The lie of "never"

“From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.”- Isaiah 64:4

Charles Stanley’s latest book is titled Waiting on God: Strength for Today and Hope for Tomorrow.  Dr. Stanley begins Chapter 1 (“How Long, O Lord?”) with the observation that the word never can “stir the deepest fear in the bravest heart.”

1.  I’ll never find a job.

2.  This will never get better.

3.  The Lord will never answer my prayer.

Dr. Stanley asserts this is the lie that begins with our sinful nature, a lie designed to decisively put an end to all our hopes.  When we buy into the lie of “never” it’s like driving nails into the coffin of our deepest hopes and dreams.  The author goes on to describe the challenge of waiting on God:

“It’s the ability to keep hoping when the nevers of life bombard us- when the minutes and hours, days and years, tick away without any answers to our most passionate pleas at the throne of grace.  It’s the faith to hang on to the Father on the long road, when human reason tells us to give up.”

Dr. Stanley adds that we can know for certain that God is working, even though we may not see it.  Furthermore, the Father has an awesome plan for us.  But He also has a very specific schedule.  Dr. Stanley concludes the only “never” we should focus on is that God never will let us down.

Today’s question: What “nevers” have characterized your thinking following your vocation loss?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “God’s timing and wisdom”

The lie of "never"

How Can I Possibly Forgive?

How Can I Possibly Forgive? (Harvest House, 2014)

How Can I Possibly Forgive? Rescuing Your Heart from Resentment and Regret is that latest book by Sara Horn.  Sara begins by stating that in order for us to appreciate the unconditional love God gives us and in turn asks us o give others, we need a better understanding of forgiveness.  To achieve that understanding we need to identify  the white noise in our life drowning out that the Lord wants us to hear.  As Sara notes, “what distracts our hearts distracts our souls.”  When we only see our pain, we cannot see God’s plan.  Focusing on our pain leads to bitterness.  We quickly can move from sadness to resentment and from denial to anger.

Bitterness, though, is not easy to hide.  Eventually we expose ourselves and our soul feelings come out.  Although we have big hurts, we have a bigger God.  People and situations fail us, but God never fails us.  Healing is a process, and forgiveness aids in that process.  Forgiveness involves dealing with the really hard stuff that is more difficult to forgive, let go, or even think about and discuss.  However, we are not left alone to figure out what to do- we have the Holy Spirit.  With God’s help and grace, we can see His righteousness in our hearts and lives.

Sara emphasizes that full satisfaction cannot be reached when our goal ends in us.  “What about me?” needs to change to “What about Him?”.  While forgiveness is not easy for us,  forgiveness is possible with God.  When we forgive, we make room for what God wants to do.  Forgiveness means giving up our claim for justice and our need to be right.  And sometimes we must recognize that we have to move on. Through it all, it is essential for us to rely on God’s forgiveness, faithfulness, and favor.

Sara cautions us that it is futile to stay angry with God- nothing good comes of it.  Yet, when our little bit of faith intersects with God’s faithfulness, God can do amazing things in us and through us.  We struggle most with hurt when we seek love from other people rather than Jesus.  We can choose to let it go.  Sara concludes:

“There is no sweeter sound than the exhale of release.  Forgiveness is possible when we give it all to God.”

 

 

How Can I Possibly Forgive?

The secret to forgiveness

In Chapter 10 (“Where Love Finds You”), the concluding chapter of How Can I Possibly Forgive?, Sara Horn states that the day-to-day bitterness and resentment many of us struggle with can be broken down to our basic need for love.  Furthermore, we struggle most with our hurt when we look to everyone and everything else for love, rather than relying on the only true source- Jesus.  Sara then reveals the secret to forgiveness:

“This is the secret to forgiveness.  When we feel filled up to the brim with God’s love, grace, and mercy, these things also pour out of us, and we can let go of the junk because there’s no room for it anyway- we’re already full of his love.”

Sara adds that when we love God and reflect on His love for us, we are so enveloped by God’s love that it is not a struggle to forgive someone else.  It is a joy.  One way or the other, we reflect to others the nature of our relationship with Christ.  Not only do we reflect what God’s love looks like to us, but what God’s love looks like in us.

Sara encourages us to be intentional in showing love to other people on a daily basis.  But to extend that love to that person who annoys us or hurt us, we must show intensional love- love with intensity.  Sara concludes:

“There is no sweeter sound than the exhale of release.  Forgiveness is possible when we give it all to God.”

Today’s question: How has Sara’s book deepened your understanding of forgiveness?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: the Annotated Bibliography of How Can I Possibly Forgive?

The secret to forgiveness

Faith intersects with his faithfulness

In Chapter 9 of How Can I Possibly Forgive?, author Sara Horn states that it is futile to remain angry with God because nothing good comes from it.  Sara relates a story she heard about a pregnant woman who was run off the road and killed when a firefighter who had just finished his shift fell asleep at the wheel.

The woman left behind her husband, a pastor, and a little girl- a toddler who would never know her mother.  Yet, a few years after the accident, the husband and the firefighter had become friends.  Reflecting on the experience, the husband offered these words of insight and encouragement:

“I never would have wanted to endure what I went through, and I never want to feel that way again, but I am who I am today because of what God has done in me through these circumstances, and for that I’m grateful.  God is faithful- when our little bit of faith intersects with his faithfulness, God shows up big and does some amazing things in us and through us.”

As Sara explains, it’s not so much about our story as it is about God’s story.  We’re part of the narrative.  Our life is not our own.  God is the Lord of our life.

Today’s question: What Bible verses have enabled you to center your thoughts on God’s faithfulness?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “Let go of your anger”

 

Faith intersects with his faithfulness

Anger toward God

As Sara Horn continues Chapter 9 of How Can I Possibly Forgive?, she points out that the mistake we make in getting angry with God is that He is our only true source for receiving he help and peace we need.  We are implicitly saying that God is worse for us than better, that He is doing more damage than good in our life.  We place ourselves in a difficult position.

Sara explicitly states that our anger toward God is wrong.  However, it’s not wrong to ask God questions or to look, expect, and wonder- because this draws us closer to Him.

Why is it a bad idea to be angry with God in the first place?  Sara noes that when we allow ourselves to be angry with God:

1.  we ignore Scriptural truth that God desires our best, that He wants us not only to be happy, but holy.

2.  we deny that God works all things together for our good, believing God does not work through the bad things in life.  We limit God.

Manipulation, Sara observes, is what other people do.  God is holy and good.  He’s our Creator and our Lord.  God always is present with us.  He is faithful.  Only God can walk us through the storms of life.  He keeps His promises.

Today’s question: How has God demonstrated His faithfulness during your desert, transitional journey?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “Faith intersecting with faithfulness”

 

Anger toward God

The hearing test

In Chapter 9 (“When You’re Mad at God”) of How Can I Possibly Forgive?, Sara Horn observes that non-Christians might respond to hurts, disappointments, and tragedies by asserting that God is out to get them.  Christians, however, may not want to verbalize that God is out to get them, yet secretly wonder if He is- or at least question what God’s thinking.

Sara acknowledges the frustration of calling out to God, but being unsure if He’s actually listening.  We may feel God is to blame because He’s the only one capable of intervening and relieving our stress or heartache- and it’s not happening fast enough to suit us.

Getting mad at God doesn’t heal our hearts, however.  We put ourselves in isolation.  Our feeling close us off, preventing us from hearing His voice.  Sara explains:

“When we separate ourselves from God, we prolong our problem and we delay the restoration that comes with forgiveness- God’s forgiveness of us.  We keep our relationships with our heavenly Father at arm’s length, and we miss out on his wisdom.  We miss out on his grace.  We don’t hear his voice.”

It’s like taking a hearing test in a special booth equipped with a chair and headphones.  There are periods of prolonged, uncomfortable silence.  Yet we must be listening for His voice.

Today’s question: What Scriptures have helped you restore your relationship with Jesus?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “Anger toward God”

The hearing test

Faithfulness and favor

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in faithful love.”- Psalm 103:8

“The one who searches for what is good finds favor, but if someone looks for trouble, it will come to him.”- Proverbs 11:27

Sara Horn concludes Chapter 8 of How Can I Possibly Forgive? by encouraging us to remember God’s faithfulness and favor when we are having trouble forgiving ourselves.  As we are intentional in reflecting on the many seasons of our life where we have seen God’s fingerprints touching and surrounding us, we can be confident that God will continue to strengthen us on our transformational journey in the Land Between.

God not only uses difficult moments in our life for teaching and correction, but He also uses these moments as a reminder that life simply is better when we put Him first.  Our thoughts and feelings help us move in one of two ways: they either help us move forward or they hold us in place.  What we think has a direct impact on how we feel.  When we sense that our feelings are holding us back, we need to concentrate on the good things about God and the good things in our life.

Today’s question: As you reflect on the various seasons in your life, what specific examples of God’s faithfulness and favor come to mind?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “The hearing test”

 

 

 

 

 

Faithfulness and favor