Tag: encouragement

Our Anchor

anchor: (noun) a device dropped by a chain, cable, or rope to the bottom of a body of water for preventing or restricting the motion of a vessel or other floating object; a person who can be relied on for support, stability, or security; (in media) the main broadcaster on a news program, who usually also serves as coordinator of all other supporting broadcasters during the program.

anchor

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. –Hebrews 6:19-20 NLT Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. – KJV [Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it—a hope] that reaches farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil, Where Jesus has entered in for us [in advance], a Forerunner having become a High Priest forever after the order (with the rank) of Melchizedek. – Amplified Bible We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek. – The Message

This verse came to my memory a couple of weeks ago, when I saw an anchor and knew the Bible talks about God as our anchor. It had always been such a tangible reminder to me regarding how God is always there, for us to hold onto in all the storms of life, if we just Trust him and believe in him. Both small and large sailing vessels; even ships use an anchor to secure their boats, either when they arrive at a destination where they want to stay or to ride out a storm, when they are too far from shore. Once the anchor is secured, the vessel will not go anywhere. The anchor keeps the vessel in the same location, not allowing it to drift off course, even during extreme turbulence. If you tried to just drift with the tides during a storm, you most likely would end up way off of your intended course or destination. In this message, hope is linked to the anchor, they are symbiotic; You cannot have hope without the anchor and you cannot hold onto or trust the anchor without hope. Those who drop the anchor expect it to keep them secure and on-course. I had not remembered the following verse. But what a message it tells, regarding how Jesus, our high priest, made entry, he was the trailblazer for those who follow him, to enter into the holy of holies, the place where God dwells. Weeks before I had been telling God that I didn’t just want to enter the inner court, but that I wanted to stay there… IN HiS Presence!! How do we get there? We get there by fully trusting on God in all situations and by having a desire to know him as intimately as possible. It is by reading the word and allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal its meaning and truths to us. God has already opened the door by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, all we have to do is to enter.

Memo to God

Memo: (Short for memorandum. meaning: to jot down by note something to be remembered and acted upon in the future, a reminder.)

Every day I am saddened by people I come in contact with who don’t know God… some who don’t know him at all and some who don’t know him well. They may know he exists, but they don’t take the time to get to know him and build a relationship with him. I am saddened by those who live in confusion and heartache; those who are lonely, depressed, and searching for something to fill a void in their lives. They are searching for something, and they settle for substitutes… Substitutes of relationships, jobs, hobbies, status, cars, clothes, houses, busyness, drugs, alcohol; anything that will give them temporary happiness. Then there are those who are so steeped in misery that they cannot recognize joy, because they have lived in a ‘poor me’ mentality for so long.

I also see people who think they know God, but to them he is only someone they call on when they need something — times when they’re ill or when something breaks down. Then they pray in memo fashion or they ask others who they feel ‘have a connection’ to God to pray for them. They don’t have a day-to-day relationship. When they are desperate and their substitutions don’t satisfy, they write God a memo, because they have a desire. Yes, they have desires and longings, but the true longing in everyone’s soul is fellowship with God. (Psalm 84:2) They have a one-way relationship to make requests, write notes to God, or to remind him of their desires. If they developed this into a two-way relationship, they would quit making demands and truly know fulfillment. It is only God who can fulfill all our needs.

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19     You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! -John 14:13-14

Yes, we can go to God when we have a need and he will answer, but it is far better to build a relationship with God. God wants a relationship with us. He sings songs over us with songs of joy!! (Zephaniah 3:17)  He bends down to listen to us. (Psalm 116:2) God so wanted to restore his relationship with man, that he sent Christ to redeem us. He sent us a tangible person to show us who he is, he sent a perfect man, without sin. Christ is God, in the form of man, He is a visible person for us to see and believe in an Almighty God. (Colossians 1:15)

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” -Revelation 3:20 /// So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. -Romans 5:11 /// You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. James 2:22-23

Open the door to God today, make a new start and follow God. Share a meal with him today by getting to know him and his deep, deep love for you. Then you can rejoice in your relationship and call him friend, because he already made provision for you to have an intimate relationship with him. Be the Friend of God! I pray this for your life today.

 

Hypothermia of the Heart

In the winter, bodies of water sometimes form a thin layer of ice that looks solid, but we can recognize from the climate whether or not there has been enough cold weather for a solid foundation of ice to form before we step onto the ice. We know better than to step onto a pond, lake, or river or we’ll face hypothermia when we step through a thin layer of ice and plunge into the icy cold waters beneath. If we do so, we are chilled to the bone. The time it takes to recover from the pain of freezing is excruciatingly slow. The thawing out process is long and tedious, sometimes leaving physical and mental scar tissue behind.  Water-Blue-Heart Hypothermia is a condition when the body’s core temperature drops below what is required for normal life-sustaining processes and functions to occur. When a person is exposed to constant extreme cold over a length of time, the body cannot replenish the heat needed to maintain its core temperature. The symptoms which typically occur even from mild hypothermia are shivering and mental confusion. Other symptoms of mild hypothermia may be high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, and narrowing of the large arteries that supply blood flow to the heart.

Unless there is sufficient medical equipment, slow rewarming is always recommended in cases of hypothermia, until a complete medical evaluation can be made. This would mean to dispose of any wet clothing and replace them with dry insulated clothing and a head covering, since much heat loss occurs through the head. If possible, the affected person should be placed in a warm environment to slowly warm up. If this is not possible, person to person heat exchange is the next method of slow warming; but in doing so, be gentle, with as little disruption or movement as possible to the person who has hypothermia. The reason for being gentle is that any aggressive or jarring motion could trigger irregular heartbeat (dysrhythmia) and can cause disruption of skin that has already been damaged from the exposure to the extreme elements.

In thinking of hypothermia and the effects it has on the body, I was relating to how it is similar to getting into a relationship with people who are destructive to our well-being. Many of us know from past experiences that entering into a relationship (even in friendship) with someone whom you must always tread on thin ice with in conversations and every interaction is like stepping onto a lake that isn’t solidly frozen over. We know eventually, we will break the surface and plunge through into the icy depths below. 

Why then do we step into these relationships with people who aren’t solid? … People whose psyche is so fragile that they must be handled with kid gloves? When will we learn to recognize a solid foundation from an icy thin veneer? It is when we learn to listen to the holy spirit’s voice. When we hear his caution. When we hear it as sure as the person standing next to us. I know that I have had what I consider a ‘check’ about some people and still went headlong, caution to the wind, into relationships that I had a gut feeling not to enter. I later regretted not listening to that still small voice. We don’t get into these situations when we learn to listen.

However, there are times that we cannot avoid people who are fragile. Sometimes they are people we work with, people we minister to, and sometimes they are part of our family. How do we guide these relationships then? We must definitely become the co-pilot and allow the holy spirit to become our pilot, because we are in uncharted territory. We cannot communicate from a carnal nature (not that we should in other relationships either, don’t get me wrong) but this is where it is imperative that our actions must be led and directed totally by the holy spirit. We have to get out of the pilot’s seat and sit back and allow him to speak in and through us. We must be sure that every answer, every jot and tittle in our communication is directed by him. If it isn’t, it will end in disaster. Through prayer and reading of the word, we can effectively navigate these relationships. God will guide us. He can work through us with the holy spirit. We just have to be open to listen. 

If you have been in a relationship where you’ve been wounded and weren’t listening to his guidance… If you are recovering from a hypothermic relationship, sometimes you are left in a state of confusion. You feel that you have been cut to the core and that your heart has been damaged beyond repair. You may feel that there isn’t anyone you can trust anymore or that the world is against you. Sometimes it feels that letting someone close again will only leave you cold and reeling from the icy depths you’ve experienced before. It might be scary to step back out on that ice and trust. So what is the process? It is a similar process to recovering from medical hypothermia.

Allow the gentleness of the holy spirit to warm and restart your heart. Destroy the old wet clothing (those words and events that have wounded you to the core). Replace them with the new clothing, new Life from the Bible. Find out what he says about you, who you are in Christ. Read Ephesians 1 to see some of his Truths  and promises concerning you. Let Jesus be your head covering. Surround yourself with people who are strong in their faith, those who have God first in their lives.  

By reading the word and searching your heart, you will know who you are, and gain confidence. Your thinking will become clear again (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV), your blood pressure (because he is our calm in the storm Matthew 8:23-27) will return to normal, praise him with every breath (Psalm 150:6 NLT), and you will breathe with ease. Wait on the Lord, be patient for his instruction and the blood flow to your heart will grow strong and healthy and you will be whole again (Psalm 27:14 KJV). You will be able to trust again, because his peace will envelope you and you will know that your core (inner being) is filled with him. Your inner peace and strength comes from God and not man. (John 14:26-27 NLT)

wm heart steth

 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:14-19 NLT (my emphases)

blue heart image: fanpop.com