Don't lose heart

My heart has been so troubled with the state the world has been in lately; I've been starting to question how humans can be so evil. These current events should convict us to examine ourselves and to acknowledge that God is alive and He is worthy of all praise. I couldn't understand how people cannot seem to grasp that and are still continuing to fuel the turmoil and suffering in the world. Then it dawned on me that humans have held the capacity for evil for much longer than just these past few generations. Humans exercised their freedom of choice to murder the son of the living God. Even when Jesus walked the earth as the perfect example of love, there were still people who rejected Him to the point of killing Him. Jesus knew that things would only get worse when He left this world. 

(But turning to them Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!'  Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.'  For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

Luke 23:28‭-‬31 ESV)

I don't write this to discourage but rather encourage us to keep fighting the good fight of faith because God is faithful to us. There is nothing our God cannot save us from. There is no evil more powerful than God's love. He keeps His promises and His love is boundless. His love is so strong that through Jesus's sacrifice came our salvation. No one else can take an act of evil of that magnitude and turn it into something so pure and good. We can't even fully grasp just what it is that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have done and continually do for us despite failing miserably to be worthy of His grace, and yet we receive it anyway. So we must answer the call of who God needs us to be to accomplish His work for the Kingdom. The point of our lives isn't to try and fix the entire world or to drive out all the evil in it. Only God can do that. Instead, we need to focus on what we can do and who we can help while we're here on earth. 

It can be overwhelming sometimes to see the evidence of how evil humanity can be but we need to remember that despite everything, God still comes out victorious. As long as we are on His side, we will too. Evil can be overwhelming but the love of God is more powerful than any evil we may experience on this earth and that is a wonderful thought. 

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

John 16:33 ESV

fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

Isaiah 41:10‭-‬13 ESV

Learning to Trust: A mantra

 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." This passage is so powerful to me right now and my present circumstances. I'm afraid surgery is imminent and it's the kind of surgery that can shift one's life forever. It's not a bad shift necessarily; however, it is final and it's not a decision to make lightly or without God. 

My OCD gets really loud during difficult times and it's an easy thing for Satan to use against me. I'm going to start interrupting those lies with, "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." 

I have hope that this surgery will improve mine and my family's lives. I have hope that being better physically may lead to more spiritual work for The Kingdom getting done. The hope of being able to cancel plans because of my social anxiety again instead of my uterus. I have hope for an eternity without pain and without suffering or sickness or anxiety. "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

These kinds of applications can be easy to accept when they apply to others and not so easy when it applies to one's self. Well, at least for me. I think there is a lot of wisdom in being patient especially during unpredictable and scary times. When you're prone to anxiety it can be easy to get very overwhelmed very quickly and make rash decisions. During these times it's essential that we take a deep breath, step back, and remind ourselves to Whom we belong and that He makes all things work together for good! 

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:26‭-‬28 ESV

I think there are times in our lives when we get to understand a little more deeply just how much God truly loves us. He wants us to be constant in prayer. He wants us to come to Him with everything in our lives, and why wouldn't we? Like sheep without their shepherd, we would be lost without God guiding our lives. 

"He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:3‭-‬4 ESV" 

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

1 Peter 5:6‭-‬11 ESV

-E.B.

On Their Hearts

This is a digital Bible journal for women to put together scripture, thoughts, comments, inspiring quotes, and other spiritual musings.

The title of the journal is called "On Their Hearts" based on Jeremiah 31:33 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

The aim of the journal is to help put God's law onto our hearts, to medicate on scripture, and build relationships through interaction, encouragement, and teaching.