Second Wind

We are exhorted to keep going, press on, finish the race. 

We have a calling, a purpose in this world. We have a course God set for us. 

We are not to grow weary.

This is challenging!

But, think about it. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He has a purpose for our lives. God ordained the work He has for us. What we do, or don’t do, matters.

And! He accomplishes His purpose in our lives.

How to Get a Second Wind

How do we get a second wind in our lives? How do we get renewed energy to finish our race?

Remember whose we are and who we are

Almighty God, Creator and Ruler of everything, chose us, justified us, is sanctifying us, and will bring us to glory.

We are God’s beloved.

Sovereign God is in control and promises to bring good out of everything in our lives.

Determine

Determine to finish the course God set out for us, setting our faces like flint to reach our God-given goals.

Determine in each day, each moment, to please God.

Determine to live this life in hope, in joy, in the light of guaranteed eternal life.

Pray

Father, things are hard. And the problems we are facing have gone on a long time. Please renew our energy and our determination to live with joy and faithfulness. 

Increasing Trust

God has individual learning plans for each of His children. We, believers, know that He is working on us and in us, and that He will keep causing our growth until the day of Christ.

God … is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.  (Philippians 2:13) 

He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6) 

These are promises from Almighty God who cannot lie.

His development plan for me

The focus of His (current) development plan for me has been trusting Him in this difficult time.

He made me aware that my trust in Him wasn’t sufficient for today. 

The symptoms of my lack of trust were my agitation, stress, anxiety, and sleep issues. I would pray for the outcomes I wanted. I would pray: “Yet not my will, but Yours be done.” But then, pray for what I longed for.

I needed to trust more. I needed to choose to trust Him.

So—I declare that:

I believe God is faithful to His word; I believe God can be believed.

I trust in Almighty, Sovereign God who is in total control. Even though it looks like a total mess to me, I am persuaded that God is ruling over all.

I trust that He has a glorious, holy plan and that He is working to fulfill that plan. I am confident that He is bringing about an eternal, blessed end.

I trust Him to be doing what is right in this dark time and always.

I trust that He has work for me to do.

I trust that, at the right time, He will bring me home to heaven.

And repeat!

I know I haven’t arrived, but I am making progress, thanks to God. 

Prayer

Father, thank You for testing my trust and showing me my need. Thank You that You are continually working in me to make me more like Your beloved Son. Thank You for hope, for joy in the midst of these issues. Thank You for giving me the desire to trust You more and more.

Promises for time and eternity

All Scripture is inspired by God, who cannot lie. (2 Timothy 3:16, Titus 1:2)  

All promises in Scripture are guaranteed by Almighty God. (Hebrews 6:17-18, 2 Corinthians 1:20)

A number of His promises concern eternity; other promises are for us, believers, today. 

Four promises for today

We have access to God

In the Old Testament, God restricted access to Himself. (Exodus 19:12, Hebrews 9:6-8)

Today, our enormous privilege, bought by Christ with His blood, is to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) 

This colossal promise cannot be overstated. 

Father, please help us, with gratitude, come to You. 

We are prayed for

We pray to the Father, receiving mercy and grace in time of need. (John 15:7)

Christ, our High Priest, continually intercedes for us. (Romans 8:34)  (See Jesus is Praying for You)

Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, prays for us. (Romans 8:26) (See The Holy Spirit is Praying for You)

We are helped

Those who have received Christ as Lord and Savior are given a Helper, the Spirit of Truth, who is with us and in us. (John 14:16–17) 

The Holy Spirit teaches us, guides us, and empowers us. (John 14:26–27, John 16:13, Acts 1:8)

We are loved

Nothing, nothing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:35–39) 

He promised He would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

He promised:  I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20) 

Be grateful

There are many more promises for us today, thank God! 

Let’s be grateful for His unchangeable, infallible word, and strive to live believing Him. 

The Last Word

Two young kids: “’Tis too.” “Tis not.” “Tis too.” “Tis not.”

Each wanted the last word. 

The desire to have the last word continues throughout life, usually more subtly. 

Psychologists posit reasons for this, and enumerate the personality types most likely to engage in it.

But we know … it comes from sin.

Rejection, rebellion, and blasphemy are forms of the unrighteous striving to have the last word. 

But, thank God, He has the last word!

As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God. (Romans 14:11) 

At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and … every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10–11) 

So there!

Hallelujah!

Maranatha! Lord, Come!

We have an aroma

As believers, God manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

As we joyfully serve Him, we are a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.  (Philippians 4:18) 

We are a fragrance

For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. (2 Corinthians 2:15–16) 

Our sweet aroma and the fragrance of our witness of Christ pleases God

For some, the fragrance of Christ in us will be a step towards their salvation.

For some, the fragrance of Christ in us will speak to them of their sin and eternal peril.

We shouldn’t be surprised that the world hates us

We shouldn’t be surprised at rejection, hate, and persecution.

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.  (John 15:18–19) 

Strive to:

Manifest the knowledge of Christ.

Joyfully serve Him.

Be a fragrance that is well-pleasing to God.

Praise Him!

Lies

Lies and accusations of lying are falling like heavy rain

I don’t think any segment of our current lives is free from this plague, which demands our deliberation and discernment.

Be alert! Be careful!

Is it a lie?

Not all false statements are lies, which require an intent to deceive. Mistakes can be a problem, but they do not have the motive of deception. (See Mistake or Lie). Puffery and hyperbole can cause difficulty, but are generally expected in, say, advertising.

If we accuse someone of lying, we are judging the person’s character. Be careful! (See, for example, Matthew 5:22.) 

Lies are from Satan 

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44) 

But we, believers, have laid aside our old selves with its evil practices. (Colossians 3:9)

God hates lies and false accusations

There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.  (Proverbs 6:16–19) 

A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will not escape.  (Proverbs 19:5)

Our responsibility

In this world, we face spiritual lies, secular lies, and mistakes.

Spiritually, we have the word of God, and the Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, guides us to all truth. We must know the Bible and be discerning.

From a secular point of view, we need to have our “lie meter” up and running, and we must be committed to the truth. We also must humbly realize that we cannot know everything about anything. 

Christ is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Let’s continue to strive to walk in a manner worthy of Him. (Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:12)

Where is Your Faith?

Jesus and the disciples launched out in a boat and Jesus fell asleep. A fierce gale came up and the boat began to be swamped. They were in danger. 

The disciples came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:24-25)

In these times of trouble, where is your faith?

My Boat is Swamping!

I sometimes feel my boat is being swamped.

Like the disciples I cannot do anything about the gale. I can bail the boat, protecting myself as best I can, but I cannot do anything about the health of family members, the economy, the virus itself, or about violence, looting, and arson. 

Lord, Help!

What I can do is call to Jesus Christ: “Help! My boat is swamping.”

I can determine to believe in His love and power. He is the one who controls the wind and waves.

I do believe; help my unbelief.  (Mark 9:24) 

Remember God

This has been quite a year … pandemic, economics woes, civil unrest, hurricanes, earthquakes, drought, flooding, heat, locusts, explosions, wildfires. 

More than eighty times in the Bible, God says He did something so that they would know He is God. 

Our Challenge

Our challenge is to look to Him, to know He is God.

In the image above, are you focusing on the horrible Colorado wildfire, or are you looking at the glorious Milky Way?

We must deliberately take time to focus on God, who He is, what He does, and who we (believers) are to Him. Slow down. Remember. 

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.  (2 Timothy 2:8) 

Great are the works of the Lord; They are studied by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is His work, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonders to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and compassionate. (Psalm 111:2–4) 

Hope

As we remember Him, we have hope.

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:21–23) 

Prayer

Father, please make Yourself known to us. Please let us know You are Almighty God. Please bring us to the realization that we are sinners and You are holy. Please make us mourn our sins and turn to You in repentance and belief. 

Are you worried about something?

What about?

Have you prayed about it? (See Exchanging Anxiety for Peace)

Still worried?

Don’t worry

Jesus tells us not to worry. (Matthew 6:24-34)

Why not worry? 

Jesus tells us why we are not to worry.

God is sovereign.  (Matthew 6:25-32; Luke 12:24-30)

You can’t do anything about many things, but God can do anything about everything.

Worry is lack of trust in Almighty God. (Luke 12:28)

Worry is a sin!

Worry takes your eyes off Jesus.

Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things … Mary has chosen the good part. (Luke 10:41-42) 

You cannot serve God and wealth  (Matthew 6:24)

Make sure your treasure is in heaven. Make sure heaven is where your heart is.  (Matthew 6:19-21)

If you’re serving wealth, you’ll worry.

If you’re serving God, you won’t worry.

Life is more than material things. (Luke 12:23)

What to do

Pray with thanksgiving, of course.

Determine to believe God loves you, is with you and for you, and that He is sovereign over all things.

Determine to put God first.

Determine to rejoice in His will. 

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33) 

Questions to help understand your worry

Am I worried about something earthly?  

Am I worried about something God controls?

Is this something I can/should do something about?

Am I serving God with this worry?

Have I prayed? 

Prayer

Father, help us determine to seek You and Your kingdom first. Help us trust You in these challenging times, knowing that You love us, are working everything according to Your glorious plan, and that this will make us more into the image of Your Son.