Its honestly taken me a few days to really process and articulate this into words. An event that happened 20 years ago yet still feels like yesterday when the images are tattooed in your memories as a growing anxious and awkward middle school adolescent. September 11, 2001- a day many people will never forget if you were old to remember it all unfolding. I was a lanky, gangly, shy, anxiety ridden eleven year old. I had just started sixth grade, that day was our fall picture day, sadly no one felt like smiling for their yearbook photo unless it was a halfhearted nervous easy smile, because we were confused and not really sure what was going. When the announcement came on from our principal that some planes had crashed we didn’t really know what was going on, until our teachers turned on the TVs in our classrooms. I was in my art class, and my teacher Mrs. Crenshaw The images were hard to watch, but hard to look away from in shock of what was happening. Then they said those words most kids had never really heard of thought of: terrorist attack. Sure it struck terror to anyone who saw it, but what does that even mean? We thought someone unfortunately crashed a plane on accident, but then TWO planes and then MORE in other places, you mean someone strategically attacked on purpose with the sole intent of fear and terror in the hearts of thousands and millions of people?! Yes, that’s exactly what happened.
Now, to an eleven year kid who just lost her grandpap earlier that year, watched these terror attacks unfold, been diagnosed with asthma while at a doctor appointment with a sprained ankle from basketball conditioning and tryouts, a retainer and glasses, already diagnosed with anxiety in elementary school…my little sheltered world was not all blue skies and sunny days. When I was a young girl fear, faith and fall all used to collide. Anxiety and depression are real. As a little girl who dealt with fear constantly, October was a time when everything scary and frightening came to reality…even if was fake. Scary movies, costumes, ghost stories all of the above made their debut in October. I dealt with anxiety, shyness (that was a very brief season in my life), nervousness crippled me at times. I would find excuses and let things hold me back. When I was a teenager, the anxiety had weakened but depression was more on the forefront. I would get nauseous at the thought of getting up to speak or even sing in front of an audience. Fast forward ten years later, I speak and sing and teach all the time now. It’s as natural as breathing. God conquered my fears and doubts with growing my faith. Fear and faith can’t exist in the same dwelling place. God has been teaching me throughout the last few years that change is a normal part of life. In the past few years, I graduated college, changed careers, lost loved ones, and blessed with a beautiful relationship, laughed, cried, struggled and became more brave. Life is full of change. How we adapt to change is how we learn and grow.
Pause for a REFLECTION QUESTION: What point or events in your life have changed or challenged your perspective whether for worse or for better? If worse, how can you change your perspective?
Fast forward a little over a year and a half later our country goes to war in March 2003. In my lifetime I’d never seen a war. I was too young to remember the first Desert Storm in the 90s. The recent events in the past month our troops have come home but there is still turmoil in the middle east and there’s still work to be done. The world is full or fighting- alot of it fighting over things that don’t matter. Fast forward to 2020, a global pandemic called COVID-19 the coronavirus. Business and school shutdowns, social distancing, sanitizer, cleaning products, stay six feet away, virtual learning for schools, no social gatherings, economic struggles, etc. Then things started to get back to a new normal and a vaccine came into the scene. Then recently the COVID delta variant emerged far worse than its predecessor. Here is a list of what people fight about to this day: Pro Gun/Anti Gun, Pro Life/Pro Choice, LBTQ+ , the Vaccinated and the Unvaccinated, Wear a mask or don’t wear a mask and the list goes on and on increasing more trivial as we go. All I want to say is do you remember SEPTEMBER 12, 2001? The day after the attacks where it did not matter what state you were from, what neighborhood or socioeconomic class you were, what color your skin is or what religion you are, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, at that point we were and are all Americans hurting and embracing each other in the midst of tragedy and crisis. The world not just our nation is facing a crisis and people want to fight and cause more distress? What happened? This is a time we need to examine our hearts and motives, our own personal convictions and relationship with God our creator. Give yourself grace, and show others grace. Put down your weapons for a moment because you’re fighting the wrong enemy: when the enemy can cause division amongst a connected group or body of believers he’s made a civil war amongst them. Recollect yourselves, bear one another’s burdens, pray and then pick up your sword to fight the real enemy.
Joshua 1:9 the Lord says to Joshua “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” The Lord said I commanded you not to be scared, it wasn’t a suggestion to be strong. Sometimes being strong is the only option you have. Joshua had no choice but to move on and prepare to conquer without fear, but in full faith. The only other choice would’ve been to back down and quit.
It’s time to change the narrative, flip the script and do better. Get back to the basics y’all. Wake up people. Seek Him. I leave you with this verse and prayer from 2 Chronicles 7:14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV https://2chronicles.bible/2-chronicles-7-14
With hope for a better kingdom, Heather H. Carnley
Beautiful art print from my cousin at Bridgett Kay Designs, go check out her custom work!
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:12-15 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.15.12-15.NIV
Jesus was the ultimate example of pure friendship. His disciples weren’t just His followers or students, nor were they just servants and Him- the Master in fact He took it upon Himself to serve them. If you love someone, whether it’s a friendship, marriage or family relationship or school or work relationship- you seek out ways to help serve and care for others just as Jesus did.
Let’s think about Jesus’s beloved besties here: We got a list of the 12 disciples “the crew” or “the squad” if you may. And of those 12, Jesus had 3 inner circle “ride or die” type of friends Peter, James and John. Some say Jesus greatest miracle was still have close reliable friendships in his 30s. They are hard to find and keep the older you get sometimes. Jesus had other friends besides the chosen students of His: the female disciples such as Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susana the ones who found the empty tomb! Then there’s Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany. Also, His own biological immediate family, remember Jesus was Mary’s firstborn her and Joseph had many more children (approximately 6) after baby Jesus including James (James the Just), Joseph Jr. (Joses), Simon, and Judas known as Jude, he also had sisters but they were not named (Matthew 13:55). Jesus was and in indeed unlike anyone else, but He was and is the most approachable, gentle, humble, loving and perfect individual to ever walk this earth. Those He loves, (all of us) He loves with passion and unconditionally. He still does.
Jesus, friend of sinners. That is something He is often referred to. He was never afraid to befriend and reach out to the outcast, broken, left out misfits of society. Some of these people were outcasts because of circumstances beyond their control like sickness and disease and some were outcasts because of bad reputations like harlots and tax collectors. He is a restorer and mender of brokenness and a healer of all emotional, spiritual and physical sicknesses and diseases. Like I said unconditional and without limits, He had boundaries just like we need to but loving others to show them the way, teach them about the Kingdom of God. To seek and save the lost.
Jesus did all things: teach, lead, challenged leaders and anyone with hard questions that opened not only their minds but their hearts, heal the sick, perform amazing miracles, delivered people out their own bondage and vices, cast out demons, he served meals, he cooked, he fished, he built things, he read, he spent quiet time alone in prayer with the Father, he taught and lead by example, he loved and gave His life for His friends. Let’s live and be like Jesus. He is still alive and would love to be your best friend, if you just let Him in.
Love in friendship and grace,
Heather H. Carnley
“What a Friend we have in Jesus”
What a friend we have in Jesus All our sins and griefs to bear What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer
Oh, what peace we often forfeit Oh, what needless pain we bear All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged Take it to the Lord in prayer
Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness Take it to the Lord in prayer
We hear Jesus called by many names Prince of Peace, Son of God and Son of Man, the Messiah, Jeshua, Savior, Rabbi, Teacher, Prophet. God is also called by many different names especially in the Old Testament Hebrew language: El Shaddai (God Almighty), Abba (Father), Yahweh, and Jehovah to name a few ( I encourage you to look them up along with their meanings) they all reflect different parts and attributes of His character. This week, we are going to reflect and ponder upon one very particular name Jehovah Rapha, Healer or “The God who Heals” and Jesus Christ, the Son is often referred to as “The Great Physician”. This week we will take a look at a few instances in the New Testament when Jesus healed the so-called incurable diseases that doctors could not solve or fix.
Here is a list of the healing and curing that Jesus did recorded in the New Testament Gospels:
Jesus touched and healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a high fever (Mark 1:30-31).
Jesus healed the Roman Soldier (centurion’s) servant who was very sick (Matthew 8:5-13).
Jesus healed the paralytic and made him walk (Matthew 9:1-8).
Jesus healed an outcast “unclean” leper (Mark 1:40-45)
Jesus cured a woman of an issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48).
Jesus healed a paralyzed man at the pool called Bethesda (John 5:1-9).
Jesus loosened/fixed the tongue of a man who could not speak since birth (Matthew 9:32-33).
Jesus restored a withered, crippled hand (Matthew 12:10-13).
Jesus cured a man born deaf and mute (Mark 7:31-37).
Jesus healed a woman from Canaan (Matthew 15:22-28).
Jesus healed a woman who had been afflicted with serious debilitating pain for eighteen years (Luke 13:10-17).
Jesus cured a man of “dropsy”/dangerous swelling and infection(Luke 14:1-4).
Jesus cleansed and healed ten lepers of their contagious disease that left them outcastsof society. (Luke 17:11-19).
Several instances he healed many (at least 4) people born blind! John 9:1-38, Mark 8:22-26, Matthew 9:27-31.
Jesus restored and fixed the ear of the high priest’s servant that Peter cut off! (Luke 22:50-51).
We often think of healing as curing illnesses and diseases, or better yet fixing what is wrong Jesus also healed people plagued and tormented by demons (Mark 1:23-28, Matthew 12:22, Matthew 17:14-21)
Jesus also raised more than Lazarus from the dead: Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead (Luke 7:11-18).Jesus raised the ruler’s daughter from the dead (Matthew 9:18-26).Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-46).Jesus rose from the dead (Luke 24:5-6).
What ails, torments or plagues you today? Whether it is healing of a sickness in your body from the cold/flu or something as long term as cancer or organ failure, a disease with no known reasons or cures, constant pain or aches throughout your physical body. Or an affliction or heaviness in your mind and spirit that has crushed your heart beyond restoration or so you think…the Jesus I know can make the impossible possible and cure the incurable. When all resources and doctors and earthly research for answers had been exhausted, hope came in the form of Jesus. Yes, He was able to physically touch those around Him and heal them, but what about us today? He can’t lay hands on us, but that’s what disciples are called to do. As followers we are called to continue His work not our own but through the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray for each other in times of illness and affliction. What kind of miracle and healing touch do you need today?
My prayer for you today: Dear Lord, thank You for making me fearfully and wonderfully made in Your image. You created my body, and You never ever fiber and cell of how I function and live. You are the Life Giver. You are the Creator. You alone are the Great Physician that has all the answers to the mysteries of all that ails Your children. Lord, help me to make choices and decisions that take care of my temple, the body the houses my soul and where you dwell in my heart. Protect my body, guard and cleanse my heart and mind of anything toxic, hurtful or negative and not healthy. Heal my broken spirit. In Your all powerful name. Amen
Have you ever prayed for a miracle and felt like it didn’t happen the way you wanted it to? Even when you’ve seen amazing miracles happen in the exact way for others. That’s probably how Mary and Martha felt. The two sisters and their dear brother Lazarus were very close friends of Jesus and the disciples. In fact this Mary is the same one who anointed Jesus’s feet with very expensive perfume and wept tears of worship on his feet. They knew what Jesus could do, what He taught and most importantly they knew and loved Him. The Son of God, surely He could easily heal and restore health to their gravely ill brother Lazarus. However when Jesus heard about it in the next town over, He had been teaching and preaching to another crowd. He was taking care of His Father’s business, on assignment. It wasn’t as if Mary, Martha and Lazarus weren’t important, they already had accepted and received Jesus as the Messiah. He was teaching those who had not heard about the Kingdom of Heaven, the Gospel. Their miracle was coming, but Jesus had a particular timing for a reason, the reason being so that God the Father could be glorified in it all. If Jesus would’ve came earlier He could’ve just easily healed Lazarus’ sickness and that would be all there was to it. Many people had seen Him heal the sick before. But what He was going to do was far greater than any doctor could ever do. He would raise the dead back to life! He waited. He did it purposefully so they would all believe that God sent Him! Mary, Martha and everyone else said He was too late, he was already gone!
Scriptures:
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Have you ever felt that way before? Like it was too late for a change, the chance of a miracle had come and gone, the hope and dream was well past dead? Lazarus had been dead and buried for four days! When we feel like it’s over, it’s done- He is always on time! You may have given up, when you’re miracle is on it’s way! And yet sometimes we have to understand that our miracle is not always about us, Lazarus’ didn’t get healed right away, but he was restored! His miracle was a testimony to others witnessing what had happened. Our prayers for healing of the sick loved ones may not always be answered on this side of Heaven. Jesus made sure that God the Father in heaven was glorified through this miracle. A little known fact is that this was one of the last miracles Jesus performed, after that they sought out to arrest Him! He was foreshadowing what was to come the Resurrection of His own life after the crucifixion that would take place. Jesus said in John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
What “dead” dreams and “hope is gone” in your life need to be resurrected? On the flip side, what things do you need to let go of? Scripture says we die daily to our sin nature and live in the hope that Christ Jesus gives us. We, too, will live eternally with Jesus when we go to Heaven. But you have to accept the gift first.
Stay hopeful, your miracle may be late to you but He’s always on time!
Peace vs. Chaos. Justice vs. Injustice. Fear vs. Faith. Freedom vs. Captivity. July 4, 1776 and June 19, 1865…dates that represent freedom. One for the birth of a country breaking away from a tyrannical ruler, the other for people the first time being called free and not someone else’s property. Rewind centuries earlier, thousands of years earlier: a dreary Friday, a silent Saturday, and a glorious Sunday where death had been defeated…the day where true freedom began.
In the world as of lately, it was and is in an uproar let’s be realistic. A global pandemic causing death, everything to shut down and people living in fear. A battle against racial tension and injustice, inequality. Politics. Economic crisis. A coin shortage. Churches under attack from the enemy. And so much more, it will make your head spin if it’s all you consume yourself with. You will drive yourself crazy if it’s all you see and hear and let yourself think about. Step away and look at society, and look at it a little more personally: Who is in control of your actions? Who is in control of your thoughts and opinions? Who is in control of how your feelings and emotions cause you to react? Who is in control of the choices you make? The answer to all these questions is the same…YOU. God is in control of all things in the great big world and universe, but He gave us the ability to think, know, grow, live and make our own choices…good ones and bad ones. Freedom of choice. Freedom of opinion. Freedom of assembly. Freedom of speech. (Scripture says to be careful with our words because the power of life and death is in the tongue) We live in a country where we can do just about anything that is legal of course. You even have the freedom (free will) to go and make bad decisions (remember to everything there is a consequence). You sadly can oppress your own self by choices you make, in the form of addictions or vicious cycles if you so choose. You can work, you can dream, you can have a family. You can go into your church and worship freely. We have those rights. In the Declaration of Independence it states these three main points: All men (and women) are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain Inalienable Rights including Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness. Individuals have a civic duty to defend these rights for themselves and others. You have been given LIFE by the one who created YOU. You have been given LIBERTY, freedom by His Son Jesus on the Cross. You have been given the pursuit of happiness by the JOY that He brings you…anything else you chase and pursue you won’t always catch. This world cannot steal away what it did not give you to begin with. What is given by God cannot be taken away.
Let’s go back to that last part, no one can steal your joy or your peace, because no one in this world gave it to you. But freedom now, no one or no thing can hold you captive unless you let them have the keys! What freedom feels like is walking in your calling. What freedom feels like is knowing you are protected and loved. Freedom feels like a safety net and leap of fearless faith all in one because His arms will catch you. Freedom to fly and soar. What freedom feels like is walking into the sunlight. What freedom feels like is breathing in new fresh air in lungs once suffocated by panic. What freedom feels like is a new life. Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom! Jesus sets free every captive. He has the key, let Him in. Every chain can be broken or if it has a lock, you know there’s a key to it somewhere! Stop letting other people’s opinions, choices, words and actions determine you and your choices, opinions, words and actions. We often fall victim to our own thoughts, we create our own prisons of doubt and fear. Y’all, who the SON sets FREE is FREE INDEED! Stop letting others opinions and choices effect and dictate your life! We are called to live in freedom.
When you were little, were you ever afraid of the dark? I had a Barbie nightlight when I was about 5 years old. As an adult I still like to have some type of light, so I don’t trip, fall, or bump into anything if I have to get up in the middle of the night. The dark itself is not the scary part, it’s the uncertainty of what the darkness beholds. Not being able to see what is there is what scares most people. For a small child, they may think there are monsters lurking and waiting in the dark. Can you imagine being born without the ability to see or living in complete blindness and uncertainty? Never being able to see your loved ones faces, let alone know what you look like. Never being able to see the beauty of creation or the magnitude of the sunset or sunrise. Fear of the unknown is what holds many people back. Fear of not being able to see what lies ahead of them, but my dear friend isn’t that what faith is? The ability to trust and believe what you can’t always see despite the uncertainties.
How often in our lives do we walk around with spiritual blinders on? Sometimes we get tunnel vision and only see what we want to see, or what is directly in front of us. But how often do we really look around us at our surroundings, the physical and the spiritual? God gave us peripheral vision for a reason, when we get distracted we can’t see what is around us. For example, when you are driving a vehicle, you have a rearview mirror to see what is in front of you without looking back, a windshield huge window to see ahead of you and two side view mirrors to see what’s beside you. But you have this thing called a blindspot where you’re side view mirrors cannot reach. You have to physically look and make sure your surroundings are safe. Spiritually we forget to check our blindspot sometimes, the things that we allow to catch us off guard but if we had took the time to look could’ve been avoided. Did you know that when you lack one of your five senses that most of the time the other senses are heightened and even more in tune with surroundings? There is a thing called spiritual warfare. What we can’t see but feel in every fiber of your being. The invisible enemy, if we were to put on spiritual glasses we would be afraid. Scripture says we fight the principalities of darkness and evil. Scripture also says that “the angel of the Lord encamps around those that fear Him.” The world is full of darkness but as children of God, followers of Jesus the one true light of the world- we must be the light. We must not walk around in spiritual darkness and blindness.
Scriptures: Mark 8:22-25, John 9:1-7
Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-25)
22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind (John 9:1-7)
1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
When we pray and seek for Jesus to open our eyes, just like Bartimaeus and the other blind men He healed-our spiritual eyes are opened to see the needs of other, the eyes of your heart are opened to compassion, your spiritual eyes are sometimes opened to the unseen battles that are around you. Eyes that see not only the flaws but the beauty that everyone is made in His image. We must see others as He sees them. Also, we can no longer be blind to the evil around us, nor should we be afraid.
Prayer for you today: Dear Lord, open my eyes to see Your glory, power and honor in everything. Help me to see You are in control of the seen and unseen. Thank You for fighting my battles. Thank You for Your angel armies standing guard over me. Remind me daily, of Your beauty in creation in every little thing. Lord, open my eyes to see the needs of others, to see selflessly instead of selfishly. Open my eyes to my heart Lord. Amen ❤
Have you ever been so hungry that it hurts? Have you ever been hangry? We have all experienced some type of hunger and thirst, but I’m sure its trivial in comparison to those who have actually had to go without and are starving or have a lack of clean drinking water. Think about it. The last time you were hungry, all you had to do was maybe open your refrigerator or pantry. You and I are not in a third world country without clean water and a scarce food supply. When was the last time you knew what it was like to be starving? Some of you, sadly that may be part of your story. You never know what someone may be going through or what difficult path they’re on or the season they are walking through.
Did you know that whether you realize it or not, we all have a deep-seeded need or an unexplainable hunger or unquenchable thirst that we need filled?
It can be different for each person. Everyone has a void that is empty. Everyone has a God-shaped hole in their heart that only He can fill, that hole is the shape of the cross. Jesus is the one who can fulfill our needs.
There was a big need for big crowd of people with no resources in sight and Jesus met their primary needs in a mighty miraculous way…
Matthew 14: 13-21
“13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sickness.15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”
He can take a little bit and make a surplus out of what was once a dire need!
Prayer for you today:
Dear Lord, thank You for being the supplier and provider of my most essential needs. Thank You for my family, friends and my career. Thank You for a roof over my head, a place to call home and sleep, food to eat and water to drink. Thank You for my health and my peace. Thank You for the desires set upon my heart (Psalm 37:4) You supply all my needs according to Your riches in glory. (Philippians 4:19). Amen❤
Lightning crackles across the darkened sky and thunder rolls bursting forth together in a duo of calamity. Gray clouds hover where sunlight once peaked through to warm your face. Sometimes these storms send fear and distress, others they send anticipation of a cleansing and awakening to the soul. There’s something beautiful about the rain some days but it will always come when you need it. But on the flip side of that, rain comes and sometimes ruins an otherwise perfect day. Have you ever watched a storm on the ocean? It’s sometimes scary but it is magnificent and thrilling to see in its roaring power!
Have you ever felt like a wave tossed about in a storm? Have you ever faced a tremendous and torrential amount of rain in your own personal life? They say “when it rains, it pours.” Have you ever had a day like that? Have you had your own personal hurricane brewing in your heart or a storm of the soul? An Emotional Rollercoaster. One day you’re climbing up the hill to top and the next you drop so fast your stomach in your throat. Maybe you feel like you’re safe and secure, buckled in and have control other days, it’s like they forgot to lock down your harness and you’re hanging on for dear life. Let’s face it, some days are up and some days are down. Some days we feel like we are in control of our emotions and some days may feel like your emotions are in control of you. It’s life. Life happens. The tide is ever-changing and it flows within us-part of us but not in control of us, we can tame the tide.Emotions are not always a bad thing. After all, God created us with emotions. You have every right to feel the way you feel God put those things in our hearts and minds. Emotions are a complicated and simple thing all at the same time. Can all my ladies who deal with hormones on a regular basis say amen?! It’s normal! You simply just feel something and sometimes it’s deeper than words can articulate. Emotions range from anger, grief, joy, happiness, sadness, pain, envy, and everything in between. But in all actuality, what we need and seek is peace. A peace that passes all understanding as Scripture says in Philippians chapter 4.
Philippians 4:4-7 Paul tells us “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Let’s pull out some key phrases and elements of what he is saying to the people of Philippi:
Paul starts with “Rejoice always…” (verse 4) yes he means even in the midst of hardship (and quarantine). He says it twice, he means it.
We see several interchangeable words in the next verse (4:5) based on which translation you use ESV says “reasonableness”, NIV says “gentleness”, CSB says “graciousness”, and KJV says “moderation” in times of trouble or hardship we must let grace and gentleness show forth more than anything else. We must remember to be reasonable, submit to authority yet not worry or fear but to be wise and cautious in the midst of it all.
Verse 6 addresses worry and anxiousness head on like a warrior. It says “The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything but take everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Our antidote to worry is prayer. Why should we worry about things we can’t control when we already know the One who is in control. We are responsible for how we react, but we can be proactive through prayer and supplication. Supplication simply means the act of asking for and knowing that He will supply our needs. But we can’t go asking the Lord to grant our needs without being thankful, hence why it says “supplication with thanksgiving.” Then Paul says let your requests be made known to our God. See, this is a reminder because we know that God knows our hearts and minds and every thought in them, we are to use prayer as our way of talking with Him about it instead of worrying about it.
Now here is one of my favorite parts of this passage in verse 7: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” That means peace that baffles others. When the world looks at you or me, as a follower of Christ and wonders “why are you at peace and so calm in the middle of crazy chaos?” or “why are you not worried or freaking out right now?” It’s because they don’t understand. Peace that even when we don’t know how or why, it washes over you. The peace that passes understanding comes from Christ. So taking all the fear, worry, anxiousness and anxiety and trading it for His peace that He gives us when we pray.
When Jesus calmed the storm, He told the disciples not to worry. He was in control. Peter had to have faith to walk out of the boat and step out onto the waves and take Jesus’ hand. When Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on the storm, he started to drown and sink. We have to have faith to embrace the storm and listen to the peace.
So, I hope this spoke to your heart and soul today- sometimes the storm is around and we learn how to brave and weather it together, holding secure to His hope as an anchor for our soul (Hebrews 6:19). Sometimes we have to drown out the lightning, thunder and waves and listen to Jesus’ voice saying “Peace, be still”. Sometimes the storm is not around us but in us, we are sometimes the storm. Storms can cleanse and clear paths for something greater. What kind of storm is brewing in your life? Find the peace or embrace the rain.
Did you know that perfection here on earth once existed? Think of the most beautiful place you’ve ever visited and or picture of a place that is so beautiful that people may call it “heaven on earth”. To each picture it may look different, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The beholder in this case, is the Creator- God the Father. He makes no mistakes, everything He created is beautiful and good. The Garden of Eden in Genesis 1-2 was absolutely beautiful and perfect. God created the oceans, mountains, valleys, all the plants, trees, every animal on earth and saw that it was good. Then He made each of us, in His image. Everything was as He created it to be, perfect. He gave one rule to Adam and Eve to not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge in the middle of the garden, anything else they could have and eat freely. But the one fruit of that particular tree was dangerous-it wasn’t literally poison but the aftermath would contaminate Adam and Eve’s lives as well as everyone else after them: something toxic and deadly called sin that marred and tainted the perfection that God created. You see, that fruit opened their eyes to more than they ever needed to know: the conflicting battle of good and evil. Evil was never meant to have a place, but once that serpent saw a way to trick God’s beautiful humans He made then the serpent started His scheme. We were created to love and be loved by our Creator, we were never meant to have pain or hurt, to be sick, to hurt others or for evil to run rampant. God gave Adam and Eve, and us the ability of free will.
The problem came when sin entered the world, perfection of Eden had ended. Sin is what separates us from God, it drove a wedge in an otherwise perfect relationship.
Creation/Purpose of Mankind: “The Prologue”-Setting the Scene for God’s Ultimate Plan(Genesis 1-2)
In the beginning, God created something amazing out of absolutely nothing! God has been around before time, He has no beginning and no end. He is eternal. When the Bible says “In the beginning…” it refers to what we call time and recorded history. Genesis 1:1-2 says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. This universe, this earth that dwell on and everything in it was created and formed by a creative, all powerful, sovereign, artistic God with many diverse details. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” God spoke everything into existence. On the first day God said “Let there be light”, and there was light. God divided the light and darkness. He called the light Day, and called the darkness Night. This evening and morning were the completion of the first day. On the second day, God created division between the sky and seas. Then the third day God created made division between the dry land and the seas. On the third day, God also created the trees, plants, and flowers. Every beautiful, lush, green blade of grass, every diverse, creative leaf, every branch of every tree, and every colorful flower God created it. On the fourth day, God made two great lights and placed them in the sky, He called the one for the daytime, the sun. He called the other one for the nighttime, the moon. God also created and hung the planets and stars in the night sky. The fifth day, God created birds to fly in the air and fish that filled the seas. On the sixth day God created all the other animals and creatures, like mammals. But there was one special creation that was above the other things, a creation that lived, moved, and could think.
On the sixth day, God created and formed humankind. Everything God created, He spoke into existence, because He has that kind of power and authority. But when creating man God formed Adam from the dust of the earth. He sculpted, crafted, and formed man with personal care and intricate detail. Genesis 1:26-27 speaks of how God created mankind by stating “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” God created man in His image, and then woman was fashioned and created from man’s rib. God formed man, whom He called Adam, from dust and breathed His very own breath of life into him and he began to live. God saw that it wasn’t good for man to be alone so He created woman, whom He called Eve, from Adam’s rib. God gave these human beings dominion and authority over all the creatures of the earth. Adam and Eve walked, talked, and spent time with God. We carry the same attributes of personality and emotion. God is love, and we were created for a love relationship with God and others. He created Eve to have a relationship with Adam. Throughout Genesis 1 & 2, numerous times it says God looked at His creation and saw that is was good. But God saw that man was alone, He said this isn’t good. Then God created woman and saw that it was good. Creation was now complete, man and woman were together. We are capable of feelings, deep critical thinking, emotions, love, and the ability to have dominion and control over the animals. Our flaws and things we may not like about ourselves like body image. God created all of His children differently, but yet we are all created in His image. Genesis 1:28 states God’s purpose for humanity, “God said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.” As human beings the most important purpose of our lives to grow in relationship with God and glorify Him. All throughout Scripture the purpose of man is mentioned. Isaiah 43:7 says “Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him yes, I have made him.” later on in 43:21 says “This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.” We are created in His image to glorify Him. The purpose of God reveals His entire purpose of all of creation in Habakkuk 2:14, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”
The Need of Salvation/Problem of Sin (Genesis 3-11)
In Genesis 3 we see this ideal and beautiful relationship between God the creator and mankind the created, become marred and tainted. Genesis 3:1 introduces a creature “more cunning than any beast”; the serpent. The serpent, Satan, was talking to Eve and Adam was also present with her. The serpent lied and said “God is just trying to keep knowledge from you, He doesn’t want you to become like Him; all-knowing and powerful”. Before the fall, everything was how God intended it to be. Then sin entered the picture. Genesis 1:28 gives the first command “Be fruitful and multiply, subdue and rule the earth. Genesis 2:16-17 gives the second command, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ‘but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” This did not mean that Adam and Eve would physically die immediately, the flesh has overtaken the spirit; meaning that because of sin we will all one day die. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Sin is the barrier that separates us from God. God is holy and set apart. Sin dominates the fallen world we live in. Adam and Eve were ashamed and tried to hide in the garden from God, but He still pursued them. Today God still pursues us even when we try to run away. Genesis 3:15 is a prophetic verse in Scripture that reminds of the consequences of sin as well as the ultimate sacrifice that has to be made. Genesis 3:15 says “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” The Seed of woman is the offspring that later comes in the New Testament, God incarnate, divinity in human form…Jesus Christ of Nazarene. The seed of the serpent obviously is Satan. A snake can strike a human’s heel by biting, “you shall bruise His heel” and a human can crush a snake’s head, “He shall bruise your head.” The world had increasingly become sinful, tainted and corrupt. Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. Abel and Cain both presented offerings to the Lord, but Cain’s was not acceptable to Him. Cain became jealous and angry, so he killed his brother Cain. God knew and punished Cain, banishing from the land like a fugitive and nomad. Eve eventually conceived and gave birth to another son named Seth (Gen. 4:25-26). Genesis 4 ends with the descendants of Seth.
The world that God had created and “saw that it was good” had become so sinful that a man would kill his own brother. In Genesis 5, we see a recap of Genesis 1:26-27; mankind being made in the image of God; and we also see a brief history of the genealogies of mankind. The world had become so sinful that God was sorry that He made man. God saw that there was one righteous man and his family, his name was Noah. Noah was the only righteous man that followed the Lord. Noah was not a perfect and saintly man, but He followed the Lord. God gave Noah specific and very detailed instructions to build an ark. The ark was kind of like a giant floating box, made to float like a boat but had no rudders, oars, or any type of steering. The ark floated and drifted whichever way the Lord sent it with the wind and waves. The reason God told Noah to build this ark is because God was going to send rain to flood the entire earth! God wanted to wipe the earth clean of its corruptness and start all over again. It took Noah approximately 120-140 years to build the ark. God told Noah to only bring his family, his wife, three sons; Ham, Shem, Japheth and their wives along with two of every animal that was “unclean” meaning those that they couldn’t eat as food. Yet God asked for seven each of clean animal, so they would have enough for food as well. The Lord sent one male and female animal so they could reproduce and multiply. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights until the earth was completely covered in water, even the mountains were covered! The water stayed on the earth 150 days (Gen. 7:24) Noah sent out a raven and a dove, one day the dove returned with an olive branch, meaning that the waters had receded. God placed a rainbow in the sky as a covenant and promise that He would never destroy the earth again (Gen. 9:13-15). Genesis 10 and 11 we see the ancestry of all the generations after Noah, his sons, and their descendants.
Genesis 11 tells of nations that had formed out the descendants of Noah. Genesis 11:1 says “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.” But they began to want more, similar to when Eve was tempted by the serpent to know more and become like God. In Genesis 11:4 we see that they wanted to make a name for themselves, “And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” The Lord saw what they were doing. God scatters them and confuses their language. This was what we call the tower of Babel. In Genesis 11:7-9, we see how the “nations” began to spread out and grow. Genesis 11:6-9 says, “And the Lord said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.” God is beginning to make many nations. We begin to see the multiplying of generations throughout the years and ancestry in Genesis 11.
Genesis 1-11 is known as the prologue, setting the scene of the beginning of God’s ultimate plan of redemption. We have four main components that introduce what we now read as our Bible. The four components are Creation and the purpose of Man (Genesis 1-2), the Need of Salvation that we have for God’s mercy because of the problem of sin also known as the Fall (Genesis 3-5), the Noah’s ark of safety amidst the catastrophic flood that God used to wipe the earth of all its corruptness (Genesis 6-10), and the flop of the tower of Babel by the scattering of many people and confusion of multiple languages (Genesis 11). All of these events form the foundation for God’s blessings and His ultimate plan to be known and worshiped throughout all the earth. The earth is beginning to be filled with people. Each of these people were sons and daughters of God. God stated a command to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth will people who reflect His glory. God’s plan to reflect His glory is through people who love Him as well as love others. We are His chosen instruments, as mankind to reflect His glory in all the earth; after all we are created to be His image-bearers. We needed someone perfect to fix everything, and Jesus Christ of Nazareth was His name.
Have you ever just stopped to think about nature and all its beauty? God created everything just as it should be. Think about how tall the majestic mountains are and how the valleys provide cooling shade amongst the canopy of trees? The intriguing and mysterious depth of all the oceans. The warmth of the sun, it’s strategically placed to maintain enough warmth to keep us from freezing and far away to keep us from burning. The detail and function of every plant and animal in the kingdom, every living organism. God created science and the building blocks of life. Lifegiver. Creator. Sustained. Provider. Father. His plan unfolded in a miraculous way.
Jesus came and showed God’s power in human form. Divinity in the flesh. He came to earth just like me and you, a baby from his nurturing mother’s womb. From the beginning conception was even miraculous, a young virgin. His birth was just like any other child, except in a barn because the inns were crowded. As a child, his wisdom grew as he learned and taught in the synagogues. Wise beyond his years. A normal kid and teenager with his parents and younger siblings. A hardworking carpenter’s son like his dad Joseph who loved to fish. He grew up into a young adult, and started his ministry at age 30.
His first miracle was at a wedding of some family friends, Mary his mother was with him. They had run out of wine, and all they had were pictures and jars of water. Jesus, provided the wine. Wine was symbolic of joy. Jesus brought wherever he went. He calmed the storm by saying peace, be still. He walked out of the water and called one of his beloved disciples to join him in by doing it too. He fed thousands with just a little snack of a lunch meant for one little boy. He can multiply even the smallest of things in our lives if we have faith to just let Him work! He healed the blind, and opened their eyes to wonders they had never seen before literally and spiritually! He opened deaf ears and the first thing they heard was the voice of truth, the Son of God! He healed the mute, their first words were praises to Him! He healed the sick and hurting from all ailments and afflicting diseases. He helped the lame to stand and walk in truth and life! He spoke the truth and changed lives for the better. He brought a dead man, who had been in the grave for four whole days, back to life! Can you imagine?! Everything he did struck up wonder and amazement!
What are some examples in your life or in the lives of others around that you’ve seen His power and glory displayed? Are you in need of a MIRACLE? Ask Him! Seek Him!
Here are two song links and MEMORY VERSES for you to study and ponder on your heart:
“Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.”
Luke 5:26 (ESV)”And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
Hope For Her Heart 