Tag: stand firm

Perseverance

Be Strong and Do Not Give Up

meghanewhite

img_5037

The other morning I grabbed my Bible not knowing what to read. I opened it up and found myself in 2 Chronicles. A verse popped right off the page that I had highlighted a long time ago. 

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. 2 Chronicles 15:7, NIV

I don’t normally go to 2 Chronicles. I’ve read it before, but it’s not a book that comes to mind when I am looking to study something in the Bible. I know that was not a coincidence. God spoke to me through this verse. It’s His holy word, and He speaks through it. 

These incredible words were spoken to Asa. He was king of Judah and he loved God. It was a tumultuous, dangerous time. There were wars and battles between nations. The people were disobedient and worshipped idols. The prophet Azariah said, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2, NIV). 

Asa loved the Lord, and for most of his life he did right. “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 14:2, NIV). He removed all the foreign altars, told Judah to seek the Lord and obey His laws and commandments. “Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.” (2 Chronicles 15:17b, NIV)

In verse 8 we are told that Asa took courage after hearing what the prophet said. Praise God for that. Asa did listen to the prophet and he was encouraged. We can be encouraged too. Those words were spoken to Asa but they are for us as well. They apply today. God does not change. 

Be Strong 

Whatever you are going through, be strong. It’s not your strength you are relying on, it’s God’s. He has infinite strength, and infinite power. As His children we get full access to Him, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. He will be your strength.

Do Not Give Up 

Your circumstances may look hopeless. There is always hope with Jesus. Sometimes we have to wait for God’s perfect timing. In the meantime keep doing what He asked of you. Be obedient and He will take care of every single thing you need. It may not be easy, but He will make a way. Never give up!

God Will Reward You

After Asa removed all the detestable idols, and repaired the altar of the Lord, he gathered all the people. They sacrificed to God and they sought after Him with all their heart and soul. “So the Lord gave them rest on every side” (2 Chronicles 15:15b, NIV). God is a rewarder of those who seek Him, and those who obey Him. We obey out of love, reverence, and awe of God. He knows the motives of our hearts, and He is a rewarder of the pure in heart. That’s how good God is. 

Be strong and do not give up!

Love you all,

Meghan 

 

Faith

Shake It Off

meghanewhite

img_4745

Over the summer I was at the right place at the right time to capture this bee and butterfly. I’m always on the lookout for butterflies when I’m working in the garden. This scene got my attention in a different way. The beautiful monarch was eating nectar, and the bees would not leave it alone. Bees kept landing on the butterfly’s wings. The monarch was undeterred as it would shake it’s wings and get right back to business.

This pattern kept repeating. Happy monarch eating nectar, busy bees landing on it’s wings. The monarch would flutter it’s wings every time a bee landed on them. This was one determined butterfly. Nothing was going to stop the butterfly from it’s purpose of gathering nectar, not even some very stubborn bees.

We get distracted from our purpose. The enemy loves to get us off course, and stop us dead in our tracks from our Kingdom purposes. He dive bombs us every day with all sorts of things to take our eyes off of Jesus. That’s the last place he wants us looking. Oh no, we can’t have our focus on Christ. Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Some days the distractions are small, and some days the distractions are big. So big that they take our joy away, and steal our hope. We get weighed down, and get hurt. Then we are so busy focusing on the pain and annoyances in life that we have completely forgotten about our victory in Jesus Christ.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57, NIV 

Those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior have victory over death and sin. Sin has no hold on us. Death has no sting. The same Jesus who took our sin away also gives us victory over every challenge and problem in this life. We don’t always win every battle, and we will take some losses along the way, but we are winners in the end through Jesus. He already took care of it for us.

Those bees will keep coming. They will try their hardest to land on our wings, and stop us. We will keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. And when we get stung, He will help us, and heal us, and we will start again.

Shake off the distractions. Eyes on Jesus. We have victory through Him.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2, Berean Study Bible

Love you all,

Meghan

Father God,

Thank you for your perfect love and grace. Thank you for Jesus. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. When we get distracted, help get our focus back on the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. Thank you for the victory we have in Jesus in every circumstance, and every trial. We belong to You, and You always take care of your children.

Amen

fear

Fear Not!

meghanewhite

img_3060

I went to clean out the pool skimmer basket and jumped back. This terrifying looking snake was waiting for me. I quickly realized it was not alive. Phew. I was safe but still freaked out knowing a snake had been in our pool. The same pool we swim in freely. Now I was questioning if I should ever swim in the pool again.

There is an epidemic running rampant these days. No, it’s not that one. Fear is out of control. We are told in hundreds, if not thousands of ways, every single day to “be afraid”. Fear the virus, fear the new variants, fear getting the vaccine, fear not getting the vaccine, fear inflation, fear the potential food shortages, fear losing your livelihood if you disagree with someone, fear natural disasters, fear the rise in crime, fear the government, fear your neighbors, fear travel, fear pollution, fear standing up for your convictions.

These fears are based on potential outcomes that are legitimate. I call these, “What if’s”. It’s the worst case scenario that runs through our mind. It does not mean any of it will happen, but it could possibly happen, so we need to operate in fear, right? Wrong.

All of this fear comes from the enemy. The devil is real, and he loves to spread fear by lying. He’s very good at it. Jesus does not mince words when talking about the enemy.

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44, NASB

As followers of Jesus we are to be wise and discerning. Don’t let fear motivate your decisions. Make decisions based on Godly wisdom and discernment. How do you do that?

Pray. Ask God for wisdom and clarity on those things which cause you fear. He will show you what is really going on. He will give you peace and comfort. He will also help you know how to respond.

Trust God fully. You can stand firmly on The Rock, even when you cannot see. He sees all. He knows all. He loves you.

Stay in The Word. God’s word is the truth. With the bombardment of lies we must go to the truth.

Worship. Turn up the worship music and turn off the news, social media, and all the other stuff that fills our minds. Praise God simply for who He is.

Fear is a spiritual battle so we must use our spiritual weapons.

When you feel afraid let that be a reminder to take your fear to Jesus. If you have to take your fear to Jesus a thousand times in one day then do it. He is always available and able to help you.

We are in a fearful time in history. There are plenty of very real things to be afraid of. As Christ followers we are not to live in fear. Sounds easy. It’s not always easy, but it is possible to stand our ground in faith without fear. You can guarantee the scary stuff will come. It’s our response to it that makes all the difference.

You belong to God.

For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26, NASB

Jesus intercedes for you.

Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Romans 8:34, NASB

Jesus is always with you.

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:20, NKJV

The Holy Spirit will help you.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you. John 14:26, NASB

God will never forsake you.

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5, NKJV

The Lord is your helper.

So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:6, NKJV

Things are not always as they seem. Remember my creepy snake? It was actually just a baby snake. Discernment is essential when there is so much deception.

img_3061

Love you all,

Meghan

Father God,

Praise Your holy name. Thank you for your faithfulness and goodness. I lift up every person who is gripped with fear. Give them peace, comfort, and wisdom. Help them to see with their spiritual eyes the truth of Your soverignty. May they experience Your incredible presence in new ways. Lift their heads and their eyes towards You. Give us all wisdom and discernment to know truth from lies. Let us hear Your voice above all the noise of this world. Shine Your light through us to a dark and hurting world.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Parables, Prayer

Always Pray and Never Give Up

meghanewhite
brown mountain near body of water
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com  

Have you given up? Have you lost hope? Have you stopped praying?

It’s easy to get down and discouraged. Life is hard, but God is good. There are no perfect people, including Christ Followers. We are not super Christians. We are ordinary people, who serve an extraordinary God.

We can all take a deep breath and know that it’s perfectly normal to get down sometimes. Being down is a great opportunity to be lifted up by Jesus. When I am down there’s one direction to go, up.

Jesus is the ultimate encourager. He was consistently encouraging the disciples to have faith and to trust Him. One great example of this is a parable in Luke.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Luke 18:1-8 NIV

This unjust judge who has no faith in God, ultimately answers the widow’s plea and serves justice on her behalf. How much more will our perfect Father God answer our pleas? God is the true judge, without corruption. God who is just, will help His children. God loves us beyond our comprehension and delights in helping us.

Sometimes we give up on praying. We stop asking because we aren’t seeing any results. We may think, “Does God hear me?” “Does God see me and my struggle?” The answer is yes! God sees everything and knows everything. God sees our pain, and heartache, and trials. God has answers to our prayers in His perfect timing, in His perfect way, according to His perfect will.

Praying can be hard. Persistent prayer can be even harder. The unjust judge answers the widow because she persisted. We are to pray fervently. We are to be in a spirit of prayer. It’s a continual reliance on God all throughout the day, all the time. We are weak, needy humans. The only thing that can satisfy us is Jesus Christ. Persistent prayer strengthens our faith, and changes us to be more and more like Jesus.

Do not give up.

Things may look hopeless in your life today. Your circumstances may be impossible. God does some of His best work in impossible situations. God has no limits. He really wants our hearts more than anything. Ask Him for help. Ask Him for peace. Ask Him for wisdom. Ask for His will to be done in your life.

Always pray.

God loves you and has good things planned just for you. Trust God.

Love you all,

Meghan

I love to pray for you. Please send me your prayer requests meghanewhiteauthor@gmail.com

Spiritual Warfare, Trials

My Battle Plan

meghanewhite

ancient antique armor armour

When life begins to unravel, as it is guaranteed to do from time to time, what is your response? We have options. We can panic. We can get angry. We can feel sorry for ourselves. We can worry. These are all normal human reactions. We have another choice. We can fight back.

The hard days and tough warfare will come to each of us. What do you do when you are in the trenches, deep in spiritual battle? Our instinct is to give up. Or, fight the wrong battle. Don’t let the physical stuff distract you from the actual battle. Our battles are ultimately spiritual. That’s the real battle.

For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. Ephesians 6:12, 

Many years ago, I learned how to fight spiritually. The weapons of this type of warfare are not physical, yet they are more powerful than a nuclear bomb. Here is a basic breakdown of what I do when I’m fighting back.

My Battle Plan

The best way to utilize this strategy is to silence your phone. Stay off social media, t.v., and the internet. Shut everything off. Put all your energy into God. You must press in to Him. There are four weapons that I apply simultaneously in the fight.

Worship

It’s time to put on your favorite worship music. If you don’t have any, it’s easy to look some up online and let it play. You may not feel like worshipping God, but in no time you will be uplifted. You will begin to focus on God, and not on your problem. 

Sing a new song to the Lord;

sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to Yahweh, praise His name;

proclaim His salvation from day to day.

Declare His glory among the nations,

His wonderful works among all peoples. Psalm 96:1-3

Prayer 

Pour out your heart to God. No half hearted prayers. Tell Him everything. He already knows anyway. Just be honest and respectful. We can come to God freely because of Jesus. So come. Pray like you have never prayed before. If you can’t find the words then write out a simple prayer. Ask at least one person to intercede for you if possible. Also, be quiet before the Lord in your prayer time, and ask Him what He wants to tell you. 

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4: 6-7 

The Word 

God’s Word is a lamp, a treasure, the truth, and it’s alive. The word of God is a sword. It’s our ultimate weapon. The Word is how you are going to cut through the lies. Keep your Bible open, and bookmark verses that speak to your situation. If you’re lacking faith, then look up every verse on faith. If you need healing, look up verses on healing. If you’re worrying, look up those verses. You get the idea. Say those verses out loud. Read them 100 times if necessary. You can also write them on note cards and place them all around your home. 

Take the helmet of salvation,

and the sword of the Spirit,

which is God’s word. 

Ephesians 6:17

Fast

I know it is difficult to go without food. Only fast if you are healthy, and please ask your doctor if you have any concerns. Fasting is throughout the Old and New Testament. 

There are all kinds of views on what to fast. Some will just skip one meal a day, others will go without food the entire day or a few days. Some “fast” from social media, or other non-food types of enjoyment. I go without food. I still drink coffee in the morning and then just water the rest of the day. That may not work for everyone. I’m not an expert on fasting. 

What’s the point of a fast? It focuses our minds and bodies on Jesus. Fasting and praying go together. When I feel hungry I use that as a reminder to pray. I can honestly say that the spiritual results from fasting are incredible. I hear God’s voice much more clear. I get a new, Godly perspective. I feel closer to Him.

So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He granted our request. 

Ezra 8:23

That’s the very basic breakdown of how I fight my battles. God is the thread through all four components. Worship, prayer, the word, and fasting point to God. It takes the focus off of our trial, and on to God. When we place our problems into God’s mighty hands, He can do what we cannot. That is powerful. My battle plan is not to just get what I want. It changes my heart, and my mind. It strengthens my faith. I begin to ask God what He wants, and I plead for His will not my own. 

If you are battling today, please leave me your prayer request. We are to bear one another’s burdens.  

Love you all,

Meghan

All scripture is from the Holman Christian Standard Bible © 2009

Photo by Maria Pop on Pexels.com