some different points of reflection.

And, when it comes down to it, there's a question we have to ask ourselves:
What are we fighting for?

You know, each day it's so easy to skip spending time with Jesus through the study of His Word or through worship or prayer. We tell ourselves we'll do it later, and, before we know it, we're in bed and we then tell ourselves that it's too late.
So the cycle goes.

But what really strikes me is this:
Even through our times of being unfaithful to God, He is always right next to us, loving us, calling us, interceding for us...
"...if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself."

His Love for us never, ever gives up.
He chose to go to the cross and die for you, for me. For all of us crazy sinners. He pictured us in his eyes, mind, and he still chose. He saw everything that would happen to us and everything we would ever do. And he still chose to die for us.
He knew we'd forsake Him, betray Him, ignore Him, disappoint Him, but He still chose us.
And He knew how painful dying for us would be.

Take a moment to just imagine Him hanging there on the cross with scars and nails and thorns and blood, struggling to breathe...but picturing you...and knowing one day you would chose Him. 

So if He's who we're fighting for, then that's the bottom line, right?
If He's who we're fighting for, then we have this thing called Hope.
Even amid our suffering, trials, hurts, fears, everything, we have Hope in the One who we're fighting for.
We have Hope in His Resurrection.
That's why we believe what we do--why we believe in Him.
If He hadn't chosen that cross, to die, for us, then there would be no point.
But because He chose a painful death on the cross, taking our sin on Him...He ROSE.
And that's why our Hope is in Him. He ROSE. Everything we believe lies in His Resurrection.
That's where our reasons are.
Because of His Resurrection, we have His Holy Spirit, we have Hope, we have Life, we have Love, we have Strength, we have Purpose, we have Passion, we have HIM.
And because of His Resurrection, we can go forth FEARLESS in His Name.
And that's just about the most Amazing thing EVER. 

Amen. Thank you, Jesus.
Christus Victor! He Reigns above all!

"If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He will remain Faithful, for He cannot disown Himself."
2 Timothy 2:11-13