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NOW
I’ve heard it said that NOW is the only moment in time we have that touches eternity, therefore it’s the only moment we have to make a difference. NOW is always happening and it’s true, how we handle the NOW impacts everything and everyone around us. It can be a daunting responsibility to think of it as if we are constantly living on the precipice of change, ruled by our own free actions, but what a privilege to have that amount of power! God gave us this power and it is by this power that we show all manner of love and gratitude by living each day for Him.
NOW: three small letters instilled with such power! When something is urgent and asked of you NOW or something you weren’t expecting suddenly happens NOW, it can be jilting. You may feel like you don’t even have a say in what happens in life anymore. Your mind jumps straight from the sense of having an option or free will to just figuring out how to cope with it or do it and get it done NOW. It’s no coincidence that NOW contains the word OW .
OWS slip into our lives in the NOWS, in those moments where we react instead of respond to what is happening…
OW: an onomatopoeia signifying pain, two letters that bear such weight. Weight ranging from a stubbed toe to a broken heart…or a broken spirit… we may not always utter this word allowed when we hurt but we feel it. We feel the OW and sometimes…most times we don’t know why or how it came about. OWS slip into our lives in the NOWS, in those moments where we react instead of respond to what is happening, because we were unable to embrace the power of the first half of NOW….NO
NO: two little letters that have the power to protect, the power to save not only ourselves from heartache and pain but also from causing pain for others. NO doesn’t just protect us, it is not selfish, we don’t need permission to wield this word from anyone. We are free to say NO point blank, period, full stop. No explanation necessary because especially in those times when we stand to cause the most pain or distress, discomfort or destruction in our lives or the lives of others, we need NO and that is clear as day to us! It is the YHW that we don’t always understand so sometimes we hesitate because we can’t explain it until that three letter word completes and OW is upon us.
The YHW makes clearer sense in the rearview mirror but often is a little blurry and backwards to us in the moment. When we look back we will see WHY… When you get to the other side of these moments in time and you see the WHY clearly in that reflection, I hope you more often can find resolution for the guilt of saying NO in the moment instead of the dread of OW from falling victim to the “urgencies” and things done to us. We will all have samples of both in our lives and that is okay because in the end, if we belong to God we will also look back and see how everywhere we met and struggled with a NOW, God still WON!
Blessings FAM!
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ThTh.002: Truth or Lies
It is all about perception. The devil likes to keep us from doing the will of God by making us feel unqualified or less than good enough to be used by Him. He tells us we are lazy, poor, powerless, lacking in the required skills or knowledge to succeed in the things we feel called to do. The thing is…he is not wrong! God knows our weaknesses and pretty much agrees with what the devil tells us about ourselves. The better news is that God uses us anyway! You see, it is in the darkest places where His light shines the brightest, it is in our weakness where His power is most evident, and it is in our brokenness where He heals us and makes us stronger than before!
God knows our damage, shortcomings, and deep sin issues but He also sent His Son to redeem us from the consequences of them. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross, and by defeating death in our place, we can come before God and man alike, walking fully in the shameless, forgiven, new nature He afforded us by raising from that grave. God knows what we have done but he chooses not to see it anymore. The old man has gone away and we have been made new. Yes, we will still struggle and yes, other people will love to remember every failure or misdeed we have done. Often they do not let us forget them. By embracing our past in light of our new self, we can effectively reflect the redeeming power of God that much brighter!
Here is a cool thought. Do you know how mirrors work? Most mirrors today have been painted with a metallic coating to give a brighter representation of what it is reflecting. However, you can create the simplest of mirrors by putting a piece of clear glass against a solid dark black surface. This will allow you to see your surroundings and yourself staring back at you and it works best when light is shown against the front of the glass. We must be vulnerable and transparent like that piece of glass, then turn the light of our new salvation on and let people stand in that light and look through us to the darkest parts of what is behind us, the black surface. Then they will be able to see themselves in our story (mirror) and hopefully begin to realize how they can move past similar mistakes and begin to let God redeem them as well.
People want to know that they are not a lost cause. That God still cares for them and that they have a purpose. By seeing honest testimonies of redemption, they can begin to wrap their hearts around the fact that God DOES love them no matter what evil they have committed and that, even though they are not enough, HE IS ENOUGH! That is all that matters.
So the devil may tell the truth after all! If only we could humble ourselves and accept the parts of us he tries to use against us. Instead of letting those things stunt our growth and shame us into an inability to walk towards God’s purpose for us, my hope is that we could focus on shining God’s light to those areas in our life and begin to grow what is dead and buried there. Eventually being able to display the beautiful fruit of God’s redemption for us in those areas as a powerful testimony for others.
Blessings FAM!
What truth about yourself has the devil tried to use against you? Pray now and ask God to help you own that part of you and learn how the testimony of your repentance from that thing can be used to encourage others. Your biggest hurt or struggle could be the key to your biggest purpose in this life. Others earlier on in their journey need to hear how God brought you out of those dark places in order to find hope for their own redemption story. Be a mirror and reflect your testimony for the benefit of others.
