Perseverance...finishing strong!

Tonight I was looking at maps, reading a book about North Carolina, planning our upcoming vacation when Jon turned on the tv. Now as a disclaimer, I hate christian tv for the most part. There are a few people on that I know personally, like Arthlean Ripply (she has a local show), a friend of our's does a night show I'm told although I've never stayed up late enough to watch him, and I actually rather like Jim Bakker...so sue me....

But anyhow Jon turned it on TBN that I will normally only watch with him IF he is rubbing my back and I have a good book to read:) but there was a young man on from Steve Hill school(remember the Pensacola Revival) who was preaching! And it was truth....I told my husband we needed to play that Sunday morning1 The guy was basically saying QUIT saying you are a christian and you still living like the world..living with your baby's mama, smoking a little weed...etc....It was RIGHT ON! Then Steve Hill got up to share. Steve has been dealing with cancer for a few years now. He shared that with the audience and he shared realistically about what was going on. BUT his purpose is sharing was to talk about perseverance! He said he wanted to be remembered as a man who was faithful to God through the good times AND through the bad times! He shared how God uses him when he is at MD Anderson weekly, how he ministers to other patients and their families. He didn't give no big faith talk as in "I'm believing God for my healing" NO he radiated TRUST in God. He know he is in God's hand, what ever happens!!

Oh how the church needs to hear that message!!!!!!!!

Recently I knew a man, who had cancer. He desperately wanted to be healed. I do not blame him in anyway what so ever. He was only in his 40's, had a family, a ministry...plus he was going through terrible pain with the cancer. I read his blogs. While my heart went out to him in what he was going through...I felt troubled by his writings. there was alot of anger, even directed at God, there seemed to be alot of begging and going here and there for someone to pray for him for him to be healed. I even wondered how or if he was preparing his family, teens to deal with his possible death....There seemed to be little trust. I don't blame that man for all he was feeling and I'm sure God didn't either. I feel the blame lies with preachers, pastors, tv evangelists who focus so much on this earth and living here that we forget that we all are gonna die!

I look back at my own life. When I lost the twins, I felt like God had broke a promise to me! Now where on earth did I get that idea???? If you would have asked me straight out, I would have been shocked by that questions. I had great theology. I had a degree from Southeastern college in Bible. I wan't some flake, some "name it claim it" But in my heart, I felt like God owed me. Here I'd serve God all my life since I was a child. We were serving God on the mission field, in the inner city of NYC, and I should have been "covered by the Blood" & "under God's protection". Why not? I was "in the middle of God's will- the safest place to be" and yet, my children died, I almost died ...and I began to believe God had tricked me! He'd broke His promises...I became increasing bitter at God, the whole world....I had NO trust in God. I began to walk away from God, baby steps at first, then I began running away from God as hard as I cold all the while shaking my fist at God.....

So where did this idea come from that God owed me? From many ministers over the years who probably didn't examine their sermons very well. They wanted to excite people. They began to make all kinds of promises that God didn't make! You know what I mean..."come to Jesus, your life will never be the same..." In subtle ways, the message cam across, if you're living for God nothing bad is really ever going to happen to you...No they didn't come out and say that -at least most of them didn't - but it was there. It was there even in some of the newer Christian songs...It was there in the Christian circles "hey how are you? "I'm blessed and highly favored of the Lord" Well heck if you're blessed & highly favored of the Lord life is gonna be great right????

Well according to the Bible that is just NOT true. You can look in the OT at JOb! Or David, read the Psalms what outpouring of feelings....And since God allowed the Psalms to be in the Bible, He must be ok with people making negative confessions....Whew David is more real than I have ever been!! I just opened my Bible to Psalms 102 3-7 "For my days are consumed like smoke and my bones and burned like a hearth. My heart is stricken and withered like grass so that I forget to eat my bread because of the sound of my groaning my bones cling to my skin. I am like a pelican of the wilderness I am like an owl of the desert I lie awake and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop" WOW that is pretty rough huh??? But it is in the Bible!

Ok you can say that's the OT we live in NT times...ok...

My favorite verse in the bible, the one that is NEVER in the little "Bible Promise Books"...John 16:33...in this world you WILL have trouble....some versions read tribulations....There it is, Jesus said...You WILL have trouble in this world...but we are looking towards the world to come or shouldn't we be????? Look at Paul in 2 corthinians 11:23-29 Are they ministers of Christ I speak as a fool I am more in labors, more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently ...3 times shipwrecks...in perils of waters, of robbers, in the city , among false brethren, often in hunger and thirst...besides the other things that come on me daily..." I think this is the scripture Steve Hill used tonight....

I don't hear that message very often do you? We share it, with our church...life is hard but God will walk with you even through "the valley of the shadow of death" Everyone wants to be delivered out of that valley but that's not how it works!

I want to be strong! I want to persevere to the end. I want to be faithful to God despite the trials that come my way. I want to live my life so that others can see that you can walk with God through the hard times. You can totally TRUST even when you don't get the answer you want. God is still on the throne although our world may fall apart....

So how did I turn around? It took a long time, years...hard times....but I began seeing God in a whole new light. so now I try to share that with others. god doesn't promise if you come to him, you get a shield that will protect you from every bad thing , every germ, every accident, every downsizing at work...but He will be your shield as you walk through life and He will give you the grace you need to face each day. It rains on the just & the unjust, we all live in a fallen world but the difference is this world is not our home, we are only passing through! We know who hold tomorrow and who will give us the grace we need.

You can trust God even when the tears are streaming down your face, I know cause I have tears alot but I know that God is with us! He can be with you too!