Who We Are in Christ

VERSE MATTHEW 11:6

AND TELL HIM GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO DO NOT TURN AWAY BECAUSE OF ME.

THE VERSES PRIOR TO THIS ONE TALK ABOUT HOW JOHN THE BAPTIST, WHO AT THE TIME WAS IMPRISONED BY HEROD, SENT TWO OF HIS DISCIPLES TO ASK JESUS “ARE YOU THE COMING ONE, OR DO WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER?”

JOHN KNEW WHO JESUS WAS. HE HAD PREACHED ABOUT HIM IN THE DESERT AND WHILE HE BAPTIZED JESUS HIMSELF, GOD THE FATHER CONFIRMED THAT HE WAS THE CHRIST.  BUT NOW HE IS ABOUT TO DIE.

AT THIS PARTICULAR MOMENT, JOHN HAD FORGOTTEN HIS IDENTITY.  FOR A MOMENT HE FORGOT WHO HE WAS AND WHO HE SERVED.  AT THAT MOMENT HE NEEDED TO KNOW THAT IF EVERYTHING HE BELIEVED WAS REAL.  IF THE LIFE HE LIVED WAS A WORTH THE PRICE HE WAS ABOUT TO PAY.  JESUS ANSWER TO HIM CONFIRMS EVERYTHING HE BELIEVES BUT THE LAST SENTENCE MAY SEEM A LITTLE STRANGE.

I’M SURE JOHN’S DISCIPLES DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS MEANT WHEN HE SAID THAT, BUT WHEN JOHN HEARD IT, HE UNDERSTOOD.  JESUS KNEW THAT JOHN WOULD DIE SOON AND HIS ANSWER TOLD JOHN DON’T STOP BELIEVING, DON’T STOP TRUSTING GOD, THAT EVERYTHING GOD HAD REVEALED TO HIM WAS TRUE EVEN THOUGH AT THAT MOMENT HE HAD FORGOTTEN HIS IDENTITY.  EVEN THOUGH AT THAT MOMENT TO HIM IT DIDN’T SEEM THAT WAY.  HE WAS HAVING AN IDENTITY CRISIS.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH OUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST YOU MAY ASK? JOHN WAS A PROPHET OF GOD.  A MAN WHO HAD FOUND HIS IDENTITY IN CHRIST AT A VERY EARLY AGE.  JOHN HAD NOT PLACED HIS TRUST OR FAITH IN ANYTHING OF THIS WORLD.  HIS IDENTITY WAS SEALED IN JESUS.  AND THOUGH HE WAS HAVING AN IDENTITY CRISIS, JESUS REMINDED HIM WHO HE WAS.

YOU SEE THE ENEMY WANTED JOHN TO DOUBT HIS MINISTRY, TO DOUBT EVERYTHING HE HAD LIVED FOR AND BELIEVED.  HE WANTED JOHN TO BELIEVE THAT HE HAD WASTED HIS TIME FASTING AND PRAYING IN THE DESERT, THAT HE HAD WASTED HIS TIME PREACHING REPENTANCE FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, THAT HE HAD WASTED HIS TIME BELIEVING THE MESSIAH LIVED AMONG THEM.

AH BUT JESUS IS ALWAYS ON TIME AND NEVER LATE.  HE REMINDED JOHN ABOUT WHAT HE PREACHED AND HOW IT WAS COMING TO PASS!  THE DEAF HEAR, THE LAME WALK, THE MUTE SPEAK, THE SICK ARE HEALED AND THE GOSPEL IS BEING PREACHED TO THE POOR.  BUT HIS LAST SENTENCE DIDN’T SEEM TO MAKE SENSE TO THE MESSENGERS DELIVERING THE MESSAGE TO JOHN.  BECAUSE IT WAS FOR JOHN AT THE TIME AND TODAY IT IS FOR US IF WE ARE GOING THROUGH SOME KIND OF IDENTITY CRISIS.

WHEN WE KNOW WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST, HE IS NOT OFFENSIVE TO US, HIS WORD IS NOT OFFENSIVE TO US, AND THE CROSS IS NOT OFFENSIVE TO US.

IN THE WORLD AND EVEN IN THE CHURCH, PEOPLE BASE THEIR IDENTITIES IN WHAT THEY DO, OR WHO THEY ARE, HOW SUCCESSFUL THEY ARE OR HOW POPULAR THEY ARE OR HOW MUCH THEY KNOW.  FOR EXAMPLE PEOPLE BASE THEIR IDENTITY ON THEIR ROLE AS A SPOUSE, OR PARENT.  THEY BASE THEIR IDENTITIES ON HOW SUCCESSFUL THEY ARE AT WORK OR SCHOOL.  BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE SPOUSE IS GONE, THE CHILDREN ARE GONE, THE JOB IS GONE, THERE IS NO HIGHER EDUCATION THAN WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE?  WHO ARE YOU THEN?

AS CHRISTIANS, THE ENEMY WANTS US TO FALL INTO THE TRAP OF DEFININING OURSELVES BY ALL OF THESE THINGS MENTIONED.  FOR SOME OF US HE WOULD WANT US TO DEFINE OURSELVES BY WHO WE USED TO BE AND WHAT WE USED TO DO.  WE MAY LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND NOT LIKE WHAT WE SEE AND IF WE HAVE ACCEPTED THE LIES OF THE ENEMY AS TRUTH, THEN WE WILL BE OFFENDED BY CHRIST, WE WILL BE OFFENDED BY HIS WORD, WE WILL BE OFFENDED BY THE CROSS.

WE MUST KNOW WHO OUR ENEMY IS AND HIS TACTICS.  HOW HE TAKES ADVANTAGE OF OUR SITUATIONS TO TRY TO ROB OF US OF OUR JOY, STEAL OUR PEACE AND DESTROY GOD’S PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES.  THAT’S HIS PLAN.

BUT JUST LIKE JESUS REMINDED JOHN WHO HE WAS IN CHRIST, SO JESUS REMINDS US WHO WE ARE IN HIM.  IN CASE YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN YOUR IDENTITY, LET ME REMIND YOU.

YOU ARE CHOSEN BY GOD, YOU ARE LOVED BY GOD, ROMANS 8:37 SAYS YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR THROUGH CHRIST WHO LOVED YOU.  PHILIPPIANS 4:13 SAYS YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS YOU.  1 PETER 2:9 SAYS YOU ARE A CHOSEN GENERATION, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, HIS OWN SPECIAL PEOPLE THAT YOU MAY PROCLAIM THE PRAISES OF HIM WHO CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT.  2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 SAYS THAT IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST YOU ARE A NEW CREATION, OLD THINGS HAVE PAST AWAY AND ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW.

I CONCLUDE WITH THIS, IF THOSE WORDS DON’T STIR UP YOUR IDENTITY THERE IS MORE THAT GOD SAYS ABOUT YOU AND WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST. IT'S IN HIS WORD. I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MIRROR IS BUT WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND LOOK IN THE MIRROR, SAY TO YOUR REFLECTION, I AM MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, LOVED BY HIM AND HE HAS A PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE.  NOTHING WILL TURN ME AWAY FROM THAT.  AND BLESSED IS HE WHO IS NOT OFFENDED BY ME.

GOD BLESS YOU!

New Posts Coming Soon!

Dear readers,
It has been quite some time since I last posted a blog.  Life has a way of sidetracking you sometimes and God has a way of making you see things from His perspective.  In the 4 years that I have not posted, I have graduated college, changed jobs, moved, lost a loved one, and so much more that I cannot write about at this time.  A very wise young man recently encouraged me to return to my writing/blogging.  I have decided that it is time to return to my post.  As time permits me, I will post a blog based on the Scriptures once a week and will be adding a new feature.  I don't know how I'm going to do it yet but I'm sure the Lord will direct me, I will post in both English and Spanish.  It may require me to change the name of the blog to reflect both languages but I'm sure you will be blessed as I will be by it.  I'm looking forward to this new adventure and can't wait to see what the Lord gives me to write about this year.  God bless you and be encouraged for the Lord is your strength and your portion.  If you are not yet a believer, be also encouraged!  If God has brought you to this page, He will speak to your heart and when you make the decision to serve Him, get ready for the ride of your life!  Until next time, God bless!

Chris

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6


As we are drawing near the end of another year, I have to reflect on the blessings of the Lord.  In just a few days I will graduate college with a degree in management and I could not have done it on my own.  I am grateful to the Lord for giving me strength and bringing me to this victory.  I have not blogged since the beginning of this year and now towards the end it seems fitting to reflect on God's goodness and His tender mercies.

At times I thought that I wouldn't make it but my Father always reminds me, I am not alone, He is with me.  And because He is with me I am able hold my head up and press forward. The above verses reflect those moments when God reminded me that He is in control.  There will be times when you may feel frustrated and desperate enough to think that you have to rely on your own understanding, but God will remind you to trust Him.  In those moments of desperation when you trust Him, He will show you that you've made the right choice, the only choice, because relying on yourself is not going to cut it.  He will show you how wonderful it is to trust Him and what seemed impossible or not to have an answer will look like a dot in the sky as if it never were a problem.

In moments were I have felt alone and that God had forgotten me, His rainbow would shine as if just for me, to remind me that He is faithful and He keeps His promises.  Don't give up on what He has promised you because He is faithful to keep His word.  Trust in Him and acknowledge Him in all your ways, He will never leave you nor forsake you.

I am acknowledging Him in all my ways for He will direct my path.  Amen!

Time is Precious

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Yesterday, I listened to a message about getting closer to God in 2011. The minister that preached has a unique way of bringing forth the word. He says that when he reads the bible, he visualizes what he reads and he presents it as a story. Needless to say his message was very inspiring and at the end of his message 99% of the church went up for prayer. I want to try to tie in that message with today’s inspiration.

The above verse has a significant meaning. It is telling us that we should seek God’s guidance in how we should spend our time because like all things must come to an end, so time must come to an end. In all that we do, we must take time out for God. Quality time to spend seeking Him and talking with Him and listening to Him; after all this is how we get closer to Him.

The preacher brought an illustration of how Barthemaus wanted to hear Jesus, the woman with the issue of blood wanted to touch Jesus, Zaccheus wanted to take Jesus home, John wanted to be close to Jesus at all times, and Paul wanted to be so close to Jesus that they would be fused together and it would no longer be Paul but Jesus in Paul. I don’t know about you but I want to be so close to Jesus that it is no longer I but Christ in me. This illustration is relevant to verse 12 of Psalm 90 because the more time we spend with Jesus, the more Christlike we become.

It is believed that Psalm 90 was written by Moses during the 40 years that the children of Israel wandered in the desert. The Israelites wandered in the desert those 40 years because of their unbelief and their murmuring against God. During these 40 years the older generation died off. The children of Israel could not enter the Promised Land until all the people of older generation had died because God said they would not enter because of their unbelief. We cannot compare what God is doing in our lives with the past or how our lives used to be. This will cause you to regress and not progress. It also shows lack of faith in God when we look back and wish that our lives were the way they used to be.

I will be the first to tell you that being a Christian is not easy but compared to the life I used to live I wouldn’t change it or trade it for anything in the world. Yes I go through trials and yes there is suffering but there is also an unspeakable joy that outweighs all the trials and the suffering. Besides that trials prune our characters and brings out those things in us that God wants to use to bless us and others. Time plays a major part during trials and times of suffering. You are probably asking how and why. I will tell you. When we are faced with hardships, anxieties, problems that seem to have no solutions, it is then we should seek God’s guidance and maintain that closeness with Him because He will give us the strength to make it through that difficult time. During the times of rest we should maintain that intimacy with God and during times of blessings and abundance that intimacy should be more intense. This prepares us and strengthens our faith when we go through trials.

Moses asked God to help us to number our days – in other words, help us to be mindful that tomorrow is not promised and we should not waste precious time on things that don’t matter. In eternity, time is not a factor. There is no time in heaven. In this same Psalm, Moses says that to God a thousand years is like a day but here on earth man is bound to time. Time is of the essence because soon our Redeemer will return for His bride and we must be ready! If we don’t spend time with God and are satisfied with just hearing Him the first time He spoke to us then how will we ever know who He truly is? If we are simply satisfied with His touch when we go to church, how will we be sustained on the days when we don’t go to church? If we take Him home but don’t talk to Him, how will we experience a real relationship with Him? Like John, we must walk and talk with Him and be close to Him at all times. Like Paul, we must desire and seek an intimacy with Him that fuses us to Him.

The second part of the verse says – that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Wisdom comes from God. The New Century Version reads this verse as such: “Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise.” The second part of the verse gives the reason why we want God to show us how short our lives are so that we can use our time wisely. So that we will value the time that we have on earth and use it to glorify Him. So that we will live our lives seeking to be so close to Him that others will see Him in us. So that we will not waste time seeking after material things that perish but the spiritual things that last forever. Praise God!

I want to draw closer to God in this New Year. I don’t want to waste anymore time worrying about what will be or what could be. I want to seek God while He can be found and be so close to Him that Christ is revealed in me. How close do you want to be to God? Are you satisfied with just hearing Him? Do you prefer His touch? Do want Him in your house or would you rather walk and talk with Him? Better yet would you be more satisfied if you were so close to Him that you could enjoy all of the above and be one with Him? Reflect on these questions and I pray that this year be a year of intimacy with the Lord for you. Don’t waste anymore time! Time is wasting and God is calling His people to draw near.

God bless you.

Joy to the World

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:11-14

It is December already and the count down is on for a new year. Where did the year go? Many people this time of year are focused on getting ready for Christmas and preparing for their traditions. Some people have family gatherings on Christmas Eve where a banquet is prepared for the invited relatives and gifts are wrapped and under the tree. Others go about it as if it were just another day. Some spend it alone because they have no relatives close by and still others dread this special day because of some pain or loss they experienced during this time some years ago.

For me, from the time I was 18, Christmas was always bittersweet. When I was a child, I counted the days till Christmas but after my 17th Christmas it became a time mingled with joy, sadness, and loss. Joy because it was Christmas! My favorite holiday! Sadness and loss because there were certain people I would not be able to share the joy of the holiday with. Funny thing, I didn’t understand the true meaning of Christmas then. I knew what it was or what it was supposed to be about but I didn’t understand. As a child it was a day where we would see relatives we hadn’t seen all year, open gifts, and eat good food. Now that I understand what the reason for this holiday is, I can step back and appreciate all the gifts I’ve been given through out the year; The gift of love, health, family, and most importantly salvation.

The day that Jesus was actually born is not certain but December 25th is the day that has been designated to remember His birth and what His birth meant to the world. His birth along with His death and resurrection, are a demonstration of God’s love for us. There is a song that says: How many kings stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many gods have poured their heart to
Romance a world that is torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Only one did that for me.
These words perfectly describe the reason we celebrate the birth of Jesus. When we consider all that He left behind to come and live among us, die for us, and ultimately save us, we can do nothing but be amazed. God’s love for us is so great that He sent His only Son to redeem us. Praise God!

Now as a married adult, the only tradition that my husband and I have on Christmas is that we get each other 3 gifts each and they are usually things that we have been wanting all year. Recently though, this past week to be precise, God has reminded me that material gifts are not important as long as you have Him. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (KJV) My husband and I live in Florida with no immediate family close by. So it is pretty much just me and him. He never celebrated Christmas before he met me and I was used to being around family and the whole big shindig that comes with it. Since we have been in Florida it’s been just us and sometimes I feel the ache of having family close by to visit and share what God has been doing in our lives. Of course we call each other and send each other messages but it is not the same as seeing a dear face and squeezing them tight. It has been in my heart for many years to connect with my father’s side of the family but I didn’t know where to start and I didn’t have much information about them. In the past couple of days, God has given me that desire. I connected with my sister through Facebook and found out that my paternal grandmother and uncle live closer to me than I thought! God is amazing!!

This morning as I drove to work, I meditated on all that God has been doing in the past year in my life and I had to weep in His presence because He has been more than wonderful. I am filled with so much love and gratitude that I can barely contain it! This Christmas meditate on the blessings God has bestowed upon you and love on people – family, friends, someone you may not know but is in desperate need of it. Christmas is about sharing the gift that God so generously gave us – His son, His love. Tell others about Jesus and show them Jesus with love. Reflect on the goodness of God and His mercy on you and your loved ones. Whether or not you get those material gifts you wanted is not important when you see how much God loves you and how He keeps you. Share the joy of Christmas with others and treasure those moments God gives you with loved ones.

Merry Christmas!!

God bless you!

When Two Become One – A principle of Marriage

Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1 Corinthians 7:3-5

I want to touch on a subject that perhaps you have encountered or perhaps not yet - temptations in marriage. Perhaps you are married and have not encountered temptation – praise the Lord! Perhaps you have. Either way, I want to focus on the different areas that temptation can enter and not just the obvious one although that is an important one. The first two verses speak about the body and how it belongs to your spouse. When you get married you become one with your spouse. The bible says in Genesis 2:24 that "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." The reason for this is because whenever a man and a woman come together sexually, the man deposits of himself in the woman and the woman receives him, making them one. So the husband's body belongs to his wife, and the wife's body belongs to her husband. There is no more "my body"; it becomes "his body" or "her body."

We cannot dress the way we used to because now we dress to please our spouse, not ourselves. We cannot neglect our bodies (we shouldn't anyway) because our bodies are no longer ours but our spouses. We can go on and on about what we can and cannot do with our bodies because we no longer have authority over it, as the Scriptures tell us. It is also one of the reasons why we cannot and should not commit or practice adultery. We cannot give away what is not ours to give. Our bodies are not ours to give when we are married and God clearly speaks against this behavior. (Exodus 20:14)

I want to bring your attention to verse 5 which tells us: "Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." I want to focus on this verse because here is where we will see what kind of temptations can arise and why. Obviously, the verse is speaking about depriving each other of sex but when we deprive each other of sex the temptations that arise are more than sexual ones. For instance, there is the temptation to despise your spouse because of neglect. There is the temptation to be angry and bitter. There is the temptation to mock or speak ill of or to your spouse. Now this is something that you would see in a marriage without Christ but clearly the Apostle Paul is speaking to believers. Why? Because Satan doesn't tempt the unbeliever, he already has control of the unbeliever. It is the believer that Satan tempts because he wants to make the unbeliever fall.

To deprive one another can be more than sexual as well. You can deprive one another of companionship, affection, love, friendship. Clearly Paul is emphasizing sexual deprivation because this can lead to the temptation to fulfill your needs elsewhere. As a Christian, this is not an option and doing so will cause you to fall, yet many fall into these other temptations I mentioned above as well.

When you find yourself facing these temptations the first thing you must do is pray. Pray for your marriage, pray for that passion to return to your marriage. Pray for your spouse if that's where the negligence is or pray for yourself if it is on your part. Whatever you do, DON'T GIVE IN TO TEMPTATION. Study the word of God and what it says about the tongue and how you should speak blessings over your home. Pray over your home and if your temptation is sexual pray for your desire to be for your spouse and do what you must to engage your spouse. Remember the word says that if you are going to hold out on each other, it should be consentual for the purpose of fasting and prayer; for the purpose of setting yourself apart for God only. Anything else is no excuse. So be aware, be careful, and pray for your marriage and your spouse so that temptation does not catch you in a moment of lack of self control.

God bless!

Have You Abandoned Your Post?

"So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. ⁸ When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. ⁹ Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. ¹⁰ "Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: 'Thus you say, "If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?"' ¹¹ Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?' Ezekiel 33:7-11

Have you abandoned your post?

Definition of watchman – a person who keeps watch; watcher – one that sits up or continues awake through the night.

In the Old Testament the watchman was usually a prophet, the person that God used to speak to His people. Today the watchman is the church. You and I. We are responsible for letting the world know that there is salvation in the name of Jesus. We are responsible for letting the sinner know that they need to repent and be saved. We are responsible for teaching our children the way of the lord and correcting them when they go the wrong way. We are watchmen in our homes, our jobs, and our churches.

The role of a watchman –

Spiritual – the watchman is always on alert for the wiles of the enemy. A watchman can be man or woman, not necessarily a prophet, though in the Old Testament the prophets were called watchmen. She/he is the one who warns the people of spiritual dangers, the one who warns the world that there are consequences for sin and that they should repent. If the watchman does not warn the people and they die in their sin, the watchman is held accountable for their blood.

Military – In a military sense, the watchman is the one who stays up all night standing guard. She/he is the one who sounds the alarm when they see the enemy approaching. If this person did not blow the horn when danger was approaching and the people died, the blood of those people was on the watchman's hands.

Characteristics and responsibilities of a watchman -

Watchmen must have vision – she/he has to be able to see the enemy for who he is and know his tactics. To do this we have to keep our eyes on Jesus and live a life of worship.
Watchmen must be alert – she/he should not let her/his guard down but must constantly be on guard so as not to let the enemy sneak up on her/him. To do this we must develop a consistent prayer life. By consistent, I mean we must spend time in prayer everyday. Prayer is very important for the watchman. We must also fast for clarity and discernment.
Watchmen must speak – the watchman has to open her/his mouth when danger is approaching. She/he has to let the endangered know that danger is coming and in our case what to do about it.
The watchman is held accountable for what she/he does or does not say.

Reasons a watchman will abandon or neglect his/her post –

Fear - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Fear is a tool the enemy uses to keep us from being all that we can be in the Lord. It keeps us from speaking out against injustice, sin, and unrighteousness. Fear will cause you to question yourself and say "let somebody else do it, who am I to judge?" But God speaks specifically against this by reminding us that He has given us power, love, and a whole mind (my emphasis) never fear! If God gives us all these things then why do we allow fear into our lives and let it detain us?

Weariness - "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan? (Jeremiah 12:5)

The NLT reads it like this - "If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?

How does this apply to what we are talking about now? If you become weary and abandon your post, how will you deal with the greater things God has for you? He cannot give them to us until we have learned to stand firm no matter how weary we become. He is our strength and our sustenance. Weariness can cause us to make bad decisions. It can blur our vision. When we are weary we must go to the One who said "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest." We cannot rest on our own knowledge. We cannot rest in our family, friends, or anyone else. We cannot rest in our money, our job, or anything else but the One who created all things and called us to our post!

Wounded - He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3)

Many times when we are hurt, we forget our purpose, we forget who called us, we forget our responsibility and we dwell. We focus on our wounds and how much it hurts and we forget that there was One who was wounded far worse that we can ever be wounded. We forget that He suffered everything we suffer and we forget that He is with us in our suffering.

Distraction - But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." ⁴¹ And Jesus
answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴² But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:40-42)

Ahhhh, distraction is a tactic the enemy uses to sneak up on you. When you are distracted you cannot be alert. You cannot focus on your post. Your primary mission is sidetracked. There are many things that can distract us. Anything that occupies too much of our time and takes time away from God, is a distraction. Sometimes we get distracted by things we aren't even aware of.

Reclaiming your post - Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (Ephesians 6:10)

If you have experienced or are experiencing any of these symptoms, I have good news! First you are not the first to experience this! Second, God has a remedy for each of these ailments! If you are wounded, cry out to him and he will heal you, restore you, and make you whole. If you are distracted, examine yourself and set aside the distractions – seek god and spend quality time with him. if you are fearful, take your fears to him and he will remind you that fear is not of him and he has given you what you need to proceed. Take courage! God is with you. When you are weary – don't give up!! He will give you rest!

I will leave you with this verse from Joshua 1:9 as motivation to reclaim your post. Assume the responsibility the Lord has given you and march forward in all that he puts in your hands because one day we will have to give account for everything we say and do. I would like to hear him say "well done, my good and faithful servant."

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

God bless!