Caregiving

Luke 1: ⁶⁷ Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

⁶⁸ “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
⁶⁹ And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
⁷⁰ As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
⁷¹ That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
⁷² To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
⁷³ The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
⁷⁴ To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
⁷⁵ In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

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“No one cares” I thought to myself as I sat on my couch. I had been politely dumped from a relationship, I was told I was about to be kicked out of school and I had just got a ticket on my out of commission car. It rained that day.

• There were times when I felt no one cared.
• There were times when I was filled with blame and rage.
• There were times when I felt like giving up because nothing was going the way I planned.

The HOLY SPIRIT spoke through Zacharias’s experiences and observations on life. All of his serving, studying, disappointments and blessings came bubbling out in this exclamation about GOD. He knew who was with him.

• GOD says to me “People will disappoint you but I will never forsake you.”
• GOD says to me “Situations may look difficult at times, but I will always be there for you.”
• GOD says to me “Your enemies may surround you, but I will deliver you from their hands.”

Amazing things kept happening ever since I opened my eyes to GOD. HE shows me how marvelous HE truly is. HE saved me, gave me purpose and protected me from those who meant harm to me. I can serve HIM without fear.

• Do you feel no one cares?
• Are you misunderstood?
• Can you listen to GOD and accept HIS everlasting love for you today?

Not Alone

Mark 9: ²⁵ When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” ²⁶ Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

²⁸ And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”

²⁹ So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

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Nighttime seemed darker as we rounded approached the campsite. When I got out of the van, I immediately stepped in some mud. I avoided mud at all costs up to that point. By the next day everything I owned had mud on it. The final straw was one of my lenses popping out in the mud. I used some less muddy water to clean it.

• When times are tough I try to “clean” myself up.
• When I go through trials I try to sin less so maybe the trial can go away faster.
• When there are difficulties ahead of me I try to act better so maybe if I were being punished, then I can show I got the lesson.

Amazingly JESUS drives out an unclean spirit and makes an effort to teach the disciples how they can do the same. My focus is on the boy. From childhood he was attacked relentlessly. He did not ask to be attacked by demonic forces and could not speak or hear any words of comfort. He was helpless.

• JESUS sees my situation and knows what I am going through.
• The HOLY SPIRIT knows I cannot speak on my behalf so HE cries out for me.
• The FATHER forgives my circumstance because of JESUS and the HOLY SPIRIT.

Trying to pretend I am clean is like taking more mud to form a pretend bar of soap to wash my body and declaring myself clean. In other words, no matter how much I try to follow the “rules” it won’t make me any cleaner or holier. I am helpless, like the boy.

BUT GOD does not leave me helpless. HE raises me out of the mud and cleans me up with everlasting water. HE restores my soul when the well of my heart is empty. Even when I cannot utter a word, the HOLY SPIRIT is there providing strength like none other. Yes JESUS loves me.

• Are you in a difficult circumstance?
• Do you feel exhausted because you thing the power has to come from you?
• Can you understand that GOD loves you enormously and knows your needs and wants you to let go so HE can clean you from the inside?