602. God’s Love: Jesus Became Sin; We Became Righteous
Waiting for the Other Shoe
I was so angry at myself. I was standing in the middle of a party where family and friends had gathered to celebrate my birthday, when someone broke into my thoughts, "Smile, we are having a good time." Suddenly I realized that I was thinking about tomorrow's potential for bad news. A medical test results would come back. The possibilities flashed through my mind at the speed of light. Malignant. Funeral. Finances. Care for my wife. Kid's response to my death...
We Were Designed for Joy and Victory Over the Accuser
Maybe you can relate. You lose sight of a three-year-old at the zoo for a panicky two minutes. A teenager is late coming home. A letter in the mailbox from the IRS... It is amazing how quickly our imaginations can create the worst possible scenarios. We seem to be constantly waiting for the next batch of bad news. That’s common to humanity, since our forebears listened to the lying accuser in the original garden. But I have some good news today. I saw it while meditating on Psalm 112. It’s worthwhile to stop and read that.
“They will not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.” -- Psalm 112:7
I will summarize. There are three actors in the picture. God is gracious, faithful and caring. The believer is designed for joy and victory over the accuser. The enemy is trying to steal the joy. It is helpful to know the background. God created us to be image-bearers. We are to reflect his goodness to all his creation. He has done everything necessary for us to be joyful recipients of his grace, full of thanksgiving and generosity.
The Psalmist gives a list of blessings God has reserved for those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. It includes their children, their lasting wealth, their guidance, their assurance of victory over evil, their legacy, their honor, and “they will not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.” (vs. 7) Oh, and “the wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger; they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.” (vs. 10 NLT)
His Intent for You is Good
Nothing can separate us from God’s love -- not even the tragedies of this fallen world.
Why do we expect bad news? Intrinsically we know we deserve it. We have sinned and deserve to be punished. Even though as believers, we know that Jesus took our penalty, we revert to familiar feelings when the enemy's thought is shot like a poison arrow into our minds. The accuser uses the law to condemn us, and when we are not conscious of the law being fulfilled in Jesus, we fall victims to his thievery. But the ultimate bad news was taken by Jesus -- so that we could hear the good news. We know that since God is love, his every act is an expression of love. He earnestly desires us to live in the joy of his continual care. If he is with us and his intent is our good, then we can rejoice.
Since Jesus fulfilled all conditions for being blessed, we can faithfully rest in his righteousness. We fear God because his love is incomprehensible, and his grace is endless. We delight in obeying his words because they are life to us. They alone feed our hungry souls. We have lost our suspicion of him and found him to be faithful in every circumstance. Nothing can separate us from his love -- not even the tragedies of this fallen world.
When the other shoe falls, it will be another expression of his love. He cares for his own and his presence makes every circumstance a piece of heaven. The enemy hates it and the world is amazed at such joy.
Why Did Jesus Ask for Swords?
He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one… The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” “That’s enough!” he replied. (Luke 22:36-38) On the night he was betrayed, Jesus commanded his disciples to buy swords. Do you know why? According to some discussion threads I’ve read, it was to show his support for gun ownership and relaxed gun controls in America! I do not wish to wade into the quagmire of the US gun debate (and I won’t publish comments that do), but I do want to talk about the scripture above. It’s a good question: Why did Jesus, the Prince of Peace, ask for swords? And why were two enough? Israel was a dangerous place for travelers. (Remember what happened to the traveler in the story of the Good Samaritan?) Yet on several occasions Jesus sent out his disciples without the usual travel essentials. They didn’t take money, extra clothes, or even a staff (see Matt 10:9-10). They certainly took no swords, yet God took care of them. Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you [...]
3…2…1…Launch!
Thank God that this past two months is finally over. I am celebrating! In this video I share the difficult things I experienced while working on our new website as well as the steps I took to be able to complete this tough project from a place of rest and peace. This will encourage you […]
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560. Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (Part 17): Who Was Jesus Speaking To?
Unplug From The Pressure Of Stress (Enjoying Everyday Life TV program)
A number of months ago a panel of four of us had a great time recording a program on how to unplug from the pressure of stress on Enjoying Everyday Life, my Mom’s TV program. I hope you thoroughly enjoy this discussion and it helps you enter into a greater level of peace! If you […]
The post Unplug From The Pressure Of Stress (Enjoying Everyday Life TV program) appeared first on Sandra McCollom.
When You Are In A Fix
I remember the slogan from my youth. "When you are in a fix, look up Philippians 4:6," so just do it! Here is the command: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (ESV). The Message Bible says, "Don't fret… Read More
The post When You Are In A Fix appeared first on Positive Words.
You Don’t Have To Carry The Burden
Hebrews 12:1-2 says,
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. (NLT)
Jesus is always working in us as we keep our eyes fixed on Him!
Don’t make the big deal about what you do (how you behave). Just a warning though: This may make some people (self-righteous people) mad.
Make the big deal about what Jesus has done for you through His finished work on the cross. This way of doing life will remove the heavy weight you may be carrying of trying to fix yourself. It will also bring you great peace and cause your behavior to improve. Yes, you read that correctly. This way of approaching life will cause you to grow in Christ. Why? Right believing leads to right living! You will be changed by the Holy Spirit as you keep our eyes on Jesus! See 2 Corinthians 3:18.
Here’s an example from my own life that just happened today:
I was sick today and had to miss the last day of volunteering at JUMP Camp. I started getting a sore throat yesterday about mid-day and it turned into a cold and flu type thing. I’m sitting here in my bed in the same pajamas I woke up in, just to give you an idea.
I do not believe God puts sickness on us or that He allows it, but I do believe there are times when we experience negative things in our life as a result of the natural consequences that come along with our poor choices. This is what happened to me today.
I explained in my last blog post about the importance of getting enough sleep and admitted that this has been a difficult discipline for me. So during this past two weeks while volunteering at JUMP camp I was hoping to get on a better sleeping schedule, but I didn’t follow through as I should have. I may have gotten a full 8 hours of sleep 2 out of the 7 nights. This left me with 5 other nights where I got less than 8 hours and on two or more of those occassions I got between 4 and 5 hours of sleep.
Not cool. Thank God the lack of sleep didn’t affect my interactions with the kids or adults at camp because it could have caused me to be crabby. I shouldn’t have taken that chance. I’m very thankful I wasn’t crabby, but felt peaceful the whole two weeks (whew). I did experience some tired spells at different times throughout the day though.
Then yesterday about midday it hit me, I started getting a sore throat. I get sick so very little that this was a surprise to me until I remembered how very little sleep I had gotten. In fact, as I am typing this I am recalling that the last time I got sick was during a time when I wasn’t getting the right amount of sleep either. And I have no excuses. I could have gotten in bed earlier if I really wanted to. So I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I need help in this area.
Something very important I want to point out though, is that I have had zero guilt and condemnation over this. I have been sad that I disobeyed God by not getting in bed when I should have, that I had to miss my last day of JUMP camp and also had to miss another very special event tonight that our family was invited to, but no guilt or condemnation. I have a closer relationship with God than I have ever had before so, of course, it makes me said when I disregard His leading.
But that was it. My genuine act of repentance didn’t take all day and it never does for me anymore. I already know I’m loved, righteous and forgiven in Christ and I think about that A LOT. In fact, everyday and all throughout the day.
The Bible says it’s God’s goodness that leads us to repentance, which is why I’m more genuinely repentant now than I have ever been before. It’s the natural result of having my mind on God’s goodness more than I ever have before. I hope you’re experiencing this same freedom!
As a believer in Jesus your position of being loved, righteous and forgiven never changes according to what you do or fail to do. It was never established based on you to begin with. Your position in Christ is established on what Jesus Christ did on the cross for you and your acceptance of that.
Even though I know I opened the door for the sickness through my disobedience, I’m fully expecting to get over this very quickly. It’s not like I have to be sick for a certain amount of days to pay my dues and then I’m clear. This is not a punishment from God. In the new covenant of God’s grace we don’t get punished for our sin, thank God. Jesus already took all the punishment for all of our sin in His body on the cross. Jesus’ willingness to go to the cross changed everything!
I also want to be sure I clarify that every time we are sick or have a negative circumstance, this does not always mean we’re living out natural consequences from some choice we made. Many times these things just happen as a result of us living in a fallen world. The devil will continue to attack us until that glorious day when God throws him into the fiery lake of burning sulphur.
Seriously, I’m just sayin’ – this is going to be one of the happiest days of my life!
Revelation 20:10 (NLT)
Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Until this day arrives, we have to fight the good fight of faith and remember that we have authority over the devil.
Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession [of faith] in the presence of many witnesses. –1 Timothy 6:12 (AMP)
Ok, I just got a fresh revelation on the importance of us knowing we are completely forgiven in conjunction with us walking in our authority in Christ from reading this next scripture.
Colossians 2:14-15 (NLT)
14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
Jesus paid our debt and by paying our debt and securing our complete forgiveness, he disarmed and shamed the devil and his demons by His victory over them on the cross.Then He gave this authority to us, His followers!
And then He gave this authority to us, His followers! Through the cross, what Adam and Eve had handed over to satan was now being handed back to us believers – all because of Jesus. I told you the cross changed everything!
Luke 10:19 (AMP)
19 Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on [a]serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.
My good friend Cally had to fight the good fight of faith and remember her authority in Christ recently as she got some routine blood tests and her numbers were really high, indicating possible cancer. Her doctor wanted to do an exploratory surgery on her. I watched her rest in Jesus’ finished work and all that He has provided for her. From that place of rest I also watched her follow through on a specific protocol that the Holy Spirit led her to follow.
She received grace to implement this protocol AND she just received the great news last week that every one of her numbers are completely normal. Her doctor cannot explain it, but Cally can. No surgery needed. And Cally has already been able to speak into several doctor’s lives as a result of this miracle!
Cally didn’t carry the burden of her healing because she understands that when Jesus said, it is finished, He meant it is finished! She stayed in peace, relied on the power of prayer and God’s Word and followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.
This is not the first time Cally has received a miracle either. Another one of her miraculous stories is in my book and in this blog post titled Victorious Living.
God is still in the miracle working business folks. In fact, I’m convinced if we wrote down all the good things God did for us we would be astounded by the way He miraculously watches over us! Just this week on the first day of camp my right eye was bothering me really bad. I almost never have eye problems. Sometimes, don’t you just want to say, “you’re so obvious devil.”
I even had to borrow eye wash and saline solution from the first aid station at camp several times during the day to get rid of the pain, but it started hurting again after getting home. I simply prayed over my eye and commanded the pain to go and my eye to be made whole in the name of Jesus and I received the healing that Jesus provided for me through His finished work. It never hurt after that. Healed!
Now, do we perfectly understand everything that happens in this life. No we don’t. Sometimes we have to set aside what we don’t understand and stick with what we do understand and one thing we know is what Jesus Himself said here in John 10:10.
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. – John 10:10 (NKJV)
One thing we know is that the devil is bad, but God is good.
Referring back to the title of this post, I refused to carry the weight of my poor choice to not get enough sleep, even after I started living out the natural consequence of that choice today. I still turned and looked at Jesus and thanked Him once again for His love, His gift of righteousness and His forgiveness.
I’m not sitting here feeling guilty or condemned for my wrong choice. I’m still believing wholeheartedly in the healing power of Jesus for my body and am ever so grateful that it is not based on my actions, but on Jesus’ finished work on the cross.
The more you understand your position in Christ, the more immovable you will be, no matter what storms come along.
My friend, always remember you can rest in Jesus’ finished work for every single thing you need!
Make the big deal about Jesus and His perfect life of obedience to His Father. Refuse to make the big deal about you and your failures. When you do this, you will see as I have, that it is 100% possible for you to enjoy a life of peace and rest and in addition, you will notice your spiritual life taking off like a rocket!
If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!
Sandra McCollom
You Don’t Have To Carry The Burden
Hebrews 12:1-2 says,
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. (NLT)
Jesus is always working in us as we keep our eyes fixed on Him!
Don’t make the big deal about what you do (how you behave). Just a warning though: This may make some people (self-righteous people) mad.
Make the big deal about what Jesus has done for you through His finished work on the cross. This way of doing life will remove the heavy weight you may be carrying of trying to fix yourself. It will also bring you great peace and cause your behavior to improve. Yes, you read that correctly. This way of approaching life will cause you to grow in Christ. Why? Right believing leads to right living! You will be changed by the Holy Spirit as you keep our eyes on Jesus! See 2 Corinthians 3:18.
Here’s an example from my own life that just happened today:
I was sick today and had to miss the last day of volunteering at JUMP Camp. I started getting a sore throat yesterday about mid-day and it turned into a cold and flu type thing. I’m sitting here in my bed in the same pajamas I woke up in, just to give you an idea.
I do not believe God puts sickness on us or that He allows it, but I do believe there are times when we experience negative things in our life as a result of the natural consequences that come along with our poor choices. This is what happened to me today.
I explained in my last blog post about the importance of getting enough sleep and admitted that this has been a difficult discipline for me. So during this past two weeks while volunteering at JUMP camp I was hoping to get on a better sleeping schedule, but I didn’t follow through as I should have. I may have gotten a full 8 hours of sleep 2 out of the 7 nights. This left me with 5 other nights where I got less than 8 hours and on two or more of those occassions I got between 4 and 5 hours of sleep.
Not cool. Thank God the lack of sleep didn’t affect my interactions with the kids or adults at camp because it could have caused me to be crabby. I shouldn’t have taken that chance. I’m very thankful I wasn’t crabby, but felt peaceful the whole two weeks (whew). I did experience some tired spells at different times throughout the day though.
Then yesterday about midday it hit me, I started getting a sore throat. I get sick so very little that this was a surprise to me until I remembered how very little sleep I had gotten. In fact, as I am typing this I am recalling that the last time I got sick was during a time when I wasn’t getting the right amount of sleep either. And I have no excuses. I could have gotten in bed earlier if I really wanted to. So I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I need help in this area.
Something very important I want to point out though, is that I have had zero guilt and condemnation over this. I have been sad that I disobeyed God by not getting in bed when I should have, that I had to miss my last day of JUMP camp and also had to miss another very special event tonight that our family was invited to, but no guilt or condemnation. I have a closer relationship with God than I have ever had before so, of course, it makes me said when I disregard His leading.
But that was it. My genuine act of repentance didn’t take all day and it never does for me anymore. I already know I’m loved, righteous and forgiven in Christ and I think about that A LOT. In fact, everyday and all throughout the day.
The Bible says it’s God’s goodness that leads us to repentance, which is why I’m more genuinely repentant now than I have ever been before. It’s the natural result of having my mind on God’s goodness more than I ever have before. I hope you’re experiencing this same freedom!
As a believer in Jesus your position of being loved, righteous and forgiven never changes according to what you do or fail to do. It was never established based on you to begin with. Your position in Christ is established on what Jesus Christ did on the cross for you and your acceptance of that.
Even though I know I opened the door for the sickness through my disobedience, I’m fully expecting to get over this very quickly. It’s not like I have to be sick for a certain amount of days to pay my dues and then I’m clear. This is not a punishment from God. In the new covenant of God’s grace we don’t get punished for our sin, thank God. Jesus already took all the punishment for all of our sin in His body on the cross. Jesus’ willingness to go to the cross changed everything!
I also want to be sure I clarify that every time we are sick or have a negative circumstance, this does not always mean we’re living out natural consequences from some choice we made. Many times these things just happen as a result of us living in a fallen world. The devil will continue to attack us until that glorious day when God throws him into the fiery lake of burning sulphur.
Seriously, I’m just sayin’ – this is going to be one of the happiest days of my life!
Revelation 20:10 (NLT)
Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Until this day arrives, we have to fight the good fight of faith and remember that we have authority over the devil.
Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession [of faith] in the presence of many witnesses. –1 Timothy 6:12 (AMP)
Ok, I just got a fresh revelation on the importance of us knowing we are completely forgiven in conjunction with us walking in our authority in Christ from reading this next scripture.
Colossians 2:14-15 (NLT)
14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
Jesus paid our debt and by paying our debt and securing our complete forgiveness, he disarmed and shamed the devil and his demons by His victory over them on the cross.Then He gave this authority to us, His followers!
And then He gave this authority to us, His followers! Through the cross, what Adam and Eve had handed over to satan was now being handed back to us believers – all because of Jesus. I told you the cross changed everything!
Luke 10:19 (AMP)
19 Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on [a]serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.
My good friend Cally had to fight the good fight of faith and remember her authority in Christ recently as she got some routine blood tests and her numbers were really high, indicating possible cancer. Her doctor wanted to do an exploratory surgery on her. I watched her rest in Jesus’ finished work and all that He has provided for her. From that place of rest I also watched her follow through on a specific protocol that the Holy Spirit led her to follow.
She received grace to implement this protocol AND she just received the great news last week that every one of her numbers are completely normal. Her doctor cannot explain it, but Cally can. No surgery needed. And Cally has already been able to speak into several doctor’s lives as a result of this miracle!
Cally didn’t carry the burden of her healing because she understands that when Jesus said, it is finished, He meant it is finished! She stayed in peace, relied on the power of prayer and God’s Word and followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.
This is not the first time Cally has received a miracle either. Another one of her miraculous stories is in my book and in this blog post titled Victorious Living.
God is still in the miracle working business folks. In fact, I’m convinced if we wrote down all the good things God did for us we would be astounded by the way He miraculously watches over us! Just this week on the first day of camp my right eye was bothering me really bad. I almost never have eye problems. Sometimes, don’t you just want to say, “you’re so obvious devil.”
I even had to borrow eye wash and saline solution from the first aid station at camp several times during the day to get rid of the pain, but it started hurting again after getting home. I simply prayed over my eye and commanded the pain to go and my eye to be made whole in the name of Jesus and I received the healing that Jesus provided for me through His finished work. It never hurt after that. Healed!
Now, do we perfectly understand everything that happens in this life. No we don’t. Sometimes we have to set aside what we don’t understand and stick with what we do understand and one thing we know is what Jesus Himself said here in John 10:10.
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. – John 10:10 (NKJV)
One thing we know is that the devil is bad, but God is good.
Referring back to the title of this post, I refused to carry the weight of my poor choice to not get enough sleep, even after I started living out the natural consequence of that choice today. I still turned and looked at Jesus and thanked Him once again for His love, His gift of righteousness and His forgiveness.
I’m not sitting here feeling guilty or condemned for my wrong choice. I’m still believing wholeheartedly in the healing power of Jesus for my body and am ever so grateful that it is not based on my actions, but on Jesus’ finished work on the cross.
The more you understand your position in Christ, the more immovable you will be, no matter what storms come along.
My friend, always remember you can rest in Jesus’ finished work for every single thing you need!
Make the big deal about Jesus and His perfect life of obedience to His Father. Refuse to make the big deal about you and your failures. When you do this, you will see as I have, that it is 100% possible for you to enjoy a life of peace and rest and in addition, you will notice your spiritual life taking off like a rocket!
If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!
Sandra McCollom
Live in the Peace that Jesus Promised You
Peace is a vital necessity for abundant life. No man can live the abundant life unless he has peace with God!
Jesus said in John 14:27 AMP, “Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]”
But peace with God is not something you can pray for. Peace with God comes when we trust and believe that we have been justified or made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!
(Romans 5:1 KJV) “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
The peace of God only has one origin, and only flows from one source: The Gospel of Jesus Christ- the good-news of God’s love for people, demonstrated in and through the finished work of Jesus Christ!
(Romans 10:15 KJV) “…How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”
Believe today that you are justified, and made righteous through the finished work of Jesus, and experience the peace that Jesus bequeathed to you!
Going Through A Trial? Here’s Some Encouragement!
I’ve been up since 2:30 am with symptoms of paresthesia. Paresthesia, by definition, is an abnormal sensation, typically tingling or prickling (“pins and needles”) caused chiefly by pressure on or damage to peripheral nerves.
This has been going on for about a month and yes, I am seeing a doctor for it.
As I was laying in bed and couldn’t go back to sleep I thought, since I can’t sleep, maybe I can write a post on what to do when we go through trials and maybe it will help others who are also going through something right now.
So here’s some encouragement for you!
When you’re going through a trial here are some things I recommend.
1.) Remember that God loves you and that He didn’t give you the trial to teach you a lesson
I know there are many different schools of thought on this issue and I’m not here to argue with anyone, but if your reading my blog, you’re never going to hear me say that God gives us trials or even permits them in our lives. My belief is that the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. See what Jesus Himself said here is John 10:10 .
I sincerely feel what we believe about God and His nature is critical to our lives. If you would like to hear a really good message on this subject click here to listen to a teaching by our pastor, Jeff Perry: Does God Cause Or Permit Bad Things In Our Lives.
2.) Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus
This past month Jesus has reminded me over and over again to keep my eyes fixed on Him.
Matthew 14:24-33 says,
24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”
27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” He said. “Take courage. I am here!”
28 Then Peter called to Him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped Him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed. (NLT)
This Biblical story is so amazing as it so clearly proves the difference Peter experienced when He was keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Jesus as opposed to when he started focusing on the wind and the waves in life – the storm going on around him.
I’m so glad this is in the Bible for us to look back at over and over again to remind us what to do when we’re in a storm…like for me, right now. The paresthesia symptoms have lessened a little over the past couple of weeks, but not at any kind of lightening speed as I would like. But a few weeks ago the tingling was so bad that it was literally going all over my body. Crazy. I called and texted a few people for prayer and I knew I had a decision to make right then and there. Was I going to focus on the storm of my circumstance or was I going to trust Jesus by keeping my eyes fixed on Him and His finished work on the cross? I knew from experience that one would result in me having to fight fear and the other would result in me being able to stay in peace right in the middle of the storm – symptoms and all.
It’s not about trying to work up more faith. It’s simply about us choosing to trust in Jesus and trust that He will see us through. I’ve said this before in a previous post, but I love what my pastor, Jeff Perry, said one time about faith at Friday night church. He said, “Faith is just reliance on how good God is.” This helped me so much because it simplified it and made it more practical for me.
Hebrews 12:1-3 says,
12 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (NASB)
I LOVE what the Amplified translation says here in the first part of verse 2:
[looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity] Hebrews 12:2a (AMP)
3.) Refuse to be moved by what you feel, see or hear. Instead, be moved by the promises in God’s Word.
I certainly had to put this into action the day I had that severe paresthesia all over my body and I still do right this very minute as symptoms are happening while I type.
I’ve had to ask myself a number of times: Are these symptoms going to dictate to me my outcome or is God’s Word going to dictate my outcome. It’s almost like I’ve had to get obstinate against what I’m feeling and purposely hold my head up high and fight the good fight of faith by continuing to rest in the finished work of the cross. To me that’s what not being moved by what I feel means.
Then, when I heard several doctors say to me in the beginning of this, If you keep having the tingling you need to get back in here. That’s not something you want to mess with,” I had to choose to not be moved by what I was hearing. This doesn’t mean I have ignored what the doctors have said. In fact, I am going in and getting treatments. But to me, not being moved by what I hear simply means I don’t let the doctor’s report unnerve me and send me into a panic. How can I do this? By keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus and the truth that He already paid the price for my healing on the cross.
I really can’t be looking around in anxiety thinking, Oh my gosh, what am I gonna do, what am I gonna do. I have to do something to make these symptoms stop. No. What I have to do is keep believing that God’s got this no matter what I feel, see or hear…because He actually does!
So many times people (and I’ve done this many times before) launch forward in their own efforts in a situation like this and instead of trusting God and being perceptive to the leading of the Spirit, they are led by their own mind, will and emotions. But self effort is never going to produce the same result that resting in Jesus and His finished work and following the leadership of the Holy Spirit will produce.
4.) Recall past victories
When we are in pain or discomfort it’s easier to say we should be in faith than to actually do it. I have been in the hospital on numerous occasions with high fevers and infections and was in such a delirious state that I didn’t even feel I had strength to pray for myself. All I could get out of my mouth through my delirium was, Dear God, please help me, but guess what…that was enough! In fact, this is now my favorite prayer to pray. I pray this every day, all throughout the day when I need God’s help…which very is often!
This past month I have felt somewhat discouraged at times. I believe this is partially because of the pain I’ve been fighting. I’m sure you would agree that pain has a wearing affect on us. One of the things I have done to combat this discouragement is to purposely recall past victories over unpleasant circumstances that God has delivered me from in the past.
For instance, from 2009-2011 I went through what I refer to as a 2.5 year health nightmare, but guess what? – God brought me through it. Here’s that story if you would like to read about it or listen to it via audio post: The Value of Trials.
Just like David looked back and recounted the victories God had given him with the lion and the bear to prepare him to conquer the giant, we also need to purposely recount all the things God has helped us through in the past to help us have the strength to fight against discouragement during a trial.
The McCollom family has what we call our book of remembrance. In it, we record the things God does for us, the prayers that have been answered in our lives and our friends’ lives and the trials God has brought us through. We haven’t recorded anything in our book of remembrance for a while, but not because God hasn’t done anything. We have just gotten busy and not taken the time to record anything lately. Let me go on record by saying this bugs me.
I told my husband the other day, just imagine if we recorded every single thing the Lord did for us, how big our book of remembrance would be and how encouraging it would be for us to look back on in years to come!
Here are just a few recent blessings that come to mind.
- The medal part of a chair fell on Angel’s head this morning while she was laying on the floor, but she is totally fine. I believe God protected her from what could have been a serious injury.
- We made a change in our girls’ schooling situation recently and although it was a little hectic (time wise) while working through the transition, God’s grace is totally on the change and things are going great!
- Sophie, one of our dogs, had a bad rash recently. We scheduled an appointment with her Veternarian, but then prayed that she would get better so we wouldn’t have to spend the time or the money on this appointment. The rash cleared up very quickly and we were able to cancel the appointment.
I am inspired after writing these few, very recent, breakthroughs, to open up my book of remembrance this weekend and catch up on recording all the things I can remember since the last time I’ve recorded in it. I seriously DO NOT want to forget all the awesome things that God does in my life, the lives of my family members and my friends’ lives!
5.) Remember Romans 8:28
Don’t forget what Romans 8:28 says:
And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. (Romans 8:28 – AMP)
I believe this Biblical truth with all my heart. This is why I am able to say to myself, when going through a trial, God is gonna work this whole thing together for the good… for sure. This blog post is one example. No, I don’t believe God gave me paresthesia. What I do believe is, the devil hates me and wants to stop me from helping others. But look at how God is helping me have the stamina to write this post and causing all things to work together for good! In fact, I just noticed that the symptoms I had when I started typing are gone! Thank You Jesus!
So I really encourage you to hold onto Romans 8:28 as a promise.
6.) Receive Communion to honor Jesus for His sacrifice for you
Well this may be the last piece of encouragement I’m giving, but it certainly is not the least. I really enjoy receiving communion on a regular basis as a way to honor Jesus for the sacrifice He made for me through His finished work on the cross. It’s a great way for us to receive afresh everything Jesus provided for us through His death and resurrection. In fact, I tell Jesus every time I receive communion that I am going to receive every single solitary thing that He died to provide for me, leaving no stone unturned… and guess what, sometimes I say this while experiencing negative symptoms at the same time. Again, we CANNOT be moved by what we see, feel or hear. We have to decide that , by God’s grace, we are going to hold our heads up high, even when the devil is trying to beat us down, and only be moved by the truth of God’s Word.
I have posted about the privilege of honoring Jesus through receiving communion before and have had quite a few comments from people saying, Oh wow, I didn’t know I could do this on a regular basis.
If you would like to read a wonderful mini-book on the power of communion, I recommend Pastor Joseph Prince’s book titled Health And Wholeness Through The Holy Communion. This is such a good book that I’ve given away numerous times when visiting and praying for people in the hospital and I believe it dispels some common misconceptions about communion that will help you!
Well, 2,435 words and 6 hours later… I pray this blog post brought you encouragement.
Special note of thanks to my daughter Angel, who made me a great breakfast of her own free will so I could finish this post. Also, Angel said Starr made Angel’s breakfast so Angel could make mine – haha. Thank you Starr!
If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!
Sandra McCollom
We Are Weak…But He Is Strong
I was singing the song Jesus Loves Me by Anna B. Warner the other day. As I was singing in first person, this one line really stood out to me: We Are Weak, But He Is Strong. I’ve been singing this all week long and loving it!
Recently, after watching one of my TV interviews, a Christian woman asked me why I get to live in peace and wanted to know where her peace was. I love being asked these types of questions because it forces me to think through my answers and I learn a lot in the process. Questions from other people about my grace journey have actually been a major help to me.
Here is a portion of my answer to her question:
I believe God created each person with a free will because He loved us so much that He didn’t want to have robots that served Him and loved Him because they were forced to. With free choice came the option to choose good or evil. Even though I was a Christian, I chose the wrong path for many, many years by choosing to rely on myself and my own effort and by trying to solve my problems without God’s help. This approach to life left me very anxious and frustrated – almost constantly. I believe the reason I now live in the peace that passes understanding that the Bible talks about is because I chose to give up on my own self effort and I told God that I was done trying to live this life in my own strength. When I made the choice to receive His Great Grace and came to the understanding that only through Him was I going to be able to successfully live the Christian life, His peace came over me and it has never left. Just like me, the way you’ll know if you’re trusting in God instead of trying to figure things out on your own and working everything out in your own strength is that you will have peace, even when all of your circumstances are not lining up correctly. You’ll have peace in the midst of the storm. You’ll find yourself relying on God’s ability instead of your own to solve your problems. Now, this doesn’t mean there will be nothing for you to do in regards to your specific circumstances and situations, but whatever actions you take, they need to be Spirit-led actions and not self-led actions.
I’m happy to say that my reply to her question encouraged her. Thank God!
I’ve posted it here with the hope that it will encourage many others as well.
Let me make one clarification to my response: Of course, what I said to her doesn’t mean I’m living in perfect peace 100% of the time because there are still times when I choose to trust in myself and my own ability to solve my problems instead of trusting in God and receiving His grace for the situation at hand. But life has become pretty simple now for my family and I because when things begin to get chaotic, we simply stop and ask ourselves several questions:
1.) In what area are we not trusting God that is causing this anxiety and frustration?
2.) In what area are we doing our own thing instead of following the leadership of the Holy Spirit?
We’re convinced that the Holy Spirit would never lead us into chaos so if our lives begin to get chaotic, that’s a sign to us that we haven’t taken the time needed to hear God’s heart in one area or another.
There’s an extreme amount of safety in remembering:
WE ARE WEAK…BUT HE IS STRONG
There’s also an extreme amount of danger in us putting confidence in our own flesh.
I love these scriptures that remind me of this truth.
In Philippians 3:3-4 Paul says,
3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, 4 though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! (NLT)
Have you ever heard someone say “Jesus is just a crutch?”
Ha! No way: Jesus isn’t just my crutch. For me, He’s the entire hospital AND everything in between!
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 says,
Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.” (MSG)
So let’s sing it out my friend. Let’s sing it loud and clear:
We Are Weak, But He Is Strong!
If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!
Sandra McCollom