Today’s a new day! As you run your race, life will be filled with many trials. Some days you may feel defeated. The world might tell you your race is over. But God might just be preparing you for a Comeback. A comeback may seem unlikely when your life is filled with obstacles, but hold on and dig in. Your current situation may seem hopeless, but keep running and you will discover God’s power to overcome every obstacle in your life. Keep running! ~OC
Truths
Today’s a new day! I want to share some truths with you today.
You are not your successes nor failures.
You are not your abilities nor disabilities.
You are not your looks, popularity, bank account, intelligence or how many followers you have on social media.
As a Christian, you are who God says you are, which is:
His child (John 1:12).
Justified (Romans 5:1).
Christ’s friend (John 15:15).
A member of Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12:27).
Assured all things work together for good(Romans 8:28).
Established, anointed and sealed by God(2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
A citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20).
Hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).
Blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians
1:3).
Chosen before the creation of the world(Ephesians 1:4, 11).
Holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4).
Adopted as his child (Ephesians 1:5).
Given God’s glorious grace lavishly and without restriction (Ephesians
1:5,8).
Redeemed (Ephesians 1:8).
Forgiven (Ephesians 1:8; Colossians 1:14).
The salt and light of the earth (Matthew 5:13-14).
A personal witness of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8).
God’s co-worker (2 Corinthians 6:1).
Alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).
Raised up with Christ (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12).
God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).
Secure (Ephesians 2:20).
A holy temple (Ephesians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 6:19).
A dwelling for the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:22).
Completed by God (Ephesians 3:19).
Not alone (Hebrews 13:5).
Growing (Colossians 2:7).
Victorious (I John 5:4).
Set free (Romans 8:2; John 8:32).
A light in the world (Matthew 5:14).
Safe (I John 5:18).
Part of God’s kingdom (Revelation 1:6).
Healed from sin (I Peter 2:24).
No longer condemned (Romans 8:1, 2).
Protected (John 10:28).
Born again (I Peter 1:23).
A new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).
God gives each of us spiritual riches the world can never offer us. Our identity in God is one of eternal security. We have value simply because God, in perfect love, sent his son Jesus to die for us and cleanse us from the sin that beat us down. True freedom is found in a relationship with God. And this relationship shapes all we say and do. Our life choices flow out of our relationship with God. And as hard as life might get, we have the promise of eternal life with God when we put our trust in him. We are made in God’s image, and we are HIS forevermore, protected, in his loving arms. When we are in Christ, we are truly free. May God bless you as you renew your trust in him today. ~OC
God’s Word
Today’s a new day! As I continue to run this crazy beautiful health journey, I cling to the promises of God’s word. One of those promises is found in Isaiah 40:29, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Even when our bodies are struggling to find strength, God lifts our hearts with hope and comfort. He gives strength to the weary and weak. If you have ever felt weary and weak you qualify.
The astonishing thing is the way He chose to do it. It does not take the mending or healing of our bodies. We do not have to be propped up with the comforts of this world. God did it all with the power of his word. It is true, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). If your soul is starving today, find nourishment in the reading of God’s powerful words and promises.
Today, if you find yourself weary, worn, and ready to throw in the towel, I want to remind you that He gives strength to the weary. My prayer is that you’re experiencing God’s strength and peace this very hour. Know this, one day, you will look back on your troubles, whether in this life or on the beautiful shores of eternity, and you will say, “God pulled me through. He gave me the strength I needed.” The One in whom you trust does not faint or grow weary, and his understanding is unsearchable. ~OC
Walking Through Chronic Illness
Today’s a new day! Walking through this crazy beautiful health journey can be a daunting task. Anybody dealing with chronic illness can relate. At times it can feel we are not truly living. On days we are barely surviving how can we possibly live for God? When simple daily tasks overwhelm us, how can we even think of living for and serving God? We know He calls us to live for Him, but what does that look like when you’re walking through a season of suffering?
Before I attempt to answer those questions, let us discuss how to go about living for God. When we think of truly living for God our imagination can lead us to mission work in a third world country or preaching in front of a large crowd. But there are many different ways to walk out our faith. Living for God is simply walking out the words and teachings of God. Striving to live a life that points people to God and brings Him glory. A person dealing with chronic health issues can still live for and make a difference for God. It may just look differently than a healthy person. So, no matter your current condition there are always ways that you can glorify God through them. Here are some lessons I have learned during this crazy beautiful health journey.
- It’s okay that the way we live for God looks different than the way that healthy people do. In Romans 12:4-5 we read the following words, “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” In his amazing wisdom, God did not create us all with the same gifts or the same circumstances. He doesn’t expect us to serve Him in the exact same way that anybody else does. This is one of the beautiful things about the church. We see how God uses many people in different ways to accomplish things for His Kingdom.
Trying to live for God in a way that is identical to someone else would be so boring. When we attempt to live out someone else’s race, we can become consumed with trying to measure up to other people that it ends up paralyzing us. Any time our focus shifts from seeking to glorify God, to comparing ourselves with others, it leads to discouragement. The truth is, we can never do as much as healthy people because of our physical limitations, and that’s okay. Serving God isn’t about how much we can do for Him, but using whatever ability we do have for His glory. Focusing on what we are unable to do causes us to stop doing the “small” things that we can do. If we choose to focus on the abilities and opportunities we still have, we are able to live out the gifts God has given us.
Life is not a competition. We miss out on so many opportunities when we try and make life a competition. Serving God in different ways doesn’t make it a lesser way. Even healthy people serve in different capacities. The truth is that nobody, regardless of physical ability can live for God and serve Him as much as He deserves. He is infinitely worthy, and even if we poured out our entire lives for Him without fail, it would still not be enough. So let’s stop comparing ourselves to others and instead boldly live out the plan God has for your life.
- God has a purpose for each of our lives and will give us the tools to accomplish that purpose. From the beginning of time, God has been faithful to provide our needs. Any ability anyone has to live for God is a gift from Him. If God is the one giving us the strength to live for Him then we don’t need to rely on our own. We, the chronically ill, are reminded daily of the harsh reality of our weakness. Our weakness is not a hindrance to God. It’s just a different channel for Him to work through. In 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 we read these powerful words, “And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” As this verse highlights, a biblical view of our insufficiency leads to increased trust in God. Because we know there isn’t anything in and of ourselves that makes us able to serve Him, we can trust that His love will remain constant. His love remains constant even in the seasons when we feel like we are not able to serve Him the way we desire to. We have to remember, God always provides us with His strength to get through the difficult days. God always provides a way.
- God knows our limitations and has prepared things that you can do for Him with your current physical state. Our current health situation is not a surprise to God. He didn’t create a plan for our lives only to find out that we cannot do them in our current physical or mental state. Remember, God is sovereign and all-knowing. Before we were born, God knew the seasons of life we would walk through. God knew the challenges we would face. And He designed things for you to do to His glory as you live life with chronic illness. Ephesians 2:10 tells us this; “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Our limitations are real and valid. We should never be ashamed of our limitations. But through God’s power we can overcome all the limitations and storms life throws at us. God can miraculously work through our struggles in ways that are impossible for anyone but Him.
- Finally, living life, trusting God, and praising Him in the midst of the storms we face sometimes doesn’t seem very flashy or important. So many times Christians strive to look like super heroes to the world during their season of challenges. But God isn’t concerned with how we look to other people. Simply being faithful to God in the midst of suffering doesn’t seem like a very big way to serve Him, but honestly it can be harder to persevere in the day to day struggles of life than to do one Huge thing for God. Simply living for God and thriving through our weaknesses can bring Him glory.
As we walk through our season of chronic illness, we will need to be vulnerable and let some people know what we’re going through. That circle of people can be as big or small as you want it to be. But if we do not let people know the struggles we are facing, how will they be able to walk with us during this difficult season? How will they experience the amazing power of God as He works in our lives? We do not have to share every little detail of our daily struggles, but share enough so people can pray for you. If we intentionally hide all our struggles from others, we are potentially robbing them of a blessing and the opportunity to see God at work.
We also have to constantly be in prayer. Our prayers are how we ask God for the strength to live for Him and thrive during this season of discomfort. Prayer is a lifestyle and a huge aspect of living our lives for God.
Joyfulness is one of the beautiful gifts in our walk with God. Our circumstances may be difficult, but when people see that we still have joy even though we are suffering, it points them to God. It is only through Him that we can have true joy, which is not shaped or determined by any circumstance. Where do we get this type of joy? This joy is a result of regularly saturating ourselves with God’s Word. By constantly keeping our eyes fixed on the promises of God. We can live in peace and joy, knowing God has our current situation under control and is working it out for our good.
So, let people see that you are suffering, but also let them see how God is allowing you to thrive and walk in joy during the suffering.
Walking through chronic illness is not easy. Never let anyone tell you how to live out your story. Each day is a struggle, but praise God that He is the one who guides us through those tough days. So, even if the way you serve God looks different than your healthy neighbor it is not lesser. I encourage you to keep leaning into the promises of God, the Author and Finisher of our faith, and keep on living for Him out of gratitude for the blessings in your life. ~OC
What Picture Are You Living?
Today’s a new day! There are people who don’t know Jesus who are watching those who claim to know Him and making assumptions about who Jesus is. There are people around us whose only picture of who Jesus is will be shaped by what we do and say. For better or worse.
As followers of Jesus, we represent Him to those around us. What we do, what we say, tells others something about God. Good or bad. Following Jesus means that He actually expects us to love, serve and forgive others. Our actions good or bad can have eternal consequences.
I hope you will spend some time today reflecting on the magnitude of this amazing responsibility. ~OC
Hope
Today’s a new day! I believe Hope is one of the most important tools in our toolbox. Hope is not based on our circumstances. No, it’s a firm conviction, a way of seeing the world. Hope is what carries us through difficult times. We know God is in control, regardless of what our struggles might lead us to believe. We trust suffering is temporary and that God will use even the worst of situations for good. Evil might have the first word (cancer, broken relationships, etc), but we boldly proclaim that God will have the final word.
Many times in the last twenty-one years, I’ve found encouragement in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
I may or may not regain my health. That’s in God’s hands. But as I continue to walk through this crazy beautiful health journey, I will hold on to God’s hope, love and grace. That’s more than enough for me. ~OC
A Different View
Today’s a new day! I have several friends who do not like going to church, but they think Jesus is really cool. When Jesus was walking on earth, thousands of people flocked to hear him teach. He had something worth saying and his message was life changing. If you are a Christian how do you live? If a non-Christian spent the day with you, would they change the way they viewed Christians?
Some people believe that the Church is a place that is only for people who are good enough. Nothing could be further from the truth. The faith lived out by Jesus was one that was taken up by people who were the wrong sort according to the religious people of the day. They did not have it all together. People came to Jesus with their imperfections and some turned to him and called on him for forgiveness and he forgave them and he led them in a new life. Jesus never sent anyone away who was imperfect and he never sent people away who didn’t agree with him or who didn’t want to follow his teaching. One of his disciples Peter, cut off the ear of one of the people who had come to arrest Jesus (John 18:10), Peter also denied knowing Jesus three times (Mark 14:66-72). In Matthew 16:18, Jesus shares these powerful words, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” In Peter we see the worst and best of the Christian faith, but Jesus loved him and still chose to work with and through him.
Where some Christians go wrong is that they try to portray themselves as perfect rather than the truth which is that we are all broken and thankfully have been forgiven. That as Christians, we are all on a journey of change. I’ve heard it said that: God loves us as we are, but he also loves us too much to leave us that way.
When we make the choice to follow Jesus we are born again, spiritually beginning a new life. The Bible also talks about us reflecting the glory of God as he changes us (2 Corinthians 3:18). The apostle Paul who wrote most of the New Testament talks about a battle going on in every Christian between the Spirit (God in us) and our sinful nature (Romans 7:9). Who will we listen to? Will we live for ourselves only or do we want to live for God?
I pray every Christian will walk securely in God’s love, acceptance, forgiveness, grace and all of His beautiful gifts. I pray as God’s children, we will be guided by the Holy Spirit living in us to keep on striving to become more like Jesus. ~OC
New Normal
Today’s a new day! As I continue to walk through this crazy beautiful health journey, my life has been filled with many new normals. During all of the new normals, I have learned a new normal does not mean that God has thrown away His plan for me. A new normal does not mean that I am less than anyone else. A new normal has made me the person I am today.
When I decided to embrace the truth of the new normals in my life, I experienced a beautiful freedom. I can still live a full life in this broken body even on days I wish I could return it. I started focusing on what I had and what I could still do.
With this broken, but blessed body:
I can still live and lead an intentional, meaningful life.
I can still worship God in all I do.
I can still love and serve others.
I can still cherish time with my family and friends.
I can still cultivate new and old meaningful friendships.
I can still grow and bloom right where God has me planted.
Sometimes when we walk through the storms of life, we may feel that God isn’t there. Well friend, I have some great news for you. He is. Keep walking in that truth. ~OC
Gift of Grace Part 3
Today’s a new day! Grace is simultaneously a call to rest and a call to action. There is nothing more freeing than knowing that we have contributed nothing to our salvation. It means we can do nothing to mess it up. Praise God that it is “by grace we have been saved through faith”—and that even this faith is a “gift of God” so that there is no room for boasting (Ephesians 2:8-9). Praise God that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of Christ” (Romans 8:39). Indeed, we fix our eyes on Jesus as the “founder and the perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), knowing He will be faithful to complete the work He has started in us (Phil 1:6). Our trust is in who God is and in what He has done on our behalf. What a sweet joy to rest in that truth. But resting in that truth is not a call to sit on the bench. No, in light of the fact that our standing in Christ is sure, we are called to get to work. No sooner does Paul tell us that we are saved by grace through faith does he tell us that we were “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Even after telling us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author of Hebrews goes on to tell us to “strive . . . for holiness” (Hebrews 12:14). When we experience the amazing grace of God, we cannot just check out and wait for Jesus to come back. No, we called to be the first fruits of a coming kingdom, showing all creation what the restored image of God looks like (James 1:18; Romans 8:18-23, 29-30). “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). And this newness isn’t just “not sinning”; rather, this newness is marked by a zeal to advance Christ’s kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20). Never shortchange the power of grace. As believers, we have a responsibility to share the transforming gift of grace with a lost and hurting world. even as it is transforming us. ~OC
My Home in Heaven
Today’s a new day! This body and world are just temporary. Life is but a vapor. I will not let the struggles in life become my identity. My God-given purpose in life is to love and serve. Not to hate or judge. My home is in Heaven. I am just passing through on my way home. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 