Discouragement...
I know a little about that lately. We all get discouraged sometimes, but what happens when that discouragement feels so heavy and pressing it starts moving you to abandon your plans, dreams, hopes, and vision of what you thought God had for your life? What does the future hold when life's crashing waves of struggles and pain grow so big you tire of fighting against them and just want to stop trying? One more crashing wave and there you go...sinking to the bottom, moved and defeated by the hardest things in life. Maybe like me, you might find yourself saying, "Why even bother fighting anymore, does it even matter and does anyone even care?"
Well yes... it DOES matter, more than we will ever understand in this life, I believe. What will sustain us against these giant waves life hurls at us and keep us firmly anchored to the steady course of victory and joy God has clearly planned for our lives?
There is one and only ONE anchor for our lives and the only One who will sustain and keep us during our times of deepest discouragement and disappointments.
Jesus.
One name, one truth. When everything around us is shifting, disintegrating or not turning out anything like we had hoped, Jesus is the only one who will never move, never be shaken, and never fail us. (Just because we may think He has failed us does not mean that He has.) He is the one and only anchor for our souls, especially during the worst things life can throw at us. Let's be honest with each other, we all struggle at times and life can just be awful, looking like there is no hope in sight. It can feel utterly impossible and sometimes your mind may yell, "Abandon ship...save yourselves!" This my friends, is exactly when we need to find ourselves anchored.
What does that mean? To me it means, when you don't even know what to ask or pray for anymore you call out one name...Jesus. When your heart is crushed and you feel as if all hope is lost you give your broken heart to one Person...Jesus. When things are impossible and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel you watch and wait for the one and only ray of Light...Jesus.
I know, those waves hit hard and it can be exhausting when you feel as if your are constantly fighting one after another. But when we are anchored in Jesus and only Jesus, those waves can try to move us, but we will be in the fierce grip of One who will never be moved and One who never lets go...ever.
"God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf." Hebrews 6:18-20 (NIV)
I leave you with something I feel the Lord spoke to my heart the other day...
"When you are on the battlefield of this life and in the thick of the fiercest of fights and you look ahead to catch a glimpse of me as you are following, just because it looks as if I have disappeared through the smoke and you can no longer see me because the smoke is so thick, does not mean that I have left you. I am still there and I will never leave you".
Be encouraged my friends. Jesus, our only Anchor is there up ahead, fighting on the front lines on our behalf, through the thick of the smoke, so we have a way through it.
He is our Blessed Hope, Anchor, and fierce warrior King.
Blessings to you~
Beth
I know a little about that lately. We all get discouraged sometimes, but what happens when that discouragement feels so heavy and pressing it starts moving you to abandon your plans, dreams, hopes, and vision of what you thought God had for your life? What does the future hold when life's crashing waves of struggles and pain grow so big you tire of fighting against them and just want to stop trying? One more crashing wave and there you go...sinking to the bottom, moved and defeated by the hardest things in life. Maybe like me, you might find yourself saying, "Why even bother fighting anymore, does it even matter and does anyone even care?"
Well yes... it DOES matter, more than we will ever understand in this life, I believe. What will sustain us against these giant waves life hurls at us and keep us firmly anchored to the steady course of victory and joy God has clearly planned for our lives?
There is one and only ONE anchor for our lives and the only One who will sustain and keep us during our times of deepest discouragement and disappointments.
Jesus.
One name, one truth. When everything around us is shifting, disintegrating or not turning out anything like we had hoped, Jesus is the only one who will never move, never be shaken, and never fail us. (Just because we may think He has failed us does not mean that He has.) He is the one and only anchor for our souls, especially during the worst things life can throw at us. Let's be honest with each other, we all struggle at times and life can just be awful, looking like there is no hope in sight. It can feel utterly impossible and sometimes your mind may yell, "Abandon ship...save yourselves!" This my friends, is exactly when we need to find ourselves anchored.
What does that mean? To me it means, when you don't even know what to ask or pray for anymore you call out one name...Jesus. When your heart is crushed and you feel as if all hope is lost you give your broken heart to one Person...Jesus. When things are impossible and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel you watch and wait for the one and only ray of Light...Jesus.
I know, those waves hit hard and it can be exhausting when you feel as if your are constantly fighting one after another. But when we are anchored in Jesus and only Jesus, those waves can try to move us, but we will be in the fierce grip of One who will never be moved and One who never lets go...ever.
"God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf." Hebrews 6:18-20 (NIV)
I leave you with something I feel the Lord spoke to my heart the other day...
"When you are on the battlefield of this life and in the thick of the fiercest of fights and you look ahead to catch a glimpse of me as you are following, just because it looks as if I have disappeared through the smoke and you can no longer see me because the smoke is so thick, does not mean that I have left you. I am still there and I will never leave you".
Be encouraged my friends. Jesus, our only Anchor is there up ahead, fighting on the front lines on our behalf, through the thick of the smoke, so we have a way through it.
He is our Blessed Hope, Anchor, and fierce warrior King.
Blessings to you~
Beth