Everlasting

Guest Blogger: Habibah Sulayman

I have a confession--I LOVE to box! Not Mike Tyson ear biting type of boxing but I like to box as a form of exercise. It makes my turkey wings aka my arms :) look and feel great.

My trainer, who has to be one of the most creative women I know, has created a section in her gym/basement, where she has set the punching bag on a chair and tied it to a standing column with two exercise resistance bands! Told you she was fabulous :).

She knows how much I enjoy boxing and since I am on a cardio kick--she lets me box myself silly sometimes.

On the front of the bag it states the following:

"EVERLASTING--THE CHOICE OF CHAMPIONS"

What most people dont know is that exercise has become a time of worship for me. I am fully aware of God's power in me when I work out because I know there are things that I am able to do then--dips, running on a treadmill among others--that I cant do in my own strength. So I usually meditate on a thought or two when I am exercising. I have little chants that I say in my head when I finally get a rhythm going--My trainer has this exercise I do while boxing--I squat and punch the bag as I come to a full stand. It is usually done to a 6 count. So my fav chant during that is Your will, Your way, Your Word or something like that. It is a time that I can drown out all of my busy thoughts and just focus on Him.

Yesterday, one of my favorite Worship leaders Theresa Noye (luv her and her family so much) sang a song called Everlasting by Chris Tomlin and some of the lyrics are as follows:

Our God, You reign forever

Our hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God

The everlasting God

You do not faint

You won't grow weary

You're the defender of the weak

You comfort those in need

You lift us up on wings like eagles

As I sang--I got a big picture. I began to reflect on God's everlasting presence in my life. How He never grows faint in His love for me and my loved ones. How He didnt grow faint when He pursued me all those years before I said "Yes" in my heart to Him. How He never grows faint in extending me more and more mercy & grace knowing full well how bad I am going to blow it. He never grows weary of hearing my cries as it is written "

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them." Psalm 145:18-19 (NIV)

So even when I call on Him in TRUTH of my mess, weakness, shakiness--He NEVER grows tired of answering me. I just began to meditate on ALL of the things my mind could pull up that He doesnt faint or grow weary in when it comes to me and my heart was full.

This weekend's false prophecy made me sad more than anything because there are so many people who grew weary and almost fainted because they put their all in a man--who did exactly what we do in our own power FAIL. I know how that feels and I grieve for them all.

Instead of judging or mocking them--I began to look at my own life to see if I had any false prophets or idols I had been placing my everlasting faith in--It could be in the form of the job we think is our provision, the whispered promises of an illicit person who swears to never leave if we only give in, or could it be the talent/abilities that God has given us that we place faith in instead of the Giver of All? If we are all honest--we all have some small or big "false prophet" in our lives that we must renounce our agreement with (another Min Theresa Noye nugget of wisdom)

But guess what--there is Someone who doesnt--Someone who is EVERLASTING in His promises, power, mercy, grace, andl LOVE if you just say yes.

He is the EVERLASTING God--and choosing to say yes to Him will make you a champion. He is waiting to show each and everyone of His tired and weary children how much He loves them.

So today my prayer is that we begin to place our faith and hope back into the EVERLASTING arms of the only One who it belonged to all along...

Be blessed

The Esau Syndrome

Have you ever, in desperation, settled on something only to later realize that God had (or may have had) something better?

Have you ever fretted over your situation so much until you finally convinced yourself to come up with your own solution to "fix" it because God was taking too long?

In this race, we experience all types of emotions -- including being tempted to take a shortcut. These shortcuts often seem to be the only way to appease some emotion with which we are struggling, like hunger, thirst, loneliness, frustration, etc.

In Genesis Chapter 25:29-34, Esau came to Jacob, after a day of hunting, and declared that he was so hungry he was about to die. Jacob had been preparing some lentil stew, which probably smelled great to Esau. Esau exaggerated his condition to make a point, but it just gave Jacob a glimpse at how vulnerable Esau was, so he made a plan to take advantage. Esau's desperation cost him his birthright, the inheritance that was his because he was the first-born son.

Hebrews 12:16-17 warns us against making the same irreversible mistakes.

Often, as Christians, we feel desperate in our situtations. Our focus on how we feel, and not on God and his ability to know what's best for us, drives us deeper into our emotions. For example, we feel lonely. We begin to focus on our loneliness, which is very real and painful. We start to think that God is taking too long to relieve this anguish, and we can't take it anymore. We consider ways to "take the edge off" that we know, or believe, are not pleasing to God. We convince ourselves that we have no choice if we are going to continue, if we don't get relief we will "surely die". We pray for God's grace in our decision to sin, and veer off on the path of COMPROMISE.

Once we realize what we have done, we (hopefully) experience immediate conviction and remorse, but it's too late. If we repent, God will guide us back to the right road, but there will be consequences on the way, some more painful than what we first experienced.

One of the saddest scenes in the bible occurs in Genesis 27:32-40, where  Esau goes to Isaac and realizes that he indeed has lost his inheritance to his younger brother, Jacob.

Today, as believers, our inheritance of eternal life is sealed at salvation, however we cheat ourselves of God's best and have to deal with the unnecessary pain of the consequences of our decisions when we succumb to sinful shortcuts. We take these kind of shortcuts in our finances, our relationships, and our career choices, to name a few. There are other scenarios as well.

If we find ourselves overwhelmed by our unmet needs, and we are tempted to take a shortcut, we would be wise to remember Esau, and to look to God to strengthen us to endure while waiting for His best.

A Collective Bride

If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing.
1 Corinthians 12:26 (MSG)

In the Body, we are nothing without each other.

The Word speaks about one bride and one bridegroom. Although we are individuals with differing personalities and varying gifts, in God we are considered one.

collective: denoting a number of persons or things considered as one group or whole, like a flock
(according to Merriam-Webster dictionary)

In order to advance, we have to run as one. All of the parts are important. Nothing can be considered insignificant, or less important.

It is tempting to leave the slower runners, or those who have veered off the path, behind. The Word of God in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 makes it clear that this is NOT AN OPTION! It could be compared to showing up to your wedding with part of your dress missing.

"Weeds of discontent" can grow in even the most beautiful garden. We have to be sure they are picked while they are young and easier to pull. In a race, discontent causes lost focus, unnecessary grandstanding, and quitting.

The church must be a place where we take time to care about the "sick" parts of the body. We cannot just keep running past them, hoping they'll catch up (get well on their own) or forfeit (disappear entirely). We have to slow down to assist them with encouragement to stay in the race and keep running. We might have to sacrifice what we see as a successful lead to spend time ministering to, and serving each other. We have to show care to one another. It can be exhausting.

If we are to grow spiritually, and reach the finish line to be joined to our Bridegroom, it's going to be an all or none type of  deal. By the time we get  there we may feel bruised and battered, but Christ will embrace us as one cherished bride, collective, glorious and holy without spot or wrinkle.