GodandMe2theMax

Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch.

Jeremiah 32:27  "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me?"

You're knee deep in work, more projects to do then you have hours in the day to get them done.  The stress is extreme; the deadlines quickly approaching.  You're never going to make it.  But God says, "Is anything too hard for me?"

You're snowed under in school work.  You've already been up past midnight the last few days, with no hope of going to bed at a decent hour anytime in the near future.  You want to give it your all on your grades, but you just feel so overwhelmed and can't keep up this pace.  And God says, "Is anything too hard for me?"

You're fighting a life threatening disease with all the might in you.  You're so tired, but still not willing to give up.  Listen to God say, "Is anything too hard for me?"

You're a single parent.  You're juggling work, children, church, and trying to be both mommy and daddy to your sweet children.  You're tired of doing it by yourself.  You can't do it any more.  No, maybe you can't, but God says, "Is anything too hard for me?"

You think you can't make it anymore.  Your spirit is heavy, the depression is deep, and you're sinking deeper.  Believe it when God says, "Is anything too hard for me?"

Your marriage is on the rocks.  You think it's probably not even salvageable.  You're not even sure you want to try any more.  You don't have the energy to keep fighting, and you're not sure you even have the energy to fight for your family.  But you remember God says, "Is anything too hard for me?"

Is anything too hard for me?  God said the same thing to Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was in the courtyard of the prison, in confinement, and under arrest.  The city of Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonians.  He was facing his "last stand." 

God told Jeremiah that his cousin would come to him and ask him to buy land. God instructed Jeremiah that he should do it, as a symbol that one day, God would restore Israel and everyone would once again enjoy the land.  At the moment, all Jeremiah could see was the impending destruction.  There was no hope.  There was no "light at the end of the tunnel," at least as far as he could see.  But God reminded Jeremiah, just like He reminds us today, that nothing is too hard for Him.  Even when it looks and feels like all hope is gone, this story serves as a reminder to us that there is always hope.  Nothing is too big for my God.

Whatever giant you are facing today, give it over to God.  Let Him be your warrior and fight the Goliath in your life.  He can handle it, and I guarantee He can do it much better than you can.  Remember when He says, "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me?"

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

 

 

 

Visine - It gets the red out...

Exodus 16:2  "In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron."

We all probably know the story.  The Israelites wandered around in the desert for forty years.  It was a vicious cycle of complaining, wandering, and turning back to God...only to begin complaining again.  Until today, I've always judged them pretty harshly, "Why couldn't they learn their lesson?  Why couldn't they just trust God to see them through without having the spiritual ups and downs?"  After all, they were a bunch of foolish people who just couldn't learn from their mistakes, right?

Wrong.  They could have learned from their mistakes, but they did not.  Therefore, they stayed in the desert.  They wanted their way.  The sun was beating down.  The scorching wind was blowing.  The sand was in their eyes, obstructing their vision.  It was far easier to complain about their situation then to have faith that God would carry them through.  It was easier to talk amongst themselves about the problems they were encountering and the hardships they were enduring then to put off the selfish desires and put complete trust in the One who always proved Himself to be faithful.

Perhaps you're like me.  You look at the pattern of the Israelites and wonder how any entire nation could be so ignorant and not learn from their mistakes?  Yet, today I look at them a little differently, perhaps with more grace.  Yes, their cyclical behavior was definitely wrong, but how often do I repeat a similar pattern?

I'm in some type of desert.  I trust God.  I take my eyes off God.  I complain about my situation.  I'm reminded that I need to trust God.  I do.  Over and over.

In the verse to memorize for this week, we see that repeated story of the Israelites and the pattern we're all so familiar with.  The Bible says that "the whole community" grumbled against Moses and Aaron.  Now that's a lot of people out of God's will!  I wonder if it was one person or one family who started the rumble among the people, and everyone else joined the bandwagon.  We don't know, but we do know that it was the entire community complaining.  Interesting parallel of the impact my complaining might have in my family and circle of influence!

So what about you?  Are you in a desert right now?  What's your attitude like while you are there?  Remember, the Israelites were in the desert for forty years.  How long have you been in the desert?  One month?  Six months?  A few years, max?  Is your trust in God cyclical, just like the Israelites?  Do you have faith, a good attitude, a consistent quiet time for one week, maybe two, and then you just fall away, with your attitude falling away with it?

We're probably all in some kind of "desert" in our life.  There are those who have family members facing eminent death.  There are those struggling with life-threatening illnesses themselves.  Still others are struggling with emotional and financial needs.  I don't know what kind of desert you're facing right now, but I do know the God who can clear the sand from your eyes.  Maybe you're like me -- not very good with eye drops.  I can barely keep my eyes open to get a drop in at the eye doctor.  I know the drops are for good, but sometimes they hurt in order to help me get better.  Eventually, though, my eyes become clear, and I can once again focus.  I know that my God has an endless supply of Holy Visine to get the red pain out.  He can give me the clear vision I need to face the future. 

Let's take a lesson from the Israelites and do the exact opposite.  Let's break the pattern.  Trust God.  Don't take your eyes off Him.  And when you feel like you're vision is getting blurry, like your eyes are becoming red and tired with specs of sand in them, ask Him for an extra dose of His visine.  He alone will help sustain you in the desert of life, no matter how vast or long it is.

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

Fearing God like Niagara Falls...

Psalm 25:14  "The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them."

I have a friend who emailed me recently, sharing some very poignant details in her life.  These are details that she's not proud of, but she knew I would not judge her and that I would pray for her.  She considered me a good enough friend to share these intimate details, and that left me humbled.  She confided in me, and although the news she was sharing wasn't good, it left me feeling good about our friendship.

You've probably been there.  A friend has poured out their heart to you.  Good or bad situation, the friendship and intimacy you have with your friend when confidence is shared is a feeling you can't really describe.  Now transfer that feeling to the Lord.  The verse for this week says "The Lord confides in those who fear Him."

I just love this verse.  To think that God would think so highly of me that He would reveal His secrets to me!  If I feel good when a friend confides in me, how much more should I feel if God confides in me!  And what do I need to do for Him to confide in me?  I need to fear Him.

Fear.  "A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, or pain."  But that's not the fear God is talking about here.  No, this fear is that reverent respect and awe for God kind of fear.  When I try to think of an example of how to describe it, I think about Niagara Falls.  I grew up just a few hours away from this great site, and if you've ever seen Niagara Falls in person, it doesn't take long for you to realize you need to fear it.  Water flows from Niagara Falls at a rate of 150,000 gallons per second.  That's like pouring 83 swimming pools full of water over the falls per second!  That's a lot of water!

Whenever I visit the Falls, it's standard protocol to pay a visit to the most popular attraction, the "Maid of the Mist."  It's a "must do," especially for first time visitors to the falls.  The "Maid of the Mist" takes you on a boat ride down the Niagara River, getting as close to the awesome power of the falls that you would want to get.  It's there, staring at this majestic wonder of God's handiwork, being soaked from the splashes of it's downpour, that you understand the Biblical meaning of fear.  I can't help but look at Niagara Falls and think of God's awesome power.  That's how God wants us to respect Him, His power, and who He is.  This is the kind of fear that the verse is talking about. 

You see, sometimes we talk to God flippantly.  We take Him for granted.  We forget just about how mighty and powerful He is.  We expect Him to answer our pleas and come to our beckon call.  I'm not proud of it, but I'm one of those people who do just that.  Guilty as charged.  But when we approach Him with fear, when we remember who we are and our position in Him, the verse says He will make His promises (covenants) known to us. 

I don't know about you, but I would consider it an honor to have God confide in me.  Just like the feeling I have when a friend shares her innermost heart, if God Almighty shared with me His plan and thoughts about me, well, there's no words to really describe that feeling.  As I spend time in prayer with God this week, and as I work to memorize this verse, I'm asking God to remind me to approach Him with this Niagara Falls kind of fear.  What an honor it would be for God to confide in me, all because I love Him and fear Him.

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 



 

The Ultimate Treasure Hunt...

Colossians 2:3  "In Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Hidden treasure.  You gotta admit it, we all would love to find it.  I can remember a few years ago going with my family to pan for gold in Northern California.  You see, earlier that year, we watched a show on the Travel Channel that told about the richest body of water in the west, Woods Creek, near Jamestown, California.  It featured a geologist named Josh who had dedicated his life to finding gold.  We watched the show, and we quickly added a visit to Josh on our "bucket list" of future travel plans. 

We were fortunate enough to take a driving vacation later that year, and of course, we had to make a stop in Northern California to try our hand at panning for gold and finding hidden treasure.  Josh was just as enthusiastic as we remembered seeing on TV.  Within the first hour, he shared that just a month prior to us coming, a twelve year old boy found a $6,000 nugget of gold in his little section of the river.  You see, the rules were simple.  We paid an "entrance" fee, but whatever we found, we got to keep, no matter how big the find. 

Now, if you've never been panning for gold, let me just explain this a little.  The next four hours that we experienced were the hardest physical labor I have ever endured in my life.  It was made up of digging, lugging huge buckets of water, mud, and sludge across a river, sifting through it, over and over and over again.  And that was all before we got to the "end game" where we put the hopeful findings into the pan to start swirling around.  Through it all, we didn't care.  We were determined to find that treasure, no matter how much physical effort we put into it.

The verse to memorize this week is a simple one.  Simple to memorize, perhaps, but just like the panning for gold, it takes effort on our part to really put it into practice.  In context, Paul is telling the people of Colosse that everything they need, all wisdom and knowledge, is found in Christ.  As a Christian, this is probably not a big revelation.  But practically speaking, it's easier said than done.  We know facts about God.  We know truths about His nature.  But sometimes, we have to really search Him for wisdom.  We have to seek after Him for knowledge. 

Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you search for me with your whole heart."  Just like we had to search with all our might to find gold in Woods Creek, we should seek after God with just as much determination and effort.  And when we do, we will find the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  So the question is simple.  How much effort are you putting into finding the spiritual hidden treasure?  Are you haphazardly living your Christian life, taking it as life rolls?  Or are you disciplining yourself to seek God first, searching  for Him with your whole heart?  It will pay off in the end, no not with gold nuggets, but with nuggets of spiritual truth revealed to us as we seek His hidden treasure. 

Oh, and yes, we did find gold in Woods Creek.  About $85 worth, slightly more than it cost us for the privilege of trying.  But we didn't care, because the effort put into the search was well worth any small reward we found.  And that's the same with God.  He rewards our efforts to seek Him, with satisfaction guaranteed. 

Lord, help me to stay disciplined to search for Your hidden treasure!

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com