Walking Wounded..

God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars. -- Elbert Hubbard

Proverbs 4:23  says, “Guard your heart with all wisdom, for it is the wellspring of life”

The Word of God is full of deep and wonderful truth. Many of us have been advised to “guard our hearts” in friendships. It is indeed wise to guard both our emotions and our expectations. We must be wise, and not needlessly expose ourselves to hurt or disappointment.

Even those of us who have had wonderful families, perhaps Christian families, will know that no person is perfect. We are always going to get let down or hurt at some point. Those of us who have come from more troubled backgrounds will probably have learnt that really you cannot live with your security based on people. Parents and other friends should be an encouragement to us; loving us and being a positive input into our lives. But when this is not the case, we can be devastated. How ever fortunate or not we are with the people we have around is, our security must be in God. He is the one who made us and who loves us like no one else could. Although it is very normal to look for encouragement and approval from those around us, we must not allow disappointment to devastate us if our hopes are not realised.

In this life, we need human companions as well as God for a companion (Genesis 2:18). If there is no one around you at the moment who is providing this friendship, at least in some way, then actively try to find it. Life can become a constant test of survival, where you have no real choice apart from just to accept suffering and to stick it out.

God - The Rock, is secure
It can take time to know healing from our hurts and disappointments, and with this to trust God and truly place him as our security. Disappointment is a nasty enemy. We may hope for just simple, basic things in life. Maybe good friends, or a partner to share our live with. But our track record registers disappointment. However, we need not loose hope when we know God. We may not get all we want or hope for, and this is hard to accept when other people seem happy and are enjoying themselves.

With God, all good things are possible. If it is confidence you need, he can bring it, and if it is a miracle you need, he can answer your prayer. Don’t give up or loose hope, and do gain encouragement and help form where ever you can. If there is some sort of a spiritual curse over your life, which stifles you living in freedom and enjoying good things, then he can break it by his power (Colossians 2:13-15)

Grasping to hope
You may be in the depths of pain and disappointment. It may be of some hope to think that Jesus has always been through worse than us. Perhaps it is as if you are finding it hard to breath, such is the fear and depression that chokes you. Jesus must have experienced this and more as he suffered for us on the cross. We at least get to catch our breath, though we suffer.

When we feel very low or isolated, even very basic recognition from other Christians can lift us and bring us hope. It allows us a wonderful glimpse of God and of how life can be for us on earth. Sometimes we feel that we are hanging on for dear life. A friend once used an image to encourage himself. It was of seeing himself in deep waters, drowning. That’s how he felt at the time. He saw a helicopter - which represented Jesus, hovering over the water, and someone reached down to rescue him from the seas. This brings to mind Psalm 18:16:
“He reached down from on high and took hold of me, he drew me out of deep waters”.

Selfless Trust in God
Healing really can take time. However, we find moments of relief and hope, and quickly learn to take every bit of encouragement that we can get. There is so much hope and encouragement in the Word of God. Don’t ever loose hope when you know God, as he can restore and heal, and he will never leave you. If you do miss out in life, and do not get all that you hope for on earth, he will make things up to you in Heaven. Provision and healing will be made complete. God is perfect, and he will richly reward us if we are faithful, he will not deprive us of good things.

We are all on our way home to Heaven, and on the journey we can know the healing and power of Jesus in our lives. We can know comfort, peace and provision, as well as the privilege of serving others and sharing God with those who do not know him. Hold on, and hold fast to God’s hand. He will never let go. 

You may walk wounded today, but know that the greatest Healer is at work.In His time, He makes ALL things beautiful!!




Olivia Pereira
HSI Media
olivia.hsimt@gmail.com

Refiner and Purifier

 

Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver...'

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God ...

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: ' He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'

He smiled at her and answered, ' Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'

- Author Unknown

---

 

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.




Olivia Pereira
HSI Media
olivia.hsmt@gmail.com
 

The Surrendered Life- A Poem

It is the surrendered life
that lives with greatest care
as on the edge of a knife
there is no caution to spare.

For His stewards are we all
in this world of His creation
and we will rise or will fall
on the seas of our expectation.

If this one thing we know
that to us nothing belongs
nor with us will it go
it becomes one of those songs,

That when you sing them out
they float up into the air
for all those who are about
to hear them as you share.

Then the surrendered life is free
when we’ve made this concession
that nothing belongs to me
all things are God’s possession.

When there is nothing to lose
what a wonderous thing it is
and we relinquish as we choose
to surrender what is His!

- Teresa Marie 

Jesus take the Wheel!

   

Isaiah 43:2-3 says,"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not flood over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, your Savior."

The idea of ‘Total Surrender’ has always left most of us with questions- How can one totally and willingly live on nothing but faith alone? How can we leave all our worries to a God that we haven’t really seen or met (even though we know and believe he exists) and just, live a “stress- free” life? I don’t know about you, but the thought of just leaving it all up to God and trusting that he has it all covered and taken care of for me, just increases my stress levels!  J What if God fails to hear my prayers? What if he misses and doesn’t quite exactly get what I want or what I need? What if….

WAIT. STOP. THINK. Does God ever “fail”? If, he did in fact have any short comings.. We would definitely not be calling him God! God is a divine being! He does not fail, he cannot fail and the word ‘fail’ doesn’t even suit Him!.Why do we struggle with the idea of relying on God to take control of our lives, our finances, our emotional needs… to take control of US? Surely- he can do the job way better than we do- He created us to serve Him. He created us with reason.

If you are struggling with total surrender to God, talk to God about your thoughts, feelings, and resistance. To surrender to God means that we crop our ownership -we renounce control of our relationships, our finances, our career-almost anything that we consider as “rights.” We acknowledge what we thought was ours, is actually God’s, and that we are simply caretakers. We admit to the fact that He knows best, and that we want His perfect plan!

Total surrender is only gained when we openly, and without any reservation tell God that He is the Lord of our lives, and that we are sorry for all those times we thought we knew better. Let God know that he is back in charge of your life, and that’s the only way you want it to be.  Just like how in a normal earthly relationship, trust is built up step by step, here too, our relationship with God is no different. The more you trust God, the more the peace, love and joy you’ll truly experience. Let us remember that when we surrender our lives to God, we allow Jesus Christ to live inside us.

So,Let go.. and Let GOD!

Olivia Pereira

HSI Media

olivia.hsimt@gmail.com