Finding the Time to Talk with God

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." Joshua 1:8

As many of you probably saw, I did not post last week. Too swamped with the logistics of life, I did not have - or make - the time to sit down, plan, and write out a post about keeping focused during times of trial. Ironic, yeah?

Because a busy life can also be a trial. Not having an obvious block of time to spend with God can be strenuous on the relationship we each are supposed to have with Him. How can we expect to mature and grow as children of God if we don't remind ourselves of the ways to do so? How are we supposed to keep our faith strong if we don't take the time to strengthen it ourselves?

We can't.

We can't expect to be good Sons and Daughters of God if we don't put in the effort. But when our lives are chalk full of other essentials that we can't avoid, how do we juggle both without sacrifices on either side? I've found a few tips that help me - and I'm sharing them in the hopes that they'll help you in your busy lives too.

One thing I’m trying to do is read a chapter of the Bible around the time of each meal of the day. Breakfast is the beginning of our day, and - to start off with the right mindset - a bible reading will have our mind thinking towards the things above as we go about our morning. It's surprising to me how much a single Bible reading changes my perspective on the day.

Sometimes during the weekday, the only time you have off is your lunch break - so why not spend 15 minutes out of the hour and do a Bible over your sandwich? It clears my head for the second half of my day and gets my mind back on godly characteristics and the way I should be acting.

For the final Bible reading, I don't actually do it around dinner time - because usually, that is the busiest, most hectic part of my day. Instead, I save it for about half hour before I go to bed - a happy note to end the day on. I rest easier, knowing God's in control - and I find it easier to speak to Him at the end of the day when I have His word saturating my thoughts and my prayers.

For those of us who may not even be able to find time for a quick chapter during meals or at the end of the day, I have another solution. We all drive - and a lot of the time car trips are what take the most out of our day. So why not listen to an audio version of one of our favorite books of the Bible? Simply being reminded of the actions of our favorite characters - even while multitasking - is a huge help. Another wonderful thing about listening to the Bible, is we don't feel an underlying anxiety f what all we could be getting done at the moment we take to ourselves. Since we're already doing something we have to - driving, or even exercising or making dinner - it has the opposite effect and makes us feel more productive.

But taking a break from all the things we have to do is essential too. When on a break from studying or during a lull in the workday, read or do a bit of Bible study as a relax technique and a way to give your mind a rest. You'll come back rejuvenated and more ready to work.

Another thing I've found helpful is following, pinning, or favoriting a lot of Christian pages and pictures on social media. I spend way too much time on social media - time I should take to spend time with our Father in Heaven. So I began following some Christian inspirational pages, and I find that they help in the small ways. Not a devotional or a Bible reading, but they bring my mind back from the depths of the Internet and onto God and His promises.

But spending time with God doesn't have to be Bible readings. It can simply be time of quiet and personal contemplation or finishing the First Principle lesson you had meant to finish ages ago. And if it is readings, the Daily Bible Readings don't have to be what you follow. I find reading random Psalms or rereading about my favorite characters helps me more that going monotonously through the Bible.

Everyone is different. But the point is we need to spend time getting God and His word into our hearts and minds - and that takes time. Even with schedules filled to the brim, we have to find a way. These are some of mine, and I hope they help you if you're struggling to find the time to talk with God.

In the Hope of Israel, 

Mikaelah B 

 "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psalms 84:10

The Little Things

"I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart..." Psa 138:1

It’s Thanksgiving break and as believers in God’s Promises, we have much to be thankful  for - even more than the average person. But we struggle as much as everyone else when it comes to letting that thankfulness bleed into our lives and shaping them to have a more positive outlook.

When life kicks up into fifth gear, I find I have little time for anything but the essentials: school, Memorial Service, CYC, piano lessons, sleep, and food. My focus goes towards making it through the day - checking off the mandatory boxes - and moving on. I struggle to see an hour in front of or behind me, let alone remember and be thankful the events of  that day.

But how can I - how can we - change this unintentional thanklessness in us? God does so much for us each and, surely it cannot be too hard to find one thing each day that He has done for us?

And it’s not. Not really. To come up with a single blessing God has given us everyday is not a challenge at all.

So why don’t we do it? Why aren’t we as thankful as we used to be?

I remember it used to be so easy. Mom and Dad used to come in to say nightly prayers, and we would say one ‘please’ and one ‘thank you’. I remember there used to be so much to be thankful for when I was little: the sun for shining, the rain for give the flowers a drink, and for bringing Momma and Daddy safely home from work. My sister and I found that we couldn’t only say one Thank-You, sometimes there’d be a whole list of little things that we appreciated throughout the day.

So what changed? When did we stop being thankful for the little things? When did a sunny day become so unappreciated? Or when did the fact that Mom and Dad got home safe in that snowstorm become an assumed event?

God is in the little things: the green lights when you’re running late, the text of encouragement when you’ve hit rock bottom, an easier test when you feel you may fail, and the extended due dates after a busy night. Be thankful for the little things - write them down and put them in a box. Pull one out when you’re feeling down.

That’s not to say that God isn’t also in the large things - in the accepted college application, the new job, or the finalized down payment of your next house - but we tend to associate these successes with God. We remember Him when He helps us with the events that more obviously shape our lives, but it is the little things that remind us to be thankful each and every day.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation…” James 1:17

In the Hope of Israel, 

Mikaelah B

 "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psalms 84:10

The Clouds of Doubt

“‘Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.’” Isa 49:15-16

At some point in our lives, each of us will have to brave the storm of insecurity. Whether we are a Jack of All Trades or a King of One, we all balk when faced with the clouds of doubt. But one doubt in particular stands out from the rest: the doubt that God could possibly want us to be a part of His family.

Broken and such sinners as we are, there is no way we could be of any use to Him - so why did He call us? Why not that one friend at school who is so much more self-sacrificing that ourselves, or that one coworker who never has a mean thing to say about anyone? Why did God pick us over them? Wouldn’t they be a better fit to do His will than we? Because we have so many problems, surely those problems do more harm than good - both to ourselves and to those around us.

Why did you choose us God? We are full of holes and mistakes, and we could list off 10 people who would be much better suited to the task - why didn’t You choose one of them to do Your will?

Thoughts like these are among those that pour down on us from time to time. And they cannot always be helped, for we are human, and sinners. We must remember that we will never be good enough to earn the Kingdom of God - and we are not expected to be. As we well know, it is our faith and what we do with it that will get us into the Kingdom of God. However much we wrestle with the notion that we will never be righteous enough or perfect enough, we must take to heart the words Paul wrote to the Ephesians in chapter 2 and verse 8: ‘For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.’

God is going to give the Kingdom to us as a gift if we have faith in Him and what He says. A gift. We cannot earn it, no matter how hard we try, so we should not struggle and try to meet some imaginary bar of goodness that is too high up for any man to reach. God is erasing that bar, and simply giving us the Kingdom. We should be thankful and in awe of His great generosity instead of questioning His choices.  

We also mustn't compare ourselves to those around us. While they may seem like a more obvious choice in our minds, God’s ways are not our ways. He knows each and every person that has ever lived better than even they themselves have. We can only know a thin slice of that person’s life - out of context, out of proportion to the rest of their life. God knows the end from the beginning, and He has chosen us to further this end. His ways are perfect, and if His ways are through us, then why do we doubt? Perhaps that friend at school would be a wonderful addition into God’s family, and He has placed you in their life to bring them in - a role only you, as a friend of them, can fulfill.

God has chosen us each for a specific purpose both here and now, and in the future. He knows how we work, and what best suits us to do. He is shaping us to be kings and priests in the Kingdom.

He has chosen us each specifically our of the entirety of the world. And instead of doubt and apprehension filling our minds, it should be awe and wonder at the thought that out of an uncountable number of people throughout time, He chose you. He chose me. He chose us. He is choosing those who will be by His side and will do His work in the Age to come. And we should not doubt Him, but trust. Because His ways are perfect, and in Him can we trust more than anyone else.

Let us not doubt God’s choice in us, but rejoice in it and strive to do His will in this life so we may grow in faith and wisdom in the LORD our God.

‘The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.’

Zeph 3:17

In the Hope of Israel,

 Mikaelah B 

 "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psalms 84:10

The Most High Rules in the Kingdom of Men

"The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men." Dan 4:17

In these past few days, tempers have flared as Facebook friendships have been terminated and other, more drastic measures have been taken against those of opposing viewpoints. To label this past week’s events as controversial is to put it mildly.

It hard for many of us not to get swept along in this wave of negativity. It is hard for us to remember that it is not for us to decide or to worry about the future of the nation we live in - whether it be the States or any other nation on this earth. The fate and fortitude of this world rests in God's Hands, and we should not stress over its future.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer 29:11)

Many of you, on the day of the election, posted the above verse on your pages as a reminder to your fellow Christadelphians. A reminder not to worry. A reminder that God has everything under control. And a reminder I wish to accentuate.

The events of this election, its results - and of every election previous - are of the Hand of God. No matter your opinion of its outcome, the LORD chose the U.S.’s newest President Elect for His purpose. And ultimately, the future president of the States, is the right one - because the Most High chose to work through him.

Pharaoh also seemed like a pretty unorthodox choice as a Gentile ruler through whom God was going to work. When it came to the Israelites’ chances of being freed from bondage, Pharaoh kept those odds very slim. But God works through slim odds and unlikely choices to further His Plan. It is His work through the unlikely that we see His miracles. If the Pharaoh of the time of the Exodus was a man like Cyrus the Great, God’s Glory could not have spread through the land of Canaan and its inhabitants would not have known His power.

But God had chosen Pharaoh to be the force through which He  would make himself known. It was because of Pharaoh - specifically of God’s Hand in his actions - that the nations surrounding the newly freed Israel knew who the LORD Almighty was.

How different is this present time different from then? God works through what may seem unlikely to our minds. Perhaps this power shift in the States will be the catalyst we have waited nearly 60 years for. Maybe the long-anticipated events of Bible Prophecy can finally take place - the ones that wouldn't have happened in the present way of things. We can not know for sure.

And that specifically is what we need to keep in mind. We cannot know God’s Plan and His strategy towards it. For His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. (Isa 55:8-9) We know His plan is for the whole world to know the Glory of the LORD (Hab 2:14) and every moment in this life is working up to that awe-inspiring goal.

We must trust that He knows what He is doing. Just like in any other situation. We must have faith. Whether we like the prospects of the nation or not, whether we have hope for its future, whether we agree with this change or not, we must continually remember this is all for the furthering of God’s Plan.

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Phil 3:20-21)

The Almighty is setting the stage for Christ to return, my brothers and sisters, and I cannot help but feel myself growing a little more excited every time I think of it. Christ is coming soon! We just must have faith that God will get us there!

We will all be changed, in a moment grasped in time, in the twinkling of an eye. The dead shall all arise, at the trumpet’s final call, then God is all in all.

We turned and saw the earth, the wilderness blossom and bloom.

In the Hope of Israel, 

Mikaelah B 

 "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psalms 84:10

Hand in Hand with Suffering

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-3

I recently rediscovered this verse when we discussed in in last week's CYC class, and I thought it aptly summarized the point of this blog: of finding the good in the bad situations. But ‘Count it all joy’ can't mean we have to be happy in the midst of tribulation, can it? God doesn't expect us to be joyful during hard times, does He? They're called hardships for a reason, right? Because they're meant to be difficult?

So, James 1:2 doesn't mean we have to literally be happy. Then what does it mean? God doesn't expect us to be lighthearted all the time. The word ‘Tribulation’ itself indicates we will not like what is happening  expressly because it is supposed to be hard.

What is James telling the believers here then? What is he urging them to do when they face trials? Taking a look at Heb 12:11 gives us some insight:

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

The writer of Hebrews also knows that trials are not easy, and we are not supposed to be happy while navigating through them. It's painful, he says. However, they are given to us to bring us closer to righteousness - and THAT should bring us joy, which is quite different from happiness. One can be joyful without being happy, a distinction that many people forget. When we're down and pessimistic towards the future, the knowledge that all the hardship is molding us, shaping us, and helping us towards righteousness, maybe we'll find it a tiny bit easier to push on.

Note however, that the writer of the Hebrews adds “to those who have been trained by it”. We have to let trial lead us, at least in part, of we want to be helped towards righteousness. We can't twiddle our thumbs as trial comes upon us and expect it to somehow magically get us into the Kingdom of God. We have to help it along.

So how do we do this? How do we let trials work in our lives? But how also do we keep in mind the words of James and of Hebrews as the trials come upon us? Because many times we forget. Many times we are so wrapped up in the heat of the moment, we forget the bigger picture. Or sometimes, we understand the principle, but do not know how to apply it in our own lives.

The answer is different for everyone. For me, as I have mentioned in previous posts, marking verses that are similar to those above helps me. Writing them out in colorful pens and putting them in places I see everyday helps me remember.

As for putting into practice the notion that God - through trial - is indeed working in my life for good, and living my life knowing this, I have yet to pinpoint an exact example from my own life, maybe it is because I have never thought of trial this way until very recently. But it is now a goal of mine to keep Heb 12:11 in my mind somehow. Somehow I need to remember that trial is pushing me toward the finish line of my Walk and not get bogged down in the mud of modern day.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Rom 8:18

In the Hope of Israel, 

Mikaelah B

I have to apologize for the late update - I've been a tad bit under the weather. If it's okay with you all, I may start posting on Fridays when my week has cooled down a bit. Thank you so much for your support! I love you all! 

 "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psalms 84:10

People: A Tool in Your Construction

"Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing." 1 Peter 3:9

How many times have you gotten frustrated at another person? How many times have you looked at someone and thought to yourself how much easier your life would be if they were not in it? Even if you know it’s wrong to think so.

Have you ever told yourself that God was the one who put them in your life? That it was God who decided that this person could help you on your walk to His Kingdom?

In principle, I'm sure many of us know this. And I'm sure we’ve even reminded ourselves of this on an occasion when someone is being particularly difficult. But how often do we take this idea into our hearts and truly believe it? How many times do we look at our slightly trying brother or sister - whether biological or baptized - and thank the LORD that He has put them in our path to help us develop His characteristics?

Recently, I have found myself struggling with this particular problem with some people I know. I love them, dearly, but they have seemed to cause me much inner suffering and tribulation with the things they do and say. I struggle to keep the thought that this is God’s purpose and plan for me.

But we have to remember that even if it is a person who might seem to spark our newest trials, the trials still are from God. When He puts a person in our life, just like any other trial we might have, it is to help us, mold us, round out our rough edges.

With the people in my own life, maybe God is trying to teach me patience, or self-sacrifice. It is more than possible that He knows I cannot develop either of those traits without another person on whom to practice.

If we think about it, many trials - our own and those of Bible characters - involve others. Classmates, teachers, co-workers, siblings, etc, are only a few we see everyday.

For Joseph, his brothers mocked him, beat him, sold him, and proceeded to lie to their father about his whereabouts. Potiphar’s wife and her lie threw him into prison. But without these people working, seemingly against him, he would never have saved his family.

For Esther, Haman was trying to kill her and all her people. She probably wished God would strike him down in an instant. But what did she learn from her laborious trial because of him?

But God didn’t always give His followers adversaries with ill intent either. Job’s three friends did not mean harm when they talked with him. They thought they had Job’s best interests at heart.  

God is teaching us something through the people we find hard to handle. He works through them, many times bringing about our worst - and most needed - trials through them.

We need to remember this when we encounter those whose actions and/or traits might cause us to dislike them. We need to know that this is part of the LORD’s plan. He is trying His hardest to help us to the Kingdom in any and all ways He knows we will respond to. He knows best. That person in our lives is there to help.

But only if only we let them.

In the Hope of Israel, 

Mikaelah B 

"For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psalms 84:10

Accepting Your Thorns

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Cor 12:10

Most of us do not have such a positive outlook when faced with tribulation as Paul appears to  in this verse. We dread hardships and cower before calamity. And, to make matters worse, cowering and dreading causes us to stumble, showing us our weakness and seeming to humiliate  us in the process.

Failing at the tasks God has put before us seems to suck us deeper into despair. If God never gives us anything beyond what we’re able to bear (1 Cor 10:13), then why do we miss the mark more often than make it? How could He possibly still want us if we manage to mess up when we should be able to conquer?

Verse 9 of that same chapter should give us some reassurance when the LORD says “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’” God reminds Paul - and us - that he is not going to succeed in everything God has put before him. God’s teachings are most effective when failure has humbled our outlook and only then are we ready to hear what God has to say.

God has given us our weaknesses for a reason - they will help shape us into His likeness as we walk toward His Kingdom. They can be painful - whether in a physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual sense - they are supposed to be, at least in part. Paul aptly calls one of his own difficulties a ‘thorn’. Sharp and often painful, thorns protect the bud of the rose from the outside forces that might seek to destroy it. Similarly, our own thorns protect us from the world around us.

Without them, our walk would be brief, as the shears of the world would quickly clip the bud of our spiritual growth. Thorns make these shears falter and hesitate. Pride halts, seeking a way through the pointy barricade. Self-reliance is pricked when it comes too close to snuffing out our spiritual life.

Thank God for your insecurities, your faltering tongue, your fumble-fingers, your social awkwardness. They help set our focus and reliance on God - where it needs to be. We cannot walk this path alone. Instead we need to be shaped and molded into God’s likeness, a feat that would be completely impossible if not for our struggles and imperfections. This is God’s way.

So be content with your struggles. Know that God is working with you. If He didn’t care for you, He wouldn’t send these trials to shape your faith. But He does care for you, and so He molds you with the help of your thorns - protecting the blossoming bud of your faith so you can continue your walk.

“... ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the LORD, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the LORD disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.’” Heb 12:5-6

In the Hope of Israel,

Mikaelah B 

 "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psalms 84:10

Your Port in the Storm

"In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears." Psalms 18:6

I don't know about you, but when I'm facing trials in my life, my thoughts don't jump directly to passages of scripture. When I am in need of comfort I don't curl up and open my Bible - at least, I didn't use to.

Recently though, when anxiety overtakes me, or when I find myself in particular need of solace, I find that I turn to some of my favorite passages of the Bible. I have marked them so as to more easily find them when I need them.

I started doing this right before AP Exams last spring when my stress levels are were particularly high. I had never taken an exam of this magnitude before, and I felt the pressure of doing well like a physical weight on my shoulders and back.

The night before my first exam, I cracked.

Huddled in a ball under the covers and tears coating my cheeks, I cried out to God and begged Him to take the stress away, to let this exam be easy. I fell asleep, exhausted and little comforted.

The next morning dawned, and my anxiety had not lessened. In actuality, it seemed to have gotten worse. Butterflies from the night before turned to tornadoes as nausea clouded my mind. I needed something to calm myself down - and a one-sided conversation with God wasn't cutting it. I quickly Google-searched for verses that helped with dealing with anxiety. There, I found what is now one of my favorite verses: Psa 34:4 - I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

I must have read that verse 10 or 11 times before my test that day - and the entirety of Psa 34, because it's just as applicable, maybe 4 or 5!

Now, I find myself turning to Psalm 34 whenever I am anxious or unsure of God’s Plan for me. It calms me and reminds me that God is in control.

I found that a chapter or small set of verses per generic situation really helped me, and now I have a couple different types of passages marked in my Bible for easy reference - anger, betrayal, impatience, stubbornness and fear, to name a few.

I discovered during those AP exams that prayer alone might not get you through your times of trial. Scripture is God’s direct words written down for our use, and I, at least, need to remember that. When we need His direction in our life, we can't expect God to do all the work. He has given us His book, and we need to use it.

The Bible is our greatest asset in our Walk in the Truth, and I don't know about you, but sometimes when I'm in over my head in a situation, simply opening up my Bible for a reading or two isn't my go to solution. It should be, but it isn't.

As Paul says in 2 Tim 3:16-17, All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. Our Bibles are God’s words trying to influence our lives and are the first answers to our prayers in times of difficulty.

So next time you're faced with a difficult situation, try it. Try opening your Bible to a verse that seems to speak to your situation and see what it can tell you. You might be surprised to find that is more helpful then you would initially think. I can almost guarantee that  it'll be - at least in part - an answer to your prayers.

In the Hope of Israel, 

Mikaelah B 

 "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psalms 84:10