Rising Above Discouragement (Part II)

It’s important to look at the definition of discouragement again to see the different elements that play into being discouraged.

Discouraged (According to Strong’s concordance): to waste away, to melt, vanish, drop off, melt away, to faint, grow fearful, wasted, worthless, to cause to melt

Fear knocks at the door

When we are discouraged there is generally an element of fear associated with the discouragement. We may fear that our past mistakes will dictate the rest of our lives. There is a feeling that there is no hope for a better future. We may think we are not good enough for a certain task/responsbility. As a result any of those thoughts or feelings can cause fear in our hearts and lead us to discouragement.

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. Matthew 8:26

The above scripture tells us the disciples became fearful and their faith faltered when they saw the storm. However, Jesus rebuked the storm without allowing it to cause fear in His heart.

When the storms of life bring discouragement, we need to recognize the enemy’s schemes who is trying to derail us. It’s necessary to rebuke the spirit behind that discouragement and speak peace to our spirit and emotions.

Worthlessness raises its ugly head

Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Sometimes the discouragement comes from feeling of not being valued. Those who give of themselves the most can feel discouraged  because their worth seems to be based on what they give rather than true appreciation of who they are as a person. It’s good to be generous with our encouragement because we don’t know who may be struggling emotionally.

People’s encouragement in my life sometimes comes from unexpected people in my life. The Lord has used people at the gym (believers and unbelievers) to say something that was just the right word to encourage me. There are other times, when I seek help by talking to my husband or calling a friend.

One melts away

Sometimes discouragement can be so strong that we can’t even stand up straight. When one goes through the loss of a loved one or  a job loss, it can take the wind out of the person. Discouragement can leave an individual on the floor helpless and falling apart for a while.

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Waiting on God in those tough times is all we can do. We may be too weak to fight, too tired to care, and too discouraged to see hope. All we can do it to wait on God’s deliverance. God will get us out of the pit. He will give us strength to fly again. He will give us the energy to care, and He will allow us to see Him in a new and fresh way. Praise God that He doesn’t allow His people to stay in a place of discouragement.

Discouragement will come to the best of us that’s why it’s important to be prepared to handle it well before we get into that position!

For comments, please contact me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

 

 

 

Rising Above Discouragement (Part I)

Discouragement is a tough and paralyzing place to be. Most people don’t choose to go there, but somehow through a series of events, they find themselves in a pit of discouragement!

Definition of Discouraged (According to Strong’s concordance): to waste away, to melt, vanish, drop off, melt away, to faint, grow fearful, wasted, worthless, to cause to melt.

The above definition of discouragement paints a very good picture of the condition of someone who is discouraged. Discouraged people may feel small and inferior. Another group may find themselves fearful and weak in certain situations, but all of those feelings are triggered by certain events or people that bring someone to the point of discouragement.

One feels small

“Praise the Lord of hosts, For the Lord is good, For His mercy endures forever”— and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the Lord. Jeremiah 33: 11b

When people are discouraged, their emotions are weak. They don’t feel courageous and can’t see themselves fighting any longer. They think that they can’t go on anymore. That’s the time when we need to bring the sacrifices of praise to God. The more discouraged we are, the more tendency to be focused on ourselves. This is when we need to do the hard work of taking our eyes off of ourselves and just look to God and praise Him for who He is.

Reminding ourselves of God’s attributes and giving Him thanks for His involvement in our lives, takes our focus off of ourselves and puts it on our mighty God! This will be a sacrifice at times. It may even feel like we are not being honest with how we feel. The truth is that God doesn’t change because we don’t feel right, so we are basically declaring His unchanging attributes whether at the moment we feel them or not.

Praise will allow us to come to a better and calmer place emotionally. It will prevent us from making rash decisions, and it will help us to avoid making ungodly vows/statements such as, “She is never going to change.”, or “I’m not going to try again.”.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

For comments, please contact me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

 

The Purpose of the Church (Part III)

The church is the body of Christ

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14

The church is the body of Christ with many functions. I love how God gives us visual aid about His kingdom that is so closely connected with our lives. The fact that the body is an analogy for the church, helps us to continually look at our own bodies and recognize the value and importance of each part of our body just as each believer is in the body of Christ.

Most of us can remember the last time we stubbed our toe and how much it hurt. It made us stop doing what we were doing for a minute until we got our composure back. If the toe hurt really badly, we may not be able to wear closed shoes for a while because we didn’t want anything touching it for a while. Every part of the body matters!

Just because we don’t think about a particular part of our body all the time, it doesn’t mean it’s insignificant. At the same time, just because we put a lot of attention to certain parts such as our hair or our faces, it doesn’t mean that they are more important or valuable. If we don’t have a healthy heart or a sound mind, we are not going to live a full life regardless of how cute we look externally!

Every part of our body is important and as a result we need to take care of it, nourish it, and help it to stay healthy and strong. It is God’s desire for the body of Christ to be healthy and that no one stays behind in being encouraged, valued, and strengthened. If one part suffers, whether we understand it or not, the rest of us are suffering.

There are people whom I haven’t seen for a while who have an important part to play in the body such as being a watchman in the house. They are called to intercede for those things that God shows them in the body. However, by them not being connected, they cannot do their part to supply the need of the body, and in return the body can’t connect and supply their needs. Everyone lacks/suffers because of it.

But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 1Corinthians 12: 20-22

Paul is writing this to the Corinthian church because he must have heard of their behavior towards one another. Sometimes believers can be as immature as children squabbling over things and hurting each other by making one feel inferior or less than others. That’s sad, and we need to pray that we can all mature in those areas. Nevertheless, just because someone may make us feel not needed, it doesn’t mean that it’s the truth. If we believe we belong to the body of Christ , then other parts of the body don’t have a say to dictate our value or destiny in God. The Lord has placed us there, so He wants us there regardless of how we are treated by other parts of the body.

Joseph’s brothers didn’t see much value in him. As a matter of fact, they were intimidated and jealous of his relationship with their father Jacob, so they tried to get rid of him. However, they could not overrule God. God had placed a specific purpose in Joseph’s life that the brothers could not steal, kill, or destroy. God’s will prevailed. Thank you Lord!

It is important to know our part, so we won’t be too busy looking at others and what they are doing. We don’t need to compare or copy someone else’s work in the body. Even when it comes to similar functions such as ears, the left ear will hear things that the right ear may not hear and vice versa. Just because I hear something different it doesn’t mean I’m right and the other person is wrong. We should all be in the business of helping the body to become stronger by encouraging each member to do his/her function uniquely well!

For comments, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com

The purpose of the Church (Part II)

The Church is the temple of God

you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5

In the Old Testament, the temple was God’s habitation and only a few had the privilege of entering the holy of holies. In the New Testament, we become God’s habitation by receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Each of us is called a living stone because the Holy Spirit in us keeps us alive and changing. Together we represent the temple of God where His presence dwells because He doesn’t dwell in buildings made of natural stones any longer but in His people who are the living stones!

It’s important for each of us as a living stone to take our place in the building of God and not fidget or quit!  God wants every one of us to do our part in the temple of the living God. This is where we really need to understand our value to God and to His people regardless of whether we feel like it or not. When we see God’s plan and His purpose for the church, we recognize the importance of doing our part within his spiritual house.

It always surprises me on how people can take it upon themselves and decide to leave a community of believers out of hurt or frustration. If we made a covenant with God to be the Lord of our lives, then how can we take our life back when things get difficult? We need to continue to stay faithful to our commitment to the Lord and not do anything out of our own soulish/carnal desire. If we really believe that we are a living stone used in His hands to build a spiritual house, then we also need to trust Him that He knows best where to place us. It may be that for a while we won’t like it or appreciate what He is doing, but we always know that He is at work in our lives as well as in the lives of others. No pain or frustration is wasted if we allow Him to use it to shape us (the living stones) through it.

The church is the bride of Christ

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,  that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27

Jesus is coming back for His bride who is without spot or wrinkle. The bride of Christ is a collection of people who have accepted and received Jesus as the Lord of their lives. Jesus is coming back for all of us, and so we all have an individual and collective responsibility to do our part to help the bride be holy and without blemish.

Just as Esther was prepared by the King’s servants to be presented before the king, Jesus gives us everything we need to prepare us for the awesome day when Jesus returns for His bride. There is no competition in this, but collaboration of His people to make the church ready to meet her bridegroom at the banquet He has prepared for her.

For comments please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

The Purpose of the Church (Part I)

God’s vision for the church is great and His purpose for it is deep and wide! The church has many important functions assigned to it by God. Each and every one of them is significant in our perspective of the church and what our proper expectation and responsibilities are towards it. When we know and understand the different functions of the church, it gives us a balance in our viewpoint, and it keeps us from disillusionment or disappointment.

Jesus is the Cornerstone

True church is first and foremost is established on the work of Christ as our Messiah. Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The Bible is our guide in all truth; it is the inerrant word of God. If any church or denomination questions the validity of the word of God, they are not the true church and are headed in the wrong direction and away from the truth!

We cannot just worship God and think we are following Christ. We cannot believe in Jesus and at the same time believe in other religions because they do not all lead to the same place. Our own humanism and social work in the community or around the world does not produce a true church as Jesus described it. The church must be built on Jesus. The Bible gives us the full account of creation, God, and His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. That’s the foundation of a true church.

The church is the family of God

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Galatians 4:6

When we come to salvation every one of us are adopted to the family of God, and we get to call God, “Abba Father”. We join a family along with all the others believers who are now our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Most of us have had dysfunction in our family of origin due to sin and rebellion. Now, God brings us to a new family to relearn how to do life in a new and healthier way. Just as an orphan, we have much to learn by letting go of our self-preservation and becoming a family member.

Our past patterns and selfish behaviors need to be denied, so we can take on a new identity in Christ. This is hard work and many times it’s going to make us feel like running away from the pain of change, but it is a very important part of our development to get established, settled, healed, delivered, and set free in the new life!

Our success in spiritual family will come from not looking to the church for our new identity, but to see the family as one who helps and supports us to establish our identity in Christ. If we don’t get this right, we are bound to have great disappointments down the road because someone or some people will eventually disappoint us. When our identity is established in Christ not in our pastor, elders, or others, then we can navigate through tough times successfully. Otherwise sin or issues in the church can wreak havoc in our spiritual life.

We all assume our identity is established in Christ, but we really don’t know until the tests and the difficulties come. If we have a faulty identity, God in His mercy will orchestrate circumstances in our lives to expose the false identity. While that’s a painful process, but praise God that He addresses false security and deals with it powerfully!

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

For comments, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

Benefits of Meekness (Part II)

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus is specifically telling us that in addition to taking his yoke, he wants us to learn from his gentleness and humility. Jesus was so gentle and humble that in spite of all the opposition, He wasn’t tempted to sin. He responded without reacting to people!

Harshness fires people up with wrath, but gentleness keeps relationships calm and steady. It allows our souls to be at rest because we are not in a fighting mode with God or with man. When we are harsh, we provoke others into an adverse response. We are stirring up sin and evil behavior rather than bringing an atmosphere of peace and gentleness. Meekness provides a safe place for people to open up and make themselves vulnerable.

It’s a lie to think that we have to be loud, rough, or curt to make our voices heard. If what we say is led by the Lord, then the Lord will make sure that His word will not return void to him. He will defend His word! If the words we are speaking are just our own ideas or somebody else’s ideas, then we should slow down and not take the matters into our own hands. We need to find out what God says about the situation, and how He wants us to handle it. It takes a long time to build good and strong relationships, but it takes a moment to tear them down!

Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

When it comes to spiritual inheritance, we may think that we have to fight battles against the people and the enemy to possess the land by force. While there is a fighting element in our spiritual walk, but we fight with meekness not harshness! The above scripture tells us that our inheritance comes when we are meek. Meekness allows us not to get out of control but remain in the spirit regardless of difficulty or opposition. We possess our own souls by not allowing it to destroy relationships. In the process, God opens the door and backs up by giving us more peace, joy, revelation, power, and authority to do God’s work and bring His kingdom and His will on the earth. He also increases our inheritance by giving us greater influence in the lives of those around us.

Meekness is part of God’s nature and it is our inheritance! Ask God to help you become more meek. Look out for those tests that will come, which will try to push you into your old nature by getting you angry or harsh. Use them to exercise meekness by His power! Praise God!

 

 

Benefits of Meekness (Part I)

God’s word is permeated with ways that we can practically live out our spiritual life displaying the fruit of the spirit rather than fruit of the flesh.

A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

I saw the reality of the above verse lived out before my eyes last week. I was sitting outside of Peet’s Coffee visiting with a friend when we saw a big pick up truck pulling into a temporary (20 min) parking spot. The driver came out of his car and dashed into Peet’s to get his cup of coffee. As soon as he walked inside, we heard a sound of a baby crying in the back seat of his truck. My friend & I  decided just to monitor the situation and take action if/when necessary.

Shortly after, this elderly woman came along walking by the truck, and she heard the baby crying. She got angry and  said, “ I can’t believe the baby is left in the car unattended! I can call the Police on him!” We reassured her that the father will be back soon since he had left his car running. So she decided to walk into Peet’s and find him. In the meantime, I walked to the car, talked to the baby through the window, and reassured him that Daddy was going to be back soon.

In less than five minutes both the man and the elderly lady stepped out of Peet’s yelling at each other. The woman angrily said, “He doesn’t care if I call the Police on Him”. The man hollered, “Call the Police! I’ll stay right here. Just go ahead and call the Police!” Fortunately, the woman walked away shaking her head but didn’t call the police. However, I thought to myself this whole scenario could have looked so different.

If the woman had approached the driver/father with a gentle word rather than a threat, things could have turned out much better. He may even have thanked her for her concern. The reality is that both parties didn’t want to see the baby harmed. They both had the same goal, but the way they handled it, you would have thought they were each other’s enemies.

While our motives could be right, at times our approach is rough, and  it rubs people the wrong way. Then we wonder why they don’t appreciate what we shared with them since after all it was for their good.

Sometimes people feel powerless and insecure about the person/situation, so they compensate for it by being rough, forceful, or loud to get their point across or look powerful!

Lord, help us to be meek especially with those who are challenging to us! Thank you Lord. Amen!

For comments, please contact me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

 

 

Meekness Towards All

Meekness is a required trait for God’s people! We’re called to be mild and fair. God’s people are supposed to be emotionally calm and stable and not have tantrums or outbursts.

And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 4-7

The solution to this gentleness is found within the above verses. The scripture tells us to rejoice in the Lord always. It doesn’t tell us to rejoice in our circumstances, neither does it tell us to rejoice in people. On the other hand, we always have a reason to rejoice in God! When we choose to rejoice in Him, it changes our attitude and mood. It takes us from a place of defeat, frustration, or sadness, to a place of serenity, calmness, and contentment.

We are admonished to make our gentleness be evident to all. That means we are not only gentle with those we like/need in our lives, but we are also gentle with those that are difficult or rude. We shouldn’t change based on the person we are interacting with.  If God has truly developed meekness in us, then we will continue to exhibit and portray God’s nature regardless of the circumstances around us.

In verse 7 above, it tells us not to be anxious about anything. Sometimes the lack of gentleness comes from being anxious. When we think we can’t control/change something, it can lead us to being rough, edgy, and short with people. The scripture tell us to submit and surrender our anxiety to God and give him thanks for who He is and what He has done in our lives.

Surrendering our anxiety gives us the ability to gain His peace in spite of our circumstances. People and situations may not change right away. We may still not understand why things are happening the way they are, but we can have a peace that goes beyond our understanding. Where in the past we may have blown up on innocent friends, family members, or coworkers, the changed state of mind, spirit, and emotions helps us to be gentle even in tough situations.

Praise God for His word and His grace carrying us through life!

For comments, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com

 

 

God’s Special Calling

God bestows upon every believer gifts and abilities to be used for His purpose and glory. It takes a lifetime to see those gifts and abilities unfolded and brought to maturity in our lives. A believer can also receive a special and unique calling from God which becomes their lifelong assignment.

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Romans 11:29 (KJV)

I love this scripture!  The Lord declares that he does not regret inviting us to His banquet table, making us part of His family, and bestowing the gifts that He has given us. He is a generous Father who out of His loving kindness has given us all things.

Since God has given us the gifts and the calling, He will ensure that they are utilized in the way He sees fit at the right time. We don’t have to wonder, strive, or push to make something happen. It’s His project, and He is the greatest project manager ever in existence! He doesn’t waste time, gifts, or talents.

The process of building our character takes a long time before we can handle the weight of the gifts we are carrying! Nevertheless when look at it in the light of the fact that God does not regret giving us rich and powerful gifts, it motivates us to stay on the potter’s wheel, so He can develop us to such a level that everything we do represents His excellency!

God called the Biblical characters in different ways. He called Moses by speaking to him through a burning bush, and His assignment was so large that only God could accomplish it. David was anointed to be the future king, but everything that happened after this event went completely opposite of someone getting ready for the throne. Daniel never got a vision or a dream from God about his special calling. He just found himself captive by the Babylonians and then trained in their ways before he entered the kings’ services.

For individuals such as Abraham and Joseph, God’s assignments came years prior to them getting fulfilled. These individuals didn’t seek a calling; God found them and spoke of their calling. At other times, for people such as Ruth and Esther the circumstances dropped them in tough/unique situations. It was through their intimacy and obedience to God and those around them that they were able to fulfill their calling and assignment to God.

The beauty of all of this is that we don’t have to worry or be anxious about our calling or whether our calling is getting fulfilled in the right timeframe. God is the initiator, and He is the one who will fulfill the calling. Our part is to yield to Him, be in tune with Him, and stay connected to His people. This will allow us to hear Him if/when there is a change of direction and respond accordingly.

Because we belong to Him, His DNA flows through us. As a result, we have the privilege and the opportunity to represent Him regardless of whether we know our specific calling or not. Thank you Lord! Let’s represent Him well today!

For comments, please contact me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

The Calling of God

The calling of God is tied to our identity in that we cannot come to full understanding and obedience of our calling until we are saved and renewed in our identity. However, it is different because the calling for the most part is established on the foundation of our identity. The call of God is a three-fold calling.

The Call to himself

First and foremost God calls us to himself. It is an invitation to get to know Him. The more we get to know Him, the more settled we become. The more settled we are, the easier it is to abide in Him and yield to Him. John 3:16 is an invitation to “whosoever”. God sends out the invitation to all who have been destitute, helpless, broken down, and weary. He desires for people to come home, get settled in the Father’s house, and enjoy His banqueting table. This is the place that God changes our nature, so we can identify with Him rather than our past.

The Call to become like Jesus

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29

The call of God is His desire to exhibit the nature of God in us. The fruit of the spirit is the nature of God. He uses people and circumstances over a period of time to form the fruit of the Spirit in us. The more we develop the fruit of the Spirit, the more we look like Jesus. This is the internal fruitfulness, and it is a very important part of the call of God in our lives.

The Call to the Great Commission

The third part of the call of God is the call to the Great Commission. We are called to advance His kingdom by telling others about Jesus, seeing them set free from bondage of sin, and discipling them into obedience and maturity (See Matthew 28:18-20). This is an external fruitfulness where the fruitfulness is helping others change and become more like Jesus.

It is important that we respond to the entire call of God. If we don’t develop intimacy with the Lord when He calls us to Himself, we will operate in our old nature. That’s when people become performance driven because they are not yielded to God’s leading; they just want to do good works because it makes them feel significant and is impressive to others.

We all need to allow the Holy Spirit to develop the fruit of the Spirit in us, so we can truly represent the Lord well. For example, we may be great at sharing the gospel with our co-workers, but we don’t like to work hard at our jobs. This makes one look like a hypocrite because while the person is working on the Great Commission, they are not working on developing the fruit of spirit by becoming faithful in their jobs. That makes one’s words and actions not to match up.

Lord help us to respond to your entire call in our lives. Amen!

For comments, please contact me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.