When the Worlds Falls, Stay with Me

It’s funny that frequently when there is a problem in my life, I walk away from God. 

My present state of health discourages me. Headlines in the news disheartens me. Entertainment and music become my means of escape from the difficulties of life. 

But What did God make unclear that we are meant to rely on Him for everything? 

If God is God, being all sufficient that He is, then to remain in Him is the safest place for a person to be. 

What irony to see the disciples who urge Jesus to send the masses of people who sat to listen to Jesus away so they can feed themselves. 

Thankfully, Jesus refuses them (Matthew 14:15). Jesus confounds them even more when He says: 

“They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭16‬ NKJV)

They found five loaves and two fish, but they saw that wasn’t going to sustain a crowd of 5000 men (this number did not include the women and children who were with them). Veins rose from their foreheads as the crowd grew restless.

It’s like the disciples all wore baseball caps that day that they could not see over the bill of their caps.

The answer is right in front of you! 

Jesus performs a miracle where not only feeds everyone there but also fills 12 baskets of leftovers!

God demonstrates His inexhaustible power that magnificently floored human independence. There was no way that any man could feat to feed those countless thousands instantaneously. Stretching a fish lunch would be a joke. 

Jesus did this supernatural wonder for one important reason: 

“I am all sufficient. Stay with Me.” 

At wake of the ills of the world, the failures of man, the decline of health, the ear of disaster, the sense of hopelessness, you can either turn for an escape, turn on others or turn to Jesus. 

If you’re hungry and have no food, don’t leave me to find food. Didn’t I tell you: 

“do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭25-26‬ NKJV)”

At your want to desert Me to bring meaning and satisfaction in your life, did you hear: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst (John‬ ‭6‬:‭35‬ NKJV)”!!!

When the sky folds and when people turn on each other, don’t run for a solace, “STAY WITH ME”! Stay with Christ. 

“Christ is enough for me. Christ is enough for me. Everything I need is in You. Everything I need” (“Christ is Enough” -Hillsong Worship). 

Listen to the song and let it be an anthem to you. There isn’t a resort outside of Christ. 

He is everything you need. He is everything you want. I just need to change the way I think and just “taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭8‬ NKJV)”

Look at Him and find that He is the river and you’re the tree. Sink your roots in the bank. Stay with Him. Your leaves won’t wither; in fact, you will prosper and live to produce what you couldn’t think was able to come out of you (See Psalms 1:3). 

Jesus is everything you need. There is no one like Our God! 

Marvel God with Your Faith

  “Only speak the word and my servant will be healed” (Matthew 8:8 NKJV) 

Knowing God is God and that He answers is the most essential factor for any miracle.

“Say the word”, the soldier thundered. 

It halted Jesus Who turned towards the man to go in motion to his home. This soldier interrupted Jesus’ way into the city, pleading to heal his servant. Moved with compassion, Jesus stilled the shaking of the soldier’s eye when He stared into them and noted that He will help him. 

“And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.'”(‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬ NKJV)

This when the soldier stops Jesus and says:

“Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.” (Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭8‬ NKJV)

Then he explained himself: 

“For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it. ” (‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭9‬ NKJV)

This soldier was an officer, a centurion in the Roman army who commanded a hundred men. Being one who takes orders and gives orders, this centurion understood authority. Amazed at the presence of Jesus, the soldier realized that this simple carpenter also spoke with authority. A stronger authority. 

Taken back, Jesus turned to those following Him: “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭10‬ NKJV)

The faith of the centurion marveled God. He came to Jesus believing that He was God and that He would answer his request if he sincerely sought Him. 

Miracles happen in your life in the matter of Who you seek. 

No one can’t approach God without believing He is God! I believe a lot of my prayers hit the brass ceiling, because I forget Whom I’m talking to. I’m talking to God. 

We must approach God believing that He exists and that He cares enough to respond to us. 

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”(‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬ NKJV)

Faith that marvels God is the confidence that when we come to Him, we will find the Source of all our wants and needs. “The assurance when we turn to Him”, adds Pastor John Piper, “we will find the all-satisfying Treasure”.* 

See God as God Who can and Who will. 

Miracles happen when you start with a miracle of seeking God as God in your asking. 

*John Piper, Desiring God is (Colorado Springs, Colorado: Multnomah, 2013), 71. 

Your Heart, Home for God’s Word

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ NKJV)

Devotional author Kay Arthur has a real cozy way to explain verse:

“God wants His Word to be a home to us”.

Who is a stranger in their own house? Is there anywhere that I can kick up and relax – it’s my own home! It’s a place of refuge, security and familiarity – a sense of belonging.

Having God’s Word dwell richly within us is letting the message about Christ become a place of belonging in our lives.

It’s me opening my Bible each day with desire.

Reading the Scriptures should be just a fluid as me using the facet. I regularly use the facet because I want to use it; I need to use it; (my family likes me using it too especially I first wake up and apply the toothbrush to the tongue) and because I enjoy to use it.

The message of Christ was much at home to Timothy. Paul regarded this when he wrote to Timothy:

“…from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ NKJV).

Growing up in the Word was a part of Timothy’s life. It was home to him!

Let the Word live in your life. Make it something you delight to seek.

Don’t just read it. Welcome it home!

Look At the Birds

I love watching birds. Silly as some will say, and so I felt, until I observe the crows in my backyard. My dog, on most days, neglects his food until he feels the dire need to eat. Overtime, the little blackbirds took an appetite for dogfood.

On one occasion, a crow seemingly brought his family to dine on my dog’s food. They lined up behind each other (at least four or five I believe), and each one took a biscuit from the food bowl and then hopped over to the water bowl where they soaked the biscuit for easy chewing.

I was fascinated how organized and structured they were: no one cut in line, and they patterned themselves in the same fashion for seconds and thirds! It’s delightful to see how God providentially provided food for the birds from my discontented dog!

We worry so much about everyday when we have a Father who said to us:

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” -Matthew 6:26 NKJV

God sees that the ravens are cared for, yet He sees you far more valuable. You are so important to Him.

Everything you need in life is at your disposal because God loves you.

How much does He love you? Enough to give Himself. Because He freely did give Himself, there is nothing hard for Him to give to meet your need.

This is God: He…did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭32‬ NKJV)  He sent Himself, Jesus, to suffer and die so that we can be free from the power of sin. That was a lot!!!

We can never ever grasp the depth of God’s love that was so extravagant that He willingly offered His Son to save the likes of us. If God freely did this, how much MORE can He give us everything we need?

When you really understand this verse that God loved you so much that He gave His Son, you would boldly run to Him at every need knowing that there is NOTHING in your life that be too much that God can’t give you. 

He already gave you His best! So everything else you need is never too expensive!

Why worry? Watch a bird when you’re tempted to. As you gaze at her moving about, think that God will make sure she will get breakfast, lunch and dinner today. And if God takes time for her, He is very much eager to give you everything you need because you are FAR more valuable.

God loves birds, but He loves you MORE! 

I want you to listen to one of my favorite songs. Matthew West’s “More” reminded me at a worried state in my life that God loves me too much for me to remain in fear.

Our God by Chris Tomlin

God is passionate for His glory to shown on the earth. He desires that the earth look to Him and accredit Him for their existence, their success, their capabilities, their strength – their everything pretty much.

The Lord thunders His own greatness in Isaiah 45:5-7:

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, that they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other.”

Chris Tomlin’s song “Our God” really grabs you by the shoulders and rattles you to remind us that “Our God is greater”. This song touch me personally when I was under a stockpile of stress. I was in over my head with assignment deadlines and on top of that I was under the weather.

Thank God for Pandora. I had my playlist on and then this song faded in:

Water you turned into wine, opened the eyes of the blind there’s no one like you, none like You!
Into the darkness you shine out of the ashes we rise there’s no one like you none like You!

The problems around me grew strangely dim as I listened intently to the song. Then the chorus rolled in:

Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!

I felt like an idiot for a brief instant. I thought: “I’ve been adopted by the God who is all awesome in power and I am here moaning in anxiety?”

Romans 8:31 rung loudly in my soul: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Sounds very familiar to the bridge of the song doesn’t it?

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
What could stand against.

God is passionate about exerting His power to us so we can see and confess His awesomeness. God delights in these situations, because it’s an opportunity for us to experience His excellent, everlasting strength when we call on Him for help.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. (2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV).

(Read about God’s glory and our prayers: Giving God Burdens, Your Obedience, His Glory)

Our God is greater than all and fill in the blank. I’m so grateful that God has blessed us with songs like these that awake our soul to turn our eyes upon God and trust in Him.

If you haven’t heard the song yet, check it out:

Dealing With Heartache

Dealing with heartache is a life transition that still today I struggle traveling through.

Maybe everyone does.

Old Wounds seem to reopen and refresh their infliction. Last night I reminisced a girl that I really loved and I grieved for her all over again. It seemed it was just yesterday that this pain occurred.

Some immediate remedies I find in the Bible are “the Lord is close to the broken hearted” (Psalms 34:18 NKJV). Strength to find that God will meet me at my pain.

“Pour out your heart before [The Lord]” (Psalms 62:8 NKJV). I can cry to God. That’s soothing to me that I can just fall apart to Someone. I can just vent all my hurts, upsets, etc to Him.

It’s been 18 years since God adopted me into His family. I do feel belonged to Him, but honestly there are times where I still struggle with just running to Him first and disclose my pain, rather than dealing with it my way.

I think also that I’m just feel pulled to releasing my hurt to another human soul. Even then Jesus is also man who sympathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15 NKJV).

Please if you can pray for me.

Thank God that He is a refuge to all of us, especially during the storms of life.

Prayer of Jabez

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. (I Chronicles 4:10 NKJV)

The prayer of Jabez was a cry of a man, in his pain, to God for a breakthrough of blessing for his life. Dr. Bruce H. Wilkinson popularizes Jabez’s prayer in his book, Prayer of Jabez. From his focused study, Wilkinson reveals Biblical evidence that God wants to answer our prayers. He wants us to center ourselves around Him and He also wants us to bless our lives. We deprave ourselves of betterment in life when we neglect to involve God into our lives. Jesus himself said,”You have not because you ask not.”

Wilkinson leads readers to allow God transform their lives to be blessed and influence people to see Christ by personalizing the prayer of Jabez into our daily lives, taking Jabez’s initiative to just ask God. Wilkinson dissects the prayer into four parts: first Jabez ask God to bless him. Second, He ask to expand his territory or increase his responsibility. Third, He asks God to draw close to Him. Lastly, He asks for safety. It’s not prayer for prosperity, but a plea to change and succeed in order to exalt God.

I’ve used this book as a devotional, and I can say in this little prayer, there are giant openings to experience God uplifting your circumstances and directing your passion in prayer to be changed and blossom for God.

The Want For Escape

When we are confronted with a personal issue, more often than not its sin, there is this natural want to escape from it. 

To get away. Just not worry about it.

Cain ran from God because he did not want to be accounted for killing his brother. We have Jonah traveling entirely opposite from God’s sovereign direction for Jonah to preach to his enemies at Nineveh.

We cannot hide. Especially if it is sin. God clearly stated that will “bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14 NKJV). 

God found Cain as he ran from the scene of the crime. He exposed him, exclaiming to Cain, “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10 NKJV). Then Cain faced his judgment.

God forced Jonah to go to Nineveh with a fierce storm and a whale.*

Truth is you can’t run from confrontation. All of us need to learn that we need to run through them.

Even Jesus sought an escape from His mission to suffer and die. This act was necessarily for all of us.

Jesus revealed his humanity when He wrestled with the thoughts of the immense suffering that waited for Him. He even pleaded with Father God asking, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42 NKJV). 

We are human. Confrontation honestly is uncomfortable. Here are some things to consider when faced with confrontation.

1. The Confrontation could possibly be God’s divine fingers, pointing out our sin or pointing us to do the right thing. 

We saw God confronted Cain with his sin in killing his brother. God also confronted Jonah to do the right thing which was to go to Nineveh.

When we are confronted with sin, we need to remember that He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 NKJV). 

“For whom the Lord loves He chastens…” (Hebrews 12:6 NKJV). We are God’s children, therefore he will confront us on our wrong and discipline us.

We need to always do the right thing because we have to as Christ’s followers. God says its sin to not do what you know you ought to do:

“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17 NKJV)

When confronted, we need to always do the right thing.  (Check out Doing Good Because You Have To)

2. Whenever confronted, see God’s desire in the matter. 

God has called us to “be imitators of God as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1 NKJV). He desires that we “be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29 NKJV).  God will even use trials and circumstances to shape you into His desired image.

Know also that God wants us to be a better person. As He molds us, especially in undelightful confrontations, it’s always for your good. As you endure confrontations, remember that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 NKJV). 

3. Always depend on God’s strength. 

Remember Mary, Jesus’ mother. Here she is minding her own business, when she is suddenly approached face to face with an Angel whom declares her assignment to carry the Son of God. Talk about confrontation!

When Mary listed the impossibilities, the angel responded boldly, “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37 NKJV). 

“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Proverbs 24:10 NKJV). 

You can’t afford to shrink and hide from your problems when they confront you. That weakens you.

Any confrontation you face, you can always bank on God to see you through it. Cast all your anxiety upon Christ because He cares for you**.

Mary understood she could make it through this confrontation that included incredible responsibility and supernatural elements only on God’s strength.

She gave the right answer for the angel. “Then Mary said, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word’ (Luke 1: 38 NKJV). 

You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength, even in confrontations.*** Trust in Him.

*Jonah 1

**1 Peter 5:7: “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

***Philippians 4:13:  ^“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Friends Will Fail You

Friends will let you down. Hard cold fact. As emphatic as we can strive to be, selfishness will always bulge it’s way in somehow.

At one climactical moment in his suffering, Job cried, “My close friends have forgotten me.” (Job 19:14 NKJV)

Picture how lonely Jesus felt at the garden before he died.* He was so stressed about His impending suffering that while He prayed, He sweated great drops of blood.

At this critical hour of weakness, Jesus asks his closest friends, His disciples, to pray. The Bible details Jesus’ findings when He returned to check on His friends:

And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. (Matthew 26:43 NKJV)

The Bible records that three times the disciples fell asleep after Jesus would come wake them up.

It’s vital to have friends. God said back in the garden, “ It is not good that man should be alone…” (Genesis 2:18 NKJV)

We need friends. Girlfriends aren’t bad either! But don’t fool yourself to think they are faultless. They are human. They will at one time turn you down. It’s just natural.

But what a friend we have in Jesus! We can always bank on Jesus because His promises are backed by an eternal guarantee.

“I will never leave you” (Hebrews 13:5)

“I’m with you always” (Matthew 28:20)

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13 NKJV)

Romans 5:7 states that scarcely would a good person would died for someone. But Jesus died for us. Sounds like a friend to hold on to.

Love your friends. “Friendship is the golden ribbon that ties the world together”**, but ribbons do tear.

Unless He is God of course!

*Luke 22:39-46.

**Poem by Kristina Kentigian

Giving God Burdens, Your Obedience, His Glory

Every matter, no matter the size, God wants you to call on Him. God wants your mundane issues, and He wants your big problems.

You obey God when you call on Him for help.

He commands it. When we pray, “give us this day our daily bread”.* It’s not a ritual prayer for well meaning, but a model that God planned to tells us that He wants us daily to ask Him to provide us help.

He promises to help us when we throw our problems upon Him:

Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22 NKJV)

Give God all your problems. Especially the ones you know you can’t resolve.

Frankly, You are human which means you’re weak, never perfect. We all are!

We live in an imperfect world. You may even start off great, but then end in an overwhelming predicament. Life is like that.

You glorify God when you call on Him for help.

God delights in these situations, because it’s an opportunity for us to experience His excellent, everlasting strength when we call on Him for help.

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV)

Don’t keep any loads. Throw them all upon God. His strength is perfected in our weakness.*

Our God is ALMIGHTY God.

*Matthew 6:11

**“And He said to me,’My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV)