Facets of Faith

Conversations about life, faith, and friendship.

The Wilderness

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Hey friends! Welcome back to FACETS.  We have been discussing what it looks like to have an enemy that is trying to silence us, and both Tracy and Jen had awesome things to share the past couple weeks.  Take a look back at their posts here, and here.  Whether we feel like we are battling the enemy mentally, physically, or even feel like we are wandering alone in the wilderness, we have a God who offers a way out.  I encourage you to check back again next week when we get to hear from this month’s guest, Tammy!

 

I have been working my way through the gospels the last couple of months, considering how Jesus lived out His life and how that might change how I live out mine.  Jesus demonstrated the importance of finding solitude with God.  He showed us how to love the marginalized.  He provided an example of teaching with authority.  And He reminded us there is an enemy, an enemy that will try and separate us from God. 

In Matthew 4:1-11, we find Jesus in the wilderness:  

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”  Jesus answered, “It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.  “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “`He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'”  Jesus answered him, “It is also written: `Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'”  

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”  Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ “

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

There are so many things in these 11 verses: the Spirit, an enemy, vulnerability, testing, temptation, deceit, and ultimately victory.  Jesus was victorious over the enemy! Praise God, It isn’t impossible, because sometimes it feels impossible!

The Wilderness

Wilderness: an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region (Oxford English Dictionary).

An inhospitable region.  It is a place that is literally difficult to survive.  

When the enemy sees us in community he must think “hey, this would be easier if I could get them separated first.”  I believe we have a significantly different experience in the wilderness when we are divided or alone.  There is strength in community. 

Let’s take a walk together.  Imagine we are wandering through a hilly forest preserve, full of trees, winding trails, beautiful flowers, and chirping birds.  We find a spot where we can sit on some rocks and enjoy the view for a bit.  We start walking back to our car as it is beginning to get dark.  There is suddenly a loud snap of twigs and some rustling just next to us.  We stop and look around to try and identify the noise.

Think of how you might feel at that moment.  Now, replay the story, but you are alone.  Wandering on your own when you hear the snap and rustling just next to you.  You stop, and the noise stops.  You look around and you don’t see anything.  You move and you hear it again.  You look around for reassurance, but all you have is what is running through your mind. 

How were you feeling at that moment?  Scared? Alone? Vulnerable?  I think these are some of the wildernesses that the enemy finds us in, and then he speaks into those fears, magnifies the isolation, and exploits our vulnerabilities.

Surviving the Wilderness

If the enemy is ultimately trying to silence us, then how do we fight back?  How can we conquer the wilderness – whether it be fear, isolation, weakness, grief, deceit, or any other lie that distances us from God?

Remember you are not alone

Whether you are in a community of friends, surrounded by strangers, or by yourself, you are never truly alone.  

The Lord himself will go before you, and he will be with you.  He never leaves you, nor forsakes you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  Deuteronomy 31:8

Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Seek Truth in God’s Word

Look back up at Matthew 4, and see how Jesus replied to every one of the enemy’s statements.  He knew God’s word, and He filtered everything He was hearing through that truth. When the enemy offered Him a way out of His situation that may have sounded somewhat reasonable or at least tempting, He knew where to turn to find the whole truth.  When it didn’t line up with what He knew, He could identify the lie.

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 it says:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The more we become familiar with God’s word, and by associated God himself, the more we are equipped.

Call on God for rescue

What did Jesus do when he was alone in the wilderness? He called on the name of His father, the devil left Him, and the angels attended Him. Jesus came to earth, lived, died on the cross, and was resurrected, so that we too could have access to God.  Not just Him.  Not just those that are perfect, but any of us that believe can cry out to God, and we know He will hear.

Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”  Psalm 91:14-15 

We have access to cry out to our Father for rescue, a promise that He will hear us, He will never leave us, and that we do not have to fear.  Do you know what is great about being on this side of the resurrection?  We already know the end of the story.  We know God is ultimately victorious.  We know He wins.  We know the enemy is ultimately defeated.

 

Signature: Megan Abbott

Did You Know You Are Beloved?

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Happy February friends!  This month we have been really digging into words that are a part of our identity in Christ, and I (Megan) have really been loving the “Did You Know You Are…?” series.  We prayed together and selected words that are beautiful and sometimes challenging to accept. In the past couple weeks, Tracy shared about being “Cherished” and Jen “Honored“.  This week,as you read the words below, I pray you hear God reminding you that you are His beloved.

IMAGE: Do You Know You Are...Beloved

Whew… so this topic, huh? Here I am, an unmarried woman in her 30s, that has struggled with feeling lovable the majority of her adult life, in the month of Valentine’s Day, writing about love.  Did you know you are beloved? I guess before I ask you that question, I have to think about my answer. In the past, it has been a challenge for me to claim this truth — God calls us beloved.

Face to Face with My Thoughts

So I have this book, a journal really, that is filled with only God’s truth.  It came out of a season where I struggled to even look in the mirror. I felt unlovable. Honestly, that is even a bit of an understatement.  I was challenged by a friend to just keep speaking the truths out loud to myself in front of a mirror until I could actually say them with confidence.  The first time I stood in my room looking in the mirror, I opened my mouth to speak the words, and just cried.  The second day, something similar. Eventually there were days I could speak truth over myself, and other days that I might even believe what I was saying. It feels silly in hindsight to think I couldn’t speak simple words into a mirror.  But the reality of the power and strength of truth, while looking myself in the eyes knowing I didn’t believe it, it was halting. I was face to face with the reality that I didn’t believe God made me without mistake. That He made me lovable.  That if He had made me lovable, I hadn’t somehow destroyed that in the previous 25+ years.

The “Truth” in My Heart

Have you ever been there? Face to face with the reality of what your heart believes?  I did not believe I was beloved. I would speak truth over any of my friends, strangers even, knowing the value God knit into their being, but never could have said the same words about me.  My truth had departed from the real truth.  I’m not sure why. Lack of confidence? A conditioning from past experiences? Who knows. I knew it needed to change, though. 

Fast forward several years.  I found myself in a spot again where experiences led my heart back to “you are not lovable”.  This time, I felt convicted by the Spirit to write a letter to myself from God’s perspective. I knew it was needed, but simultaneously thought it was silly.  I mean, can God really have me write a letter to me, and it not just be my words? After some wise counseling, I sat down with a stack of note cards and prayed through scripture, writing thoughts and scriptures out on cards and lining them up until I saw where God was leading.  I wrote a letter that brought a little healing to my heart. Calling out pains that I didn’t completely know were there, and the loving, gentle, healing truth that God gave us in scripture.

Beloved,

I am your heavenly Father. I created your entire being thoughtfully, uniquely, and without mistake.1

I do not see you as you do — your flaws, your failures, and days of unfaithfulness.  No, I see my priceless, redeemed, and beloved daughter. While you were in that pit of self-hatred and rejection, I CHOSE YOU. I have picked you up from the pit and crowned you with my grace and compassion.

Beloved, I love you exactly where you are today, and I will continue to love you each day no matter where you are. No more, no less.2

I will walk hand in hand with you as your heart is softened and your stubbornness is replaced with my love and compassion.3 When your heart is overwhelmed, I will be there patiently and gently calling you back to my freedom 4.  The walk will have painful stretches, but I see you on the other side, victorious5.

-Your Loving Father

What Does It Take To Believe The Truth?

I think God could write a letter like this to each of us.  One that reminds us how precious we are. That we are chosen.  That he created us with care, with intention, and with purpose.  We are HIS beloved.  

I don’t remember at this point where I heard it, but I remember hearing a message where beloved was intentionally pronounced be-loved.  Be loved. Live as though you believe you are loved. When you don’t feel lovable, or loved, look back at scripture and read the truth to yourself over and over again until you believe you are the beloved daughter of the mighty God.  There is nothing we can do (or not do) to change the reality of this truth.

Join the conversation here or on our Facebook page.Signature: Megan Abbott

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Psalm 139:13-14
  2. Romans 8:38-39, Ephesians 2:4-5
  3. Ezekial 36:26 (NLT)
  4. Psalm 61
  5. 1 Corinthians 10:13, Ephesians 6:13

Is 2020 Feeling Blurry?

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Hi Friends! Welcome back to Facets of Faith this fine Tuesday.  I hope amidst all the anticipation of the new year and new decade, you are finding joy in each and every new day.  This month we are sharing how we see 2020.  How do you see 2020?  Take a minute to jump back a couple weeks to Tracy’s post on finding joy, here, and check out Jen’s thoughts from last week on planning for 2020, here.  I pray that as we take on a new year here at FACETS, God will be moving in this community, and encouraging each of us.

How Do You See 2020? (Megan)

Last year I had a word of the year—rest.  It started as finding time to slow down and sit with the Lord without an agenda, transformed into learning about the sabbath, and eventually was something that gave me space for healing I really needed.  When it was first revealed, though, I was honestly a bit frustrated. I didn’t know where it would lead. It was as if the mental movie of my future felt out of focus because the word could either lead a million places, or nowhere.  How did God want me to act on “rest”?

Have you ever been there?  Where you prayed for what God had in store for you in the season, and the answer was just blurry enough you were left wondering, “What in the world, God? Where are we going?” If I’m honest, I’m right there again this year. I have been in a season of rest that feels like it prepared me for a whirlwind season. I haven’t quite settled on one word, but I feel full of anticipation for the new adventures ahead in this year. Do you know what isn’t so good, though, for jumping feet first into a new adventure?  

A walking cast. 

How does this make sense?  They aren’t exactly made for jumping, or running, and I’m not even entirely convinced they are made for walking! Definitely not for speed or excitement. When I was considering new adventures in the new year, this wasn’t quite what I meant. But here I am taking one wobbly step forward at the speed of a sloth.

SO WHERE ARE WE GOING GOD?

When I’m really confused and don’t quite know how to pray, I usually end up in the Psalms. I know this is maybe a bit more literal than it should actually be taken, but I prayed Psalm 119:105 over and over again as I was trying to figure out where God was leading me. 

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 (ESV)  

Praying that I would find clarity in His word for what I should be learning about “rest.” I have been thinking back on it, and the same image keeps coming to mind: trying to find my destination in complete darkness.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

Several years ago I spent a few years living in a small village in rural southern Belize.  There were 254 people, we spoke Q’eqchi, the village was surrounded by rainforest and plantations, and there was no electricity for miles. When the moon was full, or close to full, you could walk around without a flashlight in areas you were familiar with and be alright, but during that new moon time, it was dark. Can’t see the next step in front of you dark. The stars were amazingly beautiful, but flashlights were a requirement for life.

A few things you should know to fully appreciate where we are going: 

  1. My bathroom was a latrine about 100ft from my house, and my water spigot where I could wash my hands or dishes was about 50 feet away in a little shed that also housed a tarantula I named Charlotte and often a giant k’oopopo’ (toad);
  2. The shop in my village didn’t sell batteries so if I forgot them on my weekly trip to the market town, I was out of luck; 
  3. Batteries die much faster when it is over 100 degrees everyday, and
  4. I didn’t often plan ahead.

UTTER DARKNESS

So I vividly remember what it was like the first time my flashlight died and I tried to walk to the bathroom without it.  I also remember the first time I tried to walk down the path using a candle for light. Flashlights light up the whole path in front of you. You can see clearly what you are approaching, and easily find your way. Candles, not so much; they glow in your face. You can see your next step, but not much of anything further than that. I knew exactly where my water spigot was in relationship to my house, but I had no idea where Charlotte would be. When I had a candle, it was one step at a time, and a lot of praying away the tarantulas.    

FOLLOW THE LIGHT

I think walking with God bounces back and forth between taking the path with a candle, and taking the path with a flashlight.  There have been times where I have peace about decisions, a vision for where I am going, and am confident about the path to get there. There are other times that it is literally minute-by-minute. Either way, God is revealing the path as we go, just sometimes He is using a flashlight, and sometimes He seems to be using a candle. I often want the full moon version where I can see everything clearly.  

BY MY VISION

Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”  Psalm 139:12 (ESV)

As someone who likes to understand everything, and really know what the plan is, I struggle with only having a candle light the next step.  It isn’t comfortable. It is hard. It requires a lot of trust. I have read and prayed through Psalm 139 almost daily for the last week. It reminds me that God knows me, He surrounds me, He protects me, and He is going wherever I go. How comforting are these words:

Even then You will be there to guide me; Your right hand will embrace me, for You are always there. Even if I am afraid and think to myself, “There is no doubt that the darkness will swallow me, the light around me will soon be turned to night,” You can see in the dark, for it is not dark to Your eyes. For You the night is just as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to Your eyes.” Psalm 139:10-12 (Voice)

I have to trust the One who sees everything to guide me. The One who, whether it is dark or light, sees where I am going, and surrounds me. It is less about seeing clearly where I am going, and more about trusting the One who is guiding me.

REJOICE IN THE PROTECTION

I wonder sometimes what I didn’t see when I was walking to the latrine, or the water spigot, or to my neighbor’s house down the road after dark.  Even with the flashlight I only saw what was lit by the flashlight or candle. I saw what I needed to see in that moment. Sometimes I wonder what all I didn’t see. Men went spear fishing in the river and hunting in the bush in the middle of the night. For a period of time, there was a jaguar that was coming into the village and stealing chickens and pigs from my neighbors pens. Can you imagine if I had seen it all? Every tarantula, person, snake, rat, jaguar... everything that could possibly have crossed my path? Ugh, I never would have stepped out of my house.

STEP BY STEP WE MOVE FORWARD

So let’s back up to the word for the year.  I’m not sure what yours is, but mine is something related to anticipation (which is actually kind of funny considering it implies some sort of unknown is involved, I think I just found my word).  What if God revealed today everything we were going to experience or learn throughout the year related to our words in one moment? Would it feel kind of like stepping out of my house in the village if every creature was illuminated?

I am going to pray we can rejoice in taking today’s steps today, and patiently trust God to reveal tomorrow’s steps tomorrow.  Even if they are wobbly and taken at the pace of a sloth.

Thanks for stopping by today. Let us know what word you are walking towards in a comment below, or at the FACETS Facebook Page. We’d love to hear from you!