Shield of Faith
Ephesians 4:30 "30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
"I think I now see the Spirit of God grieving, when you are sitting down to read a novel and there is your Bible unread. . . . You have no time for prayer, but the Spirit sees you very active about worldly things, and having many hours to spare for relaxation and amusement. And then he is grieved because he sees that you love worldly things better than you love him." (Spurgeon)
Lord thank you for bringing me to this island of Grenada.
Haven't written in this blog for sometime. The truth is I have been plagued by my own fear to share the faith that fires my soul. Sometimes I am plagued by doubts and worries but I know this mental battle are lies from the Devil. The truth is I am not capable of that deep, yearning dream that is in my heart to bring it about BUT God is and know I have to rely on Him. This past week, trying to settle down and meet with friends, I haven't had time alone and frankly wasn't even able to concentrate with time alone. So God gave me an experience which made me delve into His word and search for this precious connection back to Him.
Yesterday, after spending time with the rest of the medical students meeting new people at Bananas and being tired, my friend and I initially naturally decided to walk home. But our new medical student colleague kindly offered to walk us home. Of course we would need that! On our way home, in a distance we saw a mob of 8-10 boys around 15-25 years of age, each holding a machette. I was still not aware of the situation until 10m away, as it was pretty dark, and clued in from our safety talk that they wanted to get our electronics, money, and our possessions. The other week, a secret report showed that a girl was assaulted but had a knife and escaped the situation, near True Blue road. Luckily, our new medical student buddy decided to step towards them and hold us back. They stared us down and I could feel my flight and fight response shoot up, trying to maintain that calm face like a practicing physician, but this was not the time. This time- we are toast! We were so close as I could look into their eyes - fearful - it must have been something that made them change their minds and plan of attack. They brushed passed us. My friends and I joked for the past few days TIG, saying this is Grenada. Welcome to the islands, as us KBTers "the visiting students" were often greeted this whole week. Welcome.
In the same instance, from our same program, 2 guys' cars tires became flat and stopped right beside a sign that read "Tire repairs jesus is lord" and luckily the guy is awake to repair their tires! PRAISE THE LORD that night.
"No weapons formed against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you."
Isaiah 54:17
I remember the verse that was passed onto me by Dr. Jeungal that no exam, no other medical colleagues, no devil's exclamations formed against us will prevail. Though there might be trials, they are through these times that we become molded to show His glory.
2 Peter 1:3-11
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,[a] make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
How wonderful is it that we are already given everything that we need, the knowledge which is through His word in which God reveals himself to us.
Proverbs 3
My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
2
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.
3
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.[a]
7
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
8
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14
for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15
She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17
Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
18
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.
19
By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;
20
by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.
21
My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
preserve sound judgment and discretion;
22
they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
23
Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble.
24
When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
For the past few weeks, understanding more about the difficulty of coming back to Canada, I have been trying to make plans to make connections and to ensure I don't miss important dates. Then there is also the worry of needing to excel in USMLEs. But God provides for us every step of the way. I was reminded that there is no exam, no rut in the road that can come against us and create this fear response. God created us physiologically for when we experience stress to set our HPA axis system to turn on and our flight and freight response to turn on- so we can react to the stressful environment. But over worrying disables us from seeing His love and His glory. God, like how he brought Joshua to Canaan, wants us to realize this land of peace which is also set in our internal environment- for us to prosper. Live in this freedom today which God promises us that He always provides. Theoretically we can explain why worry is a sin- the lack of trust in a God who is so sovereign and powerful (Ephesians 2:4-5; Luke 10:19; 2 Peter 1:2) turning away from his promises. Physiologically, worry/anxiety is also a bad thing (increases cortisol which not only increases heart rate, blood pressure, but also decreases immune system function and decreases the monoamines which might increase susceptibility to depression).
Lord, remind me to stand firm of your sovereignty and love toward us, that you watch over us every moment of every second. Just like our medical student colleague, let us STEP OUT IN FAITH, with your knowledge, word and promises be bound to our neck and written in our hearts because we fight with weapons that are not of this world with the power that also raised Jesus from the dead and bring our dead souls to life. The power that drives the enemies with fear in their eyes. Thank you Lord Jesus for giving us the freedom and let not us abuse this freedom being scared of men but live in the fear of the Lord and to only bring glory to your name.
Lord, give me the joy to seek your face, to learn more about you in my studies, and during this time on an Island to grow more in tune with you, to show more of you and less of me.
"I pray that we become a church that holds onto and believes in the power of God. The same power that rose Jesus from the grave resides within us. I pray that we trust in that not only when we are overcoming obstacles while pursuing our dreams but also hold onto that power and trust in it even if and when it means to withstand persecution to show His glory. How inspiring it is to see people with unfailing faith and trust in the power of God that they would be a martyr for Christ." Tommy Martin, SGU student
We are similar to the 10 boys who were carrying machettes as they were looking for money to whatever means. We too search for our own desires and crave earthly things, sometimes at a cost of whatever it takes in our own way. Striving after a dream for personal gain leads to temporary happiness and an eternal nightmare.
The root to all sin is dissatisfaction in life. When we lust other people or for what others have we are dissatisfied with what we have. When we show anger its usually because we react from what was not given to us or expected. When we are jealous it is because we start to compare other peoples lives. When we worry, it is because we think we know best and worry for dissatisfaction.
Questions
What dissatisfaction do we hold in our life?
Prayer
Dear Father who is so great, forgive me for being the Lord of my life thinking I know what's best. Lord reign over my life. I want to seek what your heart desires so I can make it my motivation that my heart desires only what you desire. When changing circumstances come my way, give me the shield of faith to extinguish temptations of the dissatisfaction of life. Give me the strength to trust in what You know is best for me. This year as I start my studies in Grenada, that I stand firm, holding your promises written as tablets in my heart. I alone Lord cannot do this and only you can. Lord help me and give me wisdom and peace to face the enemies of this year. Thank you for this power you have given us, the same that raised Jesus from the dead and raised our souls to life. Amen
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