CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD: When Your Kinsman Does not Help

Have you ever felt bad that a family member didn't help you when you thought they could? 

See what the Lord told me about that:

He referred me to the book of Ruth and reminded me that there was a kinsman closer than Boaz to help Naomi but that kinsman refused to help her. Because that person said "No", Boaz became Noami's kinsman-redeemer. Boaz not only redeemed Naomi's husband's land, he also married her daughter-in-law and gave her a grand child to carry on the lineage of her husband and son. 

When she came back from the land of Moab, she told them to call her "Mara", because her life was bitter. She was helpless and unhelped by her closest relative, but God sent another, not the expected person, but somebody who would do more, to give her more support than she could have imagined.

Do you feel like your closest relatives have abandoned you? Know that there is a kinsman-redeemer, someone not even as close as your expected but close enough to be used by the Master to meet your need. 

Take your focus off your expected ones and trust God because, he is sending you someone and something better than you expected. #TrustHim [The Book of Ruth, Ephesians 3:20]. 

Rest assured that your Kinsman-Redeemer is coming!

DON'T BLAME YOU FOR THEIR REJECTION

There is nothing more devastating than rejection because rejection shatters dreams and hopes.
It causes you to stagger on your path. It makes you doubt yourself.
If suddenly your life seems like a catalogue of rejections, you begin to flounder.
Your once strong disposition and belief in your vision crumbles under the weight of despair.
To be rejected by those whom you love is a pain incomparable to none other.
Your safe space suddenly turns to your pain place.
You become scared. Scared to live, scared to love and even scared to laugh.
Could it be me? You ask. What did I do? What did I say? What did they hear about me?
Innumerable questions and a gamut of scenarios spin around in your head.
The truth is, there are no answers to the questions. Even if you asked them directly, their answer would probably be a lie.
Many times those who reject you do not need any prompts. You didn’t cause it. It’s not your fault. You are good enough to be loved. You are worth standing by.
If you feel that your mistakes have given them a good excuse, know that your value is not diminished by your mistakes.
Look at it this way. I went to the bank and for the first time since I got to Canada, I received a $100 bill in the cash I withdrew. “$100 bill!” I exclaimed in my mind.
I kept it inside my wallet and brought it out from time to time to admire. I spent every other lesser bill I had but didn’t want to spend my $100 bill.
Last night I looked inside my wallet and I couldn’t find my $100 bill. I frantically searched everywhere but didn’t find it.
This morning I decided to go through all the garbage cans in the house. I didn’t find it.
I then went to the big garbage can outside and there in a mix of rotten fruit peels, tomatoes and other waste, I saw my precious $100 bill. It was all messed up but I rinsed it off and let it dry.
Let me ask you this question? Did my $100 bill become less valuable because it had been in the garbage with rotten food?
No!
In the same way, you are not less valuable because of your mistakes. Your challenges have not diminished your value in any way. You are still enough for the world. You are enough in every way.
There is no excuse that makes you bad enough to be rejected.

We Have Authority

Yesterday, I believed I committed a faux pas so shame and blame flogged me relentlessly. 

I tried to stuff myself with a very rich cream cake but that didn't help. My last thoughts yesternight and my first thoughts this morning, were of this 'great' mistake.

I was so weighed down by it that I almost didn't go for my morning walk. I sluggishly dressed up determined to keep my commitment to myself and then commenced on my walk.

My start was quite slow because I was carrying this burden that made every step so hard for me, but I kept plodding along.

I normally play Gospel songs on my morning walks but this morning I didn't even feel like playing any song, so I began facebooking. 

I had promised myself that I will never go to Facebook on my morning walk, but this morning I did. After about 5 minutes of facebooking, I realized what I was doing and stopped.

5 minutes later, I remembered Andrae Crouch's "Through it all", googled it on my phone and began to play it. Surprisingly, that didn't really make me feel any better. Normally playing gospel songs precedes my time of prayer, praise and worship, but I couldn't even open my mouth this morning. 

I kept replaying the song until I had a 'Eureka' moment. 

I remembered a conversation I had with a friend yesterday about how the most difficult battle we fight with ourselves in our time of pain, is the one we fight within our minds. 

Joyce Meyer's book "The Battlefield of the mind" also came to my mind at this point and I asked myself what I was doing allowing the devil mess with my mind. I immediately rebuked him and told the spirits of shame and blame to be silent and go back to hell where they belonged.

After doing this, I continued to listen to the song and about 5 minutes later, I realized I no longer had the burden and yesterday's faux pas was no longer a sword of Damocles hanging over my head. I was free! 

This really got me thinking of the authority that we have as believers and how often we as Christians, go about in life assaulted and traumatized by the devil because we don't use it.

If we don't use our authority, the devil will continue to run roughshod over our lives and emotions and, we will never live victorious lives. We have to speak to him, commanding him in the name of Jesus and he has no choice but to obey.

As long as we're alive, the battle does not stop, so we have to be alert to recognize his wiles.

We must learn to be deliberate in our walk and determined to emerge victorious from every battle he brings our way.

Remember, the outcome was sealed on Calvary's Cross. Victory is already ours, we just need to lay hold of it by using our authority.