Fear of rejection

 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?  Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. (Mark 6:2-6a NIV)

As I read the above passage of Scripture, I could visualize the whispers among the people. In present day, it would sound more like, "Who does He think He is? Ain't He Mary's Son from down the street working as a carpenter?" They were probably shooting slugs about his brothers and sisters, too. I'm sure you know how the gossip mill works.

But do we allow the gossip to keep us from sharing who God is in our lives or His love for us and others? Most of us have at least one person in our lives right now who need Jesus, but who we are and what we've done prevents us from sharing the Good News of salvation because of our past.

Do you fear you may be rejected? Truth is, you may be rejected, but you would have planted a seed, a seed that someone may come along and water in that person's life. Jesus was also rejected, in His hometown! We would think that would be the place He'd be most welcome, but that wasn't the case. So if Jesus faced rejection, you and I can count on it, but we shouldn't let that stop us. Just think of the state we'd be in if Jesus stopped preaching and teaching the Gospel, or eventually decided not to die on the cross because of man's rejection of Him?

Even more jacked up today.

But the great news is He didn't allow that rejection to stop His ministry. He knew His purpose and I pray that you know yours, and if not, that you'll seek Him for it. God is forever pursuing you and desires intimacy with you. Pray that He leads and guides your steps and help you to overcome any fear you're facing that prevents you from being who He has called you to be.

What's keeping you away?

 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. (Mark 2:4NKJV)

Here we have a paralytic man whose friends took him to Jesus for healing. First of all, what a great group of friends! Right? Friends who saw his need and had enough compassion to take action.

But that's not what I want to talk about today, but I thought it worth pointing out. We all need friends like that.

When the friends made it to the place where Jesus was, they couldn't get through to him, so they took the roof off the building to get their friend to Jesus. Again, great friends! Talking about not letting anything stop them from getting where they needed to be - a great example here.

We live in a country where we're free to worship and have access to God through Jesus, but the question comes to mind - what do we allow to keep us from Jesus? In the text, the friends had a physical barrier to overcome, but what about us? For the majority of us, I'd say the barriers are spiritual and mental, whether it's fear of the unknown, sin, perceived busyness from daily activities, or lack of relationship with Jesus. The good news is that Jesus is filled with compassion, ready and willing to forgive, and desires an intimate personal relationship with His children.

Today, I encourage you to ask Jesus' help in tearing down anything that keeps you away from an intimate relationship with Him.

P.S. My new Bible study is available now! www.natashafrazier.com

Pursuit (Exploring God's Endless Quest for My Heart)

Instead of our regularly scheduled devotional, I'd like to take a moment to share more with you about Pursuit, my Bible study that releases on October 15, 2020. 

Here's a short video explaining what to expect! https://youtu.be/ABFVFds8RmE

You

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:12-14 NIV)

What is the last thing you turned your house upside down to find? Keys? Though you have a set of spare keys. An earring? Though you have a jewelry box filled with earrings. (I know what you're thinking here. Yea, I have more but none of them match the one I lost or the one I lost is my favorite pair.) Was it the remote control? A pen? Though you have a drawer full of them.

For me, I believe it was a hair accessory. I rummaged through my bathroom drawers several times before I found it. And though I have others, I needed to find the one that was missing. I couldn't let myself walk away knowing I had somehow lost it. Or maybe it was nail polish? Either way, the same mindset applies.

To anyone else, I'm sure I seemed crazy for spending so much time searching for one small item, but it was important to me. The same can be said about you and me in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. We are important to God. When our hearts and ways are far from Him, He cares. It is in those times that we are the "one lost sheep" He will seek to bring back into His loving arms, even when the world will throw us away.

Be encouraged in knowing that even if it's only you that God needs to restore unto Him, He will do what it takes. My friend, you are loved by God.

I'm excited to share that, Pursuit, my new Bible study, will be available on 10/15/20. Pre-order it now: www.natashafrazier.com

I Come to the Garden Alone (Part 3) - What's holding you back?

 Isaiah 6:1-8 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
    The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

Is there something you've done that keeps you out of God's presence?

Isaiah says he saw the Lord high and lifted up which tells us two things: He was in the presence of God and he saw God’s dominion. And being in the presence of God in all of His glory showed Isaiah how unclean or sinful he really was. Isaiah says in v. 5 “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” He’s like I’m unclean, my lips are filthy. He started thinking of everything he’d done and began to deem himself unworthy to be in God’s presence. Lord, I’ve said ugly things about my brother or sister in Christ. I’ve cursed. I’ve lied. I’ve cheated, and my crew does the same thing - I live among the same kind of people. But yet you’ve still allowed me to be here.

And this is my favorite part, v. 6-7 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. ⁷ He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

No matter what you’ve done, your guilt has been removed. Believing Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead removes your sin. You have a clean slate. So don’t allow what you’ve done, any guilt or shame to keep you from making yourself available. Psalm 103:12 reminds us that, “He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west.” That’s far. Where does the east and west even begin and end? We’ll never know and just how awesome is that? God is not holding on to it, so neither should you.

Think about King David who committed adultery with Bathsheba and tried to cover it up when she became pregnant by bringing her husband back from battle to sleep with her to make it seem as if the baby was her husband's. Then he set him up to be killed! That’s terrible, right? But yet, God still used David in a mighty way, in fact, Jesus was born in the lineage of David. The Bible tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart.

Or consider Saul, who persecuted Christians and the church. I don’t know if there’s anything you could have done that’s worse than that because to me, that would seem like the ultimate reason for God to disown Him forever, but after Saul’s encounter in God’s presence, he made himself available. See Acts 9:1-18. 

We know Saul’s story. God even changed his name to Paul and he went on to do great things for the kingdom of God, preaching and winning souls for Christ. So no matter what you’ve done, don’t allow it to hinder you from entering the presence of God. Oftentimes when we have sinned, we choose that time to step away from God, when we should actually be drawing closer to him so He may cleanse us and renew our mind and spirit. So today, I encourage you to take the first step in making yourself available by entering the garden alone to pray.

 

I Come to the Garden Alone (Part 2)

 Matthew 26: 36-39 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”  He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed.  He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Prayer time is preparation, a recharge. We have to prepare our spirit and our mind for the attack of the enemy. All the enemy needs is one little opening and he’s all in. So Jesus encourages us and His disciples in v. 41 when He says, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Have you ever used the rechargeable batteries? Not sure if they’re still on the market, but they never lasted too long without needing to be recharged, at least mine didn’t. I almost had to recharge them daily or else, if I was listening to a CD player, the song would start to drag before the batteries gave out. What would happen to your spiritual resolve if you didn’t recharge? You’d probably be cursing somebody out in traffic by the end of the day because you didn’t recharge, you probably wouldn’t even be listening to your praise music to keep your mind right. 

Right? 

See that’s just the opening the enemy is looking for. Or you’d be home upset with your spouse or children over the most insignificant thing, (example?)see that’s an opening. Remember that the enemy is constantly seeking a way to kill, steal, and destroy your spirit. Prepare so that you don’t let Him in. Remember go a little further in prayer and prepare your spirit at all times.

So have you ever felt groggy or like you just needed a day off or away from everything to clear your mind? That’s likely an indicator that you need to recharge and spend more time in God’s presence. 

Tired? Recharge with God.

Frustrated? Recharge with God.

Anxious? Recharge with God.

Depressed? Recharge with God.

Need direction? Recharge with God.

Lonely? Recharge with God.

Afraid? Recharge with God.

Confused? Recharge with God.

Need comfort? Recharge with God.

We can go all day with this, but the crux of the matter is that answers are found in time alone in God’s presence. Though we know this, it is often neglected, rushed through, or low on our priority list.

One key thing through Jesus’ prayer throughout the text was that He rested in God. He trusted in Him. We know this because He was mature enough to say, not My will, but Your will be done. In order to get to a place where we are in agreement with God’s will, we have to have a personal relationship with Him, and relationships are built by spending time with one another. 

So my encouragement for you today is to go beyond your normal routine with God. Take your relationship to the next level by spending intentional time with Him. (That’s what we do when we’re in love, we’re constantly spending time with and talking to our mate) Spend more time in His presence alone and pray without ceasing. If you’ve been looking for answers or needing to hear from God, get in His Word and in prayer. Remember that God speaks through His Word. This is how you set yourself up to make yourself available to Him. It begins in His presence - communing with Him, listening to His voice and direction. God never asked us to be perfect, but He does need our availability in order to use us. James 4:7-8 says, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” See that’s a promise from God. He will draw close if we draw close. God is waiting on us to move toward Him.

I Come to the Garden Alone (Part 1)

 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”  He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed.  He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Matthew 26: 36-39)

Sometimes we can become so troubled that we need to take our prayer time with God to the next level or go a little deeper or go a step further as Jesus did in v. 39. It says, “He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” See, His disciples started with Him but scripture says that He was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. So for Jesus in this text, going a little further meant stepping away from His disciples, going to God alone and pouring His heart out. Though He knew what He was called to do, that didn’t stop Him from feeling overwhelmed, afraid, or even wanting God to change His mind about sending Him to the cross.

Our burdens are not even close to what Jesus was experiencing but we can learn from Him. It is okay to be scared or overwhelmed with sorrow sometimes but we must know that we need to take that sorrow to God. We’re often quick to tell our sisters to pray for us and yet do not take the time to pray for ourselves. There are times when those closest to you just can’t quite grasp how heavy your burden is or how badly you need God to move in your life. Look at the disciples. Jesus had an “I NEED YOU NOW” situation. He asked his disciples to pray, and yet they went to sleep. Sometimes our friends “sleep” on praying for us. Not in the literal sense, but because they don’t do so with urgency or don’t pray as fervently like we need them to.

In this text, Jesus went to God three times, back to back, about the same thing. And this just brings to mind that sometimes life can be so tough that our only option is to stay on our face in prayer.

Some situations require us to step outside of our normal daily prayer routine. Or even our daily routine. This could mean skipping out on the next gathering (which I hope you're not gathering at this time anyway), turning off the TV & internet, powering off the cell phones, and giving that time to God.

But what do you do when it seems you don’t have the extra time to go a little further? I mean from the moment you’re out of bed until you’re back in it again, your day is filled with activities and things to do. You’re just so busy. I can recall about five years ago, I started getting up an hour earlier than normal just so that I could pray and meditate on God’s Word. At the time, my oldest daughter was five and we know that kids that age have questions about everything. Well, she started getting up early as well and I would send her back to bed. And she’s like, its morning and you’re up. Why do I have to go back to bed and why would you want to be up all by yourself? She wanted to be my company I guess, but what she didn’t understand is that I already had company; I wasn’t alone. And since she started waking up early, I had to start getting up even earlier until that wasn’t working and I started staying up late at night. So whatever going a step further in your prayer time looks like for you -whether that’s waking up early, using your lunch break or staying up late, take some time to go the extra step in seeking God. And it doesn’t matter if you’re currently going through a rough spot in life or not we all need a daily refreshing of being in God’s Word and in prayer.