Deliverance from the power of sin

"Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity." Psalm 114:3

On a daily basis I am grateful for God's grace.  I try not to take it for granted, and relish in the reality that I am loved unconditionally. Most days I am able to keep the world and its negative influences at bay and not allow it to disrupt my behavior or speech.

Most days....but not every day.

Sadly, there are times when all the negativity begins to ooze through the chinks in my armor and I suddenly find I have said or done something that is not the representation of Christ I hope to project.  The driver I cut off because I was in a hurry to get somewhere, the text to someone, or conversation with words that could have been more grace filled. The attitude that I am the one who is of more value or importance.

Yuck!  The thought of these behaviors is disgusting to me, and yet, there they are, time and again in spite of my efforts to avoid them.

The words of Paul take on a rich meaning when I find myself in these places. "For the good I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 7:24-8:2

Oh what a precious gift God has given us.  Deliverance for the power of sin, and freedom from the tyranny and consequences.

So on those awful occasions when we find ourselves captured in its dreadful snare, we can cry out to the Savior and He will come and rescue us. In His embrace we will always find freedom and forgiveness and the grace which blesses us above and beyond our wildest imagination.

What blessed assurance.

Fear Not

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

"Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right  hand." Isaiah 41:10

Throughout Scripture we read events of people being fearful and God reminding them not to be afraid or dismayed in their circumstances.  In our heart of hearts we know God's word is true and He will help us, but there are times when fear shakes the foundations of our faith.

As I was preparing to write this piece I had just reviewed the latest news about the huge earthquake in Mexico city, another hurricane that hit the Caribbean Islands, and other reports of disasters and alarming news from various areas.
The world can be a pretty scary place at times, and it's easy to get distracted and caught up in the vortex of the fear if we allow our attention to be drawn away from the Savior's face.

Two of my favorite accounts of Jesus's ministry in the Bible are found in Matthew 14:22-32 and Mark 6:32-52. They tell of how the disciples had just witnessed Jesus feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish, and then were sent out by boat to travel to the other side of the sea.  When they were in the middle of the sea a great windstorm came up and they were afraid.  Not only that, while in the midst of the storm they witnessed another miracle of Jesus walking on the water towards them.

In the account in Matthew we read of Peter's doubts being addressed when he cried out to Jesus "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.", to which Jesus replied "Come".  And Peter did just that.  He responded to the Lord's command, got out of the boat and began walking on water towards Jesus.

But then he got distracted.

The wind and the waves became boisterous and he turned his attention to them instead of keeping his focus fixed on Jesus.

And being afraid, he began to sink.

For some, this is where they remain in the midst of stormy seas.  When the waves begin to assault and wash over them, their focus becomes blinded by the storm and they fail to see who is right in front of them.

But others are like Peter, who stepped out in faith, and though momentarily distracted by the storm know to call out to the Lord for help saying "Lord, save me!"

"And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him." (Matthew 14:31)

Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand.

Do you see that?

When Peter cried out "Lord save me" the help came immediately 
 But it wasn't without an admonishment.  "Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Of course, Jesus knew the answer.  He wasn't asking Peter because he didn't know, but rather wanting Peter to examine his own faith.  After all, he had just been part of some pretty miraculous events.

It's the same for each one of us.  God has demonstrated His faithfulness to us in countless ways and simple wants us to keep our eyes on Him.  When the distractions come, and they will, we might get frightened and feel as though we are being overwhelmed by the fear in the storm.  But be of good courage.  Cry out to Jesus.  He is there and ready to save us and remind us that doubt is our worst enemy.

But a faith that is fixed on the Savior's face will always allow us to walk on top of the stormy seas.

May God strengthen you with the knowledge of the miracles He performs daily in your lives and may He always be glorified.

THE ANCHOR HOLDS IN SPITE OF THE STORM

"Oh LORD, You are my God. I will exalt you. I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.. For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm." Isaiah 25:1,4

There are simply no words to describe the heaviness of spirit as I watch the news of all the damage caused by the flooding in the Houston area during hurricane Harvey.  My family and I lived there for a little over eight years and sat through one hurricane, and prepared to evacuate for another.  We know how fierce they can be. We have been getting regular reports from dear friends in the area where we lived. One reported that in some areas there was nearly 50 inches of water.  Fifty inches!!

My heart hurts for all who are living through the devastation to the area, yet their Texas tenacity continues to inspire. 
Although most we know were spared severe flooding, the floods have still affected their lives severely. The one that pierced my heart the most was the story of a friend whose sister wasn't able to be transported to a hospital after suffering a massive brain aneurism. The hurricane had flooded all the streets making them impassable for the ambulance, and the winds were too fierce for medi-flight to safely transport her. A network of prayer warriors surrounded her throughout the ordeal, even though the storm kept them from helping her physically.
Then there's the story of the young man who had recently lost his father, who packed up his truck with needed supplies and drove several hours to bring them to the church family where he'd grown up.  He has since been working endless hours to help clean out damaged homes.

And the most recent that deeply touched my heart was the one of the woman who taught my daughter piano. Although advanced in age and now limited in mobility because of it she was frustrated because she wanted to help, but knew she would be unable to do the physical labor of pulling up carpet and removing soggy drywall and insulation. Still, she asked how she could help others in their time of need. What a precious picture of her sitting on her walker sorting socks for those who would need them in coming days.

Many more are offering their time volunteering in their neighborhoods, their churches, their schools, praying with those around them. They are opening up their homes for people to stay in, helping with laundry, child care, transportation, offering practical recommendations for those who are needing help and being helpful in whatever capacity they are able.

They are doing what so many of us wish we could.

The one thing that unites all of these is not the fact that they were all affected by the hurricane, nor is it that that many attended the same church at one point in their lives. The one uniting factor that knits their hearts together and mine with theirs, is their deep love for Jesus Christ. Their loving service to those around them demonstrates their desire to be His hands and feet, and shows a world that is desperately in need of hope, that hope still abides in Him.

It is the news we need to share with those around us every day.