tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74549865451230077682023-06-20T08:58:48.376-04:00Triumph Over SufferingCome join the TOS Blog, a conversation between those of us going through trials. Together we will pursue spiritual growth, healing, and intimacy with Christ. As we encourage and inspire each other on the journey, we will seek to learn to live victoriously and to uncover our purpose through the pain.Celeste Lihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15379181192009422963noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454986545123007768.post-3896799463351349042014-04-02T11:28:00.000-04:002014-04-02T16:42:44.909-04:00The Evil One Cannot Touch us<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
What does it mean to surrender a
loved one to God? Does it mean you turn
your back and walk away?</div>
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No, certainly not. Surrendering does not mean abandoning. It does not mean you no longer care.</div>
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Surrender is motivated out of love
– such deep love for the person that you are willing to get out of the way and
let God sit in the driver’s seat. Admit
it: with us in the driver’s seat,
things weren’t going quite so well.
There were just too many things we were powerless to control.<br />
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Surrender is choosing to yoke up with Jesus.<br />
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<b>"Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." </b>Matthew 11:28-30</div>
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Surrender requires a profound trust
in God. Trust that He will do a better
job in the driver’s seat than we were doing.
Trust that He has our loved one’s best interests at heart, that His
heart is inclined towards them. Trust
that He knows what He is doing, He knows every moment of the future, and that
He never stops working. Trust that even
if it may <i>appear</i> that He has forgotten them, He has never taken His hand
off them.</div>
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Kathy talked in class of this verse
in Psalm 91:</div>
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<b>For you have made the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">LORD</span>,
my refuge, <br />
Even the Most High, your dwelling place. </b><b><sup><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></sup></b></div>
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<b>No evil will befall you, <br />
Nor will any plague come near your tent.</b> Psalm
91:9-10</div>
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I hear her heart’s cry. My heart cries out likewise. It certainly appears that evil has befallen
us, our families. That we have been abandoned
and unprotected. I look at my life, at your lives, full of pain and hardship,
and I wonder, is God <i>really</i> working for our good? Is He <i>really</i> protecting us?</div>
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I am thinking of a parallel verse
from 1 John:</div>
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<b>… He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does
not touch him. </b> 1 John 5:18 NASB</div>
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And in the Amplified:</div>
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<b>… the One Who was begotten of God carefully watches over <em>and</em>
protects him [Christ’s divine presence within him preserves him against the
evil], and the wicked one does not lay hold (get a grip) on him <em>or</em>
touch [him]. </b>1
John 5:18 AMP</div>
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It sure looks like evil has
befallen us. That the evil one has
gotten his putrid hands on us and our families.</div>
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Let’s look up this word touch, lay
hold, get a grip on. It is haptomai in
the Greek, meaning “to handle so as to exert a modifying influence; to connect;
to bind.”</div>
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Hmmm… We cannot walk through our
lives unscathed. We are all “touched”
by evil in that sense of the word – but haptomai means more than just
that. It means a deep binding to the
enemy. Because we belong to Jesus, the
evil one cannot wrest us from His hands.
Satan can grope around for us, but he cannot get a grip on us. He can handle us, but cannot exert a
modifying influence on us. He can nudge
us, even collide with us, but he cannot connect us to him. The evil one cannot haptomai us, for no one
can snatch us from Jesus’ hands.</div>
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I have come to understand that
belonging to Jesus does not guarantee no pain.
It does not guarantee we will not be affected by the wickedness of the
world. It does not guarantee our lives and the lives of our loved ones will be
untainted by trouble. It does not
guarantee that we will not make sinful choices with horrendous consequences.</div>
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Belonging to Jesus does mean that
God is working for our good. He has
ordained each trial, each battle. We
are under His shelter of protection – and only He knows the full extent of what
His protection really means: that we
are conformed to the image of Christ.
Satan may inflict pain in his attacks, but, just as we read in Job, in
the end, Satan is <i>still</i> God’s servant.
<i>God</i> has the last word.</div>
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<b>Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are
wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and
momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs
them all. </b><b><sup><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></sup>So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what
is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. </b>2
Corinthians 4:16-18</div>
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Looking through eyes of the flesh,
we may see lack of God’s protection.
But looking with eyes of God, we will see the eternal weight of glory.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Praying for you as you triumph over suffering,
Celeste Li
©You are welcome reproduce this in any format without my express permission. Please simply give acknowledgment according to industry standards.
Posts that are hurtful will be deleted.
</div>Celeste Lihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15379181192009422963noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454986545123007768.post-22846427674819656062014-03-26T08:00:00.001-04:002014-03-26T08:00:12.557-04:00When we fall we are not hurled headlong . . . but is there anything we can do to keep our feet from even slipping?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,</b></div>
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<b>Because the LORD is the one who holds his hand. </b> Psalm 37:24</div>
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I love this verse; it is so encouraging;
it settles my heart into a deep peace with the Lord. When we fall we are not hurled headlong . . . but is there
anything we can do to keep our feet from even slipping? Let’s study Psalm 37 for an answer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Open you Bible to explore Psalm 37,
a spiritual warfare psalm from start to finish. As you read, put it into spiritual context by seeing the “enemy,”
the “wicked,” and “evildoers” as not people, but as forces of Darkness, Satan
and his demons. See the “land” as territory
in your heart. Recognize that the
battle is for that territory in your heart.</div>
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“Don’t fret” is a repeated
theme. “Fret” (or “worry” in the NLT)
is charah in the Hebrew, and it means “to blaze up with anger or jealousy, to
burn, to be incensed.” Remember our
battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of
wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph 6:12).
In verses 1and 2 of Psalm 37 we are commanded not to waste our time and
energy blazing up with anger, for their time is short (Rev 12:12). <o:p></o:p></div>
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So what do we do with our energy instead
of being incensed? Go on to verses 3
through 6 for the answer… and I’ll let you continue prayerfully through Psalm
37 from there. Let me know what God
shows you through this psalm – and if there is anything we can do to keep our
feet from slipping.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Praying for you as you triumph over suffering,
Celeste Li
©You are welcome reproduce this in any format without my express permission. Please simply give acknowledgment according to industry standards.
Posts that are hurtful will be deleted.
</div>Celeste Lihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15379181192009422963noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454986545123007768.post-39412060416049058512014-03-12T17:36:00.000-04:002014-03-12T18:36:39.571-04:00Forgiving Yourself<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember the first time I forgave myself. It was about four years ago. </div>
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I had sinned greatly.
Repented deeply. Did everything God called me to here. But I couldn’t
escape the torment. The weight of the
sin was crushing me. I didn’t know if I
would survive. I didn’t understand why.</div>
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I went to a dear Christian girlfriend to confess. She listened carefully, prayerfully, and
said, “You haven’t forgiven yourself.” </div>
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What? Honestly, I
had never given a thought to forgiving myself.
It never even crossed my mind. I
had never forgiven myself before.
Ever. Didn’t even know I should
think about it, let alone do it. I
thought, who cares about my unforgiveness of myself? We’re supposed to forgive others, to show compassion and love
toward others, to release and pardon others . . . does it really matter if I
forgive myself?</div>
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My friend insisted on it, and prayed with me. It was one of the most difficult prayers I
have ever prayed. It came out
haltingly, chokingly, in great fearful gasps.
The release was unlike any I had ever experienced before. Like a strangulating hold was thrown off me.</div>
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Sometimes we may look at
ourselves with condemning judgment and even hold ourselves to a higher standard
than God does. If you are burdened with
guilt, self-hatred, or worthlessness, you may not have forgiven yourself. <b>“For if you forgive men when they sin
against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” </b>(Mt 6:14).<b> </b>God
commands forgiveness – and I believe that includes forgiving yourself. </div>
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When we do not forgive ourselves,
we are saying that Jesus’ death is not sufficient to cover all our sins. We are declaring that our sins are so great
that we need Jesus <i>plus</i> something else to be forgiven. We are trampling on the precious blood of
Christ, shed for <i>all</i> our sins.
When we forgive, God releases us.
And if God releases us, who are we to hold ourselves in bondage? </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Praying for you as you triumph over suffering,
Celeste Li
©You are welcome reproduce this in any format without my express permission. Please simply give acknowledgment according to industry standards.
Posts that are hurtful will be deleted.
</div>Celeste Lihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15379181192009422963noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454986545123007768.post-46109793295046564842014-03-06T13:50:00.001-05:002014-03-07T05:52:05.532-05:00Why Am I Stuck In Unforgiveness?<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been on this journey of forgiveness for quite a few
years now, and this week, God showed me forgiveness was not at completion. Not for lack of trying, for sure. But still I am shocked at the length and
depth of the process. </div>
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I do know that some things that God requires us to forgive
will be a longer deeper process than other things. If we have been hurt by someone close to us, like a spouse,
parent, child, or dear friend, or if the pain has been repeated and protracted,
or if the tragedy occurred when we were a child or adolescent, or if the trauma was particularly heinous or the loss very profound, the process of forgiveness will
be longer and require more of us.</div>
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Like you, I have a number of people and incidences to
forgive. I will focus on just one
offender right now for simplicity.</div>
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I started years ago with the first step of forgiveness: release.
Releasing the offender to God.
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord (Rom 12:19). For me, that was huge, and took many many
months, maybe more than a year, to take that very first step. I thought that completed my work in
forgiveness.</div>
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But a while later the Holy Spirit brought me to new
revelations that there were areas of unforgiveness that I was still holding on
to. I had forgiven in general, but not
specific memories, instances, moments.
He walked me through it, and this time, it did not take me so many
months.</div>
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But later the Spirit showed me I still harbored
resentment. Why? I asked.
Didn't I cover everything? The
Spirit revealed that I had forgiven the actions, but not the <i>person</i>. Wow.
That was really deep. Took a bit
for me to reach forgiveness there.</div>
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Finished yet?
Nope. The Spirit soon began to
reveal to me the judgments I held against the offender. I was prideful that I had not sinned in this same way, so I judged the offender with a condemning
judgment. I considered myself better
than the offender, thinking, somehow, my sins were less sinful. Oh, there was much to process with the Lord
that time.</div>
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Another time He revealed my secret desire for revenge. I wanted to hold something over the
offender’s head. Somehow, I believed
the lie that by not quite releasing the offender it gave me power over that
person. Like drinking poison and
expecting the other person to die.
Admitting my revenge to the Lord was very challenging. Of course, He already knew it, but somehow I
thought I could hide that part of my heart from Him.</div>
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Yet another time He revealed my deep fear. I feared that if I forgave, I would open
myself up to further pain. I did not
trust God to be greater than my pain. I
could not trust His protection or comfort.
I felt I needed to keep control over the situation, over the person,
because I could not trust God to protect my fragile heart. Not trusting God is a very deep root indeed.</div>
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He later revealed my stubborn refusal to reconcile, because
that would require me to humble myself and ask forgiveness for holding onto
unforgiveness. To ask forgiveness for
my sinful response of walling myself off.
He showed me the idol of myself, my reputation, and I have to admit that
I did not want to expose my sins to the offender. I wanted to remain this holy and upright person that I pretended
to be.</div>
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Each time the Spirit revealed, and I repented, He drew me
ever so much closer into His heart.
Each time, I was sure I had covered it all. Each time, I thought forgiveness was complete. What else could there possibly be? But again and again we revisited the same
issue. Traveling down that spiral
staircase, reaching a landing of rest, but then being called down to another
level again, deeper and deeper into the Lord’s heart.</div>
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So here I stand, many years deep into the process. And this week, the Spirit said, “It’s not
finished yet.” Ugh! Still not finished? I could not imagine what else could possibly
be blocking me from completion of forgiveness.
Once again, I had absolutely no idea.
Once again, I went to prayer and fasting to hear His voice, begging Him
to reveal what only He knew.</div>
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He said, “You’re angry at Me.” I argued with Him a bit.
Futile, of course; He’s always right.
He reminded me that He took full responsibility for everything on this
earth. He even quoted my book, from
Chapter 4, Sovereignty. He went on to say,
“You have been hurt, and your sinful response to your pain has left your
life in a big mess. And although you <i>accept</i>
My sovereignty, you don’t <i>like</i> what I have chosen for your life. I call that rebellion.” </div>
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As I was on my face repenting, God explained, ever so
gently, that the offenders in my life were His <i>servants</i>. </div>
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How are they Your <i>servants</i>? I was desperate to know.
The Lord explained that only He knew my heart, and that He was using my
offenders to expose the deepest darkest depths of my heart. The core of my heart that remained hidden
from me, the darkest sins of pride and control and fear, of not trusting Him,
of idolatry and rebellion. God, in His
absolute sovereignty and infinite love for me, desires to expose the dark areas
of my heart, to bring me to repentance, to cleanse me and deliver me and heal
me, to drive out darkness and fill me with His Spirit. He wants deep relationship with me <i>that
badly</i>. He wants to invade me with
His Spirit in greater and greater measure, so He will do whatever it takes to
expose my heart. He chose to use the
evil of this world as His servants.
Only He knows what it will take.
And not one tear more. </div>
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I accept His perfect plan for my life. Every moment, past, present, and
future. And, now that I can see with
His eyes, I am deeply <i>grateful</i> to my offenders. For I know, I am certain, that without their
influence upon my life, my sins would remain hidden, blocking me from receiving
Him in deeper and deeper measure. I
trust that only He knows what it will take.
I trust Him with my life, my loved ones, my heart.</div>
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<b><sup><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">“</span></sup>For
nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will
not be known and come to light.”</b> Luke 8:17</div>
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<b>And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all
things <em><span style="font-style: normal;">are</span></em> naked and open to
the eyes of Him to whom we <em><span style="font-style: normal;">must give</span></em>
account. </b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> </span></b> Hebrews
4:13</div>
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As I reflect on this 12-year journey, it is so abundantly clear that each step was only by His grace. The kindness of God brings us to repentance (Rom 2:4).<br />
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Where are you on your forgiveness journey?<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Praying for you as you triumph over suffering,
Celeste Li
©You are welcome reproduce this in any format without my express permission. Please simply give acknowledgment according to industry standards.
Posts that are hurtful will be deleted.
</div>Celeste Lihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15379181192009422963noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454986545123007768.post-28051636293539824292014-02-20T16:53:00.000-05:002014-02-20T16:53:36.248-05:00Only the Potter knows how we should look, because He chooses our purpose.<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 15.6pt; text-align: justify;">I think
sometimes we forget that only the Potter knows how to fashion us to suit His
purposes. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 15.6pt; text-align: justify;">We think we know our purposes
here on this earth, and what we need to fulfill them. But the Lord says in
Jeremiah “I know the plans I have for you” (emphasis on the
“I”) (Jer 29:11).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt;">Or maybe
we get some great ideas and plans, run off to implement them, and then ask God
to bless them. But Corinthians says
that the thoughts of the wise are futile (1 Cor 3:20).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt;">Or
perhaps God has revealed some of His plans for us, and we think we know how to
bring them to fruition. But He says in
Isaiah His ways are higher than our ways (Isa 55:9).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt;">I think
that we rarely know what God is up to.
Only He knows the intimate details of the plans, the step by step
journey that He has planned for us.
Only He knows the upcoming battles we will face. Only He knows the current state of our
heart, and His desired state of our heart.
Only He knows what equipping will be required.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt;">He loves
us so much, He is so fiercely protective of us, He will not send us into battle
unprepared. The battle is the Lord’s,
and His plan is victory. Our equipping
is critical if we want to partner with Him in victory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.6pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt;">Does it
frustrate you, or bring you comfort, that God is the only omniscient One who
knows how to shape us to fit the plan? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Praying for you as you triumph over suffering,
Celeste Li
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Posts that are hurtful will be deleted.
</div>Celeste Lihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15379181192009422963noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454986545123007768.post-41378376712444339782014-02-14T08:06:00.000-05:002014-02-14T08:06:35.821-05:00Wrestling with God's SovereigntyAs I wrestle once again with His sovereignty, I realize the deepest question my heart is asking: Can I <i>really </i>trust that He knows what is best for me?<br />
When life is smooth, it is easy to give lip service to believing that He knows what is best. But our commitment to God and His plan is challenged when life is not so smooth. <br />
So what exactly does "smooth" mean? Smooth means life is going according to <i>my </i>plan. And that's the crux of it. Deep down in the darkest corner of my heart, the place I don't want to admit exists -- much less allow God to penetrate it with His Light and Truth -- deep down in that horrid corner I see what I really want is life according to <i>my </i>plan. Control, rebellion, and pride all wrapped up into one big mess.<br />
Bowing to His sovereignty means that I surrender my "good" plan for my life (and the lives of those I love), to His perfect plan. It means humbly acknowledging that He knows best, that He is the only One who is infinite and eternal and knows all -- the past, present, and future. It means realizing that I certainly cannot predict the future, much less control it.<br />
I can bow to His sovereignty kicking and screaming . . . or, I can come to more deeply know the One who died so I could live. In knowing the depth of that love, I cannot help but to trust that His perfect plan, His plan that is colliding with my plan, does indeed have my best interests at heart.<br />
Are you wrestling? Tell me about it.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Praying for you as you triumph over suffering,
Celeste Li
©You are welcome reproduce this in any format without my express permission. Please simply give acknowledgment according to industry standards.
Posts that are hurtful will be deleted.
</div>Celeste Lihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15379181192009422963noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454986545123007768.post-35411391575389693772014-02-06T22:03:00.001-05:002014-02-06T22:04:44.730-05:00What Does It REALLY Mean to Surrender?Does surrender mean we wave the white flag in defeat? Come out of the castle we have been defending with our hands high in the air? Lie face down on the ground praying we won't be killed?<br />
<br />
I have often wrestled with surrendering, alternatively angry and fearful. Angry at Him for demanding it, requiring that I walk on His path and not my own. And afraid of the unknown. Although the current place may not be perfect, at least I know it. I am familiar with the ropes. No surprises here. I can keep everything under good control.<br />
<br />
But surrender is a leap into the unknown. Will He really catch me before I hit the bottom?<br />
<br />
Yes, surrender means we come out of the castle we have been defending. The castle of idolatry of our plan, our way. And no, we don't need to pray that He won't slay us in anger, for He is all grace, and His mercy triumphs over judgment.<br />
<br />
To me, surrender is laying aside my plan -- which seems good and comfortable and right -- for His better plan -- which is completely obscured from my eyes. I mean, if I knew a better plan, wouldn't I be on it? Can I really trust that there could be a better plan?<br />
<br />
The most fascinating thing about surrender is that surrender to the Lord is actually victory. It is His triumph of lordship in my heart, and it is always a vastly better path than I had chosen. Sometimes, the "vastly better" about it is not obvious for a while. But the deeper and deeper I surrender to Him, the more I am able to trust that His way is absolutely for my good.<br />
<br />
What are your thoughts on surrender? I invite you to share with me.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Praying for you as you triumph over suffering,
Celeste Li
©You are welcome reproduce this in any format without my express permission. Please simply give acknowledgment according to industry standards.
Posts that are hurtful will be deleted.
</div>Celeste Lihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15379181192009422963noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454986545123007768.post-17623032288851566462014-01-30T21:16:00.000-05:002014-01-30T21:16:04.302-05:00Has life thrown you a curve ball?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #343434;">Does the world seem more painful than peaceful? Has life thrown you a curve ball? Is someone you love crushed with
suffering?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> Together let's explore what God teaches us in His Word about
suffering and pain. As we take this
journey together, we will ask God to give us some understanding of why we
suffer here on earth. We will seek to
draw nearer to our Savior through our pain.
My prayer is that God will reveal His purpose to you through your
trials. And above all else, my passion
is for you to come to </span>know Him deeply as the God who really <i>does</i> care.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God <i>really</i>
cares? Are you <i>sure</i>? For that is not what the world tells
us. That is not what culture tells
us. That is often even not what our
churches or other Christians tell us.
We are more likely to hear comments such as these: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
“You must have done something to rouse the wrath of
God. God uses these things to punish
us. What is God punishing you for? What is God trying to tell you?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
“God never wants anyone to suffer. Just believe it, and claim the victory over
your suffering!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
“The Bible says to be joyful in everything and to give
thanks in everything. Are you thanking
God for this situation?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
“You are suffering because your faith is just not
strong enough.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Cheer up. It could be whole lot worse.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
What
sorts of comments have you heard? Have
they been helpful – or have they driven you further from God? I would love to hear from you.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Praying for you as you triumph over suffering,
Celeste Li
©You are welcome reproduce this in any format without my express permission. Please simply give acknowledgment according to industry standards.
Posts that are hurtful will be deleted.
</div>Celeste Lihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15379181192009422963noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454986545123007768.post-73129477121544961782013-12-12T17:40:00.001-05:002013-12-17T05:45:57.442-05:00Has suffering crushed you? Does God even care?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt;">When I look at the devastation of this world, at the
suffering of others and the pain of my own life, I ask, Where is God?
Does He even notice? Does He even care?</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">My
first step in this journey of seeking answers to these questions began when I
realized that earth is not my true home. I am just visiting here.
I am just passing through.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">God did create a perfect world, and mankind shattered that perfection with our sin. Pain runs rampant, seemingly unchecked. But we don't belong here! We are built for eternity! We are strangers,
aliens, foreigners here! Our citizenship is in heaven.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Okay .
. . so then<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>why<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>are we still here? Why don't we just head on
up to our true home? If God loves us so much, why does He leave us down
here groaning with all of creation?<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">I
believe the answers to these questions are uniquely tailored for each one of
us. I think the answers may come as we seek to know God more and grow in our relationship with Him.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Welcome
to Triumph Over Suffering Blog. I invite you to join me as we together
seek answers to the toughest questions. I will be blogging weekly starting the week of January 19, 2014. Let's get to know each other. I
would love to hear your questions, thoughts, reactions, and comments. And
I welcome you to share your struggles and pains, as well as how God has touched
you and spoken to you on your journey to healing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Praying for you as you triumph over suffering,
Celeste Li
©You are welcome reproduce this in any format without my express permission. Please simply give acknowledgment according to industry standards.
Posts that are hurtful will be deleted.
</div>Celeste Lihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15379181192009422963noreply@blogger.com6