God Chose Me

Recently, I've been asked the question, "What made you decide to choose this walk in life?" The question was not meant to ask why I chose to accept Christ or to why I chose to live a Christian life. It was asked because of how I chose to live my Christian life. It really got me to thinking.

Ephesians 1:4-5 says, "Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do and it gave Him great pleasure."

For years I thought that I had been the one to do the choosing. But I wasn't. I thought I had been the one to make the decision, but it wasn't me. I can never take the credit. Now that I understand that truth, I am truly humbled. God chose me!! Why in the world He did that, I will never know!!

According to Bethel Baptist Church in November 2010, Charles Spurgeon was said to have commented once, "God must have certainly chosen me before I came into this world because He never would have chosen me afterward." A lot of us can relate to that feeling. I know I certainly can. God saw something in me, well He knew something about me, that He wanted to use. He saw it long before the foundation of the earth was laid. That is pretty mind-boggling!

I was pretty comfortable living my "safe" Christian life. I knew God was real. He'd revealed it to me many times. I knew He could do anything He wanted to do. But my mentality of Him was in a box. I didn't really know that God did NOT live in a box that I had mentally put Him in. My belief in Him was safe. I suppose that I limited Him to what I wanted Him to do. I loved the stories in the Bible of what He could do. The impossible stuff that we could not explain if we tried! However, that's where He stayed...in the Bible. In a way, the Bible was like a box. They weren't just stories. They were real situations with real people. I knew that, or so I thought.

I do not remember the date. Not even the time of year. I just remember the encounter. I had been reading about people finding that very special place of prayer. For some, it was a closet. For others it had been a particular chair. There were all kinds of places and things that had been mentioned. Well, I wanted a place that would be special. The master bathroom in our home is spacious. So I had this brilliant idea of going into the master bathroom and finding a special "spot". I found the spot where I felt pretty comfortable and so I knelt. With my hands lifted up I began to pray. What happened next I had never expected. God was there! He was in the room with me. The Holy Spirit was hovering all around me. It felt just like the pictures you might see of a mist of a ghost flying around! I couldn't breathe. I held my breath and was so afraid to open my eyes. What would I see? I had entered into prayer, but my heart was certainly not seeking God, nor the Holy Spirit, not like that! I was about to experience something very real. Something far beyond an explanation. Because of fear, I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to experience God like that. I wasn't ready to take Him out of my mental box! Everything was safe as long as I was in control. As long as I was the one who let Him out. I continued to hold my breath until the feeling went away. Until God went away. For a very long time I thought I had quenched the Spirit. Here it is four years later and I now understand that particular night. God already knew how I would react. It was no surprise to Him. He knew that one day I would long for that encounter once again. I cannot go back to that particular night. However, I can go forward with pure hunger and desire for Him!! That night, God revealed to me just how real He really was. How real He really IS!! For me, to believe that that encounter was God means I have to believe in the impossible, the unexplainable. I have to walk a walk that He wants me to walk!! I have to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). God chose me to walk this path in my life. He chose me specifically, long before the foundation of the world. This is definitely a walk I am not use to. I will really have to believe Him. Not just in Him, but Him!! When He tells me I can move a mountain, I have to believe Him. When He tells me that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, then I have to believe Him!! To live that kind of life, I can no longer place Him in a box. He has to be free!! Free to show me exactly why He chose me.....

In awe of Him,
Vonda

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Joyful Journey / Tattered Faith

joyful- feeling, or causing great happiness           tattered- a part torn and left hanging

journey- act of traveling from one place                faith- complete trust; without question

to another

"Showing or feeling great happiness while traveling from one place to another. A torn part that is left hanging that was once a complete trust without question."

'How did those two ever become acquainted?? How did they end up running in the same circle?? Who introduced them??' I think those are some pretty good questions. A joyful journey is what we all long for and desire in this walk of life. We don't want what used to be a complete trust without question, left torn and hanging.

We each have a journey that has been designed for just us. Some have a journey that involves an addiction of a family member. Some have a journey of wanting a family member to be beside them in church worshiping the Lord together. Some may want so desperately to be a parent and for whatever reason, unable to be. Some may crave "man's affirmation" for acceptance. Some may have trouble sitting in quietness for fear of losing their mind. Some may have a loved one who suffers with physical pain; healing doesn't seem to be coming. And yet some may have experienced the unexplained death of a loved one and just want to know "why?".

Some of our journeys may sound the same and yet each path is different. We may not understand a particular journey that another person is going through, but we can certainly learn something from each other. Sometimes each of our journeys can be pretty joyful! And then there are times that it just won't be. There are times that our faith can seem to be the strongest; and then there are times that it seems to be left torn and hanging. What used to be a complete trust without question, has become questioned. No, a joyful journey and tattered faith just do not seem to go together. But, unfortunately, they can run in the same circle.

In John 16:33, Jesus tells us that in this world we will have trouble. He didn't say we might; He said we would. We need to expect it and not be surprised by it. I don't mean we are to become a pessimist and look for the bad in everything. That's not being Christ-like. But we are, as Christians, to expect Satan to attack us. There is a difference in knowing that Satan is angry and wants our souls, and looking for evil in everything that happens. As long as we live on this earth we will be under the attack of Satan. Our faith will seem to be so tattered. There will be times that we feel so beaten up. Our journey will seem to be too difficult to continue. To give up in surrender seems to be what's left for us. Oh, but take heart! Jesus has overcome the world!! The very One who was beaten, spat upon, crucified and buried has overcome the world! Not even a grave could keep our Lord and Savior from us! Living in that very knowledge can and will make our journey in this life more joyful!

When our joyful journey collides with tattered faith the answer is to keep our eyes forward on Jesus. He has overcome the world. He has a plan for us. He knows what it is going to take to make us more Christ-like. We can certainly take comfort in Jeremiah 29:11 > "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." We need to take comfort in that. He has a plan for us. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." When things feel unbearable and we just can't seem to keep on going, we need to rest in the knowledge of knowing that He has a plan for us. A really great plan, too! He wants to give us hope and a future. Even in the bad stuff, the really hard stuff, He is working something good in it for those who love Him. The end result will be heavenly!!

What are we to do when our joyful journey collides with our faith becoming tattered?? We are to remember John 16:33 > "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."(NIV) - - - - "These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."(KJV) - - - - "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."(NLT) - - - - "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."(NASB)

We are to take heart, be of good cheer and take courage! He has overcome anything and absolutely everything this world throws at us!

 

     When our faith becomes tattered may we rest in knowing that our journey can still be joyful!

    

In awe of Him,

~Vonda