“You will trust God to the degree you know you are loved by Him” (Brennan Manning).

Curled up on the porch with my Bible, journal, and a pile of wet tissues, I sobbed praises to the Lord, rehearsing my faith in His goodness. After a morning filled with suffering, the enemy was at my door. I took up the Sword of the Spirit, the precious Word of God, to fight temptations to fear and despair.

The Lord had allowed my husband to fall from a second-story ladder while he was at work. He was recovering from three fractured discs and multiple surgeries on his right foot which burst into countless pieces when he hit the asphalt – “a life-changing event,” as the doctor described it. I had already whispered hours of prayers over his trembling body as he agonized through unmanaged pain and finally, during a few minutes of quiet, I sought God for refreshment.

 I read through Romans chapter eight and Ephesians chapter one. I proclaimed God’s truth: He has given me more than enough for my every need.  The enemy’s efforts faded. He promises goodness for my present life and future. Fear took a step back. He is ever-loving, merciful, and perfectly wise. As I drew near to God through His Word, I stepped into the eternal spiritual blessings He set out for me when He chose me before the foundation of the world. My tears streamed as an overflow of the well of life that sprung up in my soul, confirming the certainty of God’s goodness for me. Moses had a similar experience when in his trials.

In Numbers 14, the Israelites had been suffering in the wilderness and were about to face a seemingly impossible battle. They made a list of potential problems and rehearsed their fears. Their worries even drove them to seek a new leader. In contrast, God’s faithful people were focused on His character. Though confronted with difficulty and seemingly insurmountable worldly challenges, their first response was not fear, but worship. Verse five says, “Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel.” I want this to be my first response too. It’s a God-trusting response.  Fear always knocks at our door when we can’t see the future. But we can see the future when we see what God sees, and this leads to worship. 

God knows that His faithful plans for us always work in a way that brings us benefit. He is also merciful and loving toward His children. Even if things are hard, He is our Shepherd, Refuge and Peace. Through the power of the Holy Spirit within us, we can see that God is trustworthy with our struggles. Meanwhile, our responsibility is to exercise spiritual discipline and rehearse what He has told us about Himself. In times of uncertainty, it is easy to meditate on what we can see and feel: the pain, the problems, the people. But by the power of God at work within us, we can keep our minds on Him. When we do, we win the battle.

God’s character is a testimony to His trustworthiness. His actions throughout the Bible, as well as within our lives, speak to His faithfulness. We should not be so quick to throw away all He has said and done by placing our focus on the winds and waves before us. We have the power and presence of God on our side. He gave everything to adopt us to Himself. Therefore, the most powerful force that comes against us should be considered as nothing compared to God within us. Trust-filled worship conquers the enemy. 

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Verse

“Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night…‘Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword?… Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? And they said to one another, ‘Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt’” (Num 14:1-4). 

Devotion

When we can’t see our future, we can still take courage in God’s certain care for us.

Several years ago the Lord had it in mind to move me from one school to another. I worked closely with Christians and the school was near my house. I elevated my experience at the first school, thought it aligned with God’s perfect plan for me, and couldn’t see anything better. But I didn’t know the Lord was ready to move me to a place with more ministry opportunities. So, when I was blindsided by several attacks and was forced to resign, my mind filled with questions. Uncertainty flooded in when I couldn’t find a single job within an hour’s commute. I cried through prayers of surrender to God and rehearsed His certain goodness in all situations, regardless of what I could not see.  Worship was essential as I was tempted to question how God could work it all out for good.

The Israelites in Numbers 14, whom God was escorting into the promised land, also struggled with a sincere trust in the character of God. First, they projected that He would do them harm: “Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword?” When we fear our circumstances more than we revere God and his consistently faithful character, our courage falters.  Second, the Israelites started looking for their own solutions: “Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? And they said to one another, ‘Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.’” They trusted in what they knew rather than trusting God, who always leads us in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake (Ps 23:3).

God calls us to have courage in Him and not the world. Believe that He wants what is best for us, no matter what. He cares for his children and leads them to something better in every situation. This does not mean that things won’t be difficult. It does mean that, when we are uncertain and it seems like we will fail, He is unchanging in His faithful love and care for his people. Having biblical courage means we trust God’s sanctifying plans, even though we might experience something different than what we planned. We worship Him before we see the outcome. Courage in God’s promised care causes us to frame our questions into affirming statements of Who God Is: God is love, He is good, and He is our advocate. He is our provider, our peace, and our shepherd. Praise God that He keeps us in perfect peace when our minds are stayed on Him (Is 26:3).

To read more about God’s Care, click here.

To a Teacher on a Sunday Afternoon

I recall that He Who calls me is faithful and He will surely accomplish His goals (1 Thes 5:24). I also recall that it is God Who is working in my life to accomplish the good works He set out in advance for me to do (Eph 2:10).

As Christian teachers, we are a part of the body of Christ, and the Holy Spirit flows through each of us as He continually infuses divine life into our souls (1 Cor 12:12-13). What encouragement. His fountain of life, which we drink from, keeps our pitchers full so that we are prepared to pour into the lives of others. We are chosen by God to live in this blessing, even in our calling as teachers (1 Cor 12:18). Meanwhile, this glorious connection with the Holy Spirit means that he is doing many things in our lives. Three of them stand out to me this Sunday.

Three Things the Holy Spirit is Doing

Illuminating

First, He is illuminating the divine Truth found in Christ’s work for us.  Christ’s work on our behalf means we can see the Truth of His Word clearly (John 16:13). His work in this area is a special blessing to me. I take advantage of His guidance by asking Him to show me how I can shine the light of Christ in my classroom daily. I want to be sensitive and express godly actions with sincerity. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I focus on adhering to God’s truth while I teach, especially pointing to the benefits of the fruits of the Spirit. Against such things, there is no law. (Gal 5:23) Even in public schools, students want to be treated with love, patience, and kindness. They want to live in a world filled with these truths and Christ guides me as I model these qualities in my classroom.

Empowering

Second, He is always empowering us to live a life that pleases God (Rom 15:13; Luke 4:14; Tit 3:5). Because of my flesh and inherent sinfulness, I don’t live perfectly, but I have the Holy Spirit’s power to do things right so there is always hope and there is progress in my sanctification. Meanwhile, when things do go well, I know it is by God’s power. I am fully dependent upon Him and this is a great way to live. It keeps me humbly looking to God and yet ever-encouraged because this is the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work. The Holy Spirit’s power allows me to write lesson plans, grade papers, call parents, and write detention slips with the expectation that I can please God and experience His peace through it all.

Renewing

Finally, He is constantly renewing us as we are immersed in Him. (Rom 6:3-4). He infuses us with Himself through life-giving fellowship. The result is that we live in a freshly virtuous way. Our lives become marked by moral conduct. They become something worth following, even uniquely attractive. And we become leaders, walking in our faith, setting an example to those around us. We can show our students the truth of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Because God is always making us new, we have the energy and vision to teach well. 

Be encouraged teacher. With this ever-present guidance, power, and renewal, we are personally equipped by the Spirit of God within us. 

Victory in Parent Meetings

1 Pet 3:13 “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?”

Frequently, teachers need to visit with angry parents. Their student may have low performance. And, the student may attempt to dodge the pressure by blaming the teacher. Sadly, for fear of accusation or mistreatment, many Christian teachers try to avoid parent encounters. But, God has a good plan He’s working out in these situations. We can be encouraged by a specific example in Daniel chapter six. Daniel proved excellent in his work and faithful to God, yet God allowed an attack on Daniel. In the end, God accomplished victorious outcomes: God was glorified and Daniel was blessed long-term. Since God is unchanging, we know He works similarly in our lives.

Daniel’s work and prayer brought good to the king. Unfortunately, those accountable to him wanted to displace him. They formed a foolproof plan and the consequences seemed hopeless for Daniel: he would be thrown into the lions’ den for his faithfulness to God. But God worked according to His sovereign, unchanging goodness. God led the king to fast and seek Him. Surprisingly, He also prompted the king to make a nationwide statement of God’s attributes, His benefits, and His power over threats. Throughout the ordeal, God assured Daniel remained unharmed and then caused him to prosper under the existing leadership and the next. God was planning to show Himself to the king and his people. God’s always working things out for good, even when interactions are difficult.

Christian teachers can embrace parent meetings with assurance that God’s faithful work and character within us speak for themselves.  When we fear we haven’t been faithful, we remember that, though we’re not perfect, Jesus has covered our sins. We can have God’s peace by practicing three things: First, build your knowledge of God’s character and take courage in who He is for you. Second, let perfect love cast out fear by praying for your students, parents, and administrators. Finally, look at your interactions with parents as an opportunity to let your unquenchable light shine. By working these practices into your life, you can go in freedom to serve in the calling the Lord has laid out for you.

Prayer: Lord, we know that, according to Nahum 1:7, You are good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and You know those who trust in You. Let us embrace the difficult circumstances of life with faith that You are creating perfect outcomes. Amen.