Anxiety - Isaiah 41:10

I want to take some time to journey through God's Word to see what He says about managing ANXIETY in our lives.  Years ago, the word "anxious" had a more positive meaning; it was used to refer to things that we cared about or that we desired to see happen.  Somehow, in recent years it has lost that positive usage and we typically think of the anxiety in our lives as negative and associated with fear, worry, isolation and depression.

Let's begin with a verse in Isaiah 41:10

While the actual word - "anxious" does not appear in this verse, isn't that what we are experiencing when we feel fear and dismay?

This is a great verse to memorize so you always have it with you when anxiety presses in on you.

Isaiah was a man God called to be a prophet - someone who had the job of receiving messages from God and then communicating that message to the people that needed to hear it.  Much of his life, the message that he had to deliver was not one you would want to receive.  He was tasked with warning people that God was righteous and holy and He wanted His people to repent and turn from their sin and be restored to Him.  He warns of the coming days of judgement for those who do not.  Hearing Isaiah's message of judgement should have brought a great deal of anxiety to the people.  But here in this chapter, God reminds the people that when they listen and obey, He always rescues them.  In verse 9 He gives them the reason they should not be afraid:  He says, "I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you.  I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you." 

When we rely on our own strength and abilities to get us through challenging times, we have every reason to be anxious.  Deep down, we know we have limits, we know we have weaknesses, we know we can't make it through everything we will face.  God reminds us that our limits are not His - just because we may be at the end of our rope or feel trapped in a corner does not mean He is!  If we will acknowledge our limitations and failings and be restored to Him through repentance and forgiveness, He will be with us, He will be our God, He will strengthen and help us. 

Prayer:  "Father, I confess that toe unknown of this virus makes me feel out of control and fearful.  I confess that I forget how great a God You are and I try to rely on my own wisdom and strength.  Please forgive me for my fear and my lack of trust in Your wisdom and control.  Help me to recognize Your presence with me.  Help me understand how safe I am with You as my God.  Strengthen me to be able to face the challenges and changes that may come with grace and acceptance.  And in times when I feel overwhelmed, remind me that You hold me in the palm of Your hand."  Amen.

Walk By Faith

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." - 2 Corinthians 5:7

In our devotions this morning, my husband and I were reading about Abraham's walk of faith to a mountaintop.  If you are not familiar with this epic moment in Abraham's life, you can read about it in Genesis 22.  Perhaps in this time of "new norms" and lifestyle adjustments, we could all benefit from re-reading the life of Abraham and his wife, Sarah.  God called them to a lifestyle of change and faith.

The devotional challenged us to think about how unusual circumstances and confusing messages often cause us to question the character of God.  We tend to define Him by the lens we are looking through.  But one of the most reassuring characteristics of God is that He is unchanging.  His character and qualities never change - He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  This should give us reassurance and allow us to trust Him.  Yet often, in times of difficulty or uncertainty, we forget this eternal quality of God.  We question Him and His care for us.

Today, as you face another day with aspects of your life made different, or difficult, by the COVID-19 virus and the way it has impacts nearly every facet of our lives, remember that God remains unchanged.  You can be confident that He knows what He is doing, that He remains ready to forgive us if we need to confess things, ready to love us if we will accept His offer of salvation, and ready to walk with us through the dark time and the shadowed uncertainties of our life here on this earth.

Step out in faith - faith in the God who never changes.  Step out in faith - faith in the relationship He offers through His Son, Jesus.  Step out in faith - faith that if we seek Him, He will be found.

I will follow my Shepherd

                                       

         The past few weeks I have really struggled not being able to go to church, see my church family, hear God's word and worship. I look forward each week to my time there with like minded followers that look to serve God but with the Covid-19 virus we are challenged to do so.  We have gathered in small groups by phone and Facebook to talk, pray and see any needs our church family has but it has still left me longing for more of what I have so desperately missed in my fathers house.  I have found myself being in a funky mood so I looked around at what I was missing other than the obvious, where Has my Joy gone?  I decided to step back away from social media and tv with so many negative things going on and replaced it with music and scripture time.  I decided to spend more time at the barn enjoying sunshine, hearing the birds sing, watching the kids ride horses and the sheep grazing.

          This time of year we have lambs being born and I cant help but think of the sacrifice of the lambs that is spoke many times in the bible.  Today, we noticed a  sheep with her lambs and something appeared to be wrong. I watched my husband go to the sheep and take her lamb, she followed him and looked for him to help her lamb.  At that moment I thought this is how I feel looking to God for help.  I watched how she followed him to the gate watching to see what he was doing next, she stood patiently waiting as he tended to the baby then he sat the baby back by her side.  He is the shepherd to our herd, they depend on him for food, shelter, water, care when sick, and to keep them safe... this is how our relationship with God should be.  We should come to him for everything; from our spiritual needs, guidance, love, to keep us out of harm, when times are hard, when we are lost, thanksgiving, again EVERYTHING.  He cares and wants to be our shepherd.  When we take our needs to our father and surrender, follow where He leads.......the oh the peace that follows to be in your shepherds flock.
 
  I don't know where the next few months will lead but I do know that no matter the storm I will follow my shepherd where he guides me.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters;
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the path of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Psalm  23: 2-3

 




                                             

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Change is Hard!

I imagine I am not the only person feeling this way.  We wake up everyday with an altered sense of reality because all the things we know as "normal" have changed.  In some ways, these changes are positive as they teach us to examine what is important in our lives - family, health, faith - and we have an opportunity to make changes that take us in a better direction.  I call my 83 year old dad more often, which is something he greatly appreciates.  I put less off to tomorrow because I just don't know what tomorrow will hold.  I am determined to get a big garden in this year.

But some of the changes can stress us - children's routines are upended and we are dealing with behaviors and attitudes we may not have faced before.  Normal things like shopping and cooking and cleaning are now limited and complicated and often bring frustration and anxiety.  Many of the things we did to cope with relationship conflicts in the past now are not available - time with friends, taking a walk, going for a drive.  We are forced to realize that our own methods for working through the challenges in life are maybe not that effective, or perhaps not available to us at all.

I know that ministry to the children, teens and women in my community has been turned upside down for me.  I am struggling to know how to reach the people that I am committed to serve.  I started this blog as a way to do that, but easily grew discouraged at the lack of interest or connection is seemed to create.  So I stopped investing in it.  When we feel something is futile or a waste of time, it is easy to push it away.

Sometimes, when we pray repeatedly over a situation or condition we desperately want to see changed, and it doesn't change, we can experience that same discouragement and we decide to give up.  Sometimes, however, it is our perspective that needs to change in order for us to persevere.  I was posting on this blog because I wanted to see it make a difference and when I didn't, I gave up.  Perhaps I need to shift my perspective and post things I think will be beneficial or helpful simply because it is how I can serve right now, and leave the results up to God.

Many of the faithful listed in Scripture never saw the thing they were promised or saw the answers God was orchestrating to their prayers in their lifetime.  But they persevered and faithfully did all that God asked of them anyway.  Even our Savior Jesus did not see the people understand or receive Him during His time here on earth.

So today I recommit to sharing what I can and doing what God enables me to do, whether I see any outcome to that or not.  And I begin with keeping up with sharing with you the posts from the BoysTown Parenting resources I have.  I won't overwhelm you with the backlog of Daily Doses, but I will post 2-3 of them each day until we are caught up.  These are great little tips and reminders to help you as you parent your children and cope with the family adjustments this pandemic has caused.

And thank you for your patience with me as I learn and grow in faithfulness and perseverance.

Enough

For the past few years I have asked God to give me a word to focus on from January through December. This simple practice of choosing a word for the year has been very transforming for me. Every year holds so many highs and lows, but what stands out in my mind at the end is how God revealed Himself specially through that one word. This year God gave me the word “enough” as my focus. As our world faces all the fear and uncertainty coming from the Covid-19 pandemic, I find myself needing to cling to this word more than ever.

When I spend time reading my Bible I am reminded again and again that God is the God who provides. He loves His people so deeply and He never fails to meet them in their needs. One of my favorite stories is when Jesus feeds thousands of people. He had just spent the entire day sharing the good news of God’s kingdom with them, and healing those who needed healing. Jesus’ twelve disciples came to Him and suggested He send the crowds home so they could find something to eat. Jesus told the disciples not to send the people away, but to provide for their needs.

I can only imagine how shocked the disciples were when they heard Jesus’ instructions. The Bible tells us there were 5,000 men in the crowd that day. Scholars estimate that with women and children included there were probably more than 15,000 people present. The disciples were not rich people. They often depended on other people’s kindness to meet their daily needs. If I were one of the disciples standing in front of Jesus in this moment, I probably would have told Him, “But Jesus, what you ask is impossible! We do not have enough.”

“Not enough” is not something that stands in the way of our God. Jesus took the little the disciples were able to find, five loaves of bread and two small fish given to them by a boy in the crowd, and He multiplied it. He prayed to God and gave the food to the disciples. Miraculously the food did not run out as they passed it around to the 15,000 people. There were actually 12 whole baskets of food left over after everyone had eaten and was satisfied. The disciples approached Jesus with their lack, and He gave them more than enough.

At a different time in their journey with Jesus, the disciples asked Jesus how to pray. He taught them the prayer which is now known as the Lord’s prayer. In it He prayed to God, “Give us today our daily bread,” (Matthew 6:11). We can trust God to give us what we need for today. We cannot always see what tomorrow will hold or how He will provide for us then, but we can trust Him to take care of us here in this moment.

As you think about this virus and all the ways it is changing what you once considered normal life, what is the “daily bread” you need God to provide? Maybe your prayers sound something like this:

Give me today… the patience I need to love my children and show them kindness.

Give me today… the faith I need to trust you are good.

Give me today… the basic necessities I need to care for myself and my family.

Give me today… peace so I will not become overwhelmed by the uncertainty around me.

Give me today… rest because I am so weary, and I cannot carry on alone.

We can always bring our needs before God. We are His children and He loves us all. He is always listening, and He is standing nearby ready to comfort and strengthen us. This season might hold fear, doubt, and uncertainty. We do not know when this will pass or just how we will be impacted until it does. These things are true, but this season can be marked by something else as well. We can choose to make this a season of trust, hope, compassion for our neighbors, and drawing near to God. We can choose to rely on Him for our daily bread, and discover again and again each day that He is always enough.

We hope you will visit the Music post "Enough" as part of your quiet time with God today and let the music speak to your heart as you grow in your ability to believe that Jesus is enough for you, today and always.

Written by Christina Roberts

Scripture: Luke 9:10-17

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then He took them with Him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed Him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”

He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” (About five thousand men were there.)

But He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Quiet Time

The past few weeks we have all faced uncertainty of what we are facing at work, home, schools, our communities and even church.  Our daily routines are changing up a bit....kids are out of school, some of us are off work, a task of once going to the grocery store is even changing, and even our  church doors are closed. In this time of so many changes I believe we need to lean on our faith in GOD.  I want to encourage you to take a few minutes through out your day to have that quite time with Him.  He longs to hear his children come to him to talk, pray and take comfort in his presence.  In trying times we sometimes don’t know where to go in scripture so here are a few of my favorites to remind us that he is never far and always with us. 

 “Be strong and courageous.  Do not fear or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God who goes with you.  He will not leave you or forsake you.”  Deuteronomy 31:6

“Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God;  believe in me also.”   John 14:1

“I  sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” 

Psalms 34:4

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”  1 John 4:18

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

“The Lord will hear when I call to him”. Psalms 4:3

“Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

I would like to encourage you this week to take a few minutes of quite time to pray, listen to what God is saying to you, and even start a prayer journal.  He wants to be our encourager, our healer, redeemer.....everything we have always needed he has always been. He is already making a way. Take comfort in that.

Send a friend an encouraging text reminding them they are loved, they are special and what a blessing they are to you just as our creator is to us!

Sunday Worship options

As women, we love to gather together in person.  There is just something about the comfort and affirmation we feel when we share space and time with one another, especially if it involves a cup of coffee or tea!  For a moment, we enter one another's worlds and each of us feels "known" in a unique way.  It is the same reason we gather together as the Church when we worship.  Coming together, with our imperfections and flaws, to be in the presence of our God is a powerful thing.  It helps us to realize we are fully known, and loved, by Him and by each other.

But in these times of self-quarantine and efforts to protect each other, our gathering together has to be done remotely.  It feels different and we experience the uncomfortable reality of change and loss, but I encourage you to do it anyway!  In Hebrews 10:25 we find the author encouraging the people of the local church in this way:

Hebrews 10:25 - "Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Right now, our "meeting together" cannot be in person, for the physical safety of each other.  But technology has made it so we CAN meet together online, and I encourage you to do so.  Here at the Pass Creek Church we are working on ways to lead you through the technology available, and here are a few things we have for you, so far:

• Sunday morning sermons will be video taped and then posted online at 10:00 on Sunday mornings on Facebook the Pass Creek Church page - https://www.facebook.com/PassCreekChurch/
• Sunday evening Bible study will be led by Warren and will be conducted live using Facebook Live from the Pass Creek Church page.
• Wednesday evening Bible study will be led by Pastor Tim and will conducted live using Facebook Live from the Pass Creek Church page.
• Church of God Ministries will be hosting live streaming of worship services from churches across the country that will be available through their website - https://www.jesusisthesubject.org/corona-virus-statement/.  Please scroll to the bottom of the page where you can see each church and when their services will be available.  The first one will be on March 21 at 3pm Mountain time/5pm Eastern time.
• This blog page, primarily for the encouragement of the ladies I minister to. 
• Other resources are being developed, such as Sunday School lessons and Teen teachings and we will let you know when they come available.  

So I encourage you to step into the fellowship of others in this new way and use these resources to "gather together" and be encouraged and nourished by the teaching and preaching of God's Word.  Consider these wise words from Bible scholar Matthew Henry,  "Believers are to consider how they can be of service to each other, especially stirring up each other to the more vigorous and abundant exercise of love, and the practice of good works. The communion of saints is a great help and privilege, and a means of steadfastness and perseverance. We should observe the coming of times of trial, and be thereby quickened to greater diligence."

Out of control!

As we wake up each day to check the latest news to see if new measures to protect our country will affect our daily life, it can be easy to feel like things are spinning out of control.  So if you need some grounding today to steady yourself in the topsy-turvy world we are living in, I hope you will find it where I have found mine...in God's love letter to me today...His Word.

Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

By definition, a refuge is a safe place. When the Bible describes God as our refuge, it is saying that God is our safe place when we need protection from something. Knowing God is our refuge enables us to trust Him more freely. We need not fear situations or people who threaten our well-being, whether in a physical or spiritual sense. There is no situation we will ever face that is out of God’s control, so the best place to be, always, is right with Him.

So let's talk about control.  Most of us are experiencing the feeling of being "out of control" right now.  We have children at home who are usually in school, we have cleaning and feeding responsibilities to meet without the resources we are used to, and we have demands on our time and abilities that seem impossible.  Take a look at this diagram and begin to sort for yourself what belongs in the circle and what belongs outside of it.  KNOWING what we can and cannot control is the first step to managing things in a healthy way.

I would suggest that you add to the inner circle "Time with God" as well.  Our verse today, Psalm 46:1 says that God is our refuge.  A refuge is of no use, value or protection if we don't ENTER it!  If we want to feel God's protection we have to enter into His presence.  We do this through time in prayer with Him, sharing our fears, worries and concerns with the One that remains, always, in control.  We do this by reading the Bible which shares stories and messages of God's glory and power, reminding our timid hearts and crowded minds that He is Lord over all things.  He cannot be a "present" help if we are not "in His presence!"

Today, set aside a few minutes to read Psalm 46 today.  I have provided the text below.  If you don't have a Bible and would like one, please comment with your name and address and I will find a way to send you one.

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 8 Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.