GodandMe2theMax

Who is my god? The object of my affection...

Yesterday I downloaded a new book on my kindle called "Craving God: A 21 Day Devotional" by Lisa TerKeurst.  It was free, and published by Zondervann, so I figured I couldn't go wrong.  The book is about craving God instead of food.  (At least with the given title and my limited reading so far, that's what I can tell.)

As I read the first chapter, I was quickly allerted to the fact that this "devotional" had only a vague reference to Psalm 139 with us being fearfully and wonderfully made.  Sure, the content has been good so far, but when I finished the first chapter, I definitely didn't feel "fed" spiritually.  You know, just because something says "devotional" on it, doesn't mean it's filled with God's Word.  And to grow spiritually, we have to be cautious to not fill our mind with words from good people...we have to focus on God's inspired Word.  Ironic, yes, coming from a blogger.  But true, nonetheless.

Like I said, the content has been good, and I'm going to finish this book.  Struggle with food has always been a life-long battle for me.  Here's some quotes from the book so far...

"I had to get honest enough to admit that I relied on food more than I relied on God, I craved food more than I craed God."

"Is it possible we love and rely on food more than we love and rely on God?  Now before you delete this, hear me out.  This question is crucial.  We have to see the purpose of our struggle with food as something more than getting to wear smaller sizes and receiving compliments.  Shallow desires produce shallwo efforts...The process of getting healthy has to be about more than just losing weight and focusing on ourselves.  It's not about adjusting our diets and hoping for good physical results.  It's about recalibrating our souls so that we want to change for the right reasons."

But as I contemplated the words from the book, I turned to God's book, and for whatever reason, he led me to Psalm 23.  The Lord is my shepherd.  I shall not be in want.  Interesting that the Lord led me to that.  If I am craving food, maybe I'm not letting the Lord be my shepherd.  Hmmm...  He leads me...He restores me...He guides me...He's with me...He prepares my table...

So as I contemplated the combination of my new little "devotional" book with God's book, He led me to write this poem this morning.  It's a question we each have to ask ourselves, not once, but every single day.  Who or what is our god?  Who or what is the object of our affection?  I'm renewed today with an even greater desire to keep my God with a big - G on the throne.

Who is my god?  The object of my affection.

Wake up super early, phone by my bed.
No time for breakfast, gotta get the kids fed.
Must have my coffee, can’t live without it.
Then find time to work out so I can stay fit.

Making good progress, now it’s my time for me.
Kids are at school, and I’m finally free.
On the docket today, shopping and fun.
And of course some facebook while I’m on the run.

A glance at my watch says it’s time to stop
Kids will be home soon and the floors still need mopped.
Dinner is served.  Homework is done.
Kids are in bed.  Watch out tv, here I come.

The end of the day, it’s quickly in sight.
I got it all done, with all of my might.
Almost asleep.  Whoops, gotta say a quick prayer.
Then God speaks back in the dark night air.

“Who is your god?  You’ve replaced Me, you see.
The day is over, but what about Me?
You have time for shopping, you have time for fun.
You have time for friends, but time for me, there’s none.

Who is your god, the coffee, your phone?
Is it your food, your chocolate, am I still on the throne?
Am I King of Your life, ruling supreme?
Or have I been replaced with more important things?”

“But God, I just had so much to do.
Tomorrow will be better.  I’ll find time for You.”
But the pattern continues.  Night after night.
“I’ll change, God.  Tomorrow will start off right.”

Truth be told, nothing changes until the heart is clean
With motives and sin on the table to be seen.
The object of my affection each day must be You.
My big G-God, my provider, my only love true.

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

Looking for the Light...

Psalm 18:28  "You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light."

Have you ever had a time in your life when things just looked dark?  I'm not talking about being depressed, necessarily, but just where there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel?  Life just seems to control you to the point that you aren't enjoying life?  Been there...and very recently, I might add.

As I've been searching for the light at the end of the tunnel, praying, and begging God for answers, He began to reveal some things to me.  Basically, I've been holding on to some things in my life that were keeping me from seeing that light.  I had my little security blanket, preventing me from expanding my faith.  Do you have any security blankets?  Mine wasn't just a little blankie, it was a big, thick one.  One I thought I would never let go of.  One that I thought I couldn't let go of.  I realized I had allowed that blanket to become my identity, essentially replacing Who should be my identity - my God.

If I am to grow spiritually, the decision was inevitable.  I had to drop my security blanket and run into God's blanket of security.  I was scared.  I didn't know if I could do what I need to do, but I knew what God was telling me, so I obeyed.  And you know what, after I obeyed, I am starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. 

Take a look at the verse to memorize for this week.  Psalm 18:28  "You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light."  When we just turn to the Lord, He sustains us.  He keeps our lamp burning.  Not only does He sustain us, but He turns what looks so dark and bleak into a wonderful ray of light!  God has challenged me this last week to look for the light, drop my security blanket, and expand my faith.  What's He teaching you?

Security
© Beth Banfill

I'm dropping my security blanket
I'm following the light at the door
I'm putting all my trust in Your leading
With each step my faith is built even more.
Yes, I'm dropping my security blanket,
And I'm running into Your blanket of security.

We all have things we hold so dear
We think they make us who we are.
But God's telling me to have no fear
To let go.  And let God take me far.

I'm dropping my security blanket
I'm following the light at the door
I'm putting all my trust in Your leading
With each step my faith is built even more.
Yes, I'm dropping my security blanket,
And I'm running into Your blanket of security.

No regrets.  Pure Peace.  His still small voice
Says, "Trust Me.  I've got a plan."
So I resign my will, and I'll trust You still.
My life is secure in Your hands.

I'm dropping my security blanket
I'm following the light at the door
I'm putting all my trust in Your leading
With each step my faith is built even more.
Yes, I'm dropping my security blanket,
And I'm running into Your blanket of security.

My identity is not in my job or my things
It's not in all the things that I know
My identity lies only in Christ my King
The end of the tunnel is all aglow!

I'm dropping my security blanket
I'm following the light at the door
I'm putting all my trust in Your leading
With each step my faith is built even more.
Yes, I'm dropping my security blanket,
And I'm running into Your blanket of security.

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

Stressed out 'cuz there's No Room in the Inn...

Psalm 94:19   "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."

Busy.  It's the story of my life.  It's the life story of probably most of the people reading this.  I often find myself so busy I can't prioritize things.  I find myself juggling the urgency of the immediate with putting out fires here and there, never with enough hours in the day to do everything I really need to do.  Lack of planning?  Maybe.  Overcommitted?  Probably.  Stressed beyond words?  Definitely.

Somehow over the last few weeks, I made a serious miscalculation of priorities.  I never found the time or energy to make my hotel reservations for Wednesday evening near the airport in Dallas.  You see, my flight was leaving early Thursday morning, and although I don't live that far from the airport, my colleague I was traveling with lives quite a bit further away.  The flight was to leave at 5:45 Thursday morning, so we really needed to have a hotel closer to the airport.

The plan was simple.  Get off work at 5:00 PM.  Pack for the upcoming trip to Baltimore.  Make a quick hotel reservation, eat dinner, and leave by 6:30 Wednesday evening for worship team practice.  My friend was going to meet me at church after practice, and off we'd go to the airport hotel.  Good plan, right?  Sure, in a perfect world, it was.  Unfortunately, I miscalculated quite a few things.  I got off work around 5:30 PM, leaving plenty of things still to do.  I then went to book the hotel.  Anytime I've had to get a hotel near the airport, I've always stayed at the Hyatt, right at DFW airport.  They always have good travel agent rates, and it's the obvious choice. 

"I'm sorry, we're sold out tonight.  Do you want me to transfer you to the Four Seasons?"  Um.  Easy answer on that one.   "No, thanks."  I hung up the phone and expanded my search.  No big deal.  I made another call.  And another.  And another.  And another.  And another.  I thnk you get the idea.  Apparently the storm that rumbled through the area earlier in the day caused quite a few cancelled flights.  There must have been some big meeting in town, too, because an affordable hotel room was no where to be found.  Panic began to sink in.  I still needed to pack, and it was quickly becoming apparent that I was running out of time. 

Frantic, I gave up on finding a hotel and started to throw things in my suitcase.  I may be the travel agent in the family, but my sweet husband Frank came to the rescue to pinch hit for me.  He stayed on the phone for another thirty minutes while I tied up the rest of the loose ends in preparation for the trip.  It was past time for me to leave for practice, and I still didn't have a hotel. 

"Just give up," I told him.  I had already decided to have my colleague just stay at our house for the night.  We'll just have to get up at 2 AM, that's all.  I was so discouraged, and the stress of the week had about taken me over.  The white flag was on the pole, and I was raising it up quickly.  "Just let me try one more," he said.  It took a few minutes, but Frank's persistence paid off.  He found a hotel room for us, granted, it was fifteen minutes south of the airport and about $30 more than I wanted to pay, but it was a room, nonetheless.

You know, I love how God works.  He always comes through, in spite of me.  I'm so glad that He doesn't adopt the phrase "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on My part."  OK, truth be told, sometimes He probably does.  Sometimes we have to learn from our mistakes.  But I'm grateful at least this time, He did not enforce that lack of planning comment.  If He did, I'd be a goner for sure. 

I don't know about you, but when things don't go as I plan, I get discouraged.  Maybe in this case I should say, when I don't plan for things appropriately, I get discouraged.  Either way, the stress of the situation left me downtrodden and exhausted before I even began my trip.  I made it through worship team practice (quite hungry, I might add, since I never even had time to eat that dinner I had planned).  We got to the hotel around 10:30 PM.  As I sat in bed that night with my mind racing, I tried to evaluate how I could have done things differently.  I let my mind wander, and all I could think of us how my God once again saved the day, proving Himself faithful, in spite of my ignorance. 

Look at the verse to memorize for the week.  Psalm 94:19   "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."

If there's one thing I've learned in recent years, it's to look for God in life's situations.  So many times we think God is there for us on Sundays, and that's where He stays.  We forget that when things go wrong through the week, He's right there, ready to console us.  We just need to turn to Him.  And when we do, He turns our anxiety into joy. 

I make a habit each night of praying myself to sleep.  Granted, sometimes it doesn't take long, considering I can usually fall asleep within minutes, but it gives me the opportunity to just talk to God about everything that happened through the day.  It gives me the opportunity to reflect.  And it gives me the opportunity to find the joy that only He can provide.

As you memorize the verse with me this week, let's also try to put it into practice.  Let's allow God to console our spirit and bring joy into our lives, despite anxious circumstances.  Even when there's 'no room in the inn...

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

Be Still and Know I am God...

Psalm 46:10  "Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the heathen; I will be exalted in the earth."

Last week was one of the roughest ones I've had in a while.  My husband has been in Africa for nearly two weeks, and on Thursday, we found out that God had closed a door that until that point seemed wide open.  God didn't just close it, He locked it and seemingly threw away the key.  Honestly, I was pretty devastated.  I found myself desperately crying, even arguing with God.  By the time my tears had run dry, I found myself re-reading my own blog from last week.  I told God He had a real sense of humor, because the sample prayer I wrote needed to be re-iterated in real time as I poured out my heart to my Father.  Emotionally, I was spent before the day began on Thursday.  I had a lot of questions for God, none of which He answered directly, except to say to me, "Be still, and know that I am God.  I have a plan.  Just have faith."

As I have prayed about what verse to memorize this week, Psalm 46:10 is the only verse God has given me peace about.  If you're like me, you may  already have the first part of the verse memorized, but you likely have not memorized the entire verse. 

Let's take a look at it a little more deeply. 

"Be still."  This is a command, and it comes from a root word rapha, which means to be weak, to let go, or to release.  Maybe a better translation might be "cause yourself to let go" or "let yourself become weak."  Ok, God, I get it.  Let go.  Let go of my wishes and desires.  Quit trying to be strong and handle things on your own.  I release it to You.

Notice the second directive in the verse - know.  How still should we be?  We should be so still that we should surrender to the point that we know God is in control.  God is God.  God is God in the good times, and He is God in the rough times.  We need to "give up, become weak, let go, and release" so that we can fully rely on God's strength and power. 

The next two parts of the verse are a promise.  You know we can rest fully in God that He is in control, but the end result is the topping on the cake.  He will be the victor of the things of this world.  His Kingdom will be established on the earth, and He will be exalted.  Did you get that?  HE WILL BE EXALTED!!!  It doesn't matter what things don't go the way we want them to here on earth.  My God is the King Supreme!  In this battle of sin here on earth, He has already won the battle, and He is coming back to reign here on earth.

You know, when you put it in perspective, my "BIG PROBLEMS" are not problems at all to God.  He clearly knows the outcome of every situation.  He has a plan, and although I can't always see it in "real time" it doesn't matter.  My job right now is just to be still, and know that He is God. 

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

I've got this...

Psalm 42:8  "By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me -- a prayer to the God of my life."

OK, I don't know about you, but I've had a really rough and emotional week.  I'm not going to lie.  When you have a sick child with a yet undiagnosed illness, choosing joy in the rough times is easier said than done.  I've tried my best to be consistent in my quiet time, and let me tell you, I love how God works.  He always seems to direct my eyes to just what I need to see in His Word. 

The verse I chose to memorize for this week is one that was especially meaningful to me the last few days.  I've been reading through Psalms and Proverbs this month, and I actually read it a few weeks ago.  When I did, I highlighted it in my Bible, and kept on reading.  You see, that's the cool thing about God.  He reveals Himself to us through His written word, and God has a way of directing us to just what we need to read to hear His voice on just the day we need to hear it.  For some reason last week when I sat down to read, I felt God was directing me to go back and review some of the things I had highlighted in earlier days in the month.

Read Psalm 42.  In it, the psalmist talks about thirsting for God, being down in the dumps, choosing joy and trusting God.  It's the famous passage where the author says, "Why are you so sad?  Put your trust in God!"  But I love how God works.  This time, it wasn't that well known verse that stuck out to me; however, He did use another verse in this chapter to really encourage me. 

Take a look at verse eight.  "By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me -- a prayer to the God of my life."  During the day time, when I'm awake, God tells me, "I love you.  Don't worry, I've got this."  And at night, He holds me tightly, sings me a lullaby and rocks me to sleep.  That's the visual image I have with the second part of this verse.  At night, when all is quiet and my mind easily wanders into the different scenarios and plays the "what if" game, God my Father, my daddy, holds me so tightly that His love erases all other emotions.  His love is with me during the day, and His song is with me at night.  He's got this.  When I'm awake.  When I'm asleep.  My God who never slumbers has this under control, and even though I feel so helpless, it doesn't matter.  All I need to do is trust Him.  This verse gives me such peace!

Then I love the end of the verse.  "A prayer to the God of my life."  I've sat here and tried to find words to express how I feel when I read that phrase.  I usually don't have trouble expressing myself (as you well know) but the only thing I can think of is that I feel comforted - the kind of comfort that comes when a needed hug is received.  No, not a little hug, I'm talking about a big bear hug that squeezes away all fear and pain, leaving only tears of joy.  If I can say those words with honesty, that God is the God of my entire life, then I have to believe when He says, "I've got this" that He does.  For me, that's the kind of hug that I needed this week. 

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Longing for Presents or Longing for His presence?

Isaiah 30:18  "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you: He rises to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for Him." (NIV)

"Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore, He waits on high to have compassion on you.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  How blessed are all those that long for Him. (NAS)

Are you longing for Christmas?  Are the kids in your family and those you know longing for that day they can open presents?  How about you?  Have you ever longed for something?  I mean, really wanted something so badly that you could hardly stand it? 

My first baby was supposed to arrive before Mother's Day in 1996, but she was three weeks late, and God had other plans.  This was my miracle baby that I had prayed and prayed for.  She should have been here by Mother's Day, at least that's what I thought.  I longed to have and hold my little baby girl.

I can think most recently to just a few weeks ago.  My husband went to Tanzania for two weeks.  Things were crazy at work for me, and those were perhaps the longest two weeks of my life.  We have two kids in two different schools that start and end at two different times.  Those were two rough weeks for me, and I was counting the minutes for him to land and make it home.  Yes, I longed for his return.

With the Christmas season upon us, what about the characters in the Christmas story?  Think about Mary.  Can you imagine how she longed to hold baby Jesus, this child she carried for nine months, this promised One from God?  As much as I longed to hold my new baby, I can only imagine what Mary felt like!  And what about the shepherds?  I think Luke 2:16 says it all, "They came with haste and found Mary, Joseph, and the babe, lying in the manger."  Yep, I dare say each of them knew what it meant to have a longing in their hearts.

Now that you've conjured up those longing feelings, let's look back to the verse.  The Lord longs to be gracious to you.  Imagine that.  God desperately wants to be gracious...to me!  I read this verse in my quiet time last week and was astounded by it.  I just sat there and read and re-read, pondering every word.  I mean, how amazing is it that God in heaven longs to do good things for me?  And how awesome is it that God blesses us for longing for Him?  It is unfathomable to me, actually!

Now think about one of those times when you've personally longed for something.  Have you ever had just as much energy and emotion directed toward God in that same way?  If not, why?  If so, is it a faint memory, or is it a constant directive in your life?  You know, the best present we can give God this Christmas is our presence.  I don't know about you, but that's what I want to give this Christmas...myself.  It's actually the only thing I can give to my Heavenly Father that matters.  It's the only gift He wants.  He longs for this gift, and I should long to give it, too.  Me.  100% all of me.  What's it going to be this Christmas?  Presents? or Presence?

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Encouraging during the lemons of life...

Proverbs 12:25  "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up."

Sometimes God allows things to happen and take place in our life that the world would simply call a "lemon" of a deal.  When these things happen, when the lemons are dealt, we are often left feeling disheartened.  No, not necessarily depressed or even worried, just simply heavy hearted.  

Think about Naomi.  If you're not familiar with the story, take some time to go read the book of Ruth.  From the world's perspective, Naomi was dealt some real lemons.  Her husband had died.  She had two sons, and they both passed away.  Naomi was no longer even living in her homeland or near her relatives for support.  All she had left was her two daughter-in-laws: Orpah and Ruth.  These tragedies left Naomi disheartened to the point that she told Ruth to call her Mara, because "the Almighty has made my life very bitter."  Her anxious heart was heavy.  Can you blame Naomi, really? 

Maybe you're in a similar situation.  You feel like the Lord has thrown some lemons at you lately.  Your heart is heavy.  You're lonely.  You're disheartened.  You need someone to encourage you.

Back to the story, let's look at the impact Ruth's words likely had on Naomi, in relation to the verse to memorize for this week.  Ruth 1:16-17    "But Ruth replied, 'Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.  Where you will go I will go, and where you will stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried'..." 

Can you imagine how Naomi's spirits were lifted from the loving words Ruth offered?  Naomi was perhaps at an all time low.  She wasn't out there asking for handouts, in fact, she even gave her two daughters-in-law an 'out' to leave her.  Although those lemons were still tough to swallow, I do believe Naomi was better able to swallow them because of the loving support of Ruth.

Let's look at the verse for the week.  "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up."  Do you know someone like Naomi?  Someone who is heavy hearted, with a lemon-filled life?  Do you know someone falling away from church, maybe because of life's circumstances? 

The question begs, "What are you going to do about it?"  When is the last time you hand-wrote a note to encourage another person?  Technology like email and facebook are amazing tools, but when is the last time you actually picked up the phone to call someone to lift their spirits over the phone?  I know I've been the recipient of many kind words cheering me up lately.  I also know that the Lord has been teaching me lately to be a more consistent encourager.  It's so easy to get busy and just neglect to send a note...neglect to call.  The truth is that I've found when I take the time to encourage someone else, I'm encouraged.  It's funny how that works like that!

So who do you know that needs encouraged this week, and what are you going to do about it?  Will you be like Ruth and encourage a heavy-heartened friend?  Perhaps this comes a bit more naturally for women than men, but that's no excuse.  Men and women alike, will you join me in making a goal to look outside your circle and encourage a new person each week?  Let's each consider it our responsibility to not only memorize this verse but also to carry it out this week.   Let's all cheer up someone with a kind word and help their lemons turn to lemonade.

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

 

 

 

Hurt on the court?

Psalm 55:22  "Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall."

A few years ago I was coaching a volleyball game when one of my girls got hurt on the court.  When it was apparent she was not able to continue playing, her dad came on to the court to her rescue.  He is a big firefighter, but a gentle giant.  He assessed his daughter's situation, and then scooped her up into his arms and carried her off the court.  It was an incredibly moving sight to see.

That's the image I get when I read this verse.  It says you should "cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you."  Just like my player cried out to her daddy for help, we should do the same to our Heavenly Daddy.  When we do, He scoops us into His arms and sustains us.  He never let's the righteous fall.

With that said, however, how many times do we cast our cares on Him, but instead we try to bear our own burdens?  Giving it all up and over to Him, and leaving it with Him is not easy.  But the verse for this week promises us that God will sustain us.  It doesn't say to cast our cares on God and we'll be able to handle things a little better.  No, it doesn't even say to tell God all about it and you'll be able manage through the tough times. 

The notes in my NIV Study Bible for a similar passage in I Peter 5:7 say it better than I can:  "Carrying your worries, stresses, and daily struggles by yourself show that you have not trusted God fully with your life.  It takes humility, however, to recognize that God cares, to admit your need, and to let other in God's family help you.  sometimes we think that struggles caused by our on sin and foolishness are not God's concern.  But when we turn to God in repentance, He will bear the weight even of those struggles.  Letting God have your anxieties calls for action, not passivity.  Don't submit to circumstances, but to the Lord who controls circumstances."

So here's the question.  Are you going to let our Heavenly Firefighter scoop you up off the court?  Are you going to cry out to Him, cast your cares on Him, and let Him sustain you?  I hope you'll evaluate life's circumstances, your reaction to them, and see if you're allowing this verse to be true in your life.  Definitely for me, I've got a lot of evaluating to do!

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

 

 

Monday Memory Verse - I Peter 5:10 - Spiritual Wipeout

I Peter 5:10  "And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

Have you ever seen the television show Wipeout?  It's where contestants go through a brutal obstacle course, with traps and distractions thrown at them along the way, in hopes that they will stumble, take longer to finish, and possibly even give up.  We've watched it a number of times, and it's not uncommon to see at least one contestant make it all the way to the finals, only to give up because they can't seem to overcome the challenging course.  Now, don't get me wrong, if I were a contestant, I would probably give up in the first round.  It's a brutal way to win money, being punched in the face with obstacles, catapulted through the sky into raging waters, jumping from platform to platform while cement is poured on you.  Yes, those are just a few of the things the contestants have to overcome.  Bottom line, the one with the best time in the final wins $50,000.  It's quite the entertaining show, but as I started to think about the verse to focus on this week, it's also a good parallel to life.

To understand the verse to memorize for this week a little better, I want to back up to verses eight and nine.  Peter says "Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."  Then verse ten,  "And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

Sometimes this life we live is just like Wipeout.  Satan is throwing distractions at our life, trying to mess up our secure footing, trying to get our eyes off the prize, even trying to make us give up.  We may get hit with satan's cement, making it feel like we're stuck and can't keep moving forward.  We may get catapulted into the raging waters and feel like we're alone out there.  But the Bible says we need to have self control and be alert and aware that he's out there trying to attack. He would want nothing more than for a Christian to give up on their calling to follow Christ.  He wants nothing more than to wipeout a Christian.

But verse nine says we should resist him and stand firm in our faith.  It also reminds us that there are other Christians going through this same struggles that we're facing.  Of course God is there to help us get through tough times, but He also gives us Christian friends for support and encouragement!

Then the verse to memorize for this week, verse ten.  After we've suffered a little while, God will restore us and make us strong, firm and steadfast.  How encouraging is that?  Yes, we may go through some sufferings, satan may even throw some pretty difficult obstacles our way and try to wipe us out, but God promises that He will give us the strength to finish the course.  He puts our feet on a rock and gives us a firm foundation!  (PSalm 40:2)

Are you facing spiritual wipeout today?  Are you wanting to give up?  Remember these verses as you memorize this week.  Be alert and ready to stand against the attacks of satan.  Rely on the Godly friends that God has placed in your life.  And  don't forget that God is going to help you get through the course.  You can't do it by yourself, it's only through His power that you will have the strength you need.  No, I'm determined I will not wipeout for God.  How about you?

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

Suffering -> Perseverance -> Character -> Hope

Romans 5:2-5 "...and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us."

Suffering.  It can be defined in many ways: anger, torment, torture, pain, and even distress.  Depending on your situation or the severity of what you're going through, it can mean something different to everyone.  Sometimes it could mean losing someone close to you.  It could be going through a health crisis yourself.  It could be having to endure a job you do not enjoy or losing a job completely.  It could be financial in nature.  I hope it's not, but it could even be all of the above.  Yes, everyone can relate to varying degrees of suffering in their lives.

Over the last few days, I've really focused on these verses in Romans 5.  Almost immediately, God brought my focus on some things in my own life.  Suffering?  No, I can’t honestly say I’m going through any major suffering in my life right now.  Knowing about what some of my friends are going through, my life circumstances are trivial, at best.  Distress.  Yep, that’s probably a better word to describe what I’m going through.  I am trying to process changes at work, changes that don’t settle well with me in many respects.  And at home, we’re waiting on God to answer prayers and give us direction for the future in some areas of ministry.  So am I really going through suffering?  Not really, but I believe these verses apply just as much to my life as they do to anyone going through difficult situations.

Paul says that I should rejoice in Christ, regardless of my circumstances.  I’m reminded of that first and foremost.  Then the verse says to rejoice in my sufferings.  Hmmm.  It’s easier to write than to actually do, you know?  Rejoicing during trials and rejoicing that we have trials in our life is not second nature to me.  In fact, it’s just plain unnatural.  It’s against human nature and definitely not something we can accomplish in our own strength.  And why should we rejoice in our sufferings?  Because God tells us to, and because of what It produces in us.

Suffering produces perseverance.  The King James Version says it produces patience.  I personally like the term perseverance better.  Maybe it resonates with me because I don’t consider patience to be one of my best qualities.  But perseverance?  Yes, that’s something I strive for.  There’s one thing I don’t like being called, and that’s a quitter.  I like to finish what I’ve started and endure til the end.  I like the satisfaction I get from knowing I didn’t just finish, but I completed it with excellence.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve quit at many things in my life, and when I do, it usually leaves me feeling empty inside.  Of course, there’s always exceptions to the rule, and for me, that exception came in eighth grade when I decided to go run at a track meet with my little Christian school.  I had no preparation, no experience, and I signed up to run a mile against other schools that actually had a team and people prepared to do such things.  I showed up ready to run, with no idea what I was in for.  Now, I was an athlete and in good shape back then, but I was still no runner.  The gun went off, and so did I.  I knew nothing about pacing myself.  I sprinted as hard as I could the first few yards, but I quickly realized I was in over my head.  I made it one time around the track, and I promptly jogged right off the track.  I can't even remember how I got home, but I know quitting that event was the best decision for me.  It was quit or die, so quitting was the favorable option, wouldn’t you say?

As I go through suffering and times of distress, I hope I have learned to pace myself in Christ.  I have to be training in this Christian life, growing and becoming more like Christ daily.  Then when trouble comes, I won’t have that feeling of just wanting to give up.  From what I understand from running (not that I speak from experience for sure) but the more you train, the easier it is to run.  As Christians, Coach Christ is right there with us.  He’s there in the good times and the bad.  He’s cheering us on, encouraging us to be our best.  But just like every student with a trainer, we have a choice to follow the instructions given.  God so wants us to persevere through the trials, and when we do, ultimately that builds our character.

Character.  It’s one of my life goals, to be known as a person of character.  Not for me or my own reputation, but because of Who I represent.  You see, I am a princess, a daughter of the King.  My every action and reaction to a situation is a representation of my God. 

I can't help but think of the movie The Princess Diaries.  In it, Anne Hathaway's character of Mia found out she was the daughter of royalty.  She then had to re-train her brain to how she acted and reacted to situations so that she could be a model representation of her family and her country.  Isn't that the same with our Christian lives?  Once I make a commitment to Christ and commit my life to God, I become royalty, heir to the throne.  And just like Mia needed to represent the country of Genovia well, I also need to be a representation of my King in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. (I Timothy 4:12)

Back to the passage, though, the Bible says that it's through persevering through the trials and suffering in our lives that character is built.  Difficulties help me grow, and I should rejoice in the pain that I'm experiencing because I know that through it, God is growing me to become more like Him...to build my character.  Of course, it's up to me to have the right reaction to things.  How quickly I can hurt my character and the One whom I represent by choosing the wrong attitude toward my situation!

Then finally, the passage says that character produces hope...and HOPE does not disappoint us.  Why?  Because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  HOPE.  I have hope.  I know where my Hope lies.  It's in God alone.  But what kind of hope do people have that are going through suffering who don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ?  Hope in the doctors?  Hope in the medicine?  Hope that things will work out ok?  Yes, they may have 'hope' but it's not in the One who can offer eternal peace.  And that's the only hope that the Bible is talking about here.

No, I'm not going through any major suffering right now...just a little distress.  Regardless of the severity, I want these Scriptures to be true in my life.  I want to rejoice in suffering so that I persevere.  And as I persevere, I want my character to be built so that I become more like my King.  And I will place my hope not in earthly things but in the eternal; my hope is in God! 

Thank you, Lord, for reminding me to rejoice, endure, and keep a check on where my hope is placed!

 

--Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com