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Amazing Faith.

October 22, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend. We did some unpacking, built a desk for our office, and did some exploring around the area…not too bad of a weekend:) It was really warm, which is still so weird to me, but overall had a relaxing weekend. It’s nice to be able to actually enjoy our apartment now that we have furniture and the like.

I started reading the gospel of Luke this morning. First, did you guys know that Luke was a physician? I read that in the footnotes of my Bible this morning…I had no idea. You all probably knew that, but I thought it was really interesting. His account of Jesus’ life is very detailed, which I guess makes sense seeing that he was a doctor, and doctors need to be precise. Random fact for the day.

Anyways, this morning I read about Mary. I’m sure most of you are familiar with her story, but just in case you’re not, I’ll give a little background info. Mary was a virgin, about to married to Joseph, when an angel of the Lord came to her and told her she would give birth to a son—Jesus. Now, this must have sounded very strange to her. I mean, she was a virgin—how exactly was this going to work out? Back in her time, a woman who became pregnant outside of marriage was generally shunned by society, and usually remained unmarried for the rest of her life. It was completely unacceptable, and looked down upon quite strongly. Now, knowing this, I have to imagine that Mary was terrified. The implications of such a pregnancy would most likely ruin her life. But, instead of being afraid, Mary was willing and eager to do what God called her to do, and agreed to become the mother of Jesus.

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.”

Luke 1:38

May it be to me as you have said. That’s it. Mary didn’t need any reassurances or promises that everything would work out okay in the end. No. She simply trusted God, and willingly obeyed him even though the task she was given didn’t seem to make a lot of sense.

Mary had real faith. Even when faced with a difficult situation, she chose to willingly obey God. How often do we skip out on God’s plan for our lives because we are too scared, or the situation just doesn’t seem to make sense to us? I Know I am guilt of doing this. It’s hard to trust God when things are difficult, or when they don’t make sense, but that is when doing so is the most important. If we could approach every situation in our lives—good or bad—with faith like that of Mary, think about how much more God could accomplish through us. I’m sure the results would be amazing.

What about you? Is there something in your life that just doesn’t seem to make sense right now? Trust God, and willingly obey what he is telling you—even if you can’t make sense of it right now, it will all become clear in the end, and the results will be worth it!

Hope you all are having a great day so far! God Bless:)

God’s Will First.

October 18, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello! Hope you all are having a great Thursday so far! It’s a beautiful day here, although it still seems strange for the weather to be so warm in October. I won’t complain. We are officially moved in to the new place…as in I finished unpacking all the boxes yesterday afternoon! Praise the Lord. Seriously, it finally is starting to feel like home around here, and I love it:)

I know I’ve been talking about prayer a lot lately, but it is something God has been laying on my heart. He keeps bringing up different scripture on the topic, and when that happens it is usually a silent queue for me to pay attention, and learn something. So, here is something I read this morning…

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Mark 11:24

Whatever I ask for? Well, not exactly. See, so often we ask God for the things that WE want, and expect him just to drop it into our laps. We ask for different things out of our own selfish desires, and are then surprised and angry when we don’t receive. I mean the Bible tells us to ask and receive, right? Actually, we are forgetting one key component. Jesus talks about this component later in Mark on the night he is to be crucified. He asks God to take his cup from him (or to take his suffering away), but then he backs up a step and say, “Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

We may think we have a pretty good idea of the things that we want and need, but in reality, we don’t—only God does. He knows what we need, and he wants his will to be done in our lives. Instead of asking him for whatever our selfish hearts desire, we need to first ask that his will be done in our lives. Then, when our will lines up with his will for our lives, we can ask him for the things he wants to give us (according to his will), and expect to receive them through faith.

Let me put it this way. We can ask for anything we want, but if it doesn’t line up with what we need to fulfill his will in our lives, we won’t receive it. This is where a lot of people become frustrated, and start to believe that God doesn’t answer their prayers. He does answer them—in his perfect timing, and in accordance with his will in our lives. If we are diligently and honestly seeking his will to be done in our lives, then he will grant us the things that we ask for, because those things will be within his perfect will.

On the night he was to be crucified, Jesus would probably have liked to have the suffering and pain taken away. It would have been easy for him to ask God to take him from the scene. But, he knew that leaving was not God’s will, and that he had to follow through with his imminent death so that later he could be resurrected, and in doing so save us from death by our own sinful nature. The point? Seek God’s will to be done first in your life before you ask him for the things you think you need—you might be surprised by what he shows you.

Hope that makes sense—it’s just what God has been really speaking to me about this week. Hope you are having a great day! God Bless:)

Just Believe.

October 15, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Monday! Hope you all (y’all?) had a great weekend. James and I took it pretty easy and did a bit of sight seeing and exploring. We were supposed to get our furniture yesterday, but it was delayed until this evening…only a few more hours! I seriously never knew how much I could miss a bed. Anyways. I finished Matthew and started Mark over the weekend, and this morning I came across a short but impactful verse…

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Mark 5:36b

Like I said—short and sweet. Let me give you a little bit of background information so you understand the context. Jesus was on his way to heal the daughter of Jarius, on of the synagogue rulers, when word reached them that Jarius’ daughter had already died. Assuming they were too late, Jarius became sad and afraid. But, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” I don’t know about you, but I think if I were Jarius I would have found it rather hard to believe anything right then. I would have been thinking about how my child had just died—not that there was still any hope left. But with Jesus all things are possible—even bringing the dead back to life. They carried on towards Jarius’ house, and when they reached it Jesus told all who were there that the daughter was not dead but merely sleeping. Onlookers laughed, but Jesus had other plans. He went to the child, held her hands, and brought her back to life. Amazing.

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.” It sounds so simple, yet it can be so difficult at times. When times are tough, fear and doubt seem like the easiest places to turn. So often we fall into fear, when what we really need to do is trust and believe. When tempted to be afraid, we must remember these words spoken by Jesus. No matter what the circumstance may be, Jesus is much bigger, and able to overcome it. We don’t need to be afraid. Instead, we need to believe in him and in his perfect will for our lives. When we begin to feel hopeless and afraid, remember that Jesus is king of all, and that his ways are higher and better than ours.

Is there something that you are struggling with today? Perhaps it is something that is causing you to live in fear. I challenge you to remember the words of Jesus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe,” and let him guide you through whatever it is that you are going through.

Hope you all are having a great day so far—God bless!

Use It.

October 11, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Thursday!

Throughout the past couple of weeks, I have been reading the book of Matthew. One of the things I love about this book, along with the other gospels, is the large amount of parables included within.

One parable I read this morning was entitled, “The Parable of the Loaned Money”. In this parable, there is a master and his three servants. The master decides to go away one day, and leaves each of his servants with some money to invest with while he is away. The first servant receives 5 talents, the second 2, and the third 1. The first and second servant make use of the money while their master is away, and end up being able to double the amount they were originally given. The third servant however, takes the 1 talent he was given and hides it in the ground because he was afraid of what his master would do when he returned. When the master returned, he was very pleased with the first two servants, placing them in charge of much since they were faithful with the little that he gave them. But, when he found out what the third servant did, he became very angry. He punished him for not being a good steward of what was given him, and for hiding it away when he could have invested it and used it for gain.

“So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”

Matthew 25:25

The cool thing about parables is that they can be related to real life circumstances. In this case, we are like those servants in the story, and God is the master. He gives each of us unique gifts, talents and abilities for a purpose—to use them in furthering his kingdom on Earth. His desire for us is to behave like the first two servants—using our talents for the greater good, and multiplying what has been entrusted to us. But, so often we behave like the third servant. We see the gifts and talents that we have, and instead of using them to glorify God, we use them for personal gain—or maybe we don’t even use them at all. We become selfish with our talents and abilities, and choose to ‘hide’ them from the kingdom of God. When we do this, we are not able to fulfill our true purpose and calling in life. Instead, we end up living a half-life—full of selfishness and bitterness. God has given each of us special and unique abilities for a reason. It’s our job to use them in ways that are glorifying to him, and assist in furthering his kingdom here on Earth.

What about you? Do you have a God-given talent that is being used only for personal gain? OR maybe you have a talent that isn’t being used at all. God wants to use you and your talents to further his kingdom, and reach the lost—are you ready and willing to let him in?

Hope you all are having a great week so far! God Bless:)

Letting Go.

October 10, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

So. Big news. James and I have just added a new addition to the family…we adopted a little baby kitten yesterday! He is seriously the cutest thing ever. And he is so tiny! So far he likes climbing up my clothes, sitting on my shoulder, and then falling asleep on my lap. I will try and post some pictures tomorrow:) Oh, and his name is Sampson. He must know his name is biblical, because as I was doing my devotions this morning, he fell asleep on my Bible. Precious.

Anyways, while I was trying to read around baby Sampson sleeping on my Bible, I came across this verse…

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”

Matthew 23:37

Jesus continually tried to gather the people of Jerusalem to him. He wanted to protect them, like a hen protects her young, but they rejected him. In the same way, he longs to wrap each of us in his arms and protect us from the sinful world we live in. Unfortunately, just as the Israelites, we tend to reject him. We think we can do everything on our own—and that we don’t need his help. How wrong we are.

When we let him in and allow him to help us, we can never fail. We should learn a lesson from Jerusalem. When things in life become difficult—even when things are easy—the most important thing we can do is relinquish our own personal control, and let him in. He wants so badly to help, guide and protect us. We need to let go of our pride, our idols, and anything else that is getting in his way, and let him overtake us with his perfect love and peace.

This is something that I have been dealing with a lot lately. I try so hard to do things on my own. I think that I can plan every detail of my life on my own, and I tend to think I know what’s best for me. Generally, I end up failing. It’s difficult for me, but I am learning day by day how to give up my own plans, worries, stresses, fears and anxieties, and turn everything over to God. His plan is perfect, and he wants to protect me, just as he wanted to, and still wants to, protect Jerusalem. Letting go can be scary, but the peace that accompanies it makes everything worth it. Is there anything you need to let go of today? Let Jesus in, and allow him to hold and protect you. It may seem hard at first, but it will be more than worth it in the end.

Hope you all are having a great week so far! God Bless:)

Never Give Up.

October 3, 2012 By: Sarah Leff1 Comment

It’s another beautiful day here in Texas—I’m still missing my Michigan Fall quite a bit, but the sunshine is definitely nice:) We have an awesome deck/patio area in our new apartment, which I have been thoroughly enjoying at all times of day. Our location is quite close to the massive DFW Airport, but the constant planes flying overhead haven’t been too annoying—they are actually kind of soothing in a weird way, and are contributing to the little travel bug growing inside of me. I mean, how could you not think about traveling when you live underneath a flight path? Just saying. Anyways. I was reading again in Matthew this morning, and came across a favorite passage of mine…

“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

It’s comforting to know that when we diligently seek the Lord, and our wills line up with his own, he will grant us the desires of our hearts. However, a lot of people [myself included at times] never experience the desires of their heart. Why? Because they give up to easily. Have you ever asked God for something? I mean, really asked God for something? How persistent were you? So often we ask God for the desires of our hearts a few half-hearted times, only to be disappointed and give up when things don’t ‘magically’ turn your way. When you think about it, the word ‘seeking’ does not mean instant gratification. It means to search long and hard for something in order to receive or find it in the end. Our world is so fast. We thrive on speed, and on getting things done instantaneously. Unfortunately for our culturally programmed brains, God doesn’t always work instantaneously. In fact, some times he is downright slow in our mind. But, he always makes everything work out according to his perfect will and in his precise timing. We need to patiently seek his face, and ask him—with the right heart and motives—for the things we need. He will always be faithful to us when we are faithful to him. If things don’t change the way you want them to right away, keep asking and praying to God about them. Don’t give up—God always hears us. Sometimes it may take longer and require more faith than we had originally planned.

This is something I am learning more and more each day. Some times its hard to be patient—I just want everything to happen right when I ask. But, God is teaching me to be patient and wait upon his perfect timing. If this is something you struggle with as well, ask God today to help you in overcoming it.

Hope you are all having a great day! I’ll try and post some pictures of the area soon:)

No Worries.

October 2, 2012 By: Sarah Leff1 Comment

Hello and Happy Tuesday from Grapevine, TX! We are slowly getting a little more familiar with the area, and starting to settle in to our new apartment. I am missing fall in the Midwest, but the weather here has been pretty nice so far so I can’t really complain. I started reading the New Testament on Monday (yay). It’s slightly easier to read than the Old Testament, which is nice:) Anyways, I was reading in Matthew this morning, and this verse really stuck out to me…

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own.”

Matthew 6:34

Needless to say, this was a good reminder for me this morning. Often, I find myself worrying WAY to easily. Not to say that moving half way across the country with less than two weeks notice comes without worry and stress—because it does—but sometimes I worry too much. I’ve mentioned previously that I am a planner my nature, and always like to know what is going to happen next. Planning is not a bad thing, but the point that our plans turn into worry is when we need to take a step back and reevaluate. The footnotes in my Bible said it well…

“Planning for tomorrow is time well spent; worrying about tomorrow is time wasted.”

Again, planning is not a bad thing—it is actually a good thing, and when done correctly can alleviate a lot of stress. But, planning goes wrong when we allow worry to creep into the picture. If we trust God with our plans in the first place, then there is no need to worry. I know this is much easier said than done—I’m living proof of that. But, overtime I have figured out that worrying really doesn’t get you anywhere—its only makes things worse. When we trust God with our plans and our problems, he is faithful to work things out in our favor.

Lord, help me to trust you with my plans, and not to worry about anything. I’ve let worry and stress get in the way of our relationship, and I’m sorry. Forgive me for worrying and stressing. Help me to trust you in all that I do today and always. Amen.

Hope you all are having a fabulous week! God Bless:)

The Raging Sea

October 1, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello! It’s been awhile…don’t worry, I’m still here, it’s just been a crazy week! I can say that James and I have successfully arrived in Grapevine, TX (just outside of Dallas) and are settling into our new apartment down here. Thanks for all of the prayers and support throughout the move–God has definitely been with us throughout the entire process.

I definitely have felt a little overwhelmed at times over the past few weeks, but every time I start to get nervous or afraid, I remember that God is with me. He loves me, and he has a plan and a purpose for my life. I am here in Texas for a reason, and even though I may not know what that reason may be just yet, I’m sure God will use both James and myself in powerful ways. I’m learning to trust God entirely, and lean on him no matter what I may be going through. There’s something about moving somewhere far from home that teaches you this reliance and trust in a way that you never thought to be possible before. God is good, and he will always provide for his children.

I was reading in Jonah the other day (which, by the way, I officially finished the New Testament today!) and was struck by how God provided for him even as he was running away from the task God had given him. God wanted Jonah to go to Ninevah, but Jonah didn’t want to. Instead, he tried running from God by getting on a ship to sail away from his problems. While God sent a raging storm to pursue Jonah and stop him from running away, he also sent a big fish to swallow him up and save him from the sea. God has a way of providing for us, no matter what our circumstance may be. Just as he provided the big fish as a means to save Jonah from the raging sea, so too can he provide for you and me. All we have to do is ask and receive.

Hope you all had a great weekend, and I’ll be back to more regular blog posts this coming week:) God Bless!

Trusting God in the Transitions

September 19, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and happy Wednesday! Sorry for the inconsistency in blog posting recently—James and I have been going through a stressful couple of weeks, BUT I can now announce that we will be moving to Dallas, TX at the end of the month! It’s a little scary for me—I’ve never even been there before—but I know God will be protecting us, and everything will work out just fine:) I’m excited to begin a new chapter in our lives, and embark on a new adventure!

Like I said, I’ve been a little nervous about the move, but the closer it gets the easier it seems for some reason. Consequently, I’ve been reading the book of Daniel lately, which has definitely helped me through this time of transition. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the story of Daniel, but if not, I’ll give you a few details. First, Daniel was living in captivity in a strange and foreign land (Babylon). He was not familiar with his surroundings, but he and his friends relied on God to keep them safe. Daniel trusted God, even when it wasn’t easy. For example, when a decree was issued that no one would be allowed to pray to anyone but the King, Daniel refused to obey. Even though the penalty was death by the lion’s den, Daniel refused to pray to anyone but the one true God. Because of his disobedience to the king, he was thrown into the lion’s den. But, God protected Daniel by closing the mouths of the lions, and he remained unharmed until the King pulled him out of the den the following morning.

Daniel lived a life outside of his home country—his comfort zone—and he was always faithful to God. Now, I’m not going to be living in captivity like Daniel was, but at the same time I felt a connection with his story as I read. Like Daniel, I need to be faithful to God no matter where I may be physically—even if it’s a little out of my comfort zone. I need to trust that God knows what’s best, and that he has a greater purpose for my life and transitions than I could ever fathom. So, with that being said, I’m choosing to trust that God will provide for us down in Dallas, just as he has been for years in the Midwest. I am going to trust that he has us going there for a reason, and everything will work out according to his perfect plan as long as I trust him.

What about you? Is there anything that you need to trust God with in your life? Any big changes or transitions that may seem scary? Trust that He will guide you and protect you, just as he did for Daniel, way back in the Old Testament.

Hope you all are having a great week so far! God Bless:)

The Power of Obedience

August 29, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and happy Wednesday! I can’t believe that we are already in the last week of August, and that next weekend is Labor Day. The summer has seriously flown by! I’m enjoying the last few weeks of summer though, because I know that eventually it will be freezing here in the Midwest and I’ll be wishing for the warm weather to come back again:)

This morning I started reading the book of Ezekiel. I’m not all that familiar with Ezekiel, so it should be an interesting read—it has been so far at least. Ezekiel was asked by God to do many things, some of which might seem a little strange. For example, in chapter four, Ezekiel is asked to lie of his left side for 390 days to signify Israel’s future punishment of 390 years. He was then asked to lie on his right side for 40 days to signify Judah’s future punishment of 40 years. Now, I’m not sure if he was actually lying down 24/7 during this time period, but regardless this took extreme obedience on Ezekiel’s part. It could not have been easy, and it must have looked rather odd to the people who lived in his community. But, Ezekiel was obedient to God’s call in his life, and did the things that he was told to do.

In chapter three, after receiving an amazing heavenly vision from God, Ezekiel was sent to a place to prophesy and convince the wicked men living there to turn from their ways.

“The spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord upon me. I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Abib near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—overwhelmed.”

Ezekiel 3:14-15

Ezekiel says he went, even though he didn’t necessarily want to, and when he got there he felt ‘overwhelmed’. I bet he did. But you know what? It didn’t stop him from going where God told him to go and doing the things God told him to do. He may not have been totally sold on the idea of preaching doom and gloom to those wicked men, but he was obedient to God and didn’t let his personal thoughts or feelings get in the way of his calling.

We can learn a lot from Ezekiel’s obedience. It’s important to follow where God is leading us, even if it’s not popular or isn’t necessarily something that we want to do. God wants to use us in mysterious and awesome ways, but first we have to be obedient, like Ezekiel, and do what he tells us to do.

Hope you all are having a great week so far! God Bless:)

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