For Such a Time as This | Daily Devotion
“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 NKJV
God has placed you right where you are for such a time as this. He has given you your spiritual giftings, your talents, your time, your money, your passions for what He has called of you.
More so than ever, as we walk through end times, is the need for the church to be unified in Christ, as a strong front against the enemy’s subtle and overt attacks, moving in our spiritual giftings. It is when we support one another that we feel the love of Christ, as He moves through His own – Matthew 22:39. It is when we support one another and encourage one another to love and good works that we experience His presence, for where two or more are gathered together in His name, He is there – Matthew 18:20. It is when we support and encourage one another that we grow in our own spiritual giftings, stronger and more effective, for as iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend – Proverbs 27:17. It is when we use our spiritual giftings in the church and where God has placed us in the world, that Satan finds it more difficult to attack and undermine Christians in the work God has called them to. We unite as one body of Christ with one Spirit, called to one glorious hope for the future – Ephesians 4:4. Our lives reflect there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all – Ephesians 4:5.
We need to remember that God is both supernatural and natural. So, realize with confidence, He places you right where you will be most effective for Him, as this life is all about glorifying God. There are different seasons when God calls us to move to a different place, to uproot, so to speak – but those moments are typically clear and not confusing, unless sin is rampant. You see the hand of God showing you the path for your life. You feel called to a specific location to use your spiritual giftings for God’s glory. Now because life is filled with various hardships that are confusing due to sin, you may have to move for your own safety – your mind may be foggy, it may be difficult to think – this unfortunately, is some people’s experience when they are targeted by sin that is not stopping. From a counseling perspective, this is the unfortunate reality for some, and we Christians need to not be shallow in belief. Satan is attacking and many are hurting. God’s love is still witnessed in our cloudy minds, He is never ok with His people being targeted by sin, and guides along the best pathway for their life. Depending on the person’s spiritual maturity, God may be shouting directions or whispering allowing them the freewill to choose what they desire.
To share a personal anecdote, I wandered for about 4 years during a difficult period of my life, not sure which church I should go to. There were unspoken difficulties at the church I was at that wouldn’t get addressed by leadership, even when I asked directly, and it was making me sick. Spiritual abuse takes place in so many different ways, some intentional and some not and times targets women who are strong in the word and teaching. One of the tipping points, however, was when my mother was dying of cancer and my father called and asked the church if someone could come pray for her and he was never responded to, even though the church had asked him and my mother to come to a special donor dinner to donate money to raise funds. He and my mother had been attending at home at that time, due to her cancer and he mailed in a tithe check and asked again in a note if someone could come pray. They cashed the check of course, but no one ever contacted him. My mother loved that church and literally supported it by buying all of the pastor's books and passing out fliers etc and died not knowing their love. It’s very difficult to watch on top of your own experience of hardship at the church. Times I wonder, if my dad had been helped in his humble time of need, if he then would have gone to the church for grief counseling. He really struggled when she died because she was his best friend but wouldn’t necessarily seek out help and battled depression. They had been faithful to that church for 30 years, tithing and giving offering but were not necessarily taken care of spiritually, especially at the end of their life. They were taught the word of God and that’s about it. So it appears like the church just wanted their money and support for what they were doing and did not care about them and their spiritual walk or physical health. I absolutely understand people can fall through the cracks of large churches. It’s just there are a lot of pastors, elders, and volunteers there available for these times and a paid staff that should understand the workings and needs of the church. I know this and have understanding due to serving the church, and so to get the shaft at such a difficult time in life on top of my other many difficult experiences there that seemed repeated, my mind became cloudy. I did not know where to go, but I knew I needed to leave that church. It is a narcissistic leadership, not caring about the cost placed on the people, while wanting to gain and do what they want to do for the Lord. They often have a sense of self entitlement to what does not belong to them and force their will.
As Christians we know, there are priorities and life is one of them, for when people die, you can’t go back and help them or serve them.
I’m thankful for churches having their services online. Sometimes you need the safety of your own home. In that time, a few well intentioned Christians would tell me I needed to be in the church and I understood their heart, but they did not understand my situation and what I experienced at the church which makes it difficult to trust church leadership. Moreover, my physical life was really difficult with me out of a job, trying to find a job and unable to, while working on my doctorate that was very difficult and mentally taxing, writing my books and self-publishing, while my very strong mother was dying of cancer which wrecked me emotionally and I was on the couch every day with a pint of ice cream which is so counter my disciplined nature, then right after she died I had to leave my home I had been renting for many years due to it being sold by my landlords who were also my friends who left the state and I still could not find another job even with my very high education, then my father was sick with grief and depression and his own health issues and I began caring for him, and then he died a year and a half later. It was a very difficult season for me with one issue after another, when yes I needed the church and community, however, because of my experience at my church I did not trust church leadership and my brain was so taxed mentally with my physical life, I couldn’t think logically about which church to go to. I am also very picky regarding Christian teaching, as a teacher myself but also knowing that when I’m weak I naturally pick up on teaching and thus need to be discerning so I do not fall prey to false ideology. So I myself had a cloudy mind. I am really thankful for Dr. David Jeremiah’s church, Shadow Mountain and his teaching that is available online. It was a lifeline for me in that season, and through my struggles, the Holy Spirit spoke through each message encouraging and confirming even while I fellowshipped at home. I absolutely missed being in the sanctuary. I love the sanctuary. There is something about the sanctuary, as the psalmist says in Psalm 73:17, “I received understanding when I entered the sanctuary.”
I am an advocate for church and fellowship, while sensitive to the spiritual abuse many experience today at church as one who can counsel. Thus it’s my encouragement that we Christians tailor back on the condemnation regarding church and being in the church, as that can be legalistic, seeking to have understanding of why some are not there which may be due to illness or trying circumstances, while being sensitive to the fact some might not want to share their story yet. Those who have experienced spiritual abuse at church or amongst other Christians, did not experience the love of Christ through Christians and it simply makes it difficult to trust people, as our spiritual life makes up a huge portion of our life. So let us be loving, seeking understanding.
Everyone has a different experience at church that Jesus Christ, Himself, is moving in.
God will show us the path He desires for us to take, and sometimes it’s baby steps in that direction and that’s perfectly fine. God knows our heart, He knows our mind, He knows our soul and our strength.
Will you pray with me?
Abba, we thank You for every season we experience as it’s Your presence in our lives and Your gift of Jesus Christ that carries us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.