Category: Life & Lessons

Hope or Hopelessness (40 Years of Muttering with Moses Pt. 1)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

The Israelites suffered under the heavy hand of the Egyptians for 400 toilsome years. But through a miraculous series of events, the LORD raised up Moses to deliver them. (Exodus 2:1-10). He commissioned Moses from the midst of a blazing bush, equipped him with miraculous powers, and supplied him with his older brother to speak on his behalf (Exodus 3-4). Together, they stormed into Pharaoh’s palace and uttered these famous words for the first time, “Let my people go! Let them hold a feast for me in the wilderness” (Exodus 5:1).

But Pharaoh said, “I won’t let them go. Why are you making these people rest from their burdens? They’re obviously idle. That’s why they want to hold a party in the wilderness.” So he commanded their taskmasters to stop giving the Israelites straw to make bricks (Exodus 5:4-9).

The overburdened Israelites grumbled at Moses, and he, in turn, grumbled at God, “‘Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued Your people at all’” (Exodus 5:22-23 NIV).

God Promises

God said, “‘I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob…I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners’” (Exodus 6:2-4 NIV). God began by reminding the people of the promise He’d made them.

 Hundreds of years earlier, He’d told their ancestor Abraham, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be slaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions’” (Genesis 15:13-14 NIV).

Even before their slavery, God knew the hard times His people would face. And He had already prepared a rescue plan for them. The LORD never makes a promise He cannot keep.

God Listens

Secondly, God said, “‘You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of My covenant with them’” (Exodus 6:5 NLT).

Sometimes prayer can feel like futile shouting into the empty void, but be assured: God hears you. King David once asked, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (Psalm 139:7-8 NIV). From the depths of Marianas Trench to the tip of Mount Everest, God’s presence fills all in all. He is watching over us, listening to us, and knows what we are going through.

God Provides

Lastly, the LORD said, “‘I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession.’” (Exodus 6:7-8 NIV). God always desires to take us from where we are to a better place: from hunger to fullness (John 6:35), from striving to peace (Matthew 11:29), from slavery to liberty (Isaiah 61:1). By providing us the hope of heaven, God has cemented a positive trend to our existence. We know that things are going to get better soon.

Conclusion

The Israelites responded to the LORD’s heartfelt speech by refusing to listen to Him anymore. “They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery” (Exodus 6:9 NLT).

The LORD has a message of hope for each of us. He keeps His promises, cares about our situation, and desires to deliver us to the Promised Land. We must cling on to these truths as our lifeline in these battering times, lest we also succumb to hopelessness.

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again—my Savior and my God!”

(Psalm 43:5 NLT)

A Miracle Too Late (Jesus and His People Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1 on “A Different Jesus”, click here.

The world is thrashing in the grip of a mighty pandemic, crumbling under the weight of a reeling economy, and stretching to its snapping point because of geopolitical tensions. The evidence of God has vanished for many, and the question has surfaced, “If He even showed up now, would it be too late?”

A family thousands of years ago asked the same question. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were some of Jesus’ closest friends. But when Lazarus fell deathly ill, Jesus didn’t arrive until His good friend was thoroughly dead.

The Accusation

When Jesus finally waltzed into town, several days too late, both Mary and Martha told Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21,32 NIV). They implied that if He had only set out a little earlier, tried a little harder, maybe cared a little more, their brother would have still been alive.

These kinds of accusations are not unique to this family. The Bible is filled with accounts of suffering men and women wondering where God was. Job, the most righteous man in the Eastern Hemisphere while he was alive, cried out to God, “‘Why do You hide your face and consider me your enemy’” (Job 13:24 NIV)? The prophet Jeremiah, in the middle of a life-leeching drought, questioned God, “Are you also confused? Is our champion helpless to save us” (Jeremiah 14:9 NLT)?  King David, from a pit of great despair screamed, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me” (Psalm 22:1 NIV)?

The Answer

Jesus responded to this veiled allegation, “‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this'” (John 11:26 NIV)? In essence, Jesus told Martha that He was still the answer—life—to her problem—death.

The Christian walk, just like most great undertakings, starts off easy but gets considerably harder over time. When we are first raised to new life by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, many of us will “taste and see that the Lord is good”. Mini-miracles will color our weeks and neon bursts of joy will liven our hearts.

But then the weight of our demanding boss will return, our wayward children will continue rebelling, or an emergency will rock us to our core. Many who’ve attended Sunday School know that Jesus is always The Answer even before the question is asked, but after tragedies like these strike, we must answer whether we truly believe this.

The Command

Moved by compassion at the sight of the sisters’ tears, Jesus asked them where they’d lain Lazarus’ corpse. Once He arrived there, He commanded them to move aside the stone sealing the entrance to Lazarus’ tomb. Martha said, “But Lord, there is already a stench because he has been dead four days” (John 11:39 CSB). Why would Martha even mention this? She believed there was a high likelihood that when they rolled the stone away, Lazarus would still be dead.

Miracles are rarely free. They require risk and cost: sending out that application, taking out that loan, putting one’s reputation and credibility on the line, or inhaling the sickening aroma of defeat if God doesn’t come through. This was the tension that Martha was struggling with. But Jesus told her, “‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God’” (John 11:40 ESV)? If we never embrace the risk, we will never see the reward. Only those who take that terrifying leap will see God do only what God can do.

Conclusion

Mary and Martha’s friends took a step of faith and rolled away the stone. When they did, Jesus cried out, “‘Lazarus, come out.’” (John 11:43). Then the mummified man emerged from the tomb and returned to the land of the living!

 Jesus had been too late to heal the sick Lazarus, but He hadn’t been too late to raise the dead one. Similarly, just because our day by day situation seems to be going from bad to worse doesn’t mean it’s become too challenging for God. It just means the miracle will be all the more glorious.

“Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.”

(Isaiah 59:1 NIV)

A Different Jesus (Jesus and His People Pt. 1)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Relationships are like vases, beautiful and fragile. We meet that special someone, we get to know them, and we fall in love with who we believe they are. When our illusion of that person is shattered by reality, our relationship will likely fall apart. We find ourselves saying, “They aren’t who I thought they were.”

Background

John the Baptist had this very same experience with Jesus. From the womb, he was Jesus’ greatest cheerleader (Luke 1:41). He dedicated his career to promoting Jesus and preparing the way for Him.

However, during the course of his ministry as a prophet, John the Baptist denounced king Herod for marrying his brother’s wife. The tyrant imprisoned him for his impudence. From a dank, rat-infested dungeon, John heard stories of his cousin’s miracles: raising the dead to life, curing the sick, healing the demon-possessed, helping everyone except His own flesh and blood.

In John’s despair, his faith wavered, and he sent his disciples to ask Him, “‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else’” (Luke 7:20 NLT)?

Jesus replied, “‘Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.’ And he added, ‘God blesses those who do not fall away because of me’” (Luke 7:22-23 NLT).

Shortly thereafter, John the Baptist was beheaded.

Expectation

We all relate to God differently. Some love Jesus as their blessed savior or honor Him as their incomparable example or cherish Him as their best friend. These distinct views are par and parcel to our beautiful diversity. However, we run the risk of embracing an unbalanced view of God. We can love Jesus as our big brother but dismiss Him as our lord. We can accept Him as our helper but reject Him as our master. When we make this mistake, we set ourselves up for disappointment just as John the Baptist did.

A few chapters earlier in Luke, Jesus read this prophecy from the Old Testament: “‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free” (Luke 4:18 NLT). And Jesus said He was the fulfillment of this prophecy.

This very passage must have been on both of their minds during this exchange. Jesus’ statement in Luke 7:22 is very similar to it, yet He leaves out the parts about “releasing captives” and “setting free the oppressed”. Did Jesus forget about these verses? Are God’s promises only true when we don’t need them, or do they apply to everyone except us?

I know I’ve been tempted to believe this. God promised, “I’ll never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 ESV), yet I’ve never felt more alone in my life than during this quarantine. Apostle Paul said, “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NASB). But where are “His riches” for the needy millions who’ve been wrecked by this economic recession?

Reality

John the Baptist’s error lay in two assumptions he made: God’s timing and God’s focus. John assumed that if Jesus was setting others free now, now must be the time for his freedom as well. But God’s timetable rarely aligns with ours. Apostle Peter said, “We must not forget that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day” (2 Peter 3:8 NLT). Yet we forget this all the time!

Secondly, we often limit God’s promises to the physical realm. God, of course, cares about our physical body and our physical circumstances, but we aren’t purely physical beings. We’ve been endowed with a spirit that has a health of its own. Not only do our bodies need liberation from physical struggles (imprisonment, isolation, poverty), our souls also need saving.

Even though Jesus did not “set the captives free” the way John the Baptist had expected Him to, He was faithful to keep His promise. When He died on the cross a few years later, Jesus freed us all from slavery to death and richly supplied us with eternal life.

Conclusion

Disappointment with God is a normal part of the Christian walk. Reality will shatter our expectations about Him and shake our faith. When it does, we must decide whether to “fall away” or turn to a different Jesus–the real Jesus–and believe in Him again.

“At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, ‘Are you also going to leave?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.’”

(John 6:66-69 NLT)

Changing Seasons

By Ife J. Ibitayo

This summer has been glorious. I’ve walked for miles through nature, enchanted by verdant summer flowers and serenaded by chirping thrushes. I’ve exalted in picture perfect sunsets and had many a blissful car ride, wishing the drive would last forever. But like all good things, this summer is coming to an end.

Fall officially starts next month. But we’re already starting to see its signs and feel its effects. Days are shrinking shorter, and nights are growing longer. The bright sunshine is being hidden more and more by stormy clouds and fierce rain. The fiery dragon of summer is slowly being wrestled into submission by the frost giant of winter, and there is nothing we can do to halt its advance.

Seasons are Jarring

Change is always disorienting. We are laid off from one job and start another. We move from the east coast to the west. We transition from the bachelor life to the married life then to the parent life. Even Jesus Himself said, “‘No one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, “The old is better'” (Luke 5:39 NIV). Something deeply engrained within us craves constancy.

Seasons are Inevitable

Yet change is a regular part of life. Just as no one stays in college forever and no one remains engaged for fifty years, we all reflexively know that whatever the state of our life today, it won’t last forever.

But I for one get nostalgic from time to time. I look at old photos and see my happy younger self with my friends and family, and I wonder where the “good old days” have gone. As this season of COVID has stretched on, I’ve found myself wondering if it will ever end.

Seasons Are Temporary

The LORD, speaking to Israelites who’d been exiled from their homeland, said, “Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: ‘If this fixed order departs from before Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘Then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever'” (Jeremiah 31:35-36 NASB).

Just as the Israelites’ exile and dissolution as a nation was a temporary setback, so is our current season. I don’t despair that “winter is coming” because summer is chasing hot on its heels.

Conclusion

King Solomon once said, “For everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV). Even though we may hate one season and love another, our appreciation of our favorite season arises from having others to compare it against.

Further, the toughest seasons of our life are often the soil in which God plants the most bountiful seed. We must wait patiently to reap the harvest.

“Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.”

(Psalm 126:6 NIV)

The Fruit of Joy from the Seed of Grief (Tragedies of Hope Pt. 4)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1 on “Missing the Presence”, click here. For Part 2 on “A Dying Baby, a Dead Baby, and a Living Hope”, click here. For Part 3 on “An Exiled World”, click here.

There was a mighty man of God in the New Testament known as Stephen. He was full of faith and the Holy Spirit, worked many great miracles, and rightly handled the Word of God before fierce opposition (Acts 6:8). He was one of the first leaders of the early church, and he was also its first martyr.

His enemies instigated a smear campaign against him, bringing him to trial on false charges. As he was giving a speech to an ad-hoc kangaroo court of Jewish people, they plugged their ears and stoned him to death (Acts 7). His death was the seed for the widespread persecution of the early church.

Turning Tragedy Into Grief

Acts 8:2 says, “Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.” The Greek word translated “lamentation” here is kopeton: to literally beat one’s chest in grief. The Bible never shies away from sadness. We were never called to be Pollyannas, pretending as if “it’s all good” when it really isn’t. We should be willing to embrace grief.

A third of the Psalms—the great praise book of the Bible—are dedicated to lamentation. Even a whole book of the Bible, Lamentations, focuses on that topic specifically. We are to pour out our ragged, raw emotions to our heavenly Father.

Turning Grief Into Opportunity

These devout men and women were forced to flee from Jerusalem. Many fled to the surrounding region of Samaria for safety. But these refuges didn’t just uproot and replant, laying low until the heat died down. Acts 8:4 says, “Those who were scattered abroad went about preaching the word.”

C.S. Lewis is famous for having written, “[Pain] is [God’s] megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Many who read this quote focus on the power of pain to open our own ears to a message we need to hear, but it also magnifies the power of our message to others.

The Apostle Paul said, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV). Part of his strength was his visceral testimony of God in the middle of his visceral suffering, just like these other early Christians.

Turning Opportunity Into Joy

Acts 8:8 states the result of the preaching of these early Christians: “So there was much joy in that city.” By embracing their mission in the midst of their pain, the early church “carried the death of Jesus in their bodies, so that His life might be revealed in others” (2 Corinthians 4:10). They rose from grief to joy and elevated a whole city with them!

Conclusion

The same Apostle Paul mentioned earlier was present at the stoning of Stephen. But he wasn’t a fierce denouncer of Stephen’s murderers; he zealously supported them! However, this marquee event was a stepping stone on his journey to salvation.

A few years later, Christ met Paul on the road to Damascus, where Paul was traveling to ravage the Christian church. Jesus asked him, “Why are you persecuting Me? It’s hard to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14)? Something had happened to Paul that stripped from him his hatred of the Christian church, making his persecution insincere.

The death of this innocent man must have been one of the factors weighing on Paul’s mind when he turned to Jesus Christ. From this seed, this one martyr’s death, an incalculable bounty of life sprung up and continues to blossom till today.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

(John 12:24 ESV)

An Exiled World (Tragedies of Hope Pt. 3)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For the first article on “Missing the Presence”, click here. For the second article on “A Dying Baby, a Dead Baby, and a Living Hope”, click here.

The fall of Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of the Jewish people was unequivocally the greatest tragedy recorded in the Old Testament. It’s recorded in 2 Kings 24-25, 2 Chronicles 36, Jeremiah 39, and Jeremiah 52. The Bible uses the literary tool of repetition for the purpose of emphasis, like a flashing neon sign screaming, “THIS IS IMPORTANT!” Of the events recounted in the Bible in detail, none is repeated more times than the fall of Jerusalem. (The only other event recounted four times in the Bible is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.)

The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple of God within it was the LORD’s final judgment on the Israelite people for generations of rebellion. They disregarded thousands of prophetic warnings, hundreds of miraculous wonders, and several close calls. Finally, the LORD called the mighty Babylonian empire against them. They captured the Israelites’ capital city in little over a month’s time, and scattered them abroad.

COVID-19 has caused a comparable, metaphysical uprooting for billions around the world. Weekdays among colleagues and weekends with friends have morphed into months at home alone. This pandemic has collectively exiled us all.

Know God is Still in Control

In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon said, “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.” (Ecclesiastes 7:14a NIV). It can be easy to accept a simplistic worldview that says God causes all good things, and the Devil causes all bad things. But we must wrestle with the fact that God is sovereign over both good and evil.

God’s sovereignty over evil is far more than an exoteric concept debated by stuffy theologians. It means that God is not reacting to a horrible pandemic that ruined His majestic plan. It means this pandemic was part of His plan all along. He has a meaningful purpose for this pandemic just as He had for the Israelite’s extradition from their homeland.

Know God’s Refuge Goes with You

God told the exiles through the prophet Ezekiel, “‘Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile'” (Ezekiel 11:16 NLT). This pandemic has sent us adrift from the bay of normality. We are now being tossed about in the wild sea of the unknown, but we don’t have to tread water forever. Just as God “sanctuaried-in-place” with the exiles when their sanctuary in Jerusalem was destroyed, He offers Himself to us as our God-sized lifeboat. He will keep us afloat until we reach the shore.

Know This Will Last a While

The LORD prophesied that the Israelites would not be exiled for one month or two but for seventy long years. Similarly, these past several months have demonstrated that COVID-19 will not vanish overnight. We too are in for the long haul.

The LORD told the exiled Israelites to “‘build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce…increase in number there; do not decrease'” (Jeremiah 29:5-6 NIV). We are not to merely white-knuckle our way through this pandemic, hanging on for dear life. We also must learn how to thrive in our new normal, expanding our connections, churches, and businesses.

Conclusion

The LORD left the exiles with this message of hope: “‘You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope'” (Jeremiah 29:10-11 NLT). This promise was always intended for outcasts, those in a time and place like ours. God has a good plan for this pandemic, will sustain us through this season, and will bring us home from exile. In the meantime, let us build, grow, and sow.

“Now there was a famine in the land…The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you’…Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.”

(Genesis 26:1-3a, 12 NIV)

A Dying Baby, a Dead Baby, and a Living Hope (Tragedies of Hope Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1 on missing the presence of God, click here.

King David is probably best known for slaying giants. But decades after defeating Goliath, He committed a string of unbelievable sins. He saw a beautiful woman named Bathsheba bathing on her roof, slept with her, impregnated her, murdered her husband, and took her as his wife (2 Samuel 11:1-27)! He successfully shushed his conscious until he was confronted by a prophet named Nathan. David then repented of his sins, but Nathan delivered to him the tragic news: The baby boy born to him by Bathsheba would die. Shortly after Nathan left, the child fell sick (2 Samuel 12:1-15).

A Dying Baby

David immediately “begged God to spare the child.” He “went without food and lay all night on the bare ground” (2 Samuel 12:16 NLT). Despite being the very one who brought this grief upon him, David knew God was the only one who could relieve it. So he turned to Him and Him alone.

This unflagging faith was the story of David’s life. Two decades later, after committing another great sin, he said, “‘I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercy is great'” (2 Samuel 24:14 NIV). He humbly and habitually committed himself into the hands of God.

A Dead Baby

But a week later, the little one still perished. When the elders of Israel confessed this catastrophe to him, David responded unusually. He “got up from the ground…went into the house of the LORD and worshiped.” (2 Samuel 12:20 NIV).

The Hebrew word translated “worship” here is shachah: Meaning to bow down or to submit. Ironically, we often only submit to God when He aligns His will with our own: When He blesses us with a promotion or a new car or a fiancé. But genuine submission, true worship, is to live for God even when He takes away the thing we can’t live without.

A Living Hope

When questioned as to why David acted the way he did, he said, “‘While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, “Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.” But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me'” (2 Samuel 12:22-23 NIV). The key phrase in this verse is “I shall go to him”. David believed in a hereafter where he’d be reunited with his dead son, and that living hope gave him the strength to move forward. He never gave up on the LORD’s promises.

Conclusion

After losing their first child, David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and they tried again. They had another son, and this special baby boy was named Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24), the famous wise man who ascended his father’s throne and extended the Israelite empire.

Even if God let’s the precious love of our life die, we can choose to keep on believing in Him. He was our Heavenly Father, the Almighty Creator, and our Risen Savior. And He always will be.

“Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else?”

(Romans 8:32 NLT)

“‘Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?'”

(Job 2:10 NLT)

Missing the Presence (Tragedies of Hope Pt. 1)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Before Israel was presided over by a president or a king, it was ruled over by Biblical figures known as judges. This period, dominated by sin, war, and subjugation, lasted hundreds of years. Toward the end of it, a priest named Eli judged Israel, and the nation was at war with a people known as the Philistines.

The Philistines routed the Israelites in battle, killing 4,000 of their men. The elders of Israel reasoned that their defeat was because the LORD had not accompanied them onto the battlefield. So the next time they faced their enemies, they brought the ark of the LORD with them. They believed this ark mandated the presence of the LORD and ensured their victory.

This strategy resulted in an overwhelming 30,000-man slaughter, of the Israelites. When Eli heard this news, he toppled over backward and snapped his neck. When his daughter-in-law, the wife of one of the priests of the ark, found out, she cried, “‘The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured'” (1 Samuel 4:22 ESV).

Taking Away the Presence

God promises in His word that He is not just far above us but also close at hand (Deuteronomy 4:7). However, suffering has driven this sense far from millions of people. Crippling hardship can plunge us into a dark moonless fog. And the faith of many are choking out on those fumes:

 Where is God when I’m struggling to breathe,

 dying under sheets or under a knee?

Purpose of the Presence

God said through the prophet Isaiah, “‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you'” (Isaiah 43:2 ESV). Unlike the false belief of these Israelites thousands of years ago, the presence of God is not a good luck charm to rescue us from every difficulty. Rather, it’s His assurance that He will join us in the furnace and sustain us through it.

Location of the Presence

But it can still be easy to feel cut off from God’s presence. COVID-19 has transformed powerful church experiences into poor Netflix substitutes. Weekends and weekdays used to be distant cousins. Now they’re evil twins in this waking nightmare. How are we supposed to find God when we’re buried under a mountain of paperwork and empty ramen boxes?

Speaking to the Jewish people thousands of years later, Deacon Stephen said, “‘Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says, “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest”‘” (Acts 7:48-49 ESV)?

This profound truth shines in our darkness. God is not confined to a holy place or a holiday. He is everywhere and every when, even here and now.

Conclusion

Seven months passed from when the ark of the LORD was taken by the Philistines to when it was returned to Israel (1 Samuel 6:1). It took a series of miracles to bring this about-face (1 Samuel 5), and it was a source of great joy to the Israelites upon its return (1 Samuel 6:13).

Likewise, we need a miracle to turn this year around. But the LORD is well-acquainted with the miraculous. When He restores our church meetings and Sunday services, we should rejoice. But in the meantime, we can cling onto His name: Emmanuel—God with us.

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”

(Psalm 139:7-10)

Wandering Eyes (My Embarrassing Life Pt. 3)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1 on my embarrassing driving misfortune click here. For Part 2 on my embarrassing jogging woes click here.

I like to visit my parents over the holidays. On one such visit, I trotted downstairs to talk to them. As I was hustling back upstairs, my eyes were drawn to a movie playing on the TV. My hand froze over the remote, and my mind locked on the seductive scene that unfolded in front of me.

 “Change the channel!” my dad yelled.

“But what about the others…” I blustered. Then I realized I was the only one watching.

Background

It shouldn’t be surprising that I was so easily sucked in. Temptation is everywhere in our sexually-charged culture. This threat is especially acute during this pandemic. Billions of people across the world have a sudden abundance of free time, and they are spending that time at home, alone.

With naughty entertainment just a click away, the gravitational pull of pornography may feel inescapable. But God freed me from its chains a few years ago, and I know He can do the same for you.

Humble Recognition

The first step in Alcoholics Anonymous twelve step program is, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol.” As long as I believed I had control over my addiction to pornography, it had control over me. I had to recognize my need for a “higher power” before I was truly able to start rooting this sin out of my life (1 Peter 5:6).

A few key signs of addiction are: 1. Are you ever unable to keep sex off your mind? Does your mind keep on circling round and round such thoughts until you finally give in? 2. Do you ever blow off responsibilities or cut yourself off from loved ones to fulfill sexual urges? 3. Do you hide or downplay your sexual activity? If you express any of this kind of behavior, you are likely addicted to sex.

Honest Confession

Jesus Christ said, “‘Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed'” (John 3:20). For years, my greatest fear was that someone would discover that I, a professing Christian and servant at my church, was addicted to pornography. Satan wielded this fear to lock me into a prison of solitary confinement.

My first real breakthrough happened after I confessed my addiction to someone I trusted. Addiction is rarely conquered alone. Find someone you trust and respect to confide in.

Heroic Action

I had to take three actions to fully break from looking at pornography. First, I installed an accountability software on my devices called Covenant Eyes. It reported any questionable web activity of mine to my accountability partner. Second, I locked myself out of the app store on all of my devices. I had my accountability partner control the passcode and went to them whenever I wanted to install a new app. Third, I blocked Facebook, Youtube, and any other website that had been a source of temptation for me in the past.

These actions may seem extreme, but my addiction was so acute I would exploit any avenue for sin I could find. I had to starve the demon for years to recover enough self-control to relax some of my self-imposed constraints. And even till today I keep some of them.

Conclusion

Just as sexual addiction is developed by a string of wrong choices, sexual freedom is achieved by consistent right ones. The battle may not be over in a month, a year, or even a decade, but it is worth fighting for. I want to end this article with the most significant verse in my personal battle with pornography. I repeated it to myself every time I failed, and it strengthened me to keep on fighting until I found victory:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

(1 John 1:9 ESV)

Running On Empty (My Embarrassing Life Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For my first article on passing my driving test on my first (fifth) try, click here.

I’ve never been a fan of long-distance running. Whenever I’m asked to participate in a walk-a-thon with an entry fee, I reply, “So they’re paying me to run, right?” But some time in college, I decided I needed to improve my cardio. I bit the bullet, purchased a solid pair of running shoes, and hit the track.

One day, a few of my friends decided to jog from main campus to the recreation fields. The distance was a little farther than I was used to jogging, but I was confident I’d be up to the challenge. However, three-fourths of the way through the jog, I drained my water bottle. I jogged about another quarter mile before my vision began to darken. I sank to the curb, panting.

Running Out

Randy Alcorn said, “The Christian life is not a 100-meter dash but a marathon. Those who lack patience, endurance and discipline will drop out of the race.” Just as most people can dash one-hundred meters, many start the Christian journey well but very few finish.

Jesus Himself said, “‘Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him'” (Luke 14:27-29 NASB).

My friends–thankfully–did not mock me when I plopped down. But the shame was real. I was unable to continue that jog on my own.

Filling Up

A few minutes later, a friend of mine came by and gave me a cup of water he’d retrieved from a nearby house. Once I gulped that water down, I was refreshed and able to finish the jog we had started. Similarly, we have no hope of finishing the marathon of the Christian life without the fount of living water refreshing us (John 4:10).

The Holy Spirit is this conduit through whom we tap into the river of God’s blessings. Through Him we receive the truth we need to counteract Satan’s lies (John 16:13), the comfort we need to face the world’s pain (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), and the freedom we need to run this lifetime marathon well (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Conclusion

We will all stumble along the way. We will disrespect our parents or let down our friends or disappoint ourselves. But we have a choice: Remain in that puddle of sweat and defeat or get back up, accept a refreshing drink of the power of the Holy Spirit, and keep on running.

“‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.'”

(John 15:5 NIV)