I'm sorry that it has been over 2 weeks since I have written last. I love you all, but have had a lot of things happening at home. God has been reminding me where my hope is built, and I wanted to share with you the hope that I have. For the longest time my hope was built upon things that could never be lasting. My hope was built upon the man I was dating, the job I held, the relationships I had with my family, the grades I earned in school, and so on. None of these things could hold the weight of my hope. None of these things could offer me joy and hope for my future. But there is someone who can!
But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash. Matthew 7:26-27
The past few months, I have been through many trials. God has asked me to walk through some things that I didn't think I could take. I was in a cast/boot for about 5 months because of a very strange injury. God told me to pass up an opportunity to be in a relationship with someone and wait for the one who He had chosen for me. I had a visit from my abusive ex-husband, and all along He continually stretched my trust in Him. God asked me to trust a pastor and a church when all my past experiences had told me not to, and he asked me to be accountable to someone who would disciple me. In the process of all these things He gave me blessing after blessing, and He gave me joy, peace, and hope for my future!
Building up hope has a lot to do with two words that we don't like to hear; Submission and Obedience. Most of you know now that I was in an abusive marriage, and one of the things that my ex-husband used to tell me was that it was my job to be submissive to him in all things. He abused the word submission and made it into something that it was not meant to be at all. His take on submission was that I should immediately do whatever it was he asked me to do without a thought. He actually said that what he wanted was a Stepford wife. This is a picture of submission that is not of God, and makes it difficult to trust that it's okay to do what God asks of us.
The picture of submission that God gives is one that comes from love. God says that if we submit to Him, if we are willing to do what He wants us to do that our lives are going to be better and more blessed than ever! The difference between submitting to God's will and submitting to any person on earth is that God will never abuse you, forsake you, or ask you to do something that will harm you or another person. God will ask you to do things that are outside of your comfort zone, but He will never ask you to do something dangerous!
The most awesome thing about following God and being obedient to His will is that he promises blessings! That's right, God rewards you in two ways, first He asks you to do his will (such as buying a specific car instead of the one that caught your eye, or buying a house in one location instead of another) which always leads to your life being better, then He grants you a blessing because you were obedient. Deuteronomy 28 is filled with all the blessings that He promises to you!
Building up hope has a lot to do with two words that we don't like to hear; Submission and Obedience. Most of you know now that I was in an abusive marriage, and one of the things that my ex-husband used to tell me was that it was my job to be submissive to him in all things. He abused the word submission and made it into something that it was not meant to be at all. His take on submission was that I should immediately do whatever it was he asked me to do without a thought. He actually said that what he wanted was a Stepford wife. This is a picture of submission that is not of God, and makes it difficult to trust that it's okay to do what God asks of us.
The picture of submission that God gives is one that comes from love. God says that if we submit to Him, if we are willing to do what He wants us to do that our lives are going to be better and more blessed than ever! The difference between submitting to God's will and submitting to any person on earth is that God will never abuse you, forsake you, or ask you to do something that will harm you or another person. God will ask you to do things that are outside of your comfort zone, but He will never ask you to do something dangerous!
The most awesome thing about following God and being obedient to His will is that he promises blessings! That's right, God rewards you in two ways, first He asks you to do his will (such as buying a specific car instead of the one that caught your eye, or buying a house in one location instead of another) which always leads to your life being better, then He grants you a blessing because you were obedient. Deuteronomy 28 is filled with all the blessings that He promises to you!
The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. Deuteronomy 28:8
The important thing to remember is that God wants the absolute best for you. He is the only one who knows what the future holds, and so He is always trying to steer you in the direction that will shield you from being hurt in the future, or having to deal with hardships. We always hear that God is our heavenly father, and whether or not you had a good earthly father who watched out for you, God is actually looking out for your best interest! So like a parent, He is using His amazing wisdom to guide you and help you so that your future is bright and not filled with pain and suffering. It is very easy for us to say no to God and do it our own way instead, but that means that our future, whether it be a month or a year from now, will not have the same covering over it.
Just like the foolish man in the verses at the beginning of this blog, it was easy to say "I want to build my house on the sand... it's much prettier down here"... then when the tough stuff came his whole existence was washed away, and maybe even his life. But once again God spoke, this time through Jesus, and He promised that if we listen and obey that our life will be grounded and built on a solid rock that can withstand the shaking of strong winds and waves and torrents. God is the rock on which I place my house, and where all my hope is built!
Just like the foolish man in the verses at the beginning of this blog, it was easy to say "I want to build my house on the sand... it's much prettier down here"... then when the tough stuff came his whole existence was washed away, and maybe even his life. But once again God spoke, this time through Jesus, and He promised that if we listen and obey that our life will be grounded and built on a solid rock that can withstand the shaking of strong winds and waves and torrents. God is the rock on which I place my house, and where all my hope is built!
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the flood waters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. Matthew 7:42-25
Today I challenge you to trust that God has the very best for you and seek out His will for your life! Take time to read Deuteronomy 28, and think on what a beautiful blessing He has for you!
Father God I thank you for your wonderful unfailing love that you continue to show us. Thank you that even when we fail, you don't! You just keep showing up and you keep planning our future out with excellent gifts for us! I ask that you would show us what your will is for our lives, and then that you would make it evident where you want us and how we can go about doing what you are asking of us! Father I pray that you would grant us joy, peace, and hope today as we make choices for our futures! I ask that you would bring us through to the other side and that you would guard us from the seeming unending flow of hurt, pain, and illness. I pray that you would break the chains of all of that and make all of us new today! We want our hope to be built on you Father God! I ask all of these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Father God I thank you for your wonderful unfailing love that you continue to show us. Thank you that even when we fail, you don't! You just keep showing up and you keep planning our future out with excellent gifts for us! I ask that you would show us what your will is for our lives, and then that you would make it evident where you want us and how we can go about doing what you are asking of us! Father I pray that you would grant us joy, peace, and hope today as we make choices for our futures! I ask that you would bring us through to the other side and that you would guard us from the seeming unending flow of hurt, pain, and illness. I pray that you would break the chains of all of that and make all of us new today! We want our hope to be built on you Father God! I ask all of these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.