Thorn in the Flesh

Have you stopped and thanked God for...that illness, that weakness, that need to understand, that control, that manipulation, that criticism, that hardship, that attack, that need, that burden, that powerlessness, that persecution for standing for right, that mistreatment by a boss or co-worker or spouse, that stress?

THANK God for these things?!?  Paul did.  Of course, God had allowed Paul to see some amazing things—like heaven! Because of that, God had allowed Satan to strike Paul with a blow—with a thorn in the flesh.  God knew this thorn would keep Paul humble. We don’t know what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was—but we know what he did.  He asked God to remove it.  Three times!   But God said no.  In fact, God went on to tell him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  Did you catch that?  GOD’S strength—His dynamite power—is made perfect, completed, or fully accomplished through our weakness.  

Paul went on to say that because God’s strength would be magnified through those hard things, he would choose them and be thankful for them.  

Where are you in the process?  Have you even thought about those things as being a thorn in the flesh—a way to keep you humble?  Have you asked Him to remove them?  Have you acknowledged God might have allowed it to magnify Himself and display His great power?  Have you thanked Him for them?

God, help me and my friends!  Help us to examine the painful things in our lives so we can see if You’ve allowed them in our lives to display Your great power.  Regardless, God...help us to get to the place where we can thank You for them.  Change our perspective about them. In Jesus’ all-powerful name, amen.

Aaron & Hur

Exodus 17 tells the story.  Moses sent Joshua and his men to fight the Amalekites.  He told Joshua he would go to the top of the hill and lift the rod of God.  As long as Moses lifted the rod of God, the Israelites were winning!  But when his arms would grow tired and he lowered the rod of God, the tide turned and the Amalekites were victorious. Aaron & Hur had gone to the hilltop with Moses, so they came up with a solution.  They seated Moses on a rock—and they held up his arms—one on each side.  The battle went on all day and the Israelites defeated the Amalekites completely.  

Here’s what occurred to me as I read this today.  It doesn’t say that Aaron & Hur ever said a word after Moses was seated.  They just held up Moses’ arms.  How many times are we in a critical moment with someone and we begin offering all kinds of unsolicited advice?  These men didn’t have to say anything because they were seeing God’s power!  The rod of God was raised—and it was all that was needed.   It was obvious GOD was at work.  And obvious that their words would be meaningless in the situation.  

Moses built an altar after the battle and named it Jehovah-Nissi...The Lord is my Banner.  It was the Lord’s victory. His banner had been raised over the battle and the enemy had been defeated.  

I want to raise the rod of God and watch him defeat the enemy, don’t you?  A few things I personally needed to see in this story:

1.  Raise the rod of God!

2.  Be quiet and watch. 

3.  Surround yourself with people of faith!

4.  Trust God when you see him at work—and even when you don’t. 

Ambassadors

Ambassadors

Paul told us we are ambassadors for Christ (II Corinthians 5:20). What does that mean?   Does it mean we’re rulers with authority?

An ambassador is a representative of their home nation while they reside in a host nation.  They’re diplomatic.  They try to build relationship between the two countries.  

The ruler (king, president, prime minister) of a country would never send an ambassador to another country to represent them who would take over and make their own rogue policies.  That ambassador would be removed!   The ambassador only has authority to represent the king’s policies...nothing more.  His job is to try and build relationship between the two countries.   He is to be a liaison—someone extending the hand of the home nation with an invitation for relationship.  

In the very same way, we represent our King and his sovereign nation—heaven.  We must understand the rules, protocol, and regulations of heaven to be a good emissary. God is wanting relationship with the people from the nation of Earth and he’s sent us to extend his invitation.  We represent him and his plan. Period. We’re not to lord it over them. We don’t make false promises.  And we certainly don’t get to make new policy.  We are inviting the people of Earth into a relationship with the King of kings.  

Paul said it best in II Corinthians 5:20,

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

Be an ambassador.  Represent the King well. 

—Becky Dietz

Endurance—Don’t Quit!!

Endurance—Don’t Quit!

Endurance has been on my mind a lot lately.  Mainly, because I see so many people quitting.  People are quitting church, giving up pastoring or leading, and even dropping out of their spiritual life altogether.  Why?  Because it got hard.  Satan’s attacks were relentless or just overwhelming—they were too hard to endure.  

How do we build endurance?   How do we finish well?  How do we complete the race we’re in?  Maybe the first question to ask is, “What race are we in?” And the second is, “What is endurance?”

Hebrews 12:1 says this, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  We’re in a race of life. God has called us and equipped us for our own unique race—a race, a life of completely obeying God and telling the world about Him.  Satan has set traps all along the way to try to trip us up!  He entices us with sin which will stop our race.  But God is our coach and is training us to endure, overcome, and finish well.  He’s building our spiritual muscles and our lung capacity by overcoming one obstacle after another—each one becoming bigger and harder.  If we don’t understand the race we’re in and how God is training us, we’ll give up easily. God describes endurance as perseverance, to bear ill treatment bravely and calmly, to not run away, to remain and abide.  

As I thought on my own race, I came up with some ways God has trained me.  Let me share them.  I’m sure you’ll recognize them from your own training.  

1. You’ve got to be passionate about the race to endure. Mostly, be passionate about God and running (living) for Him. 
2. You have to embrace training.  
3. You have to focus. 
4. You have to drown out or ignore the discouraging voices.  
5. Keep the finish line in sight.  
6. Pace yourself.  
7. Listen to those cheering you on.  Surround yourself with encouragers and like-minded runners.  
8. Listen to your coach. (Be in the Word!) Remember his training as you run.  
9. Help others who may stumble before they finish.
10. Be alert.  You have an enemy trying to stop you.  
11. Don’t run with weights (sin). Throw them off!
12. Cross the finish line with everything you’ve got!!

“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!”

Hebrews 12:1-2 (Message)

Pressed, Perplexed, Persecuted

Pressed, Perplexed, Persecuted

Did these things only happen to the first disciples of Jesus—or was God speaking through Paul to prepare us for the very same things?  

If we are ONLY looking for the blessings and fulfillment that God can bring to our lives (and He does do that!), we’ll be blindsided when hard things come. He told us there would be perilous times ahead (II Timothy 3), wars, pestilences, famine, and martyrdom (Matthew 24).  Jesus himself told us that he came as a bond slave and was obedient to his Father unto death—and we were told to have the same mindset.  (Philippians 2:5-8)  He told us the days were evil (Ephesians 5:16) and that the world would hate us (John 15:19). 

Satan is hitting all of us hard, isn’t he?   Especially leaders!  It’s like they have a target on their backs.  Satan doesn’t play fair—he’s out to destroy.  

What can we do? 

1.  Be in the Word—it’s imperative!

2.  Give God thanks and praise. 

3.  Build spiritual muscles through the opposition that comes.  

4.  Find JOY—it’s our strength!

5.  Lock arms with like-minded believers.  

6.  PRAY!!

7.  Be alert to your adversary. Know how he works.  Recognize him, his voice, and how he moves.  

8. Don’t give in to despair. Press in to God.  

9. Ask for help!

10. Don’t quit.  That’s exactly what the enemy wants you to do.  

We are living through some hard days, aren’t we?  But...God!!   God wants to give us victory.  He wants us to finish well—all while walking in truth!  He wants His light to shine through us. He is the God of Light who wants to BREAK THROUGH!  Our churches need to see this kind of victory like never before.  Let’s lock arms and set our hearts and minds with the determination to overcome—all while leaning on and depending on the Spirit of God!  

Hang in there, sisters!!!  We are not crushed, in despair, abandoned, or destroyed.  Don’t give up or give in.  

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  I Corinthians 15:57

The God of All Comfort

The God of All Comfort

by Becky Dietz

II Corinthians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.”

The Greek word for comfort is paraklesis. It means to come along side, to call near for help, consolation, solace, comfort, encouragement.  God is a God of compassion and mercies.  He will come along side you when you cry out for help.  He will comfort and encourage you.  

Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world.  Even though we have the “now-kingdom of God,” it’s not yet the “perfect-kingdom of God.”   Bad things still happen to all of us. And we all still need the comfort of God.  

The exciting thing about this chapter is that Paul goes on to tell us that we are able to comfort others with the comfort we receive.  Have you ever been able to do that?   I find it so amazing when I see someone going through the same thing I’ve been through and am able to share with them what I learned or how God helped me.  It brings encouragement, help, solace.  We get to extend the same paraklesis which God extended to us.  

If you’re in a hard place, a place of trials, a seemingly unbearable place...cry out to the God of all comfort.  He’ll come running!