If You Forget

Wherever you are, whatever you’re facing God is with you and will help you through it.

In this episode I’m going to remind you of the things you can’t control and how to deal with them.

So many people are struggling right now. There’s all the usual troubles that people wrestle with, which is a lot, and now add to that all the additional mental and economic stress that’s come with living during such uncertain times and people’s anxiety levels are through the roof.So if that describes you let me give you 3 things to remember to help settle your heart.The three ideas we discuss are:1. Remember to focus on your Savior not your situation.2. Remember that Jesus is your strength.3. Remember to lay your burdens down at the feet of Jesus

Hi, I’m Paul and welcome to If You Forget. 

In this episode I want to remind you that God will give you the strength you need to make it through today and every day after that.

If you like what you hear today, remember to check out our website at ifyouforget.com where you can sign up for a free newsletter, subscribe to this podcast or listen to past episodes. 

And now let’s talk about the strength God gives us.

I know many of you are struggling right now.

You’re worried about the pandemic, you’re worried about your finances, you’re stressed over being quarantined with some people and kept apart from others.

You’re anxious over what your job will look like, or what your relationships will look like or over what the world will look like once when we emerge from all this.

You’re worried that you won’t have the strength to get through the days ahead. 

But you’re going to be okay.  There’s a promise given in the Bible, it’s in Deuteronomy 33:25 and it says that “your strength will equal your days.”

That means that however many days God has given you He will also give you the strength to make it through each one of them.

And the strength He gives isn’t based on your power, or your wisdom or your intelligence it’s based on His power, His love and His faithfulness.

Remember what the Lord told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12? “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Then Paul responds by saying “I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.”

So go into this day knowing that your strength will equal your days. 

Remember that the power of Christ, the power that overcame death, the power that spoke the universe into existence, the power that holds all things together, the power of the King of kings and Lord of lords, is the same power that will strengthen you every day until the Lord calls you home.

 

I think my favorite promise in the Bible is Revelation 2:17. It’s not quoted too often but in it Jesus gives a deeply personal promise.  The verse says...

 

"To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it."

 

I love that, especially the last past about the new name. That, I think, really speaks to what it means to have a relationship with Jesus. 

 

So let’s start with who the promise is given to.  Our verse says it’s given to the person who is victorious.  

 

In 2 Timothy 4:7 Paul talks about “finishing the race” and  how he "kept the faith". So, the person who’s victorious, the person that this promise is made to, is someone who has kept their faith in Jesus.  

 

Now by keeping faith in Jesus what I mean is someone who simply trusts that Jesus has paid for their sin and has made peace with the Father on their behalf.  It’s believing that Jesus has done for us what we could not do for ourselves.

 

So this promise is given to someone who trusts in Jesus as their Savior and has a relationship with him. Jesus gives that person a white stone with a new name written on it. 

 

In ancient times a white stone was given to athletes when they were victorious and in the ancient courts a white stone was given to a person who was found innocent. So there’s  a lot of symbolism there with gaining victory over sin through Jesus and being declared innocent as a result.

 

So Jesus promises that if you have faith in Him He will give you a new name and this name will only be known by you and Him.

 

Let me ask you, what is your name?  I don’t mean your legal name or even your nickname, I mean what is your true name?  The name that only you and Jesus know.

 

Is your name Depression or Anxiety or Fear?  Is it Addiction, Greed or Pride? Anger, Lust or Hopelessness? Is your name Unworthy or Unappreciated or Unloved? 

 

Jesus will give you a new name.

 

The world may have discarded you.  You may even have discarded yourself but then Jesus comes along and redeems you, restores you and makes you His treasure. 

 

Jesus gives you beauty for ashes, strength for fear, joy for sadness and peace for despair.  

 

The Bible says that in Christ you are a new creation.  He creates in you a new heart and a new spirit and He loves you and values you. He fulfills every longing that you have to be accepted. 

Jesus gives you a new name.

 

He says to you “This is what the world has called you. And this is what you’ve called yourself.  But from now on you will be called by the name which I have called you. Beloved, Accepted, Favored, Forgiven, Valued, Pure...a name that is more wonderful than any you could ever imagine."  

 

That’s what a relationship with Jesus looks like. 

 

Between the Coronavirus, self quarantine and economic uncertainty, it’s easy to lose sight of all our blessings. 

So in this episode I want to remind you how important it is to always be thankful, even during difficult times. 

Hi, I’m Paul and welcome to If You Forget. 

If you like what you hear today, remember to check out our website at ifyouforget.com where you can sign up for our free newsletter, subscribe to this podcast or listen to past episodes. 

And now, let’s talk about being thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to “Give thanks in all circumstances” because “this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” If you want to live in God’s will then your heart must be thankful. 

Developing a thankful attitude is one of the most life-changing things you can do.  It completely changes your outlook on life. It clears your vision, allows you to see that God is with you in your everyday life and shows you that you are surrounded by His grace. 

Now I think there are two things that keep us from having a thankful attitude.  The first being all the thoughts that are competing for your attention.

Every day a thousand thoughts rush towards you. Many of these thoughts are negative. That’s especially true now with social media bombarding you with pandemic and other doom and gloom news 24/7.  

If you’re not careful, the negative thoughts will be the ones that take root, grow, then block you from seeing all the things that you should be thankful for.

So the way to deal with this is to do what 2 Corinthians 10:5 commands, which is to “take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ”. 

What that means is you take each thought then decide whether it will lead you closer to Jesus or further from Him.  The thoughts that lead you closer to Him are the ones you let in. The others are the ones you keep out. 

The kind of thoughts you want to let in are referred to in Galatians 5:22-23 as the fruit of the spirit. They include: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

These are the thoughts that help develop a thankful attitude. And these are the thoughts you should fill your heart and mind with then allow them to overflow into your actions.

The second challenge is mistakenly thinking that everything has to be going well in order to be thankful.  

Now I know it’s sometimes hard to find blessings when things are going wrong but on bad days you can simply give thanks that you woke up.  Not everyone is given that privilege.

On bad days you can be thankful that no matter what happens the Lord will be there with you. He promises to never leave you and never forsake you. And He promises to one day right all wrongs, wipe away all tears and heal all sickness. 

Remember our 1 Thessalonians verse?  “Give thanks in all circumstances” not just the good ones.  Our earthly circumstances change day to day.  The Father’s love endures forever. It never changes. 

He’s with us during the hard times, always giving us strength and mercy and grace in time of need. So whatever is happening we are always blessed and we always have reason to be thankful.

As we wrap this up I want to encourage you to begin each day with a thankful heart. 

Before you even get out of bed find at least one reason to be thankful then build on that by noticing other blessings -- both big and small -- as the day goes on. It’s a simple idea but also a life-changing one when put into practice.

So remember: when you are living with a thankful heart you are living with the attitude God wants you to have. 

And this attitude brings with it a peace and joy that nothing in this world -- no trial or circumstance or virus can ever take from you.  

If you enjoyed this show please remember to check out our website at ifyouforget.com where you can sign up for our free newsletter, subscribe to this podcast or listen to past episodes.