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Heaven (4)
"'And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.'" John 14:3 (NIV)
There's more to explore.
God has so much more in store for you than what you have currently in view. There's so much more on the other shore. God is growing you and grooming you in this life in preparation for the life to come. God's nature is that of integrity. God keeps His word. He is the real Promise Keeper.
As a follower of Christ, you will go to heaven either through the doorway of death or the reality of the rapture. You will either go to Jesus upon your death or Jesus will come to you via the rapture of the church.
- "Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.'" Luke 23:43 (NIV)
- "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." 1 Thess 4:16-17 (NIV)
Are you ready for Jesus to come back?
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Heaven (3)
"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." John 14:2 (NIV)
Heaven is a place you can call home.
When Jesus spoke these words of comfort to His disciples, He affirmed the reality of heaven and the specific rooms, mansions, or abodes in heaven. Jesus was not going to build what was already in heaven. Rather, Jesus was indicating that He was preparing a place for them and us in heaven by going to the cross to pay the penalty of their sin and our sin.
- "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Heb 1:3 (NIV)
- "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Phil 3:20-21 (NIV)
Don't get discouraged. Don't lose hope. Don't get too enamored by this life on planet earth. You aren't home yet. Heaven is your home!
There's no place like home...
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Heaven (2)
"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." Josh 1:5 (NIV)
God's presence brings comfort.
You will never go through anything that Jesus hasn't already endured on your behalf. Jesus knows grief, suffering, rejection, humiliation, betrayal, loneliness, and death on a first name basis. Yet, Jesus reigns in victory. If you will allow Jesus to reign in your life, you will reign in victory.
- "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Phil 1:21 (NIV)
- "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." Jude 1:24-25 (NIV)
What's troubling you today? Is there anything causing you to lose sleep or to agonize in the sea of worry? Has fear darkened your vision or diffused your passion? Surrender every fiber of your being to the Lord right now in prayer. Invite God to make His presence known in your life.
I enjoy quoting aloud each day the following excerpt from Beth Moore's book, Believing God:
- God is who He says He is
- God can do what He says He can do
- I am who God says I am
- I can do all things through Christ
- God's Word is alive and active in me...I'm believing, I'm believing, I'm believing God!
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Heaven (1)
"'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me.'" John 14:1 (NIV)
God designed you for eternity.
Everybody will live somewhere forever. As Bruce Wilkinson says, "Your beliefs determine where you will spend eternity; your behavior determines how you will spend eternity." When you choose to live the life God has given, you experience abundant life on earth and you enjoy the reality of eternal life in heaven. In this earthly existence, you live on a broken planet with the presence of sin. As a result, problems become part of the landscape of life.
The disciples were troubled as Jesus revealed the reality of His imminent death.
- "It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love." John 13:1 (NIV)
Trust in God to do what He has promised. God keeps His word. God has provided the resolution for the problem of sin. Trust God to carry you through this life into the life to come.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Growing Through Depression (5)
"The LORD said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.' Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." 1 Kings 19:11-12 (NIV)
God's revelation and relationships are antidotes to depression.
God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through His Word. As you read the Bible, you discover God's purpose and plan for your life. You come to know the heart of God for world redemption and you gain insight into God's nature and character. The ultimate revelation of God is His Son, Jesus. Jesus is God incarnate. Jesus became flesh, lived a sinless life, and died to purchase our salvation. God's Word is nourishment for your soul.
God has provided the way for us to walk in relationship with Himself and to walk in relationship with other believers. God revealed Himself to Elijah as a gentle whisper. God wanted to teach Elijah to be sensitive to His abiding Presence.
Elijah had chosen to leave his servant. As a result, his depression escalated in proportion to his isolation. One of Satan's most effective tools is that of isolation. He wants to remove you from relationships because God designed you for relationships. In fact, the first "not good" in the Bible is where God said that it was not good for man to be alone.
It's time for a spiritual checkup. What are you currently doing for refreshment? What adjustments do you need to make in order to get more rest? Are you having a consistent intake of God's Word? If you read four chapters each day, you will read through the entire Bible in one year. Do you have a life-giving friend? Ask God to help you in these four specific areas to help you grow through depression.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Growing Through Depression (4)
When Elijah reached the lowest point of his life and prayed that he might die, God provided Elijah with physical nourishment and rest. Read these two verses and take special note of the rest God provided.
"Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, 'Get up and eat.' He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again." 1 Kings 19:5-6 (NIV)
You will spend one-third of your life sleeping. For your body to operate at maximum capacity, rest is a nonnegotiable. So how's your sleep? Do you feel rested when you awake each morning? Sleep deprivation will negatively affect your mood, your energy, and your stress level.
To help ease your mind at night, have a notepad and pen close to your bed so you can jot down the items that are bothering you. Instead of counting sheep, talk to the Shepherd. Pray through whatever you are worrying about and anything that God brings to your mind. When your mind is at peace, your rest will be sweet.
Your pillow, mattress, sheets, and comforter do impact how well you sleep. If your room is too bright, you may want to think of ways to make your room darker. Another tip is to locate your alarm clock away from your face and place it across the room. If total silence helps you sleep better, then eliminate noise. If soft music helps you relax and fall asleep, then turn on the music.
God wants you to take care of your body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, do whatever it takes to ensure a good night's rest. When you are well rested, you will feel the difference and you will have more energy to live for God's glory.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Growing Through Depression (3)
"Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. 'I have had enough, LORD,' he said. 'Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.'" 1 Kings 19:3-4 (NIV)
Have you ever reached a point in your life where you had just had enough? In our fast paced culture, it is easy to reach the breaking point. Frustration, fear, fatigue, and financial pressure along with other stress in life can lead you to the place of depression. When you are depressed, your resistance to the stress of life weakens and your ability to bounce back may be inhibited.
What did God do to bring relief to the depression Elijah was experiencing?
- "Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, 'Get up and eat.' He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again." 1 Kings 19:5-6 (NIV)
- "The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, 'Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.' So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God." 1 Kings 19:7-8 (NIV)
Elijah ate the food God provided for his refreshment. You could call it Angel food cake. Sometimes you may feel depressed simply because of a nutritional deficit. Depression can also be the result of the unhealthy food we choose to eat.
Start experiencing God's refreshment by eating properly and exercising consistently.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Growing Through Depression (2)
"Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, 'May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.'" 1 Kings 19:1-2 (NIV)
Loss of perspective leads to confusion.
Elijah confronted idolatry and the forces of evil with courage and boldness. He aggressively opposed the prophets of Baal and Asherah. Elijah was able to raise his hands in victory after the fire of God fell on Mt. Carmel to consume the sacrifice. The public victory had been won.
Privately, Elijah shifted from faith in God to fear of the wicked woman, Jezebel. Elijah confronted the prophets with utter courage and now is running for his life as a coward because of a threat from Jezebel. Elijah displayed confusion as a result of losing his perspective. He falls into deep depression.
What are some causes of depression? Frustration can lead to depression. Frustration over the circumstances you find yourself in can lead to depression. Sometimes frustration related to a strained relationship can cause depression. Fear can certainly bring you down into the pit of despair. When you stop viewing life through the eyes of faith and start viewing life through the eyes of fear, depression seeps in. Fatigue has a way of opening the door to depression. When you are exhausted, you can quickly lose perspective. Then, of course, there is the bandit of financial pressure. That kind of perpetual pressure can lead you down the alley of depression.
Do you currently have God's perspective on your life and on your circumstances? Have you experienced any level of depression in recent days? There's hope! There's help on the way...
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Growing Through Depression (1)
"At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: 'O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.'" 1 Kings 18:36-37 (NIV)
When you hear the name Elijah, your first inclination is to think of the major victory he experienced on Mt. Carmel. Elijah took on the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who ate at Jezebel's table. Elijah is kind of like the "Rocky Balboa" of the Old Testament. He was not about to back down from the featured match between good and evil.
- "Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench." 1 Kings 18:38 (NIV)
- "When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, 'The LORD--he is God! The LORD--he is God!'" 1 Kings 18:39 (NIV)
You are most susceptible to sin after a major victory. More to come...
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Surrendered Life (3)
"'The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.'" John 12:25-26 (NIV)
Victory comes through surrender.
Why did you wake up this morning? What are you giving your life to today? Who are you living for? God is working all things together for His glory and for your good. Today matters! God desires to conform you into the image of Christ. Christlikeness does not come without your willingness to fully surrender your life to the Holy Spirit's control. As you choose to lose your life, the life of Christ becomes more evident in you.
Consider embracing the attitude of servitude. Allow Jesus to live His life in you and through you. There's room only for one to take the reigns to your life. Will you give Jesus His rightful place in your life? You cannot live the life God has for you apart from Christ in you. Even on your best day, you will come up short of God's perfection.
- "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Gal 2:20 (NIV)
- "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Col 1:27 (NIV)
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor