Faith – Page 2 – Emily Louise Keller

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I want to talk about a relatively hot topic right now. It is a controversial subject, and I understand that not everyone is going to agree with my stance. That is totally fine by me. I wrote majority of this blog a few months ago in an effort to release some of my frustrations in a healthy way. In fact, it was not intended to be released, however I later felt the urge to release it, and I believe that the one year anniversary of last year’s election is appropriate timing! It is absolutely impossible to go anywhere without hearing something negative about our government and its leaders. Whether it’s the president, a congressman, a senator, or a police officer, negativity is quite literally everywhere. News headlines are “This person is a racist bigot”, “So and so had an affair” “Someone can’t seem to keep their mouth shut”, etc. Very rarely do we see a positive headline. When you are constantly flooding your mind and heart with negativity, especially toward one demographic of people (in this case politicians), eventually you begin to exude negativity yourself (Matthew 12:34) This is why God told us in Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for out of it flow the springs of life.” In other words, the environment you allow your life to soak in will be absorbed into your heart, and you will begin to live like that which you surround yourself with.

Back to the topic of our leaders. I understand completely if you disagree with what they say or do. Just as an example, for the most part I like him, but I do not always agree with everything President Trump says, or how he says it. If you allow that disagreement to fester into anger, and you start secluding yourself into groups that only feel the same as you do, you begin to soak in an environment of negativity. Negativity exudes from you and you begin to only speak negative things against the person you disagree with or have even been disrespected by. My question for you is, does the Bible not say to love your enemies? (Matthew 5:44). When you love someone or something, you naturally show respect towards it or them.

You may not like the leadership we have in place as a nation today. You may not like certain aspects of our functionality as a nation today. I know there are areas I don’t like. And that’s okay, because there is always room for improvement. You may not like it, but you should respect it. I want to encourage you- If you are a Bible believing, God-fearing Christian, God has commanded that you respect the leaders He puts in place. Romans 13:1 says: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” There is so much in this! Let’s break it down:

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities: No one is exempt from what Paul is about to say!
There is no authority except from God: God- our amazing God- is in charge! He is over every leader, and He alone puts them into their respective leadership role. Be it a parent, teacher, employer, policeman or president, God has put them there for a reason.
And the authorities that exist are appointed by God: God put all our leaders in place. You have to grasp this concept. Paul is literally writing this to the Romans who had one of the most corrupt, tyrannic, cruel governments ever! And he is telling them to respect their leaders! I mean, we are talking murders, incest, slavery, and huge injustices from the roman government, and Paul is telling them to respect their leaders. And you thought our government was jacked up.

A lot of people would argue respecting government officials with, “Well, they don’t respect me, or my race, or my religion, so I am not going to respect them.” But if this is a command from God, who are you to say who deserves respect and who doesn’t? Just as God commands to respect leaders, He also gives several other commands such as, “Thou shalt not lie, steal, etc. And, love thy neighbor” So if we apply the same, ”He doesn’t respect me, I’m not respecting him” principle to those, it would look like, “He stole from me, so I’m stealing from him”; or “He lied to me, so I’m going to lie to him”; or even worse, “He didn’t show love to me, so I’m not going to show love to him”. Ultimately, you cannot fight disrespect with disrespect. By all means, stand up for injustice, speak up for those who don’t have a voice, and love those who need love, but do it in a respectful manner. When you disrespect someone, you are ultimately disrespecting God. The same is true for the opposite- when you honor someone, someone created in God’s image as a child of His own, you are honoring God. If you truly cannot find it in your heart to respect someone, I would challenge you to, at the very least, respect God enough to give Him the benefit of the doubt that He might actually know what He’s doing. I am fully aware that we have some big issues to fix in the country. I know and believe that racism still exists today. It breaks my heart to see it. I have, believe it or not, experienced it myself. I think it’s disgusting and ungodly to the max. I cannot wait to live in a world where we define each other by our actions and not by our skin color. But you cannot fight racism with disrespect. Instead, prove them wrong. Show them that they are the ignorant ones, not you. Real change can only come about through radical love. Love everybody, even your enemies. Respect everyone, even those that disrespect you. The Bible says in Romans 12:1 (MSG), “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” Would you honestly present a life to God that’s littered with judgement and disrespect just because someone may or may not have done it to you first? God did not call us to live according to how the world treats us, but according to the call on our lives. (Eph 4:1-3 MSG, I Peter 3:8-12 NKJV)

My heart breaks at the state of our Nation. There is so much division and hatred from ALL sides. But we were not called to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2). Renew your mind! Try to see things from a new perspective! I may not like the state of our beautiful land- the land that so many have worked and fought and died for; I may see a million things that need to change and improvements that could be made, but it doesn’t worry me. It doesn’t stress me out, because I know that we are and always will be ONE NATION UNDER GOD. He has never failed us, and he never will. I also know that God has appointed the proper leaders for such a time as this. He is in control. He knows what he is doing. Now it is our job to pray for our leaders (I Timothy 2:1-2). Regardless of if you like or dislike your leaders, you should pray for them. Below are some scriptures to pray over our leaders:

The Fruits of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:22-23 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

This is pretty much all-encompassing. Pray that your leaders would walk in the fruits of the spirit. That they would not only portray them in their own lives, but that those they come in contact with show them as well.

Wisdom:

I Corinthians 2:16 “16 For ‘who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”

Proverbs 3:21 “My son, let them not depart from your eyes— Keep sound wisdom and discretion;”

James 3:17 “17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

Proverbs 2:11 “11 Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you,”

Our leaders need wisdom. They are making countless decisions every day that not only affect them, but their nation, as well as the rest of the world. The wisdom they need is one that only God can give.

Rest:

Matt 11:28-30 “28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Stress, anxiety, and restlessness should probably be included in the job description for any government leadership position. Pray for your government officials to have supernatural rest amidst the craziness that is their lives. When you are rested, you are more likely to make sound decisions.

Protection:

Psalms 59: 1 “Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Defend me from those who rise up against me.”

Psalm 91

Threats are made against our government officials every single day. Whether they are empty or legitimate doesn’t matter. The fact of the matter is there are legitimate enemies of the United States, both foreign and domestic, that would love to bring harm to any of our head honchos.

Health- Spiritual and Physical

3 John 1:2 “2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers”

In order to do their jobs effectively, our leaders need to be healthy, both spiritually and physically. Plead the blood of Jesus over them and their families. Declare that no weapon formed against them shall prosper.

I truly hope you hear my heart through this. I do not want this to be the start of a political debate. We get enough of that from the news media and social media, and quite frankly, I’m exhausted from hearing it all. We never know if what we are being fed is fact or fiction when it comes from those sources. But the one thing that will always remain true and constant is the Word of God and what it commands us to do. As Billy Graham said, “It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge, and my job to love.” Stay in your lane. Love. And where there is love, there is respect.

XOXO

ELK

It Is Well

It’s no secret that life can be hard. For some situations, that’s an extreme understatement. It can present situations that are cruel, painful, sorrowful, and seem insurmountable. It is an unchangeable and unfair guarantee that you will face difficulties in your time on this earth. So, how then, do we keep moving forward? Take a look at the lyrics below from the song, “It is Well with My Soul”:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

when sorrows like sea billows roll;

whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:

It is well with my soul,

it is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

let this blest assurance control,

that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

and hath shed his own blood for my soul.

(Refrain)

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

(Refrain)

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

even so, it is well with my soul.

(“It Is Well with My Soul”)

Some of you may be familiar with the story behind this song, but I’m going to go ahead and share it for those who are not. Horatio Spafford was a businessman residing in Chicago with his wife and 4 daughters in the late 19th century. He and his wife, Anna, knew all too well the cruelties of life, as the death of their son to pneumonia and the loss of their business in the Chicago fires happened in the same year. They managed to push forward, trust God, and rebuild a thriving business despite these great losses. Little did they know what lie ahead of them. In 1873, two years after the loss of their son and business, Anna and her 4 daughters boarded a transatlantic ship heading for Europe, leaving Horacio behind to manage the business in their absence. Four days into the trip, the ship carrying the five Spafford ladies collided with a much larger, iron hulled ship, resulting in the death of over 200 passengers- all four of the Spafford daughters included. Anna managed to survive and was taken to Europe. On his way to join her, Horatio Spafford was called up to the captain’s deck 4 days into his journey and told that they were passing over the final resting place of his four beloved daughters. According to Bertha Spafford Vester, a daughter born to Horatio and Anna in later years, her father left the captain’s deck and penned this very song.

After reading this story, I encourage you to re-read those lyrics. What does it mean for it to be will with your soul? How does a man who has lost everything write something so beautiful about the goodness of God? How do you attain a state of wellness of your soul? The answer to that question is a very simple one- you can’t! Not by yourself. No man is strong enough on his own to attain wellness of the soul. Try as you might, it is just not possible. But when you enter into a partnership with God, all it takes is a whisper and He is there to comfort and console you. He sends Holy Spirit to flood every fiber of your being, soul included, with His love, joy, comfort, and peace. There is often confusion during the storms of life that God has brought them about to teach someone a lesson or because He is angry, when, in fact, the storm was never God’s doing at all. The reason we experience hardships in life is not because we have an angry God, but because we live in a fallen world gripped by sin. The good news is, God may not have created the storm, but He can certainly take what the enemy meant to destroy you and make it a platform for you to stand upon, undefeated, to declare the His glory.

In order for it to be well with your soul, your soul must first be healthy. So how do we achieve that? I’m glad you asked! Accessing your direct line to the peace of God is vital to a healthy soul. The Bible speaks so many truths pertaining to the peace that accompanies God. Philippians 4:7 states, “And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, shall keep your hearts, your minds through Christ Jesus.” There is no natural way to keep your peace when all hell lets loose- but THANK GOD (literally) we may live in a natural world filled with a million anxiety triggers, but we have the ability to believe and function in the SUPERnatural. God knew exactly what we needed in this life, which is just one of many reasons He sent Jesus to the earth as a model for us. Jesus gave us multiple examples of what it looks like to have peace even in the chaos. He exemplified the attributes of having a soul that is well. He WAS peace. Because his soul was well, he changed the atmosphere just by walking into a room. He could walk into a chaotic situation, and suddenly it was still. Because His soul was well, his physical demeanor followed suit, and in turn, so did the atmosphere wherever He went.

Secondly, He allowed God to be God. If you can grasp the revelation that God is God, and you are not, you will be SO much better off. Who would want that responsibility anyway? You have to know that God is in control. He knows what He is doing. You have to come to the realization that it is not your responsibility to make it all happen- it is your responsibility to let God make it happen, and to open your ears and heart to what He would say to you and where He would lead you. Psalm 23:1 says “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.” The reason for you not wanting anything is because your Shepherd already knows everything that you could possibly need and He is ready and willing to give it to you! Part of having a soul that is well is letting go and letting God! Trust Him- He will never fail you.

Communication with God is essential for maintaining the wellness of your soul. This is a two-part explanation. First- like my pastor always says- If you REVEAL it, God can HEAL it! God loves hearing from you. He loves listening to you. I am not a parent yet, but I am a child, and I know for a fact that I annoyed my parents more than once. But, our heavenly Father does not get annoyed with you talking to him- be it your needs and wants, or just conversation with Him. Too often we feel we are burdening God if we present our needs or talk to Him about our problems. Some of you were probably even told growing up that God is too busy with more important things to listen to you “complain”. Well, my friend, that couldn’t be further from the truth. His word would not tell us to cast our cares on Him (Ps. 55:22, I Peter 5:7) if He didn’t want to hear them and help you! God has also given people the gift of the ability to counsel those who are hurting. There is such a negative stigma towards counseling, and it is truly unfortunate. We are such a prideful people that we don’t feel we have license to not be okay. We have to be seen as “perfect” in the eyes of the world, and going to see a shrink must mean there is something wrong with us. But you are only as sick as your secret. I would love to take credit for that awesome revelation, but that belongs to Pastor Carl Lentz. Nevertheless, it’s a profound truth. If you continue to bury and make hidden every hurt, disappointment, frustration, need, want, or desire, it will being to manifest in your behaviour. Part of keeping your soul well is giving God the parts that aren’t.

The second part of this is what happens after the storm, once you’ve decided to ask God for the things He wants to give you and you get them. For most people, our prayer life is never better than when we are in need or when things are cray-cray. We’re like, “God, I need a new, higher paying job, a car, and a few husband prospects STAT!” or, “God, I need you to speak to all 67 of my unsaved family members in a way they understand so that they will be saved by the end of the year. M’kay? Thanks! Love Ya ;)” God, being the loving Father He is, gives us the desires of our heart all in the proper timing, but more often than not, as soon as we get those things, we revert back to maybe praying at church and, if we’re feeling super holy, over our meals, and that’s about it until the next storm. Now, there’s a few problems with operating this way, but a big one is, you get all of these things, and now you have new relationships to build, a new occupation to learn, a car that needs gas and maintenance, a romantic relationship to nurture and a decision to make on whether or not this is the right person for you, and a family of baby Christians to help teach and lead, and you decide to play God and leave Him out of the equation. Cuz you got this, right!? Wrong. Because, then we get mad when we become burnt out, bitter, and back at square one! We are a funny people, aren’t we. The Bible is very clear on how to find rest and sustain it. Matthew 11:28-30 tells us, “28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” It also says in Psalms 55:22, “Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you;” As it turns out, the secret to keeping your soul well is not so secret after all. You have to give it to God! And, in order for you to give it to God and for God to sustain you, you have to be in communication with Him! When you have an open line of communication with the Father, He is able to dispatch His Holy Spirit to help you and His angels to protect you. This doesn’t just mean praying here and there once or twice a week- it means being in your Word. If you want to hear what God has to say to you, you’re in luck- there’s a 66 chapter book chock full of His logos words for your life! It means going to church, building relationship with your fellow sheep, and being an active participant in corporate worship, even when you don’t feel like it! Some of the greatest breakthrough comes from pushing through your emotional and physical comfort to connect with the supernatural. Do not disconnect from the source of divine rest for your weary soul (another nugget from Mr. Lentz).

It is possible for it to be well with your soul, even when it is not well with your world. You cannot allow yourself to become a victim of your circumstances. Trust me, I know just how crazy life can be. The enemy is no respecter of persons- his mission is to steal, kill, and destroy anything our God gives us. That includes our peace. But, our Jesus didn’t give His life freely for you to go and live in a constant cycle with the same outcome of a tired and worn out mind, body, and soul. He did it for you to be more than a conqueror, to have the best life possible here on earth because of the beautiful bridge between heaven and earth He created. There comes a point in life where you have to make the conscious effort to say “It IS well!”, even if it’s not. This world is in a very negative state, and if you do not know the worth of your soul, the world will be the first to place a false, cheapened value on it. When your soul is well, nothing negative can stick. Remember that saying “I am rubber you are glue, whatever bounces off of me, sticks to you”? Imagine your healthy soul as rubber and the enemy as glue. When your soul is well, whatever the enemy throws at you bounces off of you and sticks right back onto him. When was the last time you checked up on your soul? Maybe it’s time to start working your way to a healthy soul. That may look different for each of you, but I encourage you- never be ashamed to reach out for help. Sometimes it just takes talking to someone. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in the right direction. If you feel led to go to counseling, do it! It doesn’t mean you’re crazy- it means you’re human. Make sure THE counselor is in on it too. God is the ultimate counselor, and He wants to listen because He loves you more than you will ever know. I definitely do not have it all figured out, but I am here for you, as well. Day or night, call me, beep me, if you wanna reach me! My prayer for you today is that the peace of God- the peace that passes all understanding; the peace that allows parents who have lost everything to rejoice- would flood your heart, mind and soul. I pray it is well with your soul.

XOXO

ELK

What’s Love Got to do with It

Love is an amazing, beautiful, wonderful, mysterious, adventurous thing. It instantly changes an atmosphere. It creates a safe space and a warmth. It births intimacy, both physically and emotionally. Love is empowering- when you know you are loved, you feel as if anything is possible. You feel strong and beautiful and at peace. Love means trust. I honestly don’t think you can have love and not have trust. When you love someone, you will go to the ends of the earth to make sure they are taken care of- that they have everything they need and that they are safe. When someone you love is happy, it makes you happy. When they are hurting, you hurt. When they are sad, you feel sad. When they are angry, part of you feels angry as well. There is such a special bond between people who love each other- be it family, friends, or lovers. Growing up, I loved love. I could sit and watch romantic movies or read romantic books till the cows came home. It was just so beautiful to me. I loved the feeling I got from seeing two people so in love that they would do anything for each other. I loved seeing real life love, too. I had and continue to have a beautiful example of love between my parents and grandparents. I loved seeing couples interact with one another. Seeing true friendships with a foundation of love made my heart happy. Watching a parent’s unwavering love for their child warmed my heart. As I’ve grown older and become married myself, I, too, have been able to experience the wonder that is love. It’s hard to think of a love greater than the love I have for my husband. But I know it’s out there. In fact, I get to experience it every day.

See, when I think of how much I love my family and my husband, and how much I am loved by them, I can’t help but think of how much more God loves me. The love between God and his children is the greatest love story of all. Even when we go back to the old testament, before grace replaced the law, we see His love for us. We see it in His creating Adam and Eve. Again in his warning to Noah, and the promise He made after the flood. Abraham experienced it with the birth of Isaac. Moses saw it time and time again, even in the wilderness. David saw the love of God at every turn in his life, from shepherding as a young boy to being king of Israel. Daniel saw it when he was delivered from the lion’s den, and Jonah from the belly of the whale. Then we move on to the New Testament, and right off the bat, God gives us the greatest show of His love this world will ever experience. He loved us so much that he sent His only Son to endure all of the sin that had ever been and will ever be, and to die on the cross for us. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we get to experience an abundant, grace filled, love filled, everlasting life! How crazy a love is that!? We not only get the amazing examples of love that the Bible gives us through the old testament and the new testament in Jesus, and Paul, and Silas, and Timothy, and John, and all of the miracles that Jesus performed, but we get to experience this love and greater on a daily basis. Every second of every day is filled with the extravagant, unending, unwavering, love of God.

Even more so, when we think of the effects of our love on other people’s lives or vice versa, how much greater, then, is the effect of God’s love in and through our lives? God’s love is what raises the dead to life. It heals the sick and broken. It brings joy and peace and strength and healing, and salvation. In His love we find hope, and vision, and restoration. When being examples of God’s love becomes our sole ambition, we become unstoppable. As a result, when we offer ourselves to be the vessels and conduits of God’s love on the earth, we possess the power to change atmospheres through the power of His love.

Why then, do we feel we have the right to disregard this love? We fear things and become anxious as if God isn’t in control. We become depressed as if we don’t have an unending supply of joy. We feel alone as if we don’t have the Holy Spirit that sticks closer than a brother. We act out in anger as if Jesus isn’t our peace. We mistreat others as if God hasn’t called us to love one another. Worst of all, we become prideful and think we can do this thing by ourselves, when in reality, we desperately need the love, grace, joy, and peace of God. Can you imagine what we would accomplish as a church if we fully grasped the concept of God’s love for us? We would be able to set aside our selfishness and our prideful ambition, and fully chase after the things of God. I believe our generation is one encounter with God’s love away from a total and complete reckless abandon of our selfish ambition and prideful ways. We are one encounter away from an abandonment of our own wills and saying, “God, I don’t care what it looks like, or where you take me, or what I have to go through.” This is because we know that our God’s love is so vast and beautiful that it will carry us through even the darkest and lowest places. Our revelation of God’s love is so very crucial. It is the key to unleashing Heaven on earth. Our being yielded to God’s love is the key to His Kingdom come, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Today I would encourage you to take a look at your life. Look at the people you come in contact with and influence. I don’t care if it’s for 5 minutes on the bus or train, or if it’s someone you live with. Analyze your interactions with them- have you really been showing the love of God? Trust me, I know this can be difficult, because life isn’t all cotton candy and gumdrops. People can be mean and nasty, and you don’t always want to show them the love. But ask yourself, what do you stand to lose by loving people? I can guarantee it’s nowhere near what you have to gain.

XOXO

ELK