latest GOOD NEWS DAILY – May 18

TODAY’S LITTLE LETTER FROM LARA

Dear friend,

“I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1-3

I wish I could tell you otherwise, but depression has been trying desperately to suck me back into its awful despicable ugly hold over the past few weeks, and I knew good and well the devil is hiding behind it trying to lure me back in, trying to snag me, trying to bait me, trying to trap me, with the ultimate goal of trying to steal, kill, and destroy my life and life’s calling (John 10:10).

If you know my personal story which you can READ HERE, you know I have a long history of depression with a host of other major struggles that resulted in decades of total brokenness. But I have one thing to say to the devil, and it’s this. He can go to hell and the lake of fire where he will spend forever because I don’t live to love and serve and bow down to and obey and follow depression. I live to love and serve and obey and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

And no matter how I feel, and rest assured the past few weeks with all the challenges coupled with years upon years of challenges I feel absolutely yucky and could easily crawl under the bed covers and never come out again, I WILL NOT BOW MY HEART AND KNEE TO DEPRESSION. Following Jesus, friend, is NOT about following and serving our feelings and struggles.

It’s about following and serving the Lord Jesus Christ no matter how we feel fully trusting HE WILL GIVE US THE LOVE AND STRENGTH AND MERCY AND GRACE AND ALL THAT WE NEED TO BE FAITHFUL IN FULFILLING HIS WILL FOR US.

Today, despite how yucky I still feel, how sapped of strength and energy I am, how much I feel a heavy weight pulling me down, I got up, spent time with the Lord, packed the wheelchair doggies in the car, and headed down to Hoboken, New Jersey, where we “walked” the streets as I handed out Gospel tracts and looked for opportunities to talk to people about Jesus.

Know what God’s been reminding me of lately? Christ’s followers are to WALK BY FAITH. Not by our feelings! I’m sure the devil hated the idea I was back out on the streets talking to people about how Jesus is the only way to an everlasting relationship with God and passing out Gospel tracts letting people know we need to turn from our sins, believe Jesus is Lord and died on the cross to pay our sin penalty and was raised from the dead, fully devoting our lives to God and His ways.

How do I feel right now? Exhausted. Weighed down. Sad. Yup, just like I felt before I went out on the streets today. But I fully trust the Lord to bring me through this, and to refine and prepare me in the process, and I am NOT going to let the devil stop me from fulfilling my life’s calling to love and serve the Lord with all my heart and to tell the world about Him.

If you’re facing challenges and feeling like you’re not going to make it through, turn your heart and life over to the Lord Jesus Christ. If the devil is using your challenges to try to steal, kill, and destroy, and to stop you from fulfilling God’s will for your life, tell him to go to hell where he belongs and spend today seeking and following Jesus as He leads you forth!

In His love, and in His strength, for His glory,

lara

TODAY’S DAILY INSPIRATION

The Perfect Life 

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”” John 16:33

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new…”” Rev. 21:1-5

I made the grave and dangerous mistake, albeit not on purpose, of spending several years under the false teaching of the “prosperity gospel” whereby I was taught all I had to do was essentially wave my magic wand, have enough faith, and get God to do and give me everything I wanted so I could live out MY LIFE according to MY PLAN for MY PLEASURE according to MY PURPOSE for – well, I guess, MY GLORY.

And, in so doing, I essentially was taught to believe I could as a “Christian” live the “perfect life”. No troubles. No woes. No tribulations. No challenges. Okay, well, I would have a few along the way. But, with enough faith, I could get rid of them. Immediately. Well, couldn’t I?

Today, this very day, I had the good pleasure of telling my beloved Mom who does not yet believe in Jesus Christ as Lord how I AM STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW. About how I am FACING CHALLENGES. About how I’ve been TEMPTED TO QUIT AGAIN AND AGAIN. And it wasn’t so very long ago that I would have thought it would have been WRONG to tell someone who needs to hear about Jesus that life as a Christ follower can be HARD and CHALLENGING and EXHAUSTING.

But the Lord in His grace delivered me out from under false teaching, led me to repentance from all the false beliefs I was under, and taught me to do what I did today in talking to my Mom. I told her I AM STRUGGLING – but that THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS CARRYING ME THROUGH! I basically in one way or another told her or demonstrated to her about God’s love, grace, mercy, comfort, and kindness, essentially, as I explained as I pointed to Him and the Bible, how He is teaching me and helping me to WALK BY FAITH.

Friend, the life for a Christ follower is NOT THE PERFECT LIFE. The PERFECT LIFE is EVERLASTING LIFE WITH JESUS which we receive the promise of when we turn from our sins and trust in Christ as Lord who died for us and was raised from the dead. THE PERFECT LIFE is not here on this earth in a world filled with sin and darkness. But what we can tell, and show, the world around us is THAT DESPITE THE DARKNESS IN THIS WORLD, WE WHO FOLLOW JESUS CAN BE FILLED WITH LOVE, HOPE, PEACE, JOY, AND LIGHT AND HAVE AWESOME INTIMATE FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS EVEN AS WE GO THROUGH CHALLENGING TIMES ON THIS EARTH.

Christ followers don’t need to pretend to have the PERFECT LIFE on this earth. We don’t have it! But we have the promise of the PERFECT LIFE with JESUS FOREVER after this life. And we have the HOPE AND LOVE AND MERCY AND GRACE AND LIGHT AND JOY OF JESUS even as we walk through our hard places on this earth.

To God be the glory for the truth about life on this earth – and the truth about FOREVER WITH HIM for those who believe in and devote their lives to Jesus Christ, Lord forever, and Savior of this world! AMEN!

TODAY’S 365 BLESSINGS

365 BLESSINGS is a devotional book the Lord has led me to publish piece by piece even as I’m writing it rather than waiting until it’s in print to share it. Please join me & be blessed as I write my latest book…!

Blessing #46

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 13:34

Why does Jesus call it “a new commandment” to love one another when in the Old Testament God calls us to love Him with all our hearts and to love others as ourselves? And why is this “new commandment” a blessing? This “new commandment” specifically says we are to love each other AS JESUS LOVES US! This is an unfathomably wonderful sacrificial giving serving humble joyful fulfilling generous lay-your-life-down-for-another love! The blessing? Jesus gives His followers HIS VERY OWN LOVE by His Spirit living inside us NOT ONLY TO BLESS US – but SO WE CAN LOVE OTHERS IN AND THROUGH HIS LOVE! Jesus isn’t talking about a conditional selfish me-me-me love. He is speaking of God’s love! God’s love which is inside God’s followers because God lives inside those who believe in Jesus as Lord! What a fantastic blessing that God loves us so much His Son gave up His life for us on the cross – and that God calls us and enables us and equips us and uses us to spread His love to others IN HIS NAME – and FOR HIS GLORY!

TODAY’S THE CROSS DEVOTIONAL

Grieving God 
“But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20-21

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:1-4

When I felt distant from the Lord, I sought Him. I can’t stand that feeling. I love Him so beyond description that I can’t fathom not being as near to Him as possible. He answered swiftly. With a message. For me. Maybe also for you.

“Yes, you grieve me. By not receiving what I did on the cross, you grieve me. By not receiving my mercy that I died to give you. You are the one who keeps me at a distance. You do not let me near and then you wonder why you can’t feel my presence,” the Spirit of Christ spoke to my heart. “You are keeping me at bay. Then wondering why I am not near. I am not near because you hold me at the distance of not receiving my mercy. Receive my mercy as I have told you. You do not believe you deserve it. You don’t. That’s why I died and was raised from the dead. To give you mercy.”

My Lord! My God! I was blown away by His words to me. If the truth be told, I was DEVASTATED at the loss of my beloved 15-year-old dog Dancer just over a week ago for two reasons. First, I had him for years, and he was a wonderfully energetic vibrant happy beautiful sweet (most of the time anyway) dancing dog. I miss him sorely.

But I was also devastated because he had behavioral issues including periodic extreme aggression and medical issues both of which caused extreme stress. I have been burned out for a very, very long time from over 20 years of dog rescue and from having up to 19 dogs at a time many of whom were special needs dogs with virtually no physical help.

As much as I have cried out to the Lord FOR YEARS to send me adoptive homes, foster care homes, volunteers, anything at all to take some burden off my shoulders given the exceeding stress and the fact I cared for them 24-7 with virtually no vacation for years upon years, the Lord did not answer in the affirmative.

Tragically, I handled the stress very poorly at times. I would lose my patience and temper, then be horrified at not treating them with the love and compassion and patience they deserved. I repented every time, begged God for forgiveness and the strength to get it right the next time around, tried to the exceeding degree to do right in the eyes of the Lord, prayed a zillion times, asked others to pray, but still fell short in being perfect.

I often wondered why the Lord didn’t just take the dogs from me altogether. I believed they deserved a more loving home. Though I sacrificed decades of my life, time, care, heart, resources, etc. for the hundreds of rescued dogs that passed through my life, when I looked back, including with Dancer, all I could see was every time I did wrong instead of realizing how much through Christ I had done right.

I didn’t understand when Dancer was at the end of his life that his behavioral issues were very tied into his medical condition, and due to his severe aggression I couldn’t get him the amount of vet care I would have desired in person because he would not allow the vets to handle him without being put under anesthesia or very heavy sedation which would have prevented them from doing the exam they would have needed to do. I cried out to the Lord over and again to help me love Dancer and to be patient with him, but still I had my falls and despised every ounce of my sin.

While the Lord and the world around me could see decades of loving and caring for the rescued dogs with which God had entrusted me, I fell under horrible, horrible self-condemnation. No matter God forgave me. No matter I would ask the dogs to forgive me when I fell short. I couldn’t receive God’s mercy. I wouldn’t receive God’s mercy. I stayed stuck in condemning myself.

Almost every dog I ever had would have probably been euthanized due to shelter overcrowding or behavioral or medical or special needs issues, and God gave me the ability to love and care for them and provide them years of life they would not have otherwise had. But what could I see? The times I did wrong, and oh, yes, how horrifically wrong I was!

Now why was God telling me I was grieving Him? One friend told me it is prideful not to receive the forgiveness Jesus died on the cross for us to have. Another friend reminded me we are all humans capable of doing wrong. My friends loved me. Prayed for me. Encouraged me. Pointed me to the Bible. But nothing was as powerful as hearing from God Himself.

“How do you feel when you have a gift to give someone you dearly love and they do not want it, will not take it, and don’t thank you for it?” the Spirit of God spoke to my heart. “That gift is nothing compared with the gift I have for you. Which you have received at times but do not receive now.”

Over and again in my mind I have replayed how poorly I treated Dancer and other dogs in my care at times. Never did I replay one single right thing I did in decades of caring for them. Where does the Lord fit into this? Why was I grieving Him? Why was I feeling so distant? Because I was refusing God’s grace. Refusing His love. Refusing His forgiveness. Refusing His mercy. And, in so doing, essentially refusing Him!

Friend, I know I am not alone in this. I know others of us struggle, too, with this. I had never imagined before how it might feel to be the Lord who died on the cross to bear our sin penalty and was raised from the dead to watch His Creation refuse what He died on the cross for. Oh, how we must hurt the Lord when we refuse His sacrifice!

Lord, help those of us who struggle with self-condemnation to turn away from self and sin and turn to you and your sacrifice and to receive your mercy. Help us to be thankful to you by receiving your forgiveness, by thanking you for it, and then by being merciful to others when they need mercy.

And may we not use your mercy as an excuse to sin further, but may we by your love in your strength in the power of your Spirit learn to stop repeating our sins and to continue forth following the leading of your Spirit as you teach us to walk in your wonderful glorious everlasting ways. In your precious forever name, almighty Jesus, Amen!

p.s. In case you’re wondering why the Lord didn’t answer all my cries through the years for the help I felt I so wanted and needed, His Spirit spoke to my heart the answer. He was using my circumstances to learn to depend on Him, to trust in Him, to be refined by Him, to be changed by Him, to be conformed by Him, to be transformed by Him, to learn from Him, and to become more like Him!

TODAY’S SERVING JESUS IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE

“Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” 1 Thess. 5:11

“How can I help you?” a precious friend asked me over the telephone.

I had just poured out my heart about my struggle. Instead of jumping in to try to rescue me, or to fix me, or to do anything at all, my friend flat out asked me how she could help.

And the answer, friend, I believe is a lesson for us all. For what I told her I felt I needed is what I believe we ALL NEED TO RECEIVE – and what we ALL NEED TO GIVE.

“Love. Prayer. Encouragement. The Bible.” That’s essentially what I told her. I needed love. I needed prayer. I needed to be encouraged. And I needed scriptures.

Know what my precious friend did by the end of the conversation? She loved me. Prayed for me. Encouraged me. And gave me scriptures.

For years, I sought help from the world when it came to my troubles and struggles. I got worldly help. From well-meaning people. But the help was worldly.

Today, I know the most important help we ever receive from anyone and the most important help we ever give anyone is in the context of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Christ’s followers are called to do just what I told my friend. To love one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, and to help one another grow in our relationships with the Lord through study and application of the Bible led by the Spirit of God who lives inside His followers.

My struggle wasn’t over when I got off the telephone. But I had a peace, a calm, an assurance, a hope, a comfort, and a surety and reminder the ultimate help is from the Lord Jesus Christ – and the most vital and necessary help we can give to one another on this earth comes when we point people to God almighty and to the Bible.

We can serve Jesus in our everyday lives, friend, by keeping our eyes, ears, and hearts open to opportunities to tell people the only way to everlasting life is through repentance and a life surrendered to Christ as Lord – and to help people grow in relationship to Christ.

Please don’t miss your opportunities!

LATEST MINISTRY UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST

Dear friend,

My beloved Mom suggested when I spoke to her on the telephone this morning that perhaps I consider staying in New Jersey and commuting into New York City to do my ministry work there because New Jersey is easier, more comfortable, and more affordable. What a wonderful suggestion, don’t you think? I could simply stay in my current hotel, or find an apartment somewhere just outside the city for a season, and then take the bus in and out of the city to do my streets ministry work.

Trouble is, I’ve prayed and prayed – and prayed. And the Lord has made clear He’s sending me back into New York City. And my life isn’t about what’s easy, comfortable, pleasurable, palatable, safe, secure, and affordable. It’s about being willing to forsake all for the Lord Jesus Christ and to tell the world about Him. And it’s about trusting God will provide all I need to love and serve Him the way He desires – in His time, according to His plan, for His purpose, for His glory.

I would appreciate prayer as I continue to seek the Lord for His will and timing for the move into New York City for my season being back on the streets there to tell a world in need about Jesus!

Thank you, and love you!

lara

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