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Liz Blog, Faith, Worship Wednesdays

Worship Wednesdays #1 | Saved Secure

The profile // about the band

Citizens & Saints (or Citizens)

citizenssaints-jointhetriumphdeluxe
Join the Triumph (Deluxe Edition)
  • Christian rock band
  • From Seattle, Washington

The pull // why i like it

I first heard the song when I was in a friend’s car, and I was immediately drawn to its compelling instrumentals. I listened and realized it had incredibly powerful lyrics to match.

The message // what it means

God is alive and real, and He is our rescuer. This song is a reminder and praise of how He has saved us and that true security comes from Him. It’s a beautiful depiction of surrender and freedom.

“You answered. You rescued.”

The call // best to listen when

Whenever. Wherever. Just plug that AUX cord into your phone and turn your speakers up.

Liz Blog, Faith, Worship Wednesdays

Worship Wednesdays

Looking for new worship music?

Every Wednesday, you can now discover tunes through #WorshipWednesdays!

Worship Wednesdays will be a blog post featuring a worship song or Christian artist I’ve been listening to lately. Here’s what you can expect:

The pull //

This is essentially why I like the song. What draws me to it, maybe how I found out about it.

The message //

This is the overall message of the song (at least what I gather from it). What about it makes it worship? What is it saying about God? About faith?

I may even throw in a favorite line or two of lyrics that are particularly powerful to me.

The call //

This is my overall recommendation. When is it best to listen to this song? Or if you’re not quite convinced that you want to check it out, I might include why else it’s my pick for the week.

Click here to check out all Worship Wednesdays posts!

Keep a look out every week for a new Worship Wednesdays post! Also, comment or send a message if you have any worship recommendations (bands/artists, songs, etc.)!

 

Liz Blog, Faith

Obedience and Healing

And it came to pass, as He went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And He said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Luke 17:11-19 (KJV)

When I was younger I learned quickly that my parents were “always” right.

It took time for me to realize this. I was always stubborn and wanted to do things my way. But soon I learned that if I obeyed my parents, something good happened, but if I disobeyed them, it typically resulted in something not so great.

Now, of course, I later realized my parents aren’t perfect. But they are older than I am and have gone through many of the things I will, and through god-given wisdom, they were able to handle them. So, obeying them as they obey God leads me in the right direction.

I will never forget a particular time when if I had listened to my mom, I could have avoided some painful results.

While shopping with our mom, my brother and I decided to play tag in the parking lot of the shopping center. My mom told us to stop running, but I wanted to sprint to the car–the designated “safe zone”–and win. So I did.

I was running so fast that as I tried to stop myself, I skidded and fell, scraping my knee on the pavement. As I felt the stinging sensation of my fresh cut, I realized that if I had just listened to my mother, I would have prevented the pain. Over time, the wound healed, but it left a scar on my knee–perhaps a little reminder of my childhood stubbornness.

While this example of disobedience did not result in tremendous consequences, there are times when disobedience leaves life-altering “scars.”

God gives us specific instruction on how we ought to conduct ourselves. Just as my mom gave me a warning to stop running to avoid falling, God gives us instructions to avoid harming ourselves. We don’t see the accident up ahead, but He does.

Isaiah 55:8 says that God’s thoughts and ways are above our own. He is more knowledgeable than we will ever be, and so His plan will always be much better and wiser than ours.

Jesus’ miracles are the result of obedience.

When we obey God, we can receive His blessings and wholeness. Luke 17:11-19 illustrates this, as Jesus heals ten men who have leprosy.

Problem | the illness:

And it came to pass, as He went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: (Luke 17:11-12)

Leprosy is a severe bacterial infection that deteriorates the skin, causing wounds that often lead to the loss of body parts. Particularly in Biblical times, it was so infectious that it separated those who were affected from those who were not, shunning them from society.

When the lepers see Jesus, they stand “afar off” (v. 12), knowing their position in society–outcasts. They suffer the emotional pain of isolation, and they experience the physical pain of decaying flesh. These are men in need of a great healing.

Solution | the command:

And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. (Luke 17:13-14a)

Before healing takes place, the lepers have faith. They go to Jesus, knowing who He is, and lift their voices to Him (v. 13). They know that Jesus is God and capable of healing them, and so they seek Him out and ask for a miracle.

Jesus immediately gives them a solution the moment he sees them. He instructs them to go to the priests.

Response | the obedience

And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, (Luke 17:14b-15)

Once Jesus gives them a solution, they listen and act upon it. Jesus could have healed them on the spot, but instead He gives them an instruction. Here is their opportunity to put their faith into action by obeying Him without question or hesitation. This obedience, based on their faith, allowed them to be cleansed.

Another response to note is that of one leper who returns to Jesus. The others depart, now healed, but this man shows his gratitude to Jesus. Although Jesus knows that the other nine men are not going to return to Him and thank Him, He still physically heals them.

This man’s faith set him apart from the others. He provides a model for us on faith and gratitude. Acknowledging his faith, Jesus tells him it is his faith that has made him whole (v. 19). This wholeness goes beyond physical healing–he received a spiritual healing due to his gratitude and obedience. He is now a new person, a whole man.

Afterwards, Jesus gives him a direction. He instructs him to go forward (v. 19). He can do so in  faith with a new appreciation for who Jesus is and what he has done in his life.

Obedience is faith put into action.

What can we learn from this man?

  1. God recognizes our gratitude, which reflects the state of our hearts
  2. He gives us direction and renewal
  3. He rewards our faith

As demonstrated in this passage, Christ came to heal us from our pains–physical, emotional, and otherwise. But how are we to expect to receive from Him if we are not obeying His commands? Just as He gave the lepers instruction which set them on a new path, through His word, he is instructing us also to set us on a new path of healing and restoration.

Whatever length of time the lepers may have been suffering, they still sought Jesus out in faith. If you have been praying for a long time for physical, emotional, or spiritual healing, continue to seek the Lord. Turning away from Him leaves scars.

The man who returned to Christ shows us that healing can be physical and spiritual if we allow God to do the work. I encourage you to remain in faith. Christ is the one that can wipe us clean from our pasts and our pain and make us whole. In the process, He is working on our hearts, and He is looking at our responses–our obedience.

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

(Luke 11:28)

Liz Blog, Faith

He Is Risen

“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

Matthew 28:6 (KJV)

This Easter Sunday, let us remember Christ’s great power and love for us. He loved us enough to die for our sins and then He rose from the grave and conquered death. He did what no man has ever done or could ever do. As followers of Christ, we can have confidence that we have victory in our challenges, as He Himself has already defeated them.

What Did Christ Do?

The Gospel | Clayton Jennings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-8HMqdfyqQ

What Do We Gain in Christ?

Citizens & Saints – Saved Secure

 

Liz Blog, Faith

Perseverance, Part 2 – Who Do You Think God Is?

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

Psalm 145:18-19 (KJV)

(Read Part 1 here)

I’m an English major.

I knew I wanted to be one after the first English class I took in college. When the due date for our first research paper was near, my professor stressed to us the importance of finding valid sources for our topic. For clarification, he explained to us the differences between primary and secondary sources.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Primary sources are the original accounts of a study. They’re usually written by people who had direct connection to the topic or event you’re looking at, and they were probably written at the time in which it occurred.

Secondary sources are secondary accounts of a study. While they can be helpful, you can come across secondary sources that may give inaccurate information, since they are based on interpretations or analyses of primary sources.

Depending on what you’re researching, it’s fine to use either one. But if you’re looking for some pretty reliable, first-hand information, a primary source is your best bet.

 

Over the past few weeks, I have been meditating on what it means to understand God as our primary source.

God calls us to cast all cares on Him. I thought this was a “simple” idea, but I didn’t know what it looked like to give Him every emotion, every concern, every dream, and every thought. I had to realize I couldn’t hide anything from Him.

Psalm 145 states that the Lord is near to those who call on Him in truth. Not only are we being encouraged to seek after God, but we are encouraged to seek after Him believing in the truth of who He is.

Now I ask the question–who do you think God is?

Is He nonexistent? Is He cruel? Unfair? Just? Loving?

I have good news. God is not a mystery. In fact, He has revealed Himself to us clearly in the Bible.

There are secondary sources that have painted a distorted image of God that is not based on what the Bible says. Based on its own interpretations and analyses, society has created its own image of God that has deviated from the truth–but the only way to know the true character of God is to go to the primary source, which is His Word.

2 Timothy 2:7 encourages us to think over what God says–through this we gain understanding. In order to think about what God says, we must know Him and know what He says. It’s impossible to know God if we’re running from Him. In fact, the further we go, the further we will be from the truth.

I’ve found that many have fallen into the trap of attributing the evil in this world to God. If we realize who God is, we will learn that evil is the result of a fallen world that has run away from God. Again, the further we run away from God, the further we go into confusion, darkness and destruction.

 

A great illustration of this is in the book of Jonah. God called Jonah to preach repentance to Nineveh, a city that had completely turned away from Him. Jonah knew that Nineveh was a wicked city, but he was stubborn and ran away from God (Jonah 1:3). Jonah sought out a ship heading to the city of Tarshish, away from Nineveh, but he was soon caught in a storm. The other sailors threw him overboard, believing he was responsible for the storm due to his disobedience.

Although God had allowed the storm, He shows grace to Jonah and provides safety for him–giving him an opportunity to acknowledge his sin and repent. Instead of allowing Jonah to drown, God provided a whale that swallowed him, and in the belly of the whale is where we see Jonah’s heart change. He cries out to God in prayer, asking for forgiveness (see Jonah 2). What’s incredible is that during this time he acknowledges that salvation comes from the Lord (Jonah 2:9). He saw what God was doing and that He provided grace even in his disobedience. After three days passed, Jonah was vomited from the whale and went to preach, as God instructed, to Nineveh–a city that desperately needed the truth. Because of this obedience, the people of Nineveh did repent and the city was not destroyed. God had compassion on them.

What we learn from Jonah’s story is that there is nothing we can hide from God. Jonah physically ran away from Him, but a lot of our running away is internal–in our heart. We also learn that despite our failings and our sin, God is incredibly patient with us and provides us with the opportunity to repent and come to Him. He’s so gracious that He still provides for us–just as He showed provision for Jonah. The message of repentance that God asked Jonah to preach to a lost city is still the same today.

Because of our sin, we live in a fallen world. Romans 3:23 states that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory–His standard. God is so loving, that although the world has fallen away from Him, He has provided salvation to bring us back to Him. God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. This way, we would not remain dead in our sins and have to suffer eternal punishment in hell. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we can have freedom and eternal life in Heaven.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10 (KJV)

This passage from Romans explains that in order to have eternal life, we must confess our sins with our mouths and believe that Christ has been raised from the dead. This is salvation. This is an eternal promise that shows God’s love for us. What’s amazing about God’s love is that while we have access to eternal life after death, He doesn’t abandon us during our time on earth.

God has a purpose for our time on earth. Unfortunately, sin and evil still exist in the world, so as a result, there are trials in this life. Nevertheless as followers of Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin–we no longer live under its power to control our lives.

When we follow God, He allows growth and fruit to bear in our lives, because it’s not in His nature to withhold. He is a God who gives. By giving His Son, He demonstrated His love for us. He serves as a model for us. He shows love is action. He is a God of action–that is, He is living and He is working–and all His action is of love. We were made to be image-bearers of Christ. If we get His character wrong, we’ll get ours wrong. In order to know our purpose, we must know Him first and foremost.

God is not the author of sin, but rather He is the solution to it. If He was an evil God who was the author of sin, He would have allowed us to suffer in this dark world–BUT He provided salvation. Therefore, His plan is not for us to suffer and stay in our sin but to be free from it. Through life’s trials, we can be perfected in Christ. Through these challenges we gain so much more of a clearer understanding about why it was necessary for Him to provide a way out of them in the first place.

It is a huge mistake to think we are “too far gone” for God. The blood of Christ is far more powerful than your sin. 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins to the Lord, He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He gives everyone the opportunity to repent and be free from the bondage and shame of sin. To truly be free from sin, after we repent, we must live righteously and no longer in our sins. We’re given a new identity in Christ–a new life, separated from our past–so our actions should reflect this.

 

Now, knowing who God is, how have I personally learned to persevere?

Through God’s Word, I have been able to understand the character of God–and that through all things He is glorified. Through trials He is glorified. He works all things together for good to them that love Him. We will fail over and over again. There’s nothing that God doesn’t know. There’s nothing you can hide in your heart. Yet He still promises to comfort those who come to Him. Nothing can separate us from His love.

It’s important to understand our role in perseverance. We must seek God and obey Him. If we say we love Him, we will obey His commandments (John 14:15).

How do you expect to hear God if you’re not even trying to listen to Him? How do you expect to feel close to God if you’re not spending time with Him? How do you expect for God to take control if you’re not letting go of your control?

God gives us a choice to choose Him. John 1:12 says “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” He chose to choose us. He chose to give the ultimate sacrifice for us.

Understand this: God cares for you. He loves you. His only Son died for you. He has the best for you. How many times does He have to deliver us for us to learn to trust Him?

Here’s the thing: we don’t have to go through a terrifying lesson like Jonah had in order to understand the consequences of running away from God.

We don’t have to wonder about God. It is foolish to run to secondary sources in the world looking for Him. Instead of running to what the world claims God to be, find out who He is for yourself. Go to the primary source that actually reveals the truth.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Romans 5:3-5 (KJV)

When we go through trials, we can react in two different ways. We can allow the trials to grow us and become closer to the Lord or we can succumb to sin. Understanding who God is gives us the foundation to have confidence that we will persevere through Him–because He loves us and wants us to persevere.

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:31-32 (KJV)

Liz Blog, Faith

Does Prayer “Work”?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:6-7)

Does prayer work?

Short Answer:

Yes.

Here’s the long answer:

What exactly do we mean when we ask the question: “Does prayer work?”

Most likely, it means, “If I pray to God, will He give what I want?”

If this is why we come to God in prayer, I’d like to encourage us to reevaluate our thinking.

Don’t get me wrong–in prayer, of course we can ask God for things. Philippians 4:6 says to let our requests be made known unto God. In short, God wants to fulfill our needs and desires. As our Heavenly Father, He loves us and wants to supply our needs, and He doesn’t want us to suffer.

I should say–BUT He doesn’t want us suffer.

This means that although we have our own desires, ultimately God knows what we need in our lives and what will harm us beyond human comprehension. The things that may harm us the most may be what we are asking for.

Understand that God’s answer to our requests may not be what we have in mind. The good news is that His answer is always better than what we have in store–even if we don’t see it yet.

It comes down to trusting God. Do you believe God is who He says He is? A loving Father, an all-knowing, all-powerful God? If so, rejoice and be glad, because anything He gives will be a gift that will allow you to be shaped into His image of love, wisdom, and strength. He gives GOOD gifts.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17 ESV)

So what happens when we pray?

Through God, I’ve been shown and fully understand that prayer is a powerful weapon. It is (and should be) our #1 weapon, our first decision–not the last resort.

God has changed my heart and transformed my life through prayer. He restores, He heals, He listens, and He answers. I’ve experienced, seen, and felt these things all through communicating with Him. I like to think prayer is having a dialogue with God, and I still am left in awe of thinking about it this way–to be able to have a constant conversation with an all-knowing God is amazing, especially knowing how weak and limited I am as a human.

I want to invite and urge you to take prayer seriously. This is your answer. You will never go wrong in seeking God.

Just being able to pray to Him is a journey in itself–watch as He will transform your life and how you will learn to surrender and trust Him. Spend time with God.

You might be thinking:

“How can I improve my prayer life?”

Here’s a list of practical things that I do that has dramatically changed my prayer life:

 

Pray.

No more “I know I need to pray more.” No more “I would pray more if my morning wasn’t so busy.” Instead of thinking or saying these things, actually PRAY. It can be on your walk, in your office desk, in the lecture hall. You have free access to God anywhere and anytime. Unfortunately, today we idealize and idolize “busyness.” Who says you have to be busy 24/7? Society. Maybe parents. Peers. Coworkers. Yourself. But the Bible reminds us about the importance of being still (not restless).

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10 KJV)

(I actually wrote a post on stillness here).

Of course this doesn’t mean don’t do anything you have to do. We have busy schedules, and that’s okay. What’s not OK, is being “too busy” for God. If you feel like you’re at this place, reevaluate some things. Check your heart. What’s the purpose behind the things you “have” to do? Truth is, you’re just too busy with the wrong things.

Be intentional in prayer. Be active in prayer. Be diligent in prayer. Do you love God? Do you want to know what He has in store for you? Do you want to lay down your life for Him? Put Him first. No more excuses.

If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15 KJV)

 

Keep a prayer journal.

This is actually something I have been meaning to do for a long time, and I finally did this week. It doesn’t have to be anything special–I’ve taken an ordinary notebook and started jotting down prayer requests–as well as how God has answered these prayers.

It’s been amazing to keep track of what and who has been on my heart to pray for–and even more amazing to see how God answers these requests. A prayer journal serves as encouragement for us to look back and see how God actually is working in our lives.

Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; (Psalm 105:5 KJV)

Also, it is so important for us to keep others in prayer. This is true love–for us to ask God to redeem others and to intervene on their behalf–so that they might have the full life that only He promises–and most importantly that they might have eternal life in heaven.

The Bible encourages us to love others as we would like to be loved. Think about how overwhelming it is when we know someone else has been praying for us. Remember to pray consistently for others–those you know and don’t know. Pray by their name, pray specifically about their situation. See how God works.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, (1 Timothy 2:1 ESV)

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16 ESV)

 

Incorporate Scripture in your prayer.

There is power in the Word of God. It is the source of truth, life and freedom–learn and study His Word to access these things.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NIV)

When we recite Scripture in prayer, we are affirming what God has already said. In Micah 3:6, God affirms that He is Lord and does not change. That means all the promises in the Word that He has said is YOUR portion!

Memorizing Scripture is a lifeline, especially when the enemy attacks you with doubt. Responding with the Word of God is encouraging to us and also will make the enemy flee from you. Why? Because God is powerful, and He has already conquered evil and death.

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.

(Psalm 18:30 NIV)

Not only do we affirm God’s promises by incorporating Scripture in prayer, but we affirm who He is. That is, that He is almighty and capable of answering our prayers and directing us in His perfect plan.

I like to think of studying the Word as a heart-check. Learning the Word allows us to submit to what God says–and knowing that God is good, we know that doing this is the right choice. But In order to find out who God is, we must go to the source that reveals who He is–the Bible.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

(2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV)

So, does prayer “work”?

Absolutely. Prayer works on hearts. Prayer works on lives. Prayer pleases God.

I urge you to pray. Cast your cares to God. Let Him heal you and show you wisdom. Praise and acknowledge who God is through prayer.

Liz Blog, Faith

Perseverance, Part 1 – Where Do You Place God In Your Life?

It’s pretty obvious to say that it’s been so long since my last blog post.

College has been keeping me busy, as usual. This time of the semester especially becomes busy with papers, projects, presentations, and midterm exams. It can get busy to the point that I can easily take my eyes off God and forget that He is with me every step of the way. Nevertheless, this time of my life has reminded me to remain steadfast on God–especially when trials come.

We are not called to be steadfast in our faith simply to follow a rule in the Bible. God only places commands because He knows they are for our good. We must be steadfast and sold-out for Christ because we need it. We need Him. Sometimes the challenges are what that pull us back to Him. Sometimes they are the reminders that we fall short–that we are limited as humans and that God is our ultimate salvation, our Beginning and End. The good news is this–we don’t have to wait until we fall to realize we need God.

Where do you place God in your life? Are you only following God for what He can do for you? Are you only “good” with God until challenges come? I want to encourage you to examine your heart now. Don’t wait until you fall.

Here are five of my favorite verses on perseverance:

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Romans 5:2-5 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

1 Timothy 6:11-12 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvebYLxu628

Liz Blog, Faith

The Truth About Praise

O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

(Psalm 98:1-4 KJV)

I look forward to looking back. I love to understand what I’ve learned in the previous months, what God has been doing throughout the whole process and how my faith has changed. One thing that became more apparent to me recently was the significance of praising God.

At the beginning of the summer, I wrote a blog post called “The Choice,” which you can read here. In that blog post, I spoke about the nervousness I felt starting a new internship but how I was deciding to make the choice to trust God through it, even though I didn’t know what the outcome.

What I learned is that through discomfort God often grows us the most.

I can happily say that I’ve had an incredible experience this summer, and I can only attribute that to Him. The funny thing is that I had a positive experience not because it was easy but because I realized that God was pushing me to grow. I realized that God was in the process of opening doors in my life with new opportunities and relationships. Yet if I hadn’t focused on what He was teaching me, I probably wouldn’t be satisfied in the way that I am. I probably wouldn’t have been able to clearly see the ways in which He was moving in my life.

I learned that I wasn’t supposed to simply sit through any initial discomfort and let it pass. Instead I was to lift up God and understand that He was truly working things together for good. I challenged myself to praise God everyday, especially in situations that were daunting. No matter how I was feeling, I wanted to hold onto one true fact: God is good, and because of that, there is hope, and I am taken care of and watched over.

Reflecting on this, I’ve asked myself: What exactly is it that praise does for us?

Praise is such a powerful manifestation of faith.

We are able to acknowledge God’s goodness and authority in our lives. His glory becomes more real to us. Instead of focusing on our challenges and shortcomings, we recognize the truth that He is able. This truth overpowers any hindrances in our lives. Nothing else matters. Nothing is impossible. Because God is good, and this goodness supersedes everything. When we praise God, it is surrender. It is allowing God the space to do everything He needs to do, instead of us fighting against Him in the midst of His work.

Surrender is understanding that we fall short but that God saves us from our weakness and raises us up in strength.

The enemy doesn’t want to see us acknowledging who God is and increasing in faith, so often he attacks us with thoughts of doubt, hopelessness, and despair–these things that gnaw at us from the inside. However, praise is nourishment to our faith.

Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”

When we praise God, we acknowledge who He is, and we believe in His promises. The Bible has so many excellent verses that serve as examples of this in which God is acknowledged for who He is within His promises:

“But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (KJV)

  • We are given the promise that the Lord will protect us from evil things and stabilize us, in light of His faithful character.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)

  • What is incredible about this verse is how God is differentiated from men–unlike our nature to be slack, God is accountable. In fact, He is so loving to us that instead of allowing us to perish, He gives us the opportunity to come to repentance.

“For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” Psalms 33:4-5 (KJV)

  • This verse is similar to the previous one; although the world has fallen, God is so full of truth, love and righteous judgment that He still provides a fallen world with His goodness and mercy–in the form of salvation.

What all these verses have in common is that they display the promises of God that will come to pass–His protection, His goodness, His gift of salvation–and they shed light on who He is: a faithful God, a God who is longsuffering, a God who does things in truth. In a similar fashion, when we praise God, we acknowledge His promises that will come to pass, which we can be confident in because of who He is.

Our eyes open to how God is working in our lives when we praise Him. Praise is a weapon against the enemy’s deception. I once saw a quote that read: “I will see it, when I believe it.” In terms of faith, when we believe God’s goodness–when we decide to come to that understanding and acceptance of what is already true–we will see it in our lives.

You don’t need all the answers to what’s going on. It’s unfortunately in our nature to doubt, to question, to forget what we’ve been delivered from. However, I encourage you to remember that no matter what you’re going through, God is the same, and He is taking care of your burdens.

The first verse in Psalm 98 powerfully reminds us that God has done marvelous things and that He has already claimed victory. As followers of Christ–members of His kingdom–this is victory is for us to claim as well. Don’t allow your emotions to cause you to miss out on what God is doing in your life. Pray and ask God for the faith to trust Him and the ability to surrender everything to Him, and praise Him for all that He has done and continues to do.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

(Psalm 63:1-7 KJV)

Liz Ask LizMargaret

Ask LizMargaret

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This new series has been something that’s been on my heart for so long now, as I would like for this blog to be a very interactive experience for whoever reads it! I hope it creates a space to engage in conversation that inspires spiritual growth and encouragement.

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Please send in any questions, prayer requests, or any topic ideas for future posts–I am very excited to hear from you and to see how God uses this!

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Liz Blog, Faith

God Wants Us to Be Empty

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

(Luke 9:23 KJV)

We will do anything to avoid feeling empty. Nobody wants to go to bed at night feeling unfulfilled, no matter what good has happened during the day. We are afraid of emptiness. We make rash decisions to fill voids. We don’t want to acknowledge our brokenness, our mistakes. We’ll do anything to be happy. We’ll do anything to push away hurts. We’ll do anything to forget. Anything.

God works with brokenness and emptiness. These heavy burdens that we are carrying–He wants us to give them to Him. Think about that: God wants you to give your burdens to Him.

In fact, He wants us to give everything to Him.

Because of our fear of emptiness, we try to hold onto things that are not even good for us: Relationships, grudges, memories, anger, habits, false ideas, pride. God wants us to come empty. When we give these things to Him, then He can use us. If we are so full of these things we hold onto, we are leaving no room whatsoever for Him.

When we pursue the things that pull us away from God, we can’t be used by Him. He’d love to work through our lives and give us that breakthrough, the desires of our hearts, but it can’t happen if we continuously walk away from Him. I imagine there are things we have been convicted to let go of, but we are refusing to do so. And God is just waiting for us to make room in our lives to get to the next level.

Imagine giving all your cares to Him–all your desires, concerns–and saying, “Lord, I realize I cannot do this on my own. Do with these things whatever You’d like to, and I will follow You.”

Now that’s an attitude that God can work with. God can do wonders with willingness.  If we just lay EVERYTHING down, I imagine that He can create the most beautiful things with that.

This is how I see it:

We are canvases, and over time, we’ve gotten used and worn, and there’s years worth of paint that’s smeared all over us. When we allow God to take us, it’s not that we’re in some flawless condition (because we’re really not)–what’s happening is that we’re surrendering control and allowing Him to cleanse us. Surrendering to Christ is acknowledging that we are filthy–in need of cleansing–that we are sinners, and allowing Him to take care of the mess. The truth that we’ve been running away from is that we are needy, we are weak, we are not capable on our own. But God can chisel away the layers of muck that we have been drowning in so that we are clean, and from then, He can paint the most beautiful masterpiece of our lives for us.

That’s the beauty of it–God can use anyone. Anyone. Anyone. Anyone. He loves everyone. It’s the heart that matters.

It comes down to you:

Are you willing to let go? Are you willing to turn away? Are you willing to let God transform you?

Why are you holding on?

The main idea here is that we are not called to remain as we are. Yes, God loves us. But we cannot live our full purpose on this earth unless we make that first step to empty ourselves. There is shame and guilt in sin. Living in sin, there is fear. Living in sin, there is doubt. Many times we get ourselves into the worst situations. Other times, our situations are not even our fault–it’s just the nature of the world that we live in. The world has fallen, and because of that there is no sense of justice and fairness–there is so much bad that can happen that we have no control of. But remaining stagnant in our nature is where we go wrong.

Jesus instructs those who want to follow Him to deny themselves and to take up their crosses. What does this mean? Taking up your cross encompasses your whole life–it radically changes your entire life, your decisions, your perspective. Why? Taking up your cross means to live fully for Christ. This involves giving Him your burdens, but it also means something greater–that we dedicate our entire lives to Him–every aspect of our lives. Our innermost thoughts. Our actions. Denying ourselves is a daily rejection of our natural, sinful ways–a complete denial, or emptying, of self.

Again this goes back to the truth that we are filthy, in need of a Savior to cleanse us. That we have needs, and that Christ can fill them.

This is the emptiness that God calls us to have. It is not one that is hopeless. It is not one that leaves us awake at night, deep in fear. It is not one that is bound by the troubles of this world.

This is a shedding of our past selves–in which we invite God to come inside and give us life. It is one that gives us security–that if we have accepted Him as Lord and Savior and confessed our sins, we know that we have eternal life in Heaven.

As humans on this earth, we will be filled of something–we will either choose to be filled with God or we will choose not to be. We can make the choice to be filled with life abundantly or we can choose to live in our own understanding that leads to a path of confusion, hurt, and destruction.

We see the decaying state of the world we live in, but we don’t have to choose to be part of that decay. Please don’t let anything get in the way of this understanding. We have all fallen short, and there are consequences for that. But there is an answer. There is a hope. There is contentment–and it is in God.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

(Matthew 11:28 NIV)