A call to resistance

One of Jesus' most famous sayings deals with the battle between darkness and light, between evil and good, between Satan and God. He keeps it simple:

The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come to give life, life in all its fullness  (John 10:10).

If He keeps it that simple, we should not complicate matters. How do we know if the enemy is at work? When we experience theft, killing, and destruction. How do we know if God is at work? When life in all its fullness becomes visible.

The work of the enemy is visible on a worldwide scale. Quite a few things are being stolen from us at the moment: freedom, joy, rights, and privileges, etc. All kinds of diseases are killing people and among things being destroyed are relationships, culture, economy, entrepreneurship, common sense, morals, values, friendships etc.

The Bible warns us ... Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith (1 Peter 5: 8). Folks, it's a spiritual battle we're in. We don't have to blame politicians, world leaders, or health experts for being where we are. They are just doing their best to keep things under control...

👉But we are not called to control the work of the devil, we are called to resist him (if you are a Christian, that is)!

I am amazed that I hardly ever hear a word from within the Christian world about how this whole crisis is the work of the enemy. Yes, I read beautiful, well-meaning, soothing messages about how to cope with the current circumstances, about how to keep our faith, and how to reposition the chairs in our churches at a safe distance. While we walk around in our churches with a measuring stick, the devil goes around devouring people.

I think the message is very simple (read it in James 4: 7):

• Humble yourselves (submit) before God,
• resist the devil,
• and he will flee from you.

The fight is never against people, no matter what position they are in. A believer's fight is against the powers and forces of darkness. Dear friends, if we are not willing to submit to Jesus Christ (who gives life), then we submit to the enemy (who takes life). There is no middle ground!

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6: 12-13).

Is your love growing cold?

That we live in 'turbulent times' is probably an understatement, although I believe each generation has its share of ups and downs, blessing and drama, prosperity and pain. There is no such thing as a constant in life...

You may think whatever you like about everything we are experiencing in our world today. The opinions, thoughts, and interpretations of the current state of affairs are endless and quite diverse. I strongly believe each human being is entitled to voice his or her thoughts on any topic, as long as we listen to each other and respect the fact that not everyone thinks the same 😁

As Christians, we are warned (more than two thousand years ago) for times like this. Jesus clearly spoke about the future (which is now) and the things to expect such as wars, earthquakes, and pestilences. 👉Read Matthew 24 for yourself and see how accurate His predictions are.

I want to focus on verse 12 in that chapter, where Jesus says: Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. To me, that is the scariest thing of everything He had to say that day. Our love growing cold, a very troubling thought... and yet we see it happening every day, right in front of our eyes.

People divided and hating each other over politics, over mouth masks, over conspiracies, over religion, over about everything. And if that isn't enough, 'social distancing' is being preached as the new norm which is somehow accepted by many, many people as something to get used to. Really? Synonyms for distancing are dissociation, separation, isolation, segregation (!), alienation, disengagement etc. etc. Think about that, please!

Sin (everything that goes against God's moral standard for living and thriving) will be rampant everywhere (some translations say there will be an increase of wickedness) and at the same time our love for God, country, and each other will grow cold. We must be careful not to go with that flow. Do NOT let your love grow cold, guard it, exercise it, share it! 1 John 4:18 says there is no fear in love.

Let's keep fear at a distance, not each other!

The meaning of life

'God has a plan and purpose for your life'. I don't know how many times I heard that phrase before I believed it! I struggled with the thought that there would be meaning to individual lives in a world with almost 7.8 billion inhabitants and so much suffering.

Thank God I do know better now. 👉God has a plan and a purpose for each individual before they are even born. More on that precious womb phase in my book Breath of Life, by the way.

I am currently reading through the Psalms again in my Bible. And I noticed two scriptures that make it very clear that 1) God is the One to fulfill that purpose and that 2) God is the one to work out that plan. We need to ask Him, we must pray about it and we should go on a quest to find out what this is all about. I promise you will discover great things.

I cry out to God most high. to God who will fulfill His purpose for me (Psalm 57:2).

I find that so exciting and well for several reasons. 1) There is a purpose for my life. 2) It is His purpose, not mine. 3) He is the One to fulfill that purpose and 4) He will do so, even if I feel nothing is happening! I got so encouraged reading that passage, I must have read it twenty times in a row until the words finally took deep root in my heart. Then, I came to Psalm 138:8.

The Lord will work out His plans for my life.

Truly Lord? You will work out YOUR plans for MY life? Despite my failures, despite my mistakes, despite my fears and doubts? How awesome is that!  May I encourage you to find out more about God's purpose and plans for your life? Set time apart, turn off your tv, sit, listen, and read through the psalms. You will be richly blessed as you begin to discover why you are here on earth!

Hope brings life

Hope brings life. That thought came to me last week. And with that another thought, a simple conclusion really: Without hope, there is no life.

We all need hope. Hope for recovery, hope for better times, hope for the future. Without hope, a person withers away. We can see that when someone is seriously ill and there is no one who dares to speak words of hope.

If you read/see most news stories today, one would almost believe that the world is hopeless. We suddenly found ourselves on this escalator of increasing madness ... an escalator that keeps moving, even when we are standing still.

But you know what? We are not supposed to be dragged away like that. A person is not meant to live without hope. We can all make the decision to either let ourselves be dragged away passively or to take steps actively.

The most important step we can take in life is to turn our backs on hopelessness and to put our trust in God and no longer in the world, its systems, leaders, and programs. The hope that God gives does apply to our earthly existence and even more so to our eternal future. 👉Biblical hope is always focused on Jesus the Messiah, not on improving worldly conditions.

The times we are living in right now, calls for a decision: do you want to live without hope or do you want to surrender your life to the God of all hope? He will bring peace and tranquility to your heart and,  above all, He will give you hope for the future; here on earth and in the world to come!

Come to me, you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

Yes, you can!

They did it again! Fellow bloggers and writers Jeanette Levellie and Beth Gormong named their second joined effort 'Yes, you can!'

After their 2019 release of Hello Beautiful! they decided to get together again and write another excellent devotional. Their second collaboration comes at a crucial time in our world, when people need hope and help from above.  If you love to read short inspiring and uplifting stories, then this is the book for you.

Yes, you can! is filled with forty devotional stories. Through modern-day true accounts and biblical examples of women who overcame impossible odds, Jen and Beth show the reader how to:

• Receive and believe God’s undying love
• Trust in God’s willingness to answer our prayers
• Tap into God’s power to achieve our goals
• Walk in God’s wisdom to navigate hard circumstances
• Find God’s strength to overcome impossibilities

And (this I absolutely love) each chapter includes a journaling prompt or coloring page to help you personalize the life-changing truths.

Blogging is often the step that precedes publishing articles or books. We all have stories to share, right? May Yes, you can! be an inspiration and encouragement to you and who knows... one day you might write your own story.

You can read more about her new book or leave a note on Jen's weblog.

You can order the paperback and e-book on Amazon.