Author: Lori Casto

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? Matthew 16:24-26

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28: 18-20

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

How has The Holy Spirit prompted you to serve Him?

Is He calling you to more?

What does “blind faith” and doing God’s will look like in your life?

What does “get out of your comfort zone” mean?

What does “taking a step of faith” require?

What is an example in your life where you chose to take the easy way out?

Would God have wanted more?

To what lengths are you willing to go to serve God?

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist Ephesians 6:14a

“You can’t handle the truth.” If you’ve seen A FEW GOOD MEN, you know that line well. It was made famous by Jack Nicholson. However, in Ephesians 6, Paul said to “buckle truth around your waist.” In Philippians He says to only think about things that we know are true.

In this world of AI, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to determine what is true and what is false. Even in our daily lives, there can be so much concern about optics, that false reality is easily created. What we perceive may not be true.  With so much misinformation all around us, where can we get to the truth?

In John 14, Jesus says He is the truth. In the very same sentence, He calls Himself the Way and the Life. So, when Paul is telling us to stand firm with the belt of truth around our waste, we can be rest assured that Jesus is our belt. The wonderful thing about confessing Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have access to His Holy Spirit and His blood. That’s a lot of power to have buckled around our waist.

If we surrender to Jesus, we can experience truth because He is the definition of truth. When we experience truth, we experience freedom.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist Ephesians 6:14a

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8

 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. John 17:17

Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Ephesians 6:16

         Faith- The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) Trust, Belief, Confidence, Conviction             Complete trust or confidence in someone or something Merriam-Webster

         Quench– extinguish, put out, smother

No ‘maybes’ about it. No “Ifs, ands, or buts.” The enemy is always watching and waiting. He’d like to take us out with one of many “fiery darts.” (because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.1 Peter 5:8)

 The devil doesn’t limit his attacks on just you. He will attack your family and friends. (whom He may devour)

To make matters worse, he will try to attack in the areas where you struggle the most trusting God. He won’t attack just once. He will attack repeatedly. That’s why we need to be prepared. We can prepare. We should prepare. The enemy has been described as serpent, tempter, schemer, adversary, father of lies, evil one, and real.

However, He also is destined to be defeated, and he is under our feet if we put him there.     

Jesus conquered sin, death, and hell and gave us equipment to be more than conquerors. (His word, blood, and the Holy Spirit) Through the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6, He gave us full instructions on how to survive attacks of the enemy. “Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.” I would rather be victorious than defeated, wouldn’t you?

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— Ephesians 6:10-18

Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him. Matthew 20: 29-34

 We’re taught from a very early age to self-sooth. A parents’ goal is to teach decision making and independence.  We are taught how to live independently for at least the first 18 years of life. We learn to do our own laundry, make our own money, supply our own food, and buy our own house. We celebrate when we learn to walk, get our driver’s license, and graduate high school. Our accomplishments prepare us for a life of independence.

Maybe that’s why it’s so hard to be dependent on God.

Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is the opposite of independence.  He requires complete surrender and dependence on Him. We can do all things through Christ. Aside from God we can do nothing. In fact, sometimes He asks us to do things that He knows requires our dependence on Him.

When we go through the daily grind, and when life throws us a curve, often we want to self-sooth. We want to solve our own problems or even the problems of others. After all, that’s what we’ve been taught. However, God wants us to have the courage to cry out to Him. He wants us to rely on HIS ANSWER and HIS PROMISES. He welcomes our loud, desperate cry for His intervention. It’s part of our dependence on Him.

He already hears our heart, before we cry out.

How long is your rope? Do you have to come to the end of it before you finally make the decision to cry out to our Heavenly Father? God is always with us, ready to help. Don’t wait until your grip is ready to let go of the rope. Why not be courageous and cry out “Have mercy on me, oh Lord.” Instead of waiting until desperation dictates the cry. The people that told the blind men to be quiet certainly couldn’t give them their eyesight. They had courage to cry out loudly to The One that could.

Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him. Matthew 20: 29-34

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11

The sun rises and sets. You’re sure to see it if it’s a clear day. Most certainly, you can plant after the final frost expecting a harvest a few months later. Just as sure as leaves turn color and fall, buds will return in a few months and new leaves will grow. If you wait long enough, the rain will stop and the sun will return. Life is full of certainty.

Often, though, life is unpredictable. The uncertainty life brings can be unsettling. I’ve learned that no matter how much you brace yourself, life has blind sides. In my own life, I sometimes carefully wait for the other shoe to drop. I’ve found myself holding the shoe for dear life, hoping the shoe won’t drop as to keep from being caught off guard.

I’ve noticed, though, when you get a firm grip on the shoe, hoping it won’t drop, it opens the door to fear. No matter how careful, we can’t control the shoe. Sometimes we get so focused on what might happen or what could happen, that we waste the here and now.

What shoe are you holding? Isn’t it time you put it down and pick up God’s word? Isn’t it time you put it down and have a discussion with your heavenly Father? What we do between shoe drops matters. Our relationship with God, and time spent in His word are way more important than guarding “the shoe.” If we’re rooted and grounded in Jesus when we are blindsided, we will be fully equipped when life throws a curve.

I can’t predict the future, but I know The One who holds it. I know The One that says we’re the apple of His eye. I know The One who gives hope and a future. I know The One who will supply all needs according to His riches in Glory through Christ Jesus. I know The One who gives strength when we feel our weakest and I know that no matter what happens, He makes everything beautiful in its time.

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11