Category: Loss of Loved One

God Can Get You Through “It”

I went to a Gordon Mote concert. As Gordon took us through a series of songs, it occurred to me how God had a plan in my life that I could have never understood as I began to walk with God. In my late teens, maybe early 20’s, our pianist at our church chose a song for me to sing. It was Through It All. That song resonated with me because it is not easy to be a teen or a young person and not have some struggles. I was thankful at that time for the struggles that God brought me through for I knew I would not be the person I was becoming without the struggles that God allowed.  I believe those struggles may be greater today for teens, but I don’t know some say it is the same but it probably depends on our perspective and our experience. That is a long time back to remember but I believe I knew then that no matter what I would face, God would be there to get me through it.

Through It All

As Gordon Mote finished that song, he said he didn’t know what the “it” was in everyone’s life but we all have an “it” that God can bring us through. Some of you know what my “it” is during this season of my life and I would have never expected to be where I am today. Gordon went on later to sing Something Beautiful. We had just sang that song in church the Sunday before and I was thinking how it says that God brings beauty when we bring him our confusion, our brokenness and strife. I think of the confusion we bring to Him when we come to Him for salvation. In the midst of my current confusion, I believe that God can bring beauty from any confusion that we go through while we walk with Him. When I mention confusion, I don’t mean the kind satan throws at us but the confusion of now knowing God’s plan in the situation and what outcome He is striving for or how long it is going to take.

Something Beautiful

 I am not sorry for my struggles that God is allowing because I know that I am stronger because of them. One thing I believe I am doing is making Satan sorry for even trying to mess with me and someone that I love. I don’t plan on stopping that mission. I am waiting for the beauty that will come from the confusion that I am currently going through with my “it”. God is good in the midst of  anything that comes our way that we may be confused about. We don’t always know what God is doing but we can know that it will be right because God is always right.

Something Good Is About To Happen

Humble yourselves and pray looking to heaven expecting Him to work in your situation.

Praise Him in all things no matter what your current situation. He will get you through it.

I believe the longer and the closer you walk with Christ, the more you will see the fingerprints He has made in your life before you even realized how much He was there with you, even before you were walking with Him. Once you begin walking with Him, you will realize He was there all the time. You will begin to see those fingerprints that you didn’t notice at the time and they will mean more to you than they would have then.

Life Is Not Easy

We don’t always know why things happen. God always has a reason for allowing things to happen and causing things to happen. There is always a lesson to be learned. It could be as simple as an attempt to get our attention or sparing us of something worse that could have happened. It could be to work in a situation that we may not be aware of and may never know this side of eternity. God has the bigger picture and can be trusted to use all that happens for His glory and our betterment. He is God.

God also has a way of teaching us because we don’t like to follow rules. Breaking rules has consequences. We may consider some rules to be trivial, but God tests us in little things to see if we can handle bigger stuff. Often times, if not always, we know what we did wrong.

It may be that we didn’t follow through on a promise or something we knew we should have done. We don’t always know the correlation between our disobedience and the consequences we face but we do know there are consequences to disobedience.

When things happen that we don’t want to deal with, we as humans tend to want to fluff it off and minimize its importance. God wants us to deal with things, do what is right, follow through. The more we do that, the more satisfied we will be with life, ourselves and with other people.

God will reveal the lesson to be learned if we ask Him. The quicker we learn, the less we have to face similar situations that try to teach us the same lesson. Life has consequences and we have rules for a reason. God’s rules are definitely for our protection and benefit. Following rules (especially God’s) and doing what is right always pays off. God gave us a mind and access to the Holy spirit to know the difference between what is right and our own foolishness.

Life is not easy. We get out of life what we put into it. Following God is not easy. Our relationship with God and our quality of life will amount to what we put into it. God is there. He is committed. He will not forsake us. It is our side of the relationship that falls short. The quality of our relationship is based on our level of commitment. He wants the best for us. It is our choice to accept His best or to settle for less than the best.

You Can Make It

8Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 9Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset–rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world. 10And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you. 11To Him be the dominion (power, authority, rule) forever and ever. Amen (so be it).1 Peter 5 AMP

Whatever problem you are going through, there are others going through very similar situation and are at different levels of pain. Satan only has certain things to attack people with so you will never be alone in your suffering. Those other people can be a blessing in your life because some will be able to support you and if you reach out to help others because of what you have experienced, you will be blessed. Most importantly is that Christ can be there with you if you allow Him to walk with you. Satan will use anything that he thinks will defeat you. Keep your eyes on God so that once you suffer, you may be restored. Christ will walk with you through the pain and restore you. Christ will only allow what you can handle with Him. If you choose to walk it alone, it may be more than you can handle so be sure to allow Christ to walk it with you. You can get through anything with Christ and keep your joy as you go through it. Satan comes to destroy. He will try to attack you personally but if that isn’t enough, he will use those that are most precious to you. If they are not strong enough, He will attack them and attempt to bring you down in the process. It works if you allow yourself to focus on what your loved one is going through instead of giving it to God. Satan will distract you from God in any way possible because once you start watching the destruction, you will have a hard time focusing on the light and truth that God provides for you in His Word and your personal relationship with Him. Don’t allow Satan to steal what Christ has already given to you. It is only through God that you can get through your circumstance without Satan defeating you.

Who Should We Be Mad At?

Why do people get mad at God? Does He do anything wrong? He is God. Who are we? We are allowed to get mad. We are allowed to get angry. “Be angry [or stand in awe] and sin not; commune with your own hearts upon your beds and be silent (sorry for the things you say in your hearts). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!” Psalm 4:4 AMP There are things that should make us angry. We just need to be careful who we direct the anger toward and our actions because of the anger and also examine the reason for our anger. God may allow stuff but He does not cause all of it. Sin will bring about a lot of anger. Sin hurts those that are living a sin but that sin also hurts those around them. We should hate the sin but not the sinner. We should hate Satan for deceiving those that fall into sin. We should not be mad at God for the choices that we or others make. Consequences come and we often know what the consequence could be but still choose to commit the sin.

God is big enough for us to tell Him about our anger but don’t blame Him for what is happening. He is God. If He allowed it, it can be turned into good no matter how evil it seems if it is given to Him. The difference is whether we give it to Him or choose to deal with it our self. We often make bad choices if we aren’t in a right relationship with God. We can’t control the decisions that others make. We can do our best to influence them but we must be accountable for our decisions and our relationship with God so that we know what to do. God is the only one with the whole puzzle. We can only see one puzzle piece or maybe a few.

Three Stories That Will Give You Chills

There are probably plenty more. These are just two true examples of a father that chose to sacrifice his son for the sake of others. The ultimate story is the one where God chose to sacrifice His son for the lives of everyone. In the two examples, the people were saved without a choice in the matter although I am sure they were still grateful. As in the ultimate story, people have a choice to be saved or not. What a shame it is for someone to not accept something that has already been done for them. You can read one of these stories on utube below and the other under the video. The third story can be a reality in your life based on your decision to accept Christ’s salvation.

THIS WILL GIVE YOU CHILLS

AFTER A FEW OF THE USUAL SUNDAY EVENING HYMNS,
THE CHURCH’S PASTOR SLOWLY STOOD UP,
WALKED OVER TO THE PULPIT &
BEFORE HE GAVE HIS SERMON HE BRIEFLY INTRODUCED A GUEST MINISTER
WHO WAS IN THE SERVICE THAT EVENING.

IN THE INTRODUCTION, THE PASTOR TOLD THE
CONGREGATION THAT THE GUEST MINISTER WAS
ONE OF HIS DEAREST CHILDHOOD FRIENDS AND
THAT HE WANTED HIM TO HAVE A FEW MOMENTS
TO GREET THE CHURCH AND SHARE WHATEVER
HE FELT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE SERVICE…

WITH THAT, AN ELDERLY MAN STEPPED UP TO THE PULPIT AND BEGAN TO SPEAK.

“A FATHER, HIS SON, AND A FRIEND OF HIS SON WERE SAILING OFF THE PACIFIC COAST,” HE BEGAN, “WHEN A FAST APPROACHING STORM BLOCKED ANY
ATTEMPT TO GET BACK TO THE SHORE.

THE WAVES WERE SO HIGH, THAT EVEN THOUGH THE FATHER WAS AN EXPERIENCED SAILOR,  HE COULD NOT KEEP THE BOAT UPRIGHT AND THE THREE WERE SWEPT
INTO THE OCEAN AS THE BOAT CAPSIZED.”

THE OLD MAN HESITATED FOR A MOMENT, MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH TWO TEENAGERS WHO WERE, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE SERVICE BEGAN, LOOKING SOMEWHAT INTERESTED IN HIS STORY.

THE AGED MINISTER CONTINUED WITH HIS STORY, “GRABBING A RESCUE LINE, THE FATHER HAD TO MAKE THE MOST EXCRUCIATING DECISION OF HIS LIFE:
WHICH BOY WOULD HE THROW THE OTHER END OF THE LIFE LINE?
HE ONLY HAD SECONDS TO MAKE THE DECISION.

THE FATHER KNEW THAT HIS SON WAS A CHRISTIAN AND HE, ALSO, KNEW THAT HIS SON’S FRIEND WAS NOT.
THE AGONY OF HIS DECISION COULD NOT BE MATCHED BY THE TORRENT OF WAVES.

AS THE FATHER YELLED OUT,
‘I LOVE YOU, SON!’
HE THREW OUT THE LIFE LINE TO HIS SON’S FRIEND.
BY THE TIME THE FATHER PULLED THE FRIEND BACK TO THE CAPSIZED BOAT, HIS SON HAD DISAPPEARED BENEATH THE RAGING SWELLS INTO THE BLACK OF NIGHT.

HIS BODY WAS NEVER RECOVERED.

BY THIS TIME, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE SITTING UP STRAIGHT IN THE PEW,
ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR THE NEXT WORDS TO COME OUT OF THE OLD MINISTER’S MOUTH.

 “THE FATHER,” HE CONTINUED, “KNEW HIS SON WOULD STEP INTO ETERNITY WITH JESUS
AND HE COULD NOT BEAR THE THOUGHT OF HIS SON’S FRIEND STEPPING INTO AN ETERNITY WITHOUT JESUS.. THEREFORE, HE SACRIFICED HIS SON TO SAVE THE SON’S FRIEND. ”

HOW GREAT IS THE LOVE OF GOD THAT HE SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR US,
OUR HEAVENLY FATHER SACRIFICED HIS ONLY
BEGOTTEN SON THAT WE COULD BE SAVED.
I URGE YOU TO ACCEPT HIS OFFER TO RESCUE YOU AND TAKE A HOLD OF THE
LIFE LINE HE IS THROWING OUT TO YOU IN THIS SERVICE.”
WITH THAT, THE OLD MAN TURNED AND SAT BACK DOWN IN
HIS CHAIR AS SILENCE FILLED THE ROOM.

THE PASTOR AGAIN WALKED SLOWLY TO THE PULPIT AND DELIVERED A BRIEF SERMON WITH AN INVITATION AT THE END.  HOWEVER, NO ONE RESPONDED TO THE APPEAL.

WITHIN MINUTES AFTER THE SERVICE ENDED, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE AT THE OLD MAN’S SIDE.

“THAT WAS A NICE STORY,” STATED ONE OF THEM,”BUT I DON’T THINK IT WAS VERY REALISTIC FOR A FATHER TO GIVE UP HIS ONLY SON’S LIFE IN HOPES THAT
THE OTHER BOY WOULD BECOME A CHRISTIAN…”

“WELL, YOU’VE GOT A POINT THERE,”

THE OLD MAN REPLIED, GLANCING DOWN AT HIS WORN BIBLE.
A BIG SMILE BROADENED HIS NARROW FACE.
HE ONCE AGAIN LOOKED UP AT THE BOYS AND SAID,
“IT SURE ISN’T VERY REALISTIC, IS IT?  BUT, I’M STANDING HERE TODAY TO TELL YOU THAT STORY GIVES ME A GLIMPSE OFWHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR GOD TO GIVE UP HIS SON FOR ME…

YOU SEE.

I WAS THAT FATHER AND YOUR PASTOR IS MY SON’S FRIEND.”