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belief required

by Jessica Van Roekel | Mar 31, 2016 | Christian Living

Belief.

We can say we believe, but do we? When the way grows rough and the storm looms close do we believe as much as we did when the way was smooth and the skies clear? When it feels like you cannot catch your breath because the waves are crashing with increasing ferocity, do you believe with the same amount of fervor as when the water was as smooth as glass?

This question comes up to haunt me in the night. It hounds me when I am trapped in shame. It challenges my desperation. It ramrods my pride.

Yet, belief was the key to the sick woman and the synagogue ruler. It was their belief that fueled their desperation. It was their belief that prompted their seeking Jesus. Belief fueled their reception of their personal miracle.

Belief.

There were those in the synagogue leader’s and the woman’s life that did not believe that healing could come. Think of the woman: she spent all she had searching for health through the hands of mere men and instead of getting better she grew worse. She was probably written off as a lost cause and there was no one left to believe that she would be restored. Think of Jairus: his daughter was still alive when he fell at Jesus’ feet begging for Jesus to come and heal his daughter, yet, when Jesus finally arrived, Jairus’ daughter was dead. There was no hope because there was no life.

There have been and probably always will be those folks in my life who challenge my belief in my Jesus. There will be those that will tell me to stop bothering Jesus with the request that obviously is dead. I have those kind of latent dreams that I wonder if they will ever happen in this world. But the dreams persist and I hear Jesus tell me, just as he told Jairus: ‘Don’t be afraid, just believe.’

In that statement, Jairus had to choose who he was going to believe. Would he believe his friends and family or would he believe Jesus? Can you imagine the single-mindedness of Jairus as he walked those last, long, short steps to his home? Can you imagine the battle within his heart and what his mind was telling him? His heart is telling him to believe and reverberating through his mind is the news that his daughter is dead. Whose voice will be louder? Jesus or the crowd?

This is the challenge that I face. Will I let Jesus’ voice be louder in my mind and heart or will I let the crowd of doubt and logic drown it?

It wasn’t logical that by just one touch of Jesus’ hem would the woman be healed. It wasn’t logical that a child could be raised from the dead. There is no human logic that could explain or support a healing touch.

But what part of Jesus follows our human logic? I have experienced a peace that makes no sense when I look at the circumstances in my life. I have experienced the courage to take the next step to tear down idols that prevent the people I serve from growing in their worship experience. I have experienced freedom from the approval seeking junkie I once was.

These things are unexplainable outside the power of the touch of Jesus in my life.Will you believe? Will you be desperate? Will you seek out the presence of Jesus in your life? If you can, if you will to, you might experience miracles in your life that defy our human logic as well. And that is a very exciting place to be.

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When we struggle with doubt, we can have a couple of different responses. We can ignore them or look to the world’s wisdom to handle them. Both responses allow the doubt to grow.
 
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One key is to hold out doubts in a loose hand with an open heart as we allow the Lord to sift through the issues behind the doubt. When we do this, he leads us to revelation and greater understanding of himself.
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When we struggle with doubt, we can have a couple of different responses. We can ignore them or look to the world’s wisdom to handle them. Both responses allow the doubt to grow. 
 
But I’ve learned God is big enough to handle my toughest questions. Questions like, Did I hear you right? Why does my loved one have to suffer? Why are there so many divisions between people. Don’t you care? Doubt filtered through the power of God’s word leads us closer to him. 
 
One key is to hold out doubts in a loose hand with an open heart as we allow the Lord to sift through the issues behind the doubt. When we do this, he leads us to revelation and greater understanding of himself. 
#christianwomen #doubts #trustingod #welcomegrace #reframingrejectionbook

Who else struggles with perfectionism? I once thought being perfect would protect me from rejection, but it was like swatting at flies with a tennis racket. Perfectionism leads to under developing the ability to hear God’s approval and over developing an ear tuned to what others say or don’t say.
 
Can we look at the woman in the mirror and speak kindly to her? Or do we run over the list of the failures and reiterate the old messages that say, “not good enough” and “unworthy?” Changing these thoughts feels insurmountable, but with God’s help, we can start small.
 
When we accuse ourselves of unworthiness, we can say, “God says I’m wonderfully made,” and believe it in faith until we can believe it for real.

#christianwoman #Jesus #selftalk #livingwater #welcomegrace #reframingrejectionbook

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Mar 21

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Who else struggles with perfectionism? I once thought being perfect would protect me from rejection, but it was like swatting at flies with a tennis racket. Perfectionism leads to under developing the ability to hear God’s approval and over developing an ear tuned to what others say or don’t say. 
 
Can we look at the woman in the mirror and speak kindly to her? Or do we run over the list of the failures and reiterate the old messages that say, “not good enough” and “unworthy?” Changing these thoughts feels insurmountable, but with God’s help, we can start small. 
 
When we accuse ourselves of unworthiness, we can say, “God says I’m wonderfully made,” and believe it in faith until we can believe it for real. 

#christianwoman #Jesus #selftalk #livingwater #welcomegrace #reframingrejectionbook

“You like me. You don’t like me. You like me. You don’t.” As children, we repeated this mantra as we tore petal after petal off a daisy in hopes we’d end on “You like me.” This may have been a game we use to play as children, but we’re not too far removed from it as adults.
 
We position ourselves near someone who can help us get ahead. We stroke the ego of the person in charge. We make their approval our number one goal. But we lose ourselves in the process.
 
We lose our calling and identity because we grow warped trying to bend ourselves into a shape we can’t even identify. Chasing after man’s approval is like chasing the wind. We will not catch it. Wouldn’t it be better to stop and pursue God like we do people?

#reframingrejectionbook #Jesus #Christianwomen #approval

View

Mar 16

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“You like me. You don’t like me. You like me. You don’t.” As children, we repeated this mantra as we tore petal after petal off a daisy in hopes we’d end on “You like me.” This may have been a game we use to play as children, but we’re not too far removed from it as adults. 
 
We position ourselves near someone who can help us get ahead. We stroke the ego of the person in charge. We make their approval our number one goal. But we lose ourselves in the process. 
 
We lose our calling and identity because we grow warped trying to bend ourselves into a shape we can’t even identify. Chasing after man’s approval is like chasing the wind. We will not catch it. Wouldn’t it be better to stop and pursue God like we do people?

#reframingrejectionbook #Jesus #Christianwomen #approval

They say out of the mouths of babes comes wisdom and my then then, six-year-old came to me with the question, “Mama, do you know what idols are?” I replied that I did and then asked her if she knew since I was curious to see what she would say. She floored me with this response: “They are anything we love more than God.”
 
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Psalm 115 says that those who make idols will be like them: deaf, blind, mute, and unable to move. But those who tear them down find freedom to hear, see, speak, and find their purpose once again. Today, will you join me and take a bit of time to ask the Lord to reveal areas of our lives where we may have built idols. He is gentle with us and will help us tear it down.  

#reframingrejectionbook #christianwomen #discipleship #surrender #loveJesusChrist

View

Mar 14

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They say out of the mouths of babes comes wisdom and my then then, six-year-old came to me with the question, “Mama, do you know what idols are?” I replied that I did and then asked her if she knew since I was curious to see what she would say. She floored me with this response: “They are anything we love more than God.” 
 
Idols can take the form of entertainment, success, independence, people, beauty, and searching for approval. I’ve made idols out of my own comfort and missed ministry opportunities because I was more concerned about if it “felt” comfortable than about obeying God. 
 
Psalm 115 says that those who make idols will be like them: deaf, blind, mute, and unable to move. But those who tear them down find freedom to hear, see, speak, and find their purpose once again. Today, will you join me and take a bit of time to ask the Lord to reveal areas of our lives where we may have built idols. He is gentle with us and will help us tear it down.  

#reframingrejectionbook #christianwomen #discipleship #surrender #loveJesusChrist

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Long waited for dreams and unmet expectations create cracks in our hearts and when they finally break, we can choose rest. It’s in resting in the Lord where we find the rejuvenation we long for, not in ignoring it. Sometimes breaking is the exact right thing for us because we have been carrying bitterness or resentment for too long.

#christianwomen #loveGod #brokenness #discipleship #reframingrejectionbook

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Long waited for dreams and unmet expectations create cracks in our hearts and when they finally break, we can choose rest. It’s in resting in the Lord where we find the rejuvenation we long for, not in ignoring it. Sometimes breaking is the exact right thing for us because we have been carrying bitterness or resentment for too long. 

#christianwomen #loveGod #brokenness #discipleship #reframingrejectionbook

The day I burned my entire palm, I couldn’t focus on anything else. I tried to read but couldn’t. I tried watching a movie and all I could see was the air pulsating while pain throbbed through my hand. I came to a full stop. I treated my hand with salve. I rested. I changed bandages. I gave space and time to heal. This experience made me wonder if I give my heart the same kind of treatment. I realized I don’t. Do you?

The next time our hearts throb with disregard or disappointment, let’s agree to give it space and time for healing. This means we receive God’s comfort by coming to a full stop and share how betrayed we feel. Then, we apply his word as salve to our wounds. We read scriptures that remind us of his love for us and the healing power of forgiveness. And we give it time. Time for God to bind our wounds and time to heal

#believe #holyspirit #pray #bibleverse #inspiration #christianliving #prayer #womenoffaith #bibletime #jesuschrist #liveyourfaith #bibleinspiration #amazinggrace #trustgod #wordbeforeworld #devotional #reframingrejectionbook

View

Mar 7

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The day I burned my entire palm, I couldn’t focus on anything else. I tried to read but couldn’t. I tried watching a movie and all I could see was the air pulsating while pain throbbed through my hand. I came to a full stop. I treated my hand with salve. I rested. I changed bandages. I gave space and time to heal. This experience made me wonder if I give my heart the same kind of treatment. I realized I don’t. Do you?

The next time our hearts throb with disregard or disappointment, let’s agree to give it space and time for healing. This means we receive God’s comfort by coming to a full stop and share how betrayed we feel. Then, we apply his word as salve to our wounds. We read scriptures that remind us of his love for us and the healing power of forgiveness. And we give it time. Time for God to bind our wounds and time to heal

#believe #holyspirit #pray #bibleverse #inspiration #christianliving #prayer #womenoffaith #bibletime #jesuschrist #liveyourfaith #bibleinspiration #amazinggrace #trustgod #wordbeforeworld #devotional #reframingrejectionbook
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