Holding our Breath

The other day I was having coffee with a good friend and mentor, and she told me that lately she feels like she is constantly absorbing more: people’s struggles, their asks, and the steady stream of things to do. She’s realised that what she seeks is to begin to release more —her creative expression, her spiritual gifts, her joy and Godly passion—all things of which I know she has an abundance. Yet I also know what it’s like to be so burdened with a continuous inflow of responsibilities that you have no time to tap into your true, inner calling.

This is especially true of Christian women. We all want to be the Proverbs 31 woman, “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come…she watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness” (Proverbs 31: 25,27). However, too often we make the mistake of living out this verse by being constantly busy. Yet there is a difference between being busy, and being productive, especially when it comes to God’s kingdom.

Out of Breath

As we spoke, I immediately recalled something I learnt from a woman who coached me in my running four years ago. When I used to run uphill stretches, I would generally find myself gasping for air and panting, thinking I just needed more oxygen. This is a common body response because when carbon dioxide levels rise, it triggers the urge to breathe faster so we can clear it out and bring in more oxygen. However, what I learnt was that I needed to go against the instinct to breathe faster and instead force the carbon dioxide out through long and steady exhales. As soon as you do this, you will find that your heartbeat will slow down and your breathing will regulate, allowing you to inhale more oxygen in a steady rhythm.

Sometimes in life, I find myself out of breath. When this happens, I know the answer is more of God, but because I’m trudging through a swamp of busyness, I end up trying to squeeze Him in — I read a bite size devotion sitting in my inbox, I try to attend another church meeting, or I listen to worship music while cooking or driving— but it’s hardly replenishing me in the fullness of His presence.

Breathing out: making room for the new

“And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.” Luke 5:37 – 38 NIV

While Jesus was referring to His new covenant replacing the strict religious ways of the Pharisees, we can also interpret this passage for our current, daily lives. We need to renew our spirits by pushing out the old. Like using new wine skins to pour in new wine, the key is pushing the old air out, so that the fullness of God’s “oxygen” can be absorbed. Yet, what is the carbon dioxide in our lives — the things we need to release to make space for new breath?

We discussed this in a women’s group I attend, and I’d like to list just a few examples of what was shared:

• Old thoughts: One of the ladies expressed how she has always believed she’s not creative, but as my friend pointed out, we are all made in His image as creative beings, which can include the little things in life — not just artwork in galleries or written books. Her “carbon dioxide” is the incorrect belief that she is not creative, but with God’s new “oxygen”, she is discovering how she is already creative and can be even more so.
• Wasted time: For many of us in the room, we confessed to being perpetual scrollers on social media. At the end of the day, exhausted and seeking mild entertainment safe in our shells, we lie down and disappear into the social media time warp, where “just five” minutes morphs into two hours, which often means going to bed too late. As one wise woman among us shared, the real discipline isn’t in waking up early to meet with God — it’s in going to bed on time.
• Prideful Habits: I realised that one reason why my to-do pile keeps growing and blocking the things I should do, is not asking for help, even from my own husband. I’ll instead battle forward alone trying to juggle everything and then end up feeling resentful. Because let’s be honest — I’m not the long-suffering servant quietly carrying the world on her shoulders; I’m more like a trumpet of showy huffs and puffs. This is because my reason for “doing everything”, has more to do with pride than it does joyful selflessness.
• Hurt: One of the younger ladies who attended spoke of purging negative thoughts. As Christians we are rightly taught to take captive negative thoughts, and “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say.” All very true. But sometimes we take this to extremes when we are not even honest with ourselves let alone God, and so past hurts and bitterness fester within us. Sometimes it’s necessary to ‘purge’ of negative feelings by expressing it through journaling or through counsel with a trusted friend.

Breathing in: the replenishing infilling

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35 NIV

Jesus models what we need to be doing to experience true relationship with him and the Father. In merely reading this scripture, the longing of my soul is roused by its promise of peace and replenishment. Time with our father needs to be an extended pause. We need a deep inhale of His truth, filling us with the peace of His presence, quietening the hustle of our minds so that we can feel and hear the heart He has for us. Ignited by His spirit, we are more connected to His purpose and we can take on tasks guided by His wisdom and calling on our lives.

“I have filled him with the Spirit of God… to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.” Exodus 31:3–5 NIV

When we breathe in the oxygen of God, not only are we more attuned to His deep love and purpose for us, but He awakens cells within our spiritual body, stirring them into motion, to collide and unite and become vessels for creative thoughts. As we established earlier, we are creative in everything, not only in music, artwork and books. In daily chores we are creative as we create order in our personal admin and household. We are creative in our conversations, as we create new ideas together. We are creative in our thoughts, as we envision a better way for things to be. In all these things the oxygen He provides is our inspiration for the daily creations as well as the larger creative projects, because His essence is creator and we were made in His image: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1 NIV).

The Calm Exhale

Once we have cleared our lungs of the excess ‘carbon dioxide’ and drawn a deeper breath of God’s ‘oxygen’, we can exhale with greater calm and ease the things He is wanting us to release into the world. We release creativity to build. We release encouragement to our neighbours. We release joy and testimony to the quiet onlookers on the side. We release ourselves in the way that God is wanting us to be released. We release His light.

Where do we start?

I ask this question without holding an answer. We all walk very different lives and therefore we all have different ways of finding our breathing rhythm. For me, my starting point was to envision what breathing rhythm looks like in my life, and from there, I started listing the things — the excess ‘carbon dioxide’ —that needs to be exhaled from my life in order for me to inhale more of God’s ‘oxygen’.

What is your starting point?

Angela Chiaberta

I am a volunteer blogger with a passion for God and writing. My hope is to help others choose faith – or to walk deeper in their faith – through my own introspections and observations.

The post The Oxygen of God appeared first on Cup of Faith.

I’m currently reading Judges and Matthew together as part of my scripture reading and yesterday it so happened that I read about Samson in Judges and Peter’s denial in Matthew on the same day. The one similarity that struck me about these two figures is that their failures are brought into sharp focus, respectively, in their stories. But while in both cases it seems like their story has come to an end at their undoing — Samson being betrayed to the Philistines and Peter deserting Jesus in disgrace — we know it’s not the end.

In Samson’s case, while for most of his life he wasted his God-given strength acting impulsively for self-serving purposes, in a final moment of faith he explicitly called on God for strength to bring down the temple and thereby fulfil his purpose of beginning to restore Israel from Philistine. In Peter’s case, while he fearfully denied Jesus when he was accused of knowing him, he went on to courageously and faithfully spread the word fulfilling Jesus’ commission for him to be the founder of the Christian church.

Similarly in our own lives, when we fail in our walks of faith, we needn’t despair in that failure, because it is not the end of our story, and the word reassures us of this, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 NIV)

Samson and Peter’s stories have helped me to remember three things in reflecting on my own life with the above scripture in mind.

We are chosen, even with our failures

God was not surprised by any of Samson’s mistakes, not even when he told Delilah how to weaken him, just as He wasn’t surprised by Peter’s denial. Yet knowing this, He chose them anyway. The same is true of you and I. When we fail to do the right thing, or we stumble in our faith, we can take comfort that He chose us, died for us and called us knowing that we would still fail even when we chose Him and professed our faith in Him. A good friend reminded me of this, though in a much blunter way through a common saying, ‘When God wrote the plan for your life he factored in your stupidity.’ What a relief it is to hear when I think back on some of my poor decisions even when I was living in faith!

We don’t need to make ourselves perfect for Him to love and accept us, we are perfect by His sacrifice, yet He wants and has called us to something greater in our lives which requires us to change, “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Hebrews 10:14 NIV.

Our failures are a testimony

What makes the stories of Samson and Peter so strong, is that it shows the stark difference between their earlier failures and their final transformation. While Samson lived his life boasting of his strength and using it to settle grudges or get revenge, his final act of strength was humbling himself before God and asking for the strength to be used in an act of self-sacrifice. While Peter deserted Jesus by the simple accusation of a servant girl, after living a life in service to Jesus, he eventually went on willingly to be executed for his faith.

“Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.” 1 Timothy 4:15.

Progress is indeed evident in the lives of Samson and Peter, and it is specifically progress from their failures. In this light, we have an opportunity when we fail to not see it as something to dismay us, but rather something to encourage us as we look forward to when we are faced with similar circumstances that led to our failures, reflecting on how we will act differently. In this way, those who witness your failings, will also witness the progress and triumph of these failings, pointing to the work of grace in your life.

We are not alone

“Now may the God of peace… equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ…” Hebrews 13:20–21 NIV.

Living in the presence of the Holy Spirit is what sharpens our character. It was when Samson humbled himself before God and acknowledged from Whom he received his strength, that he showed the greatest strength of his life. It was when Peter had seen the risen Jesus, resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit and lived by that same spirit from the moment of Pentecost, that he was no longer fearful of death, but instead embraced a life in service to Jesus, even in death.

What we learn from Samson and Peter, is that it’s when we depend on God for our strength, and when we live in the power of the Holy Spirit, that we are transformed. God does not expect us to do it alone, and that is specifically why Jesus said that He would send to us His helper. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, that we live in God’s strength and not our own, and it is the Holy Spirit that brings about our progress, which is the biggest testimony to the power of Jesus.

How is your progress?

I’d like to invite you to join me in an exercise I’m doing this week: write down any recent (or past) failures, big or small. Then reflect on how you would like to respond next time you face similar circumstances, and pray for the Holy Spirit’s help when that moment comes. As part of this, take time to reflect on each fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22–23 — Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control — and consider which are thriving in you, and which need nurturing.

Angela Chiaberta

I am a volunteer blogger with a passion for God and writing. My hope is to help others choose faith – or to walk deeper in their faith – through my own introspections and observations.

The post Works in Progress appeared first on Cup of Faith.

From Gentle Streams to Roaring Seas

I once overheard a friend of mine say something so moving to her daughter while on a walk with my own daughter and me. We were all standing among the lush vegetation of a secret green hollow in our neighbourhood which overhung an unseen stream, and she said, “Listen to the water. God speaks to us through the water.”

This resonated with me deeply. When I reflect on my own moments of intimacy with God, they have often occurred in spaces of proximity to the sound of water in some form or another, whether it be listening to the rain while journaling, walking alongside streams on residential greenbelts or sitting on the beach watching and hearing the crashing waves; there is something about the purity of water that inspires prayer and thoughts of God for me, which is in line with scripture as He even describes Himself as ‘the spring of living water.’ (Jeremiah 2:13 NIV).

The other day during my quiet time, I let the thought of water meander long and far, drawing what felt like a truly appropriate portrait of God’s character and how He relates to us. It struck me that as water takes on so many different forms, so does God; just as water is a still and gentle stream as well as a wild and vast ocean, so God is both a whisper of peace and our refuge, as well as a thunderous all-consuming power. To have complete relationship with our Father, we can’t experience Him in one form only. We need to allow ourselves to flow with the current of His will lest we lose out on the full renewal and power that relationship with Him offers.

Gentle Streams: Meeting God in Quiet

‘He leads me beside quiet waters…’ (Psalm 23: 2 NIV).

Jesus said to the woman at the well that whoever drinks the water he gives will never thirst again (John 4: 13-14). I don’t know if you have ever drunk directly from a mountain stream, but my experience of it was that I had never tasted something so wholly invigorating, it certainly felt like it was a thirst-quench with longevity. The first year of my walk in faith was one of the most deeply enriching and meaningful years of my life. I spent so much time on my own with God, sitting, walking and talking with Him, that I truly felt that if I was the only human alive on earth, I would be perfectly content, because I had Him.

Nurturing my personal relationship with God is therefore a big priority in my life, for unless I can experience God alone, I cannot know His deep love for me the individual, as His child and as a small piece of His creation. It is knowledge and constantly reminding myself of this love that fills me, fuels me, and makes me instrumental to the kingdom, because being filled with His love means I can overflow with love, giving to others that love that I have received from the source of all love.

Experiencing the peace of personal intimacy with God means that I am often tempted to avoid community; I have a strong desire to live my spiritual life in private with God alongside the quiet waters. But I know this is not His will for my life. Water naturally flows towards the sea, and so long as that water is constantly moving, it will continue to flow with life and vibrancy. If it collects and becomes stagnant, it loses its vitality and can become a breeding ground for bacteria and other elements that make it unsafe to consume. This is like our relationship with God and therefore our faith when we refuse to flow with the current of His will; we too will become stagnant, and like all stagnant water, we will find that the water is no longer life- giving and may become a breeding ground for unwanted sin.

As we become strengthened by drinking from the quiet stream of our personal relationship with God, we need to surrender to His will as the natural current of water flows towards the sea.

Roaring Seas: Meeting God in Power

The sea is where we encounter God in power, which can be a symbol for corporate worship and community. We cannot belong to His kingdom without being in His kingdom with our fellow believers.

When we pray for each other and lay hands on one another, we see God move. We see God’s justice and mercy demonstrated through outreach ministries, uplifting communities and being a sanctuary for those who live on the fringes of society. We see love displayed through relationship and close counsel, doing life with one another. Alongside this, though we are saints, we are saints being sanctified which means sometimes repressed sin is being brought to the surface and clashing with sin in other believers. But in times of adversity in church, we also see God’s redeeming hand bringing about conciliation and healing.

In these ways, God’s reflection through fellowship is very much like the sea; just as the sea can be turbulent and windswept, it can be perfectly orchestrated and powerful in the majestic waves rising and falling in perfect formation and rhythm.

There is no such thing as a perfect church, and my church is no different. But one vital aspect of my church keeps me firmly rooted in its community, and that is the presence of the Holy Spirit. I often used to think that you need to prime yourself before going to church if you want to experience the presence of God, but there have been times when I’ve arrived at church with a very distracted mindset, either it’s been a rushed morning or I’ve simply been distant from God throughout the week, but in spite of this, I have felt showered by the Holy Spirit merely by being present in the gathering of strong believers. Someone speaks a prayer over the congregation or a powerful moment of worship surges through the room, and I feel the rippling of His divine presence across the entire surface of my body and soul. That’s power in His presence, and it’s made possible through the corporate fellowship and gathering of the Saints.

Where the River meets the Sea

Returning to my quiet time when I reflected on this comparison of God and water, I was sitting just by a small estuary, perfectly positioned to hear both the distant roar of the sea as well as the gentle trickle of the estuary. These two contrasting sounds were existing in harmony with one another, and every so often, the gentle methodical trickle was overlaid by the gentle swoosh of a larger wave reaching its final stretch. Just as the estuary feeds into the sea, so the sea washes over the estuary and fills its banks, giving it more movement and energy.

How similar it is to how we live in community; just as we become part of the fellowship and so feed the kingdom, we are also fed by the kingdom when we need renewed energy. It is a symbiotic relationship, in which at times we will be flowing more powerfully into the kingdom, and other times, the kingdom will be overflowing to us, and it is all living in the fullness of God and His purpose for our lives.

Let us Pray:

Father God, thank you for how you reveal to yourself to us in all forms. Please help us to experience the fullness of your character and love and live a balanced life in personal relationship with you and community. For those of us who want to live hidden away in relationship with you alone, gives us obedience and boldness to serve in community. For those of us who are too busy actively engaging in church and activities that we forget to connect with you alone, please draw us away to a quiet place with you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Angela Chiaberta

I am a volunteer blogger with a passion for God and writing. My hope is to help others choose faith – or to walk deeper in their faith – through my own introspections and observations.

The post Meeting God in Quiet and in Power appeared first on Cup of Faith.

Recently, my husband tried to purchase a couple of groceries using cash as he had left his wallet containing his bank card at home. Unfortunately, the store owner would not accept one of his notes because it had an ink stain on it, which apparently marks potential security issues. To be honest, he was a little disgruntled. “How many hands has this note passed between?” he complained to me, “And no one has had a problem with it until now!”

I realised there was a lesson in this — not just that we should check our change more carefully from now on to avoid accepting damaged bank notes! I couldn’t get the old saying out of my head, “the buck stops here.”
This is an interesting saying. I had always thought that the “buck” referred to money, but it has an even more interesting meaning, which a quick Google search revealed; the term “buck” comes from an old poker term. In the 19th century, a “buck” was a marker (usually a buckhorn knife) used to indicate whose turn it was to deal the cards. When it was your turn, the “buck” was passed to you. If you didn’t want to deal, you could “pass the buck” to someone else. So essentially the “buck” represents responsibility, and you can either pass on responsibility, or you can accept the responsibility.

Passing on the buck

When I reflect on the stained bank note in light of the above saying, I realise that it was someone’s responsibility to put a stop to the defaced bank note and exchange it at the bank. Did others (like us), not notice the stain on the bank note? Did they want to avoid the awkwardness bought on by refusing the bank note and then were they unwilling to take on the responsibility of making a trip to the bank to take the bank note out of circulation?

For me, the ink stain and the “buck” present a striking analogy for our spirituality. When we accept sin into our lives personally or we accept sin in other believers lives by staying silent, are we allowing an exchange of compromised values and thereby diluting the strength of our collective testimony? It is well known that our lives are testimonies of Jesus to the secular world, as well as to each other. Whether it’s intentional or not, most of us have believers we look up to — and at the same time, there are often younger believers watching and learning from us, even if we don’t realise it. This is the cycle of discipleship and one that helps a continuous flow of nourishment and growth.

This caused me to think deeply about my own life and what immediately came to mind was a new friend who has lately been making lifestyle decisions which could lead them to compromising their close relationship with Jesus. Because I did not feel like it was my place to point out the dangers of this to them, I was passive and permissive in my response, merely encouraging them to keep Jesus involved rather than outright pointing them to scripture to reevaluate their choices. Perhaps my hope was that more mature believers would take on that responsibility, and so I was essentially, “passing on the buck.”

The Buck Stops Here

There are other areas in which this analogy may apply, but it’s not always easy to know where our responsibility lies in a world where irreverent principles are intertwined into our fast-paced lives. Is having more than one drink with work colleagues, okay? Is spending money to indulge in luxury holidays, okay? What about the groceries we buy, how are our daily purchases contributing to the deterioration of our environment, the beautiful earth God gifted to us?

If we continue down this train of thought, it can become quite overwhelming. We must remember that God has gifted us with His Holy Spirit to help us navigate these daily decisions, listening to His prompting, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” (John 14: 16 – 17 NIV).

While there are still areas in my own life that are not perfect, I know that I can trust in God’s promise that, “…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1: 6 NIV). And this promise of growth and change are evident when I realise that things that were previously permissible to me, are no longer permissible and this gives me encouragement. I realise I do not need to be puritanical in my approach to faith-based living by cutting off everything secular, but I must be aware of the Holy Spirit’s prompting, which often begins with the small things. Once you can make “the buck stop here”, in those areas, you will feel yourself more emboldened and prompted to draw the line in other areas.

Where does the buck stop in entertainment?

One area where my husband and I have decided to make “the buck stop here” in our lives is in our entertainment. It is difficult because while there is quality Christian entertainment out there, there’s not enough of it. Consequently, we do indulge in secular entertainment, but we have strategically placed a cross above our television screen so that we can always be reminded of why Jesus had to suffer, and therefore do we want to be entertained by it? The rife usage of blaspheming in even the lower age restricted content means that we have often found ourselves heavily invested in a show, but having to abruptly switch it off because of this conviction.

This of course is a conviction that God has made in our household, but not everybody’s pace is the same, and not everyone’s strongholds are the same. Therefore, so long as there is no direct scriptural reference to guide us otherwise, what God may call me to give up and “make the buck stop here,” may not be the same as for you. But I do believe that in everything, we should measure the action, the sight, the audio, whatever is passing through our lives in whatever form, next to the cross. Even if you don’t have a physical cross to place next to that book, that conversation, that mobile screen, you can visualise it to be reminded of three things:

1. If you have allowed sin and vices into your life, your hands, eyes and ears have been redeemed and renewed by the cross and by this grace, you have power to reject it
2. The cross covers even the ones who introduce sin into your life
3. Because Jesus suffered for them too, the responsibility lies with you alone to reject the sin for which Jesu suffered, as this is the right way to love Him in our actions, not just our words.

Devotional

What areas in your life do you feel are compromised in terms of the authenticity of your relationship with Jesus?

I’d like to invite you to close your eyes and ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas in your life where you have made compromises. If you can clearly see an area where you are making compromises, use the opportunity to say this prayer, or your own:

Lord Jesus, thank you for suffering and dying on the cross to free me from my sins. Please forgive me for not always responding with conviction against the sins of the world. Please help me Holy Spirit to make intentional decisions so that I may live – and help others live – a life that is a living testimony to you. In your mighty, holy name I pray, Amen.

Angela Chiaberta

I am a volunteer blogger with a passion for God and writing. My hope is to help others choose faith – or to walk deeper in their faith – through my own introspections and observations.

The post Where Does the Buck Stop? appeared first on Cup of Faith.

I was first introduced to the Serenity Prayer standing in a gift shop as a young girl and I remember first thinking it must be a quote taken directly from the Bible, for its truth was so impactful, and simply reading the verses made me feel a sense of calm and peace. It was only years later that I discovered that it was in fact attributed to an American theologian by the name of Reinhold Niebuhr. While it was not taken from the Bible as I had thought, the Serenity Prayer has ever since been a prayer that I return to when I am needing comfort. My excitement at discovering that there is an entire devotional dedicated to it was therefore not surprising.

Called “Seeking Serenity”, by Trevor Hudson, I cannot lie: at first I couldn’t help but question how an entire 365-page devotional could be made out of one single prayer without there being extreme repetition in it. Yet this is not the case at all! The author has not only managed to write 365 individual, daily devotions but, by exploring unique challenges and themes that, on the surface, one doesn’t immediately recognise, he has done it masterfully.

Before we unpack how he has accomplished this, let’s have a read to remind ourselves of the calming truth found in the Serenity Prayer:

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time,
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace:
taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it:
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His will –
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

As Trevor Hudson himself describes in his foreword, the relevance of the Serenity Prayer is amplified by our current cultural context, where political and economic instability is being experienced the world over. Therefore, the need for incorporating serenity into our daily perspective and experience is even more paramount.

Hudson has taken the riches found in those 12 lines and expanded them into an in-depth journey that touches on all spheres of our daily spiritual walk, where each month of the year is dedicated to one line from the Serenity Prayer and guides the daily reflections. The structure is genius in that while each line may appear to be a standalone nugget of wisdom, it is in fact a ribbon tying together a gift of many treasures found in scripture and through reflection. The author unpacks this one by one through each day of the month, and each month of the year.

Weaving in his personal experiences and how he has discovered serenity in his own life’s struggles, we have a practical guideline with personal depth and heart, offering daily advice for life’s challenges using scripture as the unwavering compass. Each chapter ends with a ‘seeking serenity’ suggestion alongside the prayer, which helps the reader to apply the principles.

January kicks off the serenity journey with the opening line, “God grant me the serenity”, in which the author describes on a daily basis the different aspects of serenity and how we build this into our lives. As stated, he does this by giving relevant personal accounts and emphasises how we anchor ourselves in serenity through relationship with God.

We then move into February, March and April, specifically discussing through modern examples we encounter every day, the things that are not within our control, the things we can change, and all the aspects of change, which can take various forms. Firstly, in our own personal transformation, and secondly, in our being change-makers in the world. The most important aspect is knowing the difference, and here he explores wisdom and how we seek this through His word.

In May and June, he takes us on a journey of mindfulness, how to be truly present, and living in an attitude of gratitude, so that we can experience the true nature of God, and bringing us into deeper, loving relationship with him.

Between July and October, amongst other invaluable things, we step onto a path on which we reflect on the hardships of life, and on accepting the world as it is. These months take us into yet deeper layers of our spiritual journey, learning what it means to be truly surrendered to God’s will and not our own, in order to foster joy in knowing that God is fully in control, and that all things will be redeemed.

In November and December, we complete the circle of our 365-day journey, reflecting on the balance between earthly contentment and eternal joy, and offering a lens for each month that ultimately points to God’s ultimate promises that truly do help us to live with serenity.

One of the most beneficial traits of the devotional is that it is undated, and therefore may be used throughout your life, depending on seasons when serenity is most needed. If you love the Serentiy Prayer as much as I do, this book is for you, and I invite you to experience this special and unique devotion which will lead you on an enriching personal journey, saturated in serenity.

Angela Chiaberta

I am a volunteer blogger with a passion for God and writing. My hope is to help others choose faith – or to walk deeper in their faith – through my own introspections and observations.

The post Seeking Serenity by Trevor Hudson: Book Review appeared first on Cup of Faith.

Being the peacemaker isn’t always peaceful. As a former lay-counsellor who has always felt a calling to commiserate and be a safe, judgement-free space for people, it quite often happens that family and friends come to me to talk about their problems. The prospect of being even just a small help means that I don’t mind this in the least. That is, until the problem just happens to be a mutual friend or family member in conflict with the person confiding in me — especially when said mutual friend or family member has also come to confide in me.

Such an instance has happened to me recently, where the parties involved were all very close to one another, but unresolved past feelings had bubbled to the surface over a disagreement, and events led all of them to come to me to vent their frustration. I found myself confronted with two choices: either I could avoid getting involved, or I could take charge and suggest that everyone come together to talk it out. Remembering scripture, I chose the latter for in James it is said that “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”  James 3:18 NIV

However, in orchestrating the open communication to heal the relationships, something was said which was misunderstood by one of the people involved, who then began to mistakenly suspect that I had betrayed their trust and relayed information that was not mine to share. Suddenly, I was the target of anger and hurt, and I truly regretted getting involved.

While thankfully it was resolved quite quickly, it was not the first time that I had been caught in this kind of situation, and it’s clearly a test I will need to keep writing until I get it right. However, what I have learnt, is that there is a time to be a peacemaker, and there is a time to hold our peace: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 NIV

But how do we know which one is appropriate for which instance? As always, only the truth of scripture can answer that for us and most of the time, this is directly related to our intentions; are we serving God’s agenda, or our own?

When action leads to peace

While I can’t yet give an answer as to whether my involvement in the above incident was God’s agenda or my own, I can say that being the target of anger however briefly made me feel mildly persecuted as it was not based on truth, and this led me to reflect on Jesus.

For Jesus was the ultimate peacemaker. He came to make peace between humankind and God, but this was not done peacefully. He spoke out against the Pharisees calling them hypocrites, he spoke up for tax collectors and adulterers, over-turned tables in the temple and even said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10: 34-35 NIV), all ultimately leading to his torture and death on the cross.

Oftentimes, we will be persecuted for being peacemakers especially if the conflict is within a worldly context, but we must trust in God for being our ultimate vindicator. For Jesus did not vindicate himself when he stood before Herod or Pontius Pilate, and he did not try to vindicate himself by proving his deity to his accusers. But through his death he restored humankind to God and he was ultimately vindicated when he rose from the dead, the empty tomb a reassurance of the complete redemption and restored peace of our relationship with God, but more importantly, the evidence that he was who he claimed to be. But despite our joy and celebration of this event, it came at a great cost in the form of persecution.

When inaction leads to peace

Earlier I mentioned when Jesus stood silent didn’t try to defend himself against His accusers, this was an example of complete surrender to the father’s will. He did not need to defend himself. For as God, He knew His righteousness, in the father’s will He knew peace, and in the knowledge of His purpose to restore humankind to God, He went willingly.

Similarly, God will call us to speak when it will cause our own persecution, but there are times when He will also call us to be silent. When He calls us to be silent, it is normally a call for inner reflection of our agenda to speak out. Sometimes we believe we are speaking the truth to fight for what is right, but our real agenda, is something more self-serving. We are offended, or we are simply angered by someone else’s action because it presses a self-righteous button, and we want to display this by bringing someone else to task, which is especially common in church relationships.

While it can be just as difficult to call someone out in their sin, if our agenda is self-righteous, the best way to restore peace who be to understand why we have a self-serving agenda, so that we can repent and be at peace on that issue. For me personally, I find it particularly difficult to remain silent when I’m feeling offended. It can be very difficult when the offense is fresh and we feel hurt, but if we obey God to “hold our peace”, we often will find a much greater peace in the silence as we rely on God alone to heal us.

I have a good friend who asks herself three simple questions every time her instinct is to speak out to someone, whether it is because she is offended or because she believes they are in the wrong: Is it kind? Is it true? Is it necessary?

It can be tricky trying to navigate the waters of conflict, whether it be between other people or simply within ourselves, but the best way to understand our own agenda, is to ask whether speaking out glorifies God, or serves our own pride? When we are silent, is it because we are afraid of the conflict that we may find ourselves in? Will our action or inaction bring peace to others, and will it bring peace and growth to ourselves? Ultimately, it comes down to faith versus self-preservation. It is only through prayer and deep reflection that it is revealed which of the two is driving our decision.

Father God, we lift to you all those who are currently experiencing conflict in one way or another. Please Lord guide them through your Holy Spirit to either speak your truth courageously to bring peace to others, or to stay silent and to turn to you for their comfort and peace. In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Angela Chiaberta

I am a volunteer blogger with a passion for God and writing. My hope is to help others choose faith – or to walk deeper in their faith – through my own introspections and observations.

The post Blessed are the Peacemakers appeared first on Cup of Faith.

As we enter Autumn and the leaves begin to fall around us like golden sprinkles from the remnant glory of summer, it’s always an opportunity to reflect on the different seasons and what unique beauty each season holds. Personally, I always tend to be a bit nostalgic at the end of summer, especially because in the Southern Hemisphere, the end of summer is also a goodbye to a season of festivity: Christmas celebrations spent in the pool, laughing with loved ones, warm evenings of sizzling meat smoking the air with delicious aromas and of course the promise which the new year holds. However, this nostalgia is often short-lived as I choose to embrace the new season, knowing the guarantee that spring will arrive again when the time comes and with it a new flourishing of treasured memories.

This year, I find myself reflecting on one particular tree, which stands outside our house and failed to bloom this summer. During the year, unbeknownst to us, it had become diseased and was consequently strangled by vines. It was a large beautiful flat-crown which towered over our little lane and brushed the edges of our roof, casting cooling shade over our garden and providing a perch for many species of birds. We experienced many quiet moments enjoying the green branches sweeping the backdrop view of the ocean’s horizon, with afternoon sunlight casting silhouettes of fluttering butterflies completing the picture.

When Spring arrived, we watched in anticipation to glimpse the first green buds, but, by December, its branches remained skeletal and unlively.

Farewell to a beloved tree

It might sound crazy that we almost experienced the five stages of grief over a tree, but we did. At first, we didn’t give up hope. We kept looking for buds and sometimes believed we had seen a flicker of green, only to realise it was from another tree, or light catching a dead leaf. Eventually, we began to despair and felt the ache that this beautiful tree, thriving just one year before, could have died so suddenly. I started to worry, was this God sending us a sign? I then began to bargain with God, praying that He would miraculously revive the tree — yes, I prayed over a tree! When no miracle occurred and we began to mourn the loss of the flat-crown, it was then pointed out to us that the tree was now in fact a danger to our home and pedestrians on the road outside, and for safety, we should consider having it cut down. This was when we were forced into accepting that we had to say goodbye to this beloved tree.

New Beauty Revealed

While at first, stepping outside onto the deck was a bit sad, looking at the bare arms that were now more like cracks in an otherwise masterful painting, one day we caught sight of vibrant red, swaying in the tree next to our now, dead Flat Crown. The Flamboyant tree which stands on the opposite side of our driveway, just as tall, just as luscious as the Flat Crown once was, but a tree we had never really noticed, had flowered. How could this be possible? Something so pretty, like scarlet droplets of sunset, they danced with radiance. Had they always been there and we had simply missed them because of our gaze being transfixed on our beloved Flat Crown, or had God gifted us with a new wonder to admire in the wake of the loss of the tree we loved so much?

God’s Ultimate Promise

Many of us have suffered the loss of a loved one in our lives, some recent, some long ago, but the pain still lingers. Sometimes it’s not even the physical death that causes our sense of loss, but the loss of friendship or relationship, or even a significant change in a relationship, which leaves us longing for the past. But I believe what God revealed to us through the passing of the Flat Crown tree and the discovered beauty of the Flamboyant tree, is that He never takes anything away without bringing new beauty and wonder into our lives. And with the right lens, the change is often even more profound and poignant. This I believe is His promise over our lives while we are in this world, and His ultimate promise for when we transcend into the next.

I would like to end with Ecclesiastes 3 which highlights the changing seasons of life, even when it seems that one season has ended for good, there is always another season that will bring us deeper into His love.

“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3: 1-4 NIV

Prayer

Father God, thank you for your redemptive love and hand over our lives. I lift in prayer all those who are currently suffering the loss of someone or something they hold dear. Please comfort them and gently turn their gaze to the beauty you are revealing in their lives day by day, and your ultimate promise through your son Jesus Christ, Amen.

Angela Chiaberta

I am a volunteer blogger with a passion for God and writing. My hope is to help others choose faith – or to walk deeper in their faith – through my own introspections and observations.

The post ‘Goodbye’ Dear Friend, ‘Hello’ New Wonder appeared first on Cup of Faith.

About two weeks ago after church, I was struck in the head by a soccer ball. I was chasing my two-year-old daughter who had ecstatically run into the middle of the quad where two boys were kicking a ball to one another (she suffers from a misconception that wherever a ball is present, she is the Ronaldo everyone has been waiting for). It was perfect-bad timing, and the midair ball was intercepted… by my head! If I had any soccer skills, I could have passed it off as an intentional header, but, alas, I am no professional.

While I experienced a slight shock from the blow, I was seemingly fine and carried her back into the safety of the church building where I continued to watch her as she gleefully ran around the chairs and bystanders. About ten minutes later, I found myself crying uncontrollably.

The most prominent emotion I felt by my sudden breakdown was embarrassment and vulnerability as surprised congregants gathered around me, but I was also dumbfounded as to where all this was coming from. After much reflection over the following days, I realised that, though nothing major was happening in my life, a lot was happening. Often when there is so much going on we go into autopilot mode, holding ourselves together until a small little trigger — in my case a soccer ball — pushes the last of our buttons, and we implode.

Taking inventory

Things get busy, and sometimes there is no way of escaping it, but it’s about how we take care of ourselves and what we are allowing to surround those busy circumstances that determines how well we cope. My sudden emotional display on that Sunday indicated that something was remiss in how well I was managing my busyness. So, with journal and pen in hand, I spent time on my own to reflect.

I first started with listing everything that had been taking up my time, but the more I wrote, the more I realised that there were a lot of worries and stress caused by negative thoughts about my personal failings. It was not my circumstances exhausting me, it was the pressure I was putting on myself through negative thinking that had exhausted me.

Sorting through the mess

Like unpacking a cupboard into which I had shoved unsightly items, I was confronted with many thoughts: being an inadequate mother, an incompetent manager of our home, an imposter at work, in general a feeling of being an incapable child in an adult’s body. But worst of all, a consistent guilt that I was failing as a Christian because of all my worldly coping mechanisms and not having enough faith.

I realised that I was trapped in a cycle of negative beliefs that left me powerless to change, while perpetuating the problems with my own repeated mistakes. With all this laid out in front of me, the thing I found myself saying to God was, “Lord, I’m a mess.” To which I felt Him answer, “But you’re my mess.”

At these words, I felt God show me a wonderful analogy which came in the form of when my daughter had a friend over for a playdate and they emptied her toy box in the middle of the living room. This pile gradually expanded across the whole living area as they happily explored the various items and ran off playing with them. Once the playdate was over, I settled on the floor and started to pack the toys away, which then became an exercise in creating more order out of the toy box. I restacked and regrouped parts so that they could be played with as a complete toy and not with missing pieces, but most importantly, I sorted the actual toys that had been gifted to her and belonged in the toy box from the random objects that had somehow found their way in: clothes pegs, spoons and clothes we had been searching for being chief among them.
I believe this is what God does with us when a trigger brings our mess to the surface, He sorts through it with us.

Finding rest

It was the biggest relief to know that God is not repulsed by my mess, because I’m a work in progress and He is sorting through it. Unless we allow Jesus to unpack our hidden, stuffed-to -the-brim cupboards, it cannot be sorted out. And He doesn’t expect us to sort it out on our own, nor does He rush us. The same way I settled down on the floor and in a relaxed manner started going through all the items while Jo re-discovered some treasured toys, Jesus comes alongside us and gently sorts through all our items, allowing us to rediscover treasured gifts from Him, and removing the random objects that don’t belong in our box.

With the above analogy in mind, I’d like to reimagine one of my favourite scriptures, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NIV) as, ‘Come to me all you who have burdened yourselves with guilt and negative thoughts, and I will give you rest.’

To avoid the mess forming in the first place, we should be taking captive every thought exactly as Paul instructs us to do in 2 Corinthians 10:5, but often busyness is the culprit that prevents us from doing this. Which is why it is important to ensure we take care of ourselves by setting aside however much time we can, even if just for ten minutes, to pause, breathe, reflect, cast our minds to Jesus and allow the redemptive work of the cross to wash over us and calm our troubled hearts. Because thanks to the cross, whatever our mess, in Jesus, we can find rest.

Question for the reader: What are some of the negative thoughts that are creating a ‘mess’ for you? Write them down and ask Jesus to come alongside you to sort through it and bring you healing.

Angela Chiaberta

I am a volunteer blogger with a passion for God and writing. My hope is to help others choose faith – or to walk deeper in their faith – through my own introspections and observations.

The post Finding Rest in the Mess appeared first on Cup of Faith.

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’ – Matthew 4:4 NIV

Yesterday I went for an afternoon run, but midway through, my blood sugar dropped, and I felt extremely weak, so much so that I had to ask my husband to come and fetch me. When I considered what I had consumed during the day, I realised that I had not eaten properly and had hardly drunk any water. I have always liked to use my runs to connect with Jesus and while running, meditate on the analogy that running is very much like our faith journey. While I had prayed before starting my run, the fact that I had not provided my body with the right sustenance meant that while Jesus is with me and may undoubtedly give me strength when I need it, he taught me a valuable lesson to properly take care of my body.

Considering the running and faith journey analogy, I realised He might have also been pointing out to how recently, I was engaging very little with the Word. I have been going through a tiring time due to work and my daughter’s sleep regression and I’ve been resorting to shotgun prayers in the morning, during challenges in the day and before going to sleep as the sum of my time with Him. Yesterday’s incident made me understand that just as we can become physically weak in our exercise when we have not sustained our bodies adequately, we can also become spiritually weak in our faith when we have not sustained our souls through God’s Word, and therefore, Him.

God’s Word helps us know Him better

We love our friends and partners because of who they are, their personality traits, their passions and their interests, and this is how we deepen our love for God too. Some of the verses I love most are those that pertain to God’s delights, such as music: “…in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3: 17 NIV), nature, “See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” (Matthew 6: 28-29 NIV) and even food, “…burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.” (Leviticus: 17:6 NIV). There are many other examples of God’s delights, but most prominent are His love of justice, righteousness and kindness, and reminding ourselves of this regularly helps us to live righteously which brings us closer to Him, while also giving us courage and faith.

When we are frustrated by the wrongdoing of the world, and how it sometimes seems like the greedy and corrupt win over the honest and generous, the Word reminds us that we serve a God of justice who hates greed and corruption, who vindicates the poor and humble, “‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.” – Jeremiah 9:23-24 NIV

When we are feeling unworthy or inadequate, the Word reminds us of His patience, His mercy, and His grace which indicate His love for us. If we need proof of this love, we need only read the accounts of His endless patience with Israel in the Old Testament, and His great sacrifice on the cross in the New Testament, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8 NIV. Knowing God’s character and His love for us is so important when it comes to sustaining our faith. If I continuously remind myself of who God is and how He loves me, more and more that truth will entrench itself in my heart and strengthen my faith.

God’s Word gives us Guidance

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119: 105 NIV

For every decision we make in life, we can turn to the Word. It may not hold instructions that refer to the exact circumstances that we face, but there are guiding principles which we can apply. If our heart’s intention is to obey God by following His Word, we can feel peace knowing that He is pleased in our desire to obey Him. We therefore have assurance that regardless of the decision we end up making, when we follow His principles in how we live and approach decisions with obedient hearts, He will work all things for our good, even the wrong decisions.

This means that we need to know and understand the Bible. There are times when I may choose a verse to meditate and memorise — Psalm 46: 10 is a firm favourite that has seen me through many a challenge — but sometimes God’s principles are revealed through longer passages outlining scenarios where biblical figures make decisions that are either obedient or disobedient, while other passages are more instructive such as Paul’s letters. Whatever it may be, an understanding of the context is vital for us to take from the passage the correct principle. This is where study bibles are extremely handy. If you don’t have one, we are blessed with the endless resource of Google, but a first point of call would be to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the passage’s meaning. Once we understand that context, we can apply it to our own lives.

God’s Word protects us

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” – Ephesians 6:17 NIV

There are many things in this world that distract us and many ideologies that we may feel tempted or even compelled to accept or follow because they seem innocent and make sense on the surface, but many are often distractions from God and our relationship with Him, which is why it so important for us to frequently fortify ourselves with His truth through His Word.

However, the enemy also uses other ploys to pull us away from God through our own internal struggles. Nowhere do I personally hear harsher words than the words I sometimes speak over myself, and often these harsh words our spoken when I’m not engaged with the Word. For it would not be possible to speak hateful words over myself if have just read how precious I am to God, “… I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  (Psalm 139:14) Sometimes, however, our internal struggles are caused by the enemy in making us believe that we are doing something for God’s glory, but the intentions deep down are more self-serving. This I where the Word also helps us to examine our hearts and reveal the truth to us, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:12 NIV

All of this is to protect us from straying away from God, because when we are not close to Him, we are vulnerable to the enemy who attacks us mostly through temptations, then guilt and shame, which often causes isolation from God’s family. The closer we are to God’s truth through His word, the closer our proximity to His heart, and therefore we remain more fortified and sustained to face life’s challenges knowing that God and His truth are right by our side.

Angela Chiaberta

I am a volunteer blogger with a passion for God and writing. My hope is to help others choose faith – or to walk deeper in their faith – through my own introspections and observations.

The post How Does God’s Word Sustain Us? appeared first on Cup of Faith.

As we explore Psalm 23 in this month’s mental health awareness, Louis Giglio’s look at the battle of the mind could not be more relevant. While there are many factors contributing to mental health including chemical imbalances and trauma, it is often in our thought-life that everyday downturns can halt the momentum in our relationship with God and consequently, our spiritual and mental wellbeing.

Louis Giglio’s book expands on Psalm 23: 5, “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies,” and he does this through simple and effective demonstrations, drawing on general examples as well as personal anecdotes from his own life to land this analogy and give us practical applications of Psalm 23. This includes giving modern-day examples to fill in applications of, “Even though….I will….” (Psalm 23:4).
One of the key themes is the sacred – figurative – table. It has been specifically laid out for us by our Father and Savior for the purpose of communing with Him in the midst of the chaos the enemy creates in the world and in our loves. But too often we diminish the power of this table when we entertain thoughts that are not true to His word or heart for us; thoughts that the enemy plants. “In whatever way the Devil gains access to your table, his goals are the same. He wants to gain access to your mind so he can destroy you.” (pg. 47).

There are numerous types of thoughts that the enemy can “scatter like seeds”, as Giglio describes. He deep dives into thoughts of temptation, making a poignant observation that when Jesus was tempted, it was temptation to be in opposition to God’s instruction, self-glory as opposed to humble surrender to the Father’s will. The enemy will tempt us in everyday sins, seeking worldly comforts in times of trouble as opposed to God, but even in seemingly innocent fantasies, we may be led astray through self-glorifying thoughts that twist God’s purpose for us and dethrone Him as the one to be glorified. Then there are of course the thoughts that can lead to depression and anxiety, the self-deprecating thoughts, thoughts of comparison and lies the enemy says about us that are in stark contrast to our identity in Jesus.

Giglio describes the long-term impact of thoughts by drawing on 2 Corinthians 10:5 and reminding us the importance of allowing Jesus to reign over every thought, “See, if a thought is not taken captive by you in Jesus’ name, that thought will take you captive. You will bind the thought, or the thought will, in time, bind you.” (pg. 130). If we allow lies from the enemy to stay, they will become entrenched and begin to define our life, which can often lead to many interruptions to our spiritual journey, and even lead to mental health problems.

However, we do not need to fear the influence of the enemy. Even when he has been sitting at our table. Giglio wraps his narrative in the encouraging and empowering truth of our identity in Christ, that we already share in Christ’s victory. Repentance is our antidote to guilt and shame, and we can protect our thought life by not only defending against the power of lies, but by being offensive, starting our days with positive thoughts. The greatest encouragement that the book captures is that the war is won. While there are many battles that need to be fought, we can hold on to the truth of our identity in Jesus and focus on him on the other side of the table that he has laid out for us. We don’t need to allow the Devil to intrude in this union. We can win the battle of our minds.

Angela Chiaberta

I am a volunteer blogger with a passion for God and writing. My hope is to help others choose faith – or to walk deeper in their faith – through my own introspections and observations.

The post Book Review: Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at your Table appeared first on Cup of Faith.