Volume 2023: Edition 20
Food for thought: The Calm Before The Storm
Hello everyone, and welcome back. We would like to thank you for your patience with the inconsistency of our posts this year as we try to create a scheduled flow. We will be trying to gradually add onto our posts so we hope you will continue to learn and grow with God's word with us.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
(1 Peter 5:6-11)
I always heard the sayings “the calm before the storm”, “ God will only give you what you can handle” or “there is always tomorrow…” but the more I grow in faith and the closer I get to our God, the more I realise those sayings aren’t true.
Obviously this is just an opinion of mine, but this is “ food for thought”, and at this moment in time, in light of the experiences that not only I’ve been through but my family has been through these past two years, these meanings don’t exactly hold up.
“The calm before the storm”
When I think of this saying now, I believe we’re always in some kind of storm as a believer. The closer I try to get, the harder it is in every aspect of my life. The daily struggles are amplified. I have to ask Him for patience, understanding, peace, and my focus on Him is a constant fight. But, when there is calm; I notice it’s false peace; false normalisation. In that calm, I am more relaxed. I slack on my relationship with God, I tend to take things for granted, I live life like I have plenty of time, and that makes me say to myself “I can do this or that later”. I put things off and say “there is always tomorrow”, which brings us to another saying obviously.
I know for most of my life I have lived with that saying: “there is always tomorrow”, but with my new found faith, I know there is no guarantees in life.
No one knows what the next second, minute, or hour may bring. Even though I lived like I have all the time in the world, I know now that life is a blink away from being over.
Don’t wait to seek God. Don’t think for a second that you can always serve Him tomorrow or later in life, because you want to do it your way and live life with a false freedom. We are slaves to this world, and I know for me personally, I served everything in this world and God was last on my list; and all it did for me was harden my heart and gave a false sense of security in myself.
It took this world from almost trying to destroy my family through a virus attacking our daughter and putting her in a hospital fighting for her life; to make me drop to my knees and beg God to save her and not break my family apart. Which brings us to another saying, “God will only give you what you can handle”. That’s not true in my opinion, to me, it felt like God let this world loose on me and consume me. In order for God to soften my heart, He had to break it into a billion pieces. My way got me to that moment in time. Living the way I wanted, thinking I had some peace, the place of comfort and routines, living out life with those sayings of “There is always tomorrow” and living in the “calm before the storm”, how foolish was I ?
The days our daughter spent in the hospital in a coma, felt like a lifetime wrapped into just a few weeks. Even to this day, even though I see her improving and God shining in her life, I can remember the pain, and the days that felt like they were years. That pain, that heartache, the constant worrying, the doubt, the quit inside, the feeling of no hope, and the thought of “what if” and “why?” All would come down to accepting God and trusting in Him or not. Thank God I chose Him.
I remember the night I pleaded with Him, I begged Him, and then I asked Him to forgive me and save me, it was the best decision I ever made.
Now, you would think since I recommitted myself to God our Saviour that I would have smooth sailing? Nope! It’s been stormy weather ever since. There are no days off, better yet, no minutes off. Every time I relax or take a little break for “me time” I’m reminded how bad of a sinner I am, what a failure I am, and I’m not gonna make it, I won’t finish this race.
So some advice from a man who lived and still fights the urges of living the way I want: don’t do it. Let God lead the way. Let Jesus’s love consume you. Let His Holy Spirit speak to you. Give yourself to Him now, don’t wait.
I have seen too many things in my life to not follow and believe. From God saving my youngest brother from a horrific accident, from God protecting my second oldest brother from a war in the Middle East, from God waking up my oldest brother and saving himself from his personal demons and health issues, and the countless other incidents in our family’s journey together that I could go on and on with…God's Grace is with us and upon us.
I am so thankful for everything He has done for me.
I leave you with this verse, and hope and pray you will not waste another second thinking “ there is always tomorrow”.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened”
(Matthew 7:7-8)
We are grateful to have you with us as readers, church members, and interested guests and we are always open to any suggestions and volunteers for our website, newsletter, and future activities. We hope to see you at our Sunday services and stay tuned for our coming newsletters and updates at church, at bible study, on Facebook, on the Wix-App, and on the website!
Upcoming Events:
Special Prayers:
Pray for Israel and Our Country that the lord guides our leaders and gives strength and protection to His people.
Pray for Anita Diarte and the Diarte Family for the passing of Chuck Diarte to God's welcoming arms.
Pray for Elizabeth Archuleta's Family that God has brought Lisa Home to His Heavenly Kingdom.
Pray for the Bibles we are sending to Kenyan Children and Youth that the lord provides a way for them to be sent .
Pray for our Newsletter that we can continue to write through the Holy Spirit
Pray for our Pastor and our church that we continue to grow and share the word of God to and that we continue to be blessed.
Weekly Devotional: When Do You Thank God?
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thnaks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
When is it easiest to be thankful? When things are going good, right? While it might be easier to praise God when you are most happier and comfortable, it is just as important, if not more important, to thank Him in the midst of trials.
In 1 Thessalonians, Paul tells the church at Thessalonica to rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances. This can be hard to do, especially when things aren't going well. So why do we have to give thanks? Why can't we give into cynicsm and thanklessness? Because God calls us to a life of continual thankfulness. It is God's will that we give thanks.
This is not to say that we need to always be smiling. Sometimes things in life are bad and we should mourn or be upset, but it is in these moments that God asks us to thank Him anyways.
The trials in our lives are not pointless. God has a purpose for everything, even the bad. We might not be able to see the good, but God can see the whole picture and we can gain hope in knowing that our suffering is not vain, but rather, part of God's greater purpose.
Furthermore, in Colossians 3:17 it says:
"And whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
No matter how we feel at any given moment, we are still in control of what we say and do, and we should use this opportunity to point our lives back to God. A defining characteristic of a christian is how he or she responds to trials. By finding the good in the bad and giving thanks despite the negative circumstances, christians set themselves apart from the rest of the world while simultaneously lifting their own spirits by fixing their eyes on God instead of the world.
So this thanksgiving, whether you see the blessing abounding in your life or you are struggling to find anything to be thankful for, turn to God, the one who blesses you with grace and salvation daily and whol longs for you to praise Him in the midst of your suffering, trusting in Him and His perfect purpose for your life now and forevermore.
Gcu. (2019, September 16). Weekly devotional: Giving thanks in all circumstances. GCU. https://www.gcu.edu/blog/spiritual-life/weekly-devotional-giving-thanks-all-circumstances
Verse of the Week:
"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
(Psalm 34:17-18)
Questions?
For any questions or suggestions regarding our newsletter please email berthoudfoursquarechurch@gmail.com or call (970)405-3053
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