Dealing with Adversity

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20 

I was born with sickle cell disease, and daily deal with chronic pain. This week I battled pain crises, which are spikes in pain caused by a lowering of hemoglobin count. (Today I feel much better, I'm almost back to normal!) it is not God's will that I be healed from this disease, at least not thus far. Maybe you deal with another physical ailment, emotional issue, a disability, etc. and maybe people have told you that if you have enough faith that God would heal you. There are two scriptures in the Bible that I hold dearly when it comes to healing. The first says, "By His stripes we are healed". Isaiah 53:5 The second one says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Cor 12:9 

So, which of these is true? Well, the answer is both. But, both are subject to God's sovereignty. If God decides to heal you from an ailment or disease it is so that He gets the glory by your telling everyone that God has healed you. But, what if He doesn't heal you? How then should you live?

God uses the things that hurt us. The enemy will attack, but if we persevere through the power of Christ we come out of those trials with testimonies. 
God uses testimonies so that people can see His great works through the lives of ordinary men and women like us. 

My prayer is that through my walk, my lifestyle, people will see that despite being in pain that I am still, to the utmost of my abilities, serving the Lord Jesus Christ. And that someone would be inspired to follow Him also; that they may recognize that it is not by my might, or a stubborn will, but rather by His grace being sufficient that I persevere. I want people to understand that God's strength is made perfect in my weakness. 

It is my firm belief that being SALT is mostly about how you live among those who are not believers-as an example and living testimony, and with those who are believers- as encouragement.. If I suffer for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and someone sees His love, His power, His grace and Mercy in my walk, it has all been worth it. I really don't mind a bit. 

Let God use the weapons of the enemy, (they will not prosper) for the betterment of others. Our reactions to the attacks of the enemy determine if others would view our stories as testaments for, or against God. Whether a bad day, a headache, or something life-threathening, how will you respond to adversity?   

I love you, and I am praying for you.
SALT
~ Pastor Erroyl

The War Inside

The War Raging Within

Romans 7:22-23 "For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 
23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members."

Notice all the players in this scripture. You have all three parts of your being illustrated here. Your spirit, which Paul refers to as the "inner man", your soul, which here is referred to as "the mind", and finally your body. On the one side you have your spirit which is very close to God. Your spirit is always urging you to commune with Him and be one with Him. On the other side you have your flesh which is subject to the law of sin; it is always trying to get you to gratify the flesh and carnal nature of who you are. In the middle of this tug-of-war is your soul. Your soul is the part of you that has to decide which route will be taken. 

Here we understand that our spirit joyfully wants to do the will of God. The issue is that our flesh is weak. So, how do we defeat this? Paul writes it this way in Romans 24 and 25.
"Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

A practical answer to this question is found simply in the wording. It is a decision we make. The fact that the soul is referred to here as the mind, lets us know that it is something that must be intentional on our part.  When you sin, it is intentional. You make a conscious decision to do it. (That is not to say that being sin free is easy, it certainly is not as we learn earlier in chapter 7 when Paul says "the things that I shouldn't do I do, and the things that I should do I don't do." ) Therefore, the decision must be intentional not to sin. We must, with great EFFORT and PLANNING, decide to live righteously. We must intentionally live as sin free as we possibly can. The decision must be made by us to incline toward the urging of our inner man, and God.

I love you, and I am praying for you to listen to your spirit, and not your flesh.

~Pastor Erroyl
SALT

People and Seasons

As seasons in life change- we realize that we do as well.  Have you ever thought, "I wouldn't have liked the type of person I was back then?"  We grow into different people. We grow, we mature, and so we no longer fit into our old lives. 

Some people, places and events are only meant to be main characters or settings in your life for a particular season. It doesn't mean that you love them less (or they, you) only that God needs you (and them) to invest the time previously devoted to them with someone else, or somewhere else. The season ended.

Farmers don't sow seeds in fields that already have crops. If so, the new seeds would take root; the new and old would begin fighting for the nutrients. It would be unhealthy conflict for all. The farmer would have to spend an enormous amount of effort and time remedying that. Do you follow? You're the farmer. Do you want to spend the time investing in the next season of your life; making sure that it's properly tended to? Or, would you rather spend that time straightening out a self-perpetuating mess that is caused by holding on to the past?

Need a biblical reference? I thought you'd never ask. Acts 15: 36-41 tells the story of Paul and Barnabas. Paul wanted to return to previously visited cities. Barnabas wanted to take Mark along with them. Paul protested, as he felt that Mark had abandoned them earlier. The two quarreled, and parted ways. Their season walking together in ministry was over. Sometimes it takes a disagreement. Sometimes going in different directions is the best thing for both parties. In the case of Paul and Barnabas, they were able to spread The Gospel in an area that was twice as big as they could have covered while together. (Don't worry, in Paul's letter (Col 4:10) we see where they reconciled).

God knows what He is doing. Allow people (and circumstances too) to come and go with their proper season. If you don't know when a season is transitioning, look for the changing colors. ;-)

I love you and I am praying for you.

~Pastor Erroyl
SALT

Why Lord, am I going through?

Once, while studying the Book of Job, I was going through a week that was tough for me personally, professionally, and spiritually. My body was attacked, my family was attacked with injuries and sicknesses, it was a busy week for me at the school where I taught, and a friend and co-laborer in the ministry passed away. It was a lot to handle at one time. I felt overwhelmed, and exasperated. 

In asking God through prayer to shed some light on this chaotic time, He taught me this through Job. Job was tested, tried, and trusted because he was a good man, and God's servant. God knew that Job could pass the tests thrown his way.. Tests, oh by the way, that God allowed to be thrown his way. Think about that. Job did not go through everything that he went through because he was a bad man, or that he had sinned. It was quite the opposite. The bible says that Job was blameless and upright. In other words, he had done nothing wrong at all.

It's that way with us as well. God allows Satan to test us, to temp us, to cause some turmoil in our lives... not as punishment, and not because of our faults and flaws. Now you might be thinking, "why would God allow this?"

We have to try to see things from God's perspective. There was a purpose in the pain. A purpose that was bigger than the person. These tests were not allowed to prove a point to Satan. It was so that thousands of years later I (you) could reflect on a rough week and see that it fails to compare to the day that Job had. It happened so that Job's neighbors one town over, his friends who thought that he had sinned against God, so that his wife who told him to curse God and die- so that they, and we would be blessed by his making it through all that he endured with his testimony in tact. 

It's the same with us. People see us (you) going through a tough time, and our reaction makes an impact on their lives. Our response shows them our faith, and our God. They know that we are Christian, and yes they are watching. 

So how should we respond? Should we pity ourselves? Should we allow the pain to fester and infect our way of thinking, our mood, and disposition? No! When Job received all of that bad news, the loss of his riches, the loss of his income, the loss of his possessions, the loss respect from his friends, the faith of his wife, and the loss of his children- guess what he did? The bible says (Job 1:20) that He fell down and worshipped God! My Goodness, what an awesome response to hardship. That's our example. Worshipping God in spite of the hurt, pain, and position in which we find ourselves.
When we experience a time that seems to be overwhelming, chaotic, and hurtful.. we should Worship! 
So, how do you respond? Will your hardship produce worship? 

I love you, and I am praying for you...
Pastor Erroyl
~SALT

Stretch... Relax and Breathe

Anyone who has ever seriously exercised will tell you that 'stretching' is a very important part of exercise. Stretching is not necessarily a pain-free event. Especially when your muscles are unused to the movements, and/or are cold from not being recently used. However, stretching is good for preventing injury, before and after a workout, and it allows muscles to grow and heal faster, and eventually stretching helps muscles to work more efficiently and effectively.

Have you noticed that God stretches us? Well He does. And just like with a physical stretching, it is not always pain-free. He puts us in situations that we are not used to being in, or where we are uncomfortable because it is outside of our zone of expertise. He asks us to be patient with people who push our buttons. He asks us to love those who may not necessarily be the most lovable. He asks us to host potluck dinners, home bible studies, summer-school sessions when we are not the most extroverted persons. He asks us to hold our tongues at times when we really, really want to say something. It can be really uncomfortable.
This could be growth for you, or this could be a healing moment for you, either way it's training for you. Your heart muscles might be unused to this sort of expression. Or, it could be cold from nonuse; hurt from misuse or abuse. God wants to use you more. So He trains your heart muscle, He stretches it, warms it up, and gives it a good work out. 

And just like with the physical stretching, this is preparation for growth, healing, and eventually usage (ministry). Those who work out will tell you the best way to deal with, and get the most from a stretch is to relax and breathe. Allow the stretching to accomplish its goal.
As God is stretching us, we can relax and breathe, understanding what His goals are for us. He wants us to grow, heal, and minister.  We cannot properly minister to others if we are not spiritually mature. We have to grow in order to be effective. We cannot properly minister for the Lord if we are hurting. It's very difficult to minister out of pain and hurt. God stretches us, and as we heal we find the strength in Him we need to share with others, and minister to others. 

How is God stretching you? Are you relaxed? Are you breathing? Are you allowing Him to work on your heart? Look at those uncomfortable situations in which you find yourself. See if God is stretching you. See if there is growth, healing, or ministry in the situation for you- from God. If you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation.. Relax and breathe!

I love you, and I am praying for you.
~Pastor Erroyl
SALT

On the subject of Praying - Just Pray!

Prayer is the believer's life-line. Yet, many of us have never really been taught how to pray. And sadly many are afraid to pray. Mostly, the fear is of "bad form" (if you will). Should my eyes be closed, or opened? Hands lifted, or clasped? Kneeling? (And, the big one) How long should I pray? The long and short of it all is... pray. No matter how you do it; Just pray.

Don't be intimidated to pray. When Jesus taught the model prayer (formerly known as the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father) it lasts for what.. 2 minutes maybe? And Jesus' prayer in John 17, even if you stretch it out, it tops out at 5 minutes.

      What's important is that you express to God what's on your heart. Just Pray.
Talk to God from your heart... Make it conversational. Don't use useless repetitions when you pray. This happens a lot in the church setting... (Father God, we love you Father God, as you are Father God.. and you know all things Father God, and also Father God). Jesus actually says not to do this in Matthew 6:7, but when we are nervous, or our prayers are aimed at impressing others, or we are worried about saving face then we use those types of buffers. 

     Pomp and circumstance are not needed when talking to your father. Take your time, be sincere and Just pray. There's no need for grandeur in your prayers. There's no need for timidity either. He is your Father and He cares about you, and you don't need to be shy why when praying to Him. God hears the smallest cries of His children as well as the loud ones. He doesn't favor the boisterous over the meek. The more you do it, the easier it'll become, and the more you'll love it. How long to pray? An hour of prayer will net what God grants. He is sovereign.. so that means that a 30-second prayer will net what God grants as well. Do NOT be intimidated by long, ceremonious prayers, and do not feel obligated to pray in that manner either.  Yes, God is the King of Kings and deserves all due respect, but because of Jesus, we have the right to call Him Abba, Father.

Your Father loves you, and is waiting to converse with you about anything that's on your heart. Just Pray! 

One last thing; be sure to make time to listen as well. The conversations should NOT be one-sided. Though He is the perfect listener, He has something to tell you also! Keep your ears (heart) open. 

Sis. Pinky’s Prayer:

Thank you God for the opportunities to come before your throne as we are- sinful, broken, hurt, even ungrateful at times. We know that it's a privilege to share what's on our hearts with you. Please continue to draw us close to You so we can converse with our daddy.

It's in the magnificent name of Jesus we pray, 

Amen

I love you, and I am praying for you.
~Pastor Erroyl
SALT

Give Your Little to God

Sometimes we can get discouraged when numbers seem to dwindle, or growth seems to have plateaued and become stagnant. Whether it's a bible study that you lead, a team that you're a part of, or your bank account, God can do amazing things with a little. In Judges 7 God had Gideon, the leader of an army of volunteers, to reduce his army’s numbers- Not once, but twice! He started with 32,000 men, and ending with only 300. That’s a 90% decrease! The opposing army had over 135, 000 trained soldiers. So, Gideon was severely outnumbered from the beginning. Then, God said "send 90% of your men home, and trust in Me for the victory." Wow! That a lot to give up, or not have with you. But, GOD! God is greater. God is able, and God takes care of His children. The end result was that with God on their side, Gideon’s 300 won the battle without ever unsheathing a sword. 

Most of us either know, or have heard that, "God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, nor His ways our ways", but we also must understand that His results are not our results. God created the universe from nothing. Trying to imagine what he can do with a little is really unfathomable. When you find yourself focusing on a small number remember that God sent 90% home, and won the battle with musical instruments and lights.

    This principle applies to faith, finances, time, health, courage, intellect, and anything else that you would call a deficiency. Whatever it is, no matter how small or insignificant you think it is, give it to God! 

So, what do you need done that only requires 10%?

I love you, and I'm praying for you.
~Pastor Erroyl
SALT