Tag Archive for faith

In Too Deep?

4369ec7c5ba1187e2997b8e07c28a0d4It’s been a long while since I last posted. Not because I haven’t wanted to or been thinking about it but because well…life just got in the way. Please forgive me. I couldn’t resist posting about this topic after a conversation I had with someone recently. She admitted that she found herself in a relationship that was no good for her spiritually and was beginning to see the consequences of it. Had she gone too far to turn back? Was she in too deep to get out? I think not. Here’s a word of encouragement to anyone who may believe that making the effort to walk in your deliverance is a lost cause. I pray that it blesses somebody.   

Are you in a situation that you know you need to come out of because it’s just no good for you, but you feel like you’re in too deep? Take heart, my friend. There is no situation too massive for God’s love to cover and no degree of sin greater than the measure of God’s grace.

He tells us about those pesky temptations and where we stand when it comes to them.

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Cor. 10:13 NLT

I get a couple of things out of this scripture that reveal God’ plan for those of us battling and by faith delivered from strongholds whatever they may be.

  1. You are not alone. There’s something comforting and yet sobering about knowing that the junk you’re dealing with is the same junk others are dealing with and have dealt with. Not to make light of your struggle, but keep this in mind. Your situation is not so rare that it doesn’t lend itself to a cure. Your problem isn’t so unique that it doesn’t lend itself to a solution. Not only are there others out there who can relate to your struggle, but there are people who can relate to it and reveal how they overcame it. Hearing someone else’s testimony can provide the motivation and encouragement you need to believe that you too can be free of anything that has held you captive. God is not a respecter of persons. If he can deliver one he can deliver all.
  2.  You are stronger than you realize. You may feel like you’re drowning in sin or so far out of God’s reach because of a few bad decisions you’ve made, but God already knew you were graced to overcome the very thing you think you can’t. No one else can strut through and out of the struggle quite like you can. Winning is in your spiritual DNA. You have the necessary equipment on the inside to denounce the demons trying to inhabit your life, to make a change for the better, and to finally realize the victory you’ve been given through Christ. Accept it.
  3. God has your exit strategy already in place. Your job is to find out what it is by seeking it out in His Word. Read about Jesus who was tempted in the wilderness and how he strategically escaped the devil’s temptations. He responded to every temptation with the Word of God that directly contradicted the devil’s lies. Even when satan used scripture to back up his lie, Jesus threw back another scripture against it. There’s no way around this truth…faith comes by hearing the Word of God. So if you desire to overcome, you must overcome by faith. The only way that you will have the faith needed is by hearing God’s Word concerning the temptation. Read it and receive the faith you need to succeed.

I’ll leave you with this. If you can have faith for God to save you and you believe that Christ died for you, was buried for three days, and was resurrected, you can have faith for Him to deliver you from daily sins/strongholds. Christ thought it was so important that He died for the cause–your cause. Your deliverance and victory is totally worth every step you take to walk deeply in it.  So deeply that no devil in Hell can draw you out.

Going to Church Is Not Just About YOU

This post, inspired by my VBS students, is for all the parents out there, both married and single, who are working hard to take care of their kids financially but are missing out on another important element of raising children. Please read and share with someone you know who needs to hear this truth. It just may set them free.

These past few days I have bfamily at church.gifeen teaching a youth Vacation Bible School class consisting of children ages 7-10, and I must say that I’ve been amazed. I’m amazed at how excited these children are to learn more about the Lord. I’m amazed at how much they already know about His Word. I’m amazed at how boldly they testify about God blessing them. I’m amazed at the depth of the things they’ve prayed to God about–things that an adult may not even think to pray. Moments like these make me, as a new parent, grateful to be a part of a ministry that teaches the Word, not just Bible stories, and takes the salvation of our youth seriously. How did these youngsters become so deeply rooted in God’s Word? It’s quite simple, really. Their parents raised them in church.

I’ve come across quite a few people over the years, particularly men and single moms who have told me they don’t go to church because they have to work. Yes, you most certainly have to work to provide for your family. The Bible backs that up completely. But money ain’t everything, and when you are obedient to God He won’t let you go lacking. Get this, your biggest priority is to provide spiritual nourishment to your family by taking them to church on a consistent basis so they can be fed God’s Word. You don’t just feed them every now and then do you? How about just on holidays? Of course not. They would be malnourished, and you would be guilty of neglect if you did. Well, you can be just as guilty of neglect with God if you deprive your children of the spiritual nourishment and development that consistently being in God’s house provides. Hebrews 10:25 (GNT) says,

Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the Day of the Lord is coming nearer.

In addition, taking your children to church is a part of the spiritual training that God commands, not suggests, that Christian parents do. Proverbs 22:6 says this…

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

A large part of training is practicing what you preach. In other words, it’s demonstrating to your children that what you are telling them to do is also important to you. I don’t know about you but I have trouble with people who require me to do something they are not willing to do themselves. Your children may feel the same way if all you do is send them to church while you do whatever it is you do until they get back. It sends the message that going to church isn’t important. They may be inclined to repeat that same pattern of behavior when they become parents. The bottom line, folks, is this. You are the ordained spiritual covering for your household as a parent, and God is holding you responsible for raising the next generation of righteous people. You cannot do that apart from His House. And yes, we are to foster a Word and worship atmosphere in our homes as well, but personal private worship should not replace corporate worship. It should compliment it.

My intent is not to be judgmental here. I am speaking from experience. Growing up, I didn’t go to church every Sunday. For years we only went on special occasions like Easter and New Year. Truthfully, dressing up for Easter is all I can really remember about church as a young child. I think I was about six or seven when my mom and I started going every Sunday. I don’t think we were regular Bible study goers until much later than that. So what’s my point? If I were to compare myself as a child to the children in my VBS class they would have run circles around me in church and in life because they have been blessed to be raised in the church, which has given them a strong foundation in the Word. Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad for the foundation I did get, but I believe I would have been so much farther along in my faith walk if I had been taught faith from the very beginning.

So here are a few practical tips that will help you get to a place where consistent church attendance is possible.

  1. Change your work schedule if you can. If you have any control over your schedule, take church times off.  If you don’t have a say in the matter, pray about it. The good thing about having a divine connection with your Heavenly Father is that He hears your prayers. If you are praying according to His will (you going to church is His will), He will give you what you desire (1 John 5:15). You could just send them to church with someone else while you go to work or stay home to rest, but they need to see you worship God. One of my favorite quotes says “Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate.” You should want your children to imitate a good work ethic, but you should want even more for them to imitate a good worship ethic.
  2. Be persistent. If a hectic work schedule is not your issue, you have got to learn persistence when it comes to church attendance. Rainy weather is not a reason to miss church. Tiredness is not a reason to miss church. Hard times are not even a reason to miss church. Truth be told, we press for everything else we want to do–shopping, ball games, hair appointments, concerts, etc. etc. etc. As far as hard times and disappointments go, church is the best place you could be when you are going through. We find encouragement in the Word and strength from others of like faith in the sanctuary. Your children need this. YOU need this. Don’t let the minor setbacks of life keep you out of God’s house and out of fellowship with His people.
  3. Find a Word-based church. Not being able to find a church is no excuse either because there’s a church on every corner just about. BUT it is so uber important to find a church that is teaching the Word of God. In these days and times we don’t need to hear Bible stories. We need to hear truth that will prepare us for the daily spiritual battles we will face. If you don’t currently have a church like that pray that God will lead you where He wants to plant you. Yours and your children’s spiritual growth depends on it because the more you learn and grow the more you can instill in them.

So, regularly attending church is about you, but it is also about your children. Face it, being a parent requires much sacrifice. To whom much is given much is required. God blessed us when He gave us our children, and He is requiring that we give them the best possible care that we can physically, emotionally, AND spiritually.

What are your thoughts? Can you attest to how regular church attendance has helped your family?

Name It and Aim It

A few weeks agName Tag (1)o I had the opportunity to be a guest blogger on www.2aiming3arrows.com, a website devoted to raising children (arrows) according to God’s plan. I wrote about my experience as a new mother aiming my infant arrow towards God. If you haven’t read it, check out Confessions of an Amateur Archer on that site. Anyhoo, I thought I’d share another strategy I’ve employed as a new mother to help guide my son’s spiritual journey in a Kingdom direction.

I began with his name. Gabriel King Whitaker. Years ago in planning for my future son I liked the name Braxton. I really wanted a distinguished name for him–something that would be impressive on a job application and sound like it came from a long line of wealthy people. But I also wanted his name to have a significant meaning. When I discovered that my first name means strong and virtuous, I could see how those words lined up with my life. This is no boast about me, y’all. This is a boast that God’s Word is true. Romans 4:18 C says,

…according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be.

This scripture refers to the faith Abraham exercised to receive God’s promise that he would be the father of many nations. God spoke those words over Abraham’s offspring, Abraham believed it, and Abraham received it. I am bold enough to also believe that the words I have spoken and will continue to speak over my son’s life will be in his life. My belief is based on the spiritual principal (found in Proverbs 18:21) that my words have creative power. I am convinced that even a person’s name is a declaration about what will be in his or her life. Each time their name is called, their destiny is being spoken over them. Now no offence to any Braxton’s out there, but when I looked up its meaning I wasn’t impressed. “The son of Brax” said nothing about the kind of person my son would become, so I ditched that idea. Truthfully, naming him after my husband Russell wasn’t an option either because “red” wasn’t gonna cut it. 🙂

The name Gabriel was actually inspired by a friend of mine at my bridal shower. Everyone participated in a game about predicting my future as Mrs. Whitaker. My first child’s name was one of the questions. She predicted that my daughter would be named Gabrielle Joy. As soon as I heard it I fell in love. I knew that Gabrielle was the feminine version of Gabriel and that Gabriel was the angel who delivered the news of Jesus’s birth to Mary. Besides that, it just sounded good coming out of my mouth. In doing further research I discovered that the Hebrew meaning is “God is my strength.” That settled it for me. Although my first born was a boy, I still wanted to use that name. Not only would my son be God’s messenger, but he would do it in the strength of God. That is what I wanted spoken over his life each time anyone addressed him.

Now about that middle name. King was my husband’s step father’s last name. He is the man who raised him, and we wanted to pay homage to him. I was totally against using his first name, which was Sonny, so the last name had to do. I’ll admit I had a few reservations about naming my son King. 1. I didn’t want others to think that we were arrogant to choose that name. 2. I also didn’t want Gabe to become arrogant and think he was somehow more privileged because of it. Despite my reservations, my husband was sold on King. No matter what other middle names I suggested, he wasn’t budging. But to God be the glory! I found comfort and confirmation in the Word. Here’s what I found in Revelation 5:10.

And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

All of my apprehension vanished when I read this. The Bible declares that Jesus Christ, the most humble person to walk this earth, made us kings unto God, so it can’t be arrogant to make this claim. Also when I think about a king I think about a person who is chosen to lead like King David was. I want my son to know that he is called King, not because he rules over everybody (no, he will NOT run things in our house) but because he is a godly leader in doing what is right. And yes, I want him to reign in life, dominating every challenge and pitfall Satan tries to put in his path. As soon as he is old enough to understand, his father and I will teach Him these things. We will teach him that he is to use his leadership to set the right example and to draw people to Christ. We will teach him that he, as a child of God, is supposed to be the head and not the tail, above and never below in every situation. We will teach him to be a king not only in name, but in character. In that way, we are being intentional in establishing a foundation for him to be used by God and forming his future each time we utter his name. In other words, we are naming and aiming our baby arrow towards God.

Now I’d like to hear from you. Have you seen the fruit of your name’s meaning manifested in your life or the life of someone you know? Have you chosen your child’s name based on it’s meaning?