I Can Trust God

Photo by Melissa Haas

I Can Trust God 

By Melissa Haas 

I can trust God, and I am totally dependent on Him for my needs. 

Does this statement ring true for you?  Sometimes the best way to gauge our level of trust is to think about times when the opposite of trust or faith rules our hearts. When we are not trusting, we live in fear, and when we are afraid, we usually do one of three things:  We become immobilized, we run away, or we try to gain/regain control of the situation.   

I’m curious.  How do you normally respond to the fears in your life? 

Fear in itself is not bad.  There are indeed things we should be afraid of—like the spitting cobra that found its way onto our front porch in Kenya one time or a tornado touching down near your home.  When we are in physical danger, fear lets us know that we need to get out of there and soon!  God gave us the ability to feel fear, and He understands when we are afraid.  In fact, He even tells us to fear Him.   

Being afraid, then, is not sinful, but sometimes the way we respond to our fears is offensive to God.  Let me give you an example.  

Remember back to the time of Moses.  God had delivered the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt, parted the Red Sea for them to pass, fed them and gave them water as they journeyed through the wilderness, and dwelt among them, leading them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  At this point in the journey, the Israelites had arrived at the border of Canaan.  At last the Promised Land was in sight!  God told Moses to send out spies so that they could give testimony to the fertileness and bounty of the land.  The spies went out and came back.  They reported that the land was indeed flowing with milk and honey, but there was a problem - There were giants in the land! (Numbers 13-14)  What did the people feel when they heard the report?   

The Bible says in Numbers 14:1-4 that all of the people “raised their voices and wept aloud.”  They grumbled against Moses and God, saying, “If only we had died in Egypt!  Or in the desert!  Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?  Our wives and children will be taken as plunder.  Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” and they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” 

Wow!  Crazy Israelites!  What were they thinking?!  God had delivered them miraculously from the hands of an evil pharaoh.  He had preserved their lives and parted the Red Sea, and He had cared for them all the way to the fulfillment of His promise.  Here they were, ready to go back to being slaves!  What’s up with that?  Couldn’t they see that God was trustworthy, that they could depend on Him to meet all of their needs?  Couldn’t they see that the Sovereign Lord of the universe loved them and had blessings and life in His plans for them?   

Of course, we would never trade bondage for life over a few measly giants, or would we? 

My friend and sister, failing to depend on God for your needs always results in bondage. When we take our lives into our own hands, we always fail, and it’s so easy to make excuses for our failures.  It’s so easy to bug out and go back to Egypt.  If we will take our eyes off the giants for just a few moments and raise them to look at an even bigger God, we will hear Him speak words of courage and peace. 

God, I’m afraid.  Do not fear.  I am with you.

God, I’m so lonely.  I will never leave you nor forsake you. 

No one knows me.  I knit you together in your mother’s womb. 

No one really loves me.  I laid down My life for you.   

I can’t do this, Lord!  You can do all things through My strength. 

I’m too broken to be fixed.  Nothing is impossible with Me. 

You let me down, God.  My ways are not your ways. 

I’m tired of it all.  Come to Me, and I will give you rest.

I will never be free!   If I set you free, you will be free indeed! 

There are lots of fears that rule our hearts and lives, fears that must be entrusted to the Faithful One.  Take some time today and let Him comfort your fears.  Lean back against His chest, take a deep breath, and tell Him out loud, “I trust You, Father, and I am totally dependent on You for everything I need.

Melissa Haas currently serves as the Director of Restoration Groups for HopeQuest, a ministry group in Woodstock, Georgia, which helps people struggling with life-dominating issues.  Melissa began her service in ministry in 1993 as an international missionary to Kenya, East Africa, where she and her husband Troy worked as church planters among the Turkana people.  When a significant marital crisis ended their missionary service, Melissa and Troy began a journey of healing and restoration that now serves as the foundation of their ministry to others.  Passionate about spiritual community, healthy marriages, and intimacy with God, Melissa regularly facilitates small groups and teaches and speaks on these topics in order to help the Body of Christ grow relationally with God and each other.  Melissa and Troy and their three children reside in Woodstock, Georgia.

Click here or on picture below to watch Kari Jobe's music video "You Are For Me"

Completely Loved - by Melissa Haas @RestoreLifeUs

Photo by Melissa Haas

         Completely Loved  

                                    By

                          Melissa Haas

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, northings present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39 

I am completely loved and accepted by God. 

It had been a bad day. Back then, Troy and I were missionaries in Kenya, and we were getting ready to leave Nairobi to head back to the bush. I had done all of my shopping except my meats, and I intended to go by the butcher on the way out of town. Buying supplies was always a big deal because if we forgot anything we needed, we would have to do without until we made the twelve-hour drive back to town two months later. On this particular day, we were heading back to the bush on a Saturday, and I had under-estimated the time it would take us to pack the vehicle and get on the road. We were getting away later than I had promised—a big deal since it is dangerous to drive at night in Africa. Troy was irritated, and I was apologetic. We drove up to the butcher only to discover that they were closed. It was Saturday, and they only stayed open until noon.  

Troy was angry, I was in tears, and both of us were in a quandary about what to do. Did we stay an extra night in Nairobi—and have to unpack the truck and repack again the next day—or did we choose to go without beef or chicken for the next three months?  

We drove back to the mission office, and one of our fellow missionaries invited us to come in and have a cold drink. We were both obviously upset, and I felt like I had totally failed. Explaining the situation to Jack and lamenting about my mistake and the resulting consequences, he looked straight into my eyes and said, “Melissa, you are forgiven.” 

My breath caught in my throat, and it was if the Lord Himself had spoken those words into my heart. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and relief. Tears sprang to my eyes, and all I could do was whisper a quiet, “Thank you.” In that moment I felt completely loved and accepted in spite of my failures—not by my missionary colleague, but by my Lord. Jack embodied Christ to me that day. 

How about you?  Have you experienced God’s love in spite of your failures?    

One of the things God has told me over and over in my personal times with Him is that He loves me. Let me share some of my favorite love notes with you. 

Psalm 18:16-19 (NIV)            He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me. 

Lamentations 3:19-23 (NIV)  I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet, this I call to mind and therefore I have hope; because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 

Zephaniah 3:15-17 (NIV)      The Lord has taken away your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you; He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.” 

I am always in awe when I read that He delights in me. He loves me. He finds pleasure in me.  His heart longs for me and rejoices when I come to Him. He accepts me completely and loves me unconditionally.

He loves you and me more than we can even imagine. A look at the cross only begins to explain the depths of His love.  

Are you resting in His love today?  Say it out loud, write in on sticky notes and post them everywhere, put it on your Facebook: I am completely loved and accepted by God.

Melissa Haas currently serves as the Director of Restoration Groups for HopeQuest, a ministry group in Woodstock, Georgia, which helps people struggling with life-dominating issues.  Melissa began her service in ministry in 1993 as an international missionary to Kenya, East Africa, where she and her husband Troy worked as church planters among the Turkana people.  When a significant marital crisis ended their missionary service, Melissa and Troy began a journey of healing and restoration that now serves as the foundation of their ministry to others.  Passionate about spiritual community, healthy marriages, and intimacy with God, Melissa regularly facilitates small groups and teaches and speaks on these topics in order to help the Body of Christ grow relationally with God and each other.  Melissa and Troy and their three children reside in Woodstock, Georgia.

Click here or on the picture below to see a music video for David Crowder's "How He Loves"

Greatest Need by Melissa Haas @RestoreLifeUs

Photo by Melissa Haas

     

   Greatest Need

 by 

Melissa Haas

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3  

My greatest need is to know God and be known by Him. 

We were created from the very beginning for relationship. God put within us a desire to know and be known, and the goal of our relationship with Him is to grow in intimate connection with Him.  

Sometimes, however, we get knowing God confused with knowing about Him. As believers, we have learned all kinds of things about God—His character and His expectations. Much of what we have learned about God has stayed in our minds, though, and never made it to the part of our heart from which life comes.   

Too often when we open our Bibles or sit down to pray or enter His house to worship, it’s all about us.  He scarcely has time to say, “Hello, friend!” before we are asking Him for something or trying to find an answer to one of our problems. The reality of our relationship with Him right now may be that we don’t see Him as a friend. We see Him as a rich benefactor or as a parent or as our counselor or physician. Truly these are all aspects of who He is, but we don’t truly know Him. We are only in relationship with Him because of the things He gives us, and we’re not really interested in His heart, His needs, His desires, His feelings, and His life.   

We must move beyond the place where we only see God as a provider and disciplinarian. He longs for us to know Him. He wants us to be intimately acquainted with Him. He also wants to know us.   

But wait a minute, Melissa. God already knows me. He created me. He has numbered the hairs of my head. He knows when I come and go. He even knows my thoughts. How can I make myself any more known to Him than that? 

You’re right. He already knows everything about you, but He delights in you relating to Him.   

Think about it this way. Your daughter is very involved in gymnastics, and she’s good—really good.  You know she has a big meet this weekend, and you see how excited and anxious she is about it.  The day of the meet, you sit together with her at the breakfast table, eating pancakes together.  Your daughter has a grin on her face and a look of focused concentration.  You know that in her mind she is thinking about her routines and how she will dismount with a stepless, solid landing.  You venture a question, “What are you thinking about, Sweetie?” 

“Oh, just stuff,” she replies. “Got to go, Mom.  I’ve got a busy day ahead of me.  Love you.” 

As she leaves the table, you can’t help but feel rejected. She didn’t invite you to the meet. She didn’t even tell you about it. Thinking she must just be distracted, you resolve to be at the meet and watch your daughter perform her best gymnastic routines of the year, and you’re there on the front row of the bleachers when she misses her first vault. You’re there when she makes a near perfect score on the floor exercise, and you’re there when she almost falls off the balance beam.  You see the emotions etched in her face and can almost feel her desperation when she gets up to do her exercise on the uneven bars.  She mounts the bars. Your thoughts echo hers—keep moving, don’t miss the bar, get ready for the dismount, tuck, wait, wait, extend! She lands with both feet firmly planted, back arched beautifully, a beaming smile on her face. Jumping up, you clap and whistle and shout praises in her direction, but she never looks your way. She’s hugging her coach and the other players on her team and walking towards the awards stand where she will claim the gold medal as the overall winner of the meet. She acts like she doesn’t even know you are there.   

Disappointed and saddened, you leave the stands and head home. You wanted to share in her happiness, but she was totally unaware of your supporting presence or your desire to be a part of her life. “Maybe tonight,” you think, “she’ll tell me about the meet.”

That evening, sitting at the supper table, your daughter is smiling from ear to ear and off somewhere far away in her thoughts. You ask, “How was your day, Sweetheart?” 

“It was great, Mom! And you know, I’m so glad you let me take gymnastics. You’re a great mom, you know that?”

“Thanks, sweetie, and I’m proud of you.” 

“Well, I think I’ll hit the sack, Mom. I’m beat. Good-night. I love you.” Off she goes, still never sharing anything about her day or her heart with you. 

Does this sound like a crazy scenario? How many times have you ended the day, never sharing anything more of yourself with the Father than maybe a quick prayer of gratitude and love?   

He wants to know you. He wants you to tell Him about your feelings and your thoughts. He wants to be involved in your life. Yes, He sees and knows, but He wants to participate. Give Him that chance.

Melissa Haas currently serves as the Director of Restoration Groups for HopeQuest, a ministry group in Woodstock, Georgia, which helps people struggling with life-dominating issues.  Melissa began her service in ministry in 1993 as an international missionary to Kenya, East Africa, where she and her husband Troy worked as church planters among the Turkana people.  When a significant marital crisis ended their missionary service, Melissa and Troy began a journey of healing and restoration that now serves as the foundation of their ministry to others.  Passionate about spiritual community, healthy marriages, and intimacy with God, Melissa regularly facilitates small groups and teaches and speaks on these topics in order to help the Body of Christ grow relationally with God and each other.  Melissa and Troy and their three children reside in Woodstock, Georgia.

Click here or on the viewer below to see Meredith Andrews perform "Not For A Moment (After All)"

Worth and Significance by Melissa Haas @RestoreLifeUs

Photo by Melissa Hass

Worth and Significance

byMelissa Haas

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Genesis 1:26-27, NIV 

I am a person of great worth and significance, for I am created in the image of God for His glory.   

Who were we modeled after?  The Hebrew word used here for “image” only appears in the creation account and a couple of other places in Genesis. It comes from a root word meaning “to shade,” and in this usage means a “resemblance.” When the Bible says we were created in the image and likeness of God, it means that God made us to resemble Himself.   

You resemble your Father. 

But sin wrecked all that, didn’t it?  Actually, sin just made us blind to who we were created to be—the image bearers of God. We could not see His image in us or our need for Him. Instead we sought after other images to give us meaning and purpose and definition.  

It reminds me of one of my kids’ favorite movies—The Lion King. In the movie, Scar, the evil brother of the lion king Mufasa, plots to kill him and Simba, the new heir to the throne, so that he can become the lion king. Scar tells Simba that his father wants to show him something in the valley. Meanwhile, Scar’s cronies, the evil hyenas, cause a herd of wildebeest to begin stampeding towards the valley where Simba is anxiously waiting for the promised surprised. 

Mufasa, watching from afar, sees the herd on the move. Scar runs up to tell him that Simba is in danger, and Mufasa races to save his son. He succeeds, but as he jumps to save himself from the hooves of the wildebeests, Scar pushes him off the cliff, and Mufasa dies. 

Simba, seeing his father fall, rushes to his side, trying to rouse him. The evil Scar comes to Simba then and implies that it is all his fault. “The truth is, Simba,” Scar says to the cub, “Mufasa’s dead because of you.” Simba believes him and faced with the guilt of causing his father’s death, and at the suggestion of Scar, he runs away.   

Simba nearly dies in the desert, but a couple of unlikely friends, Timon and Pumbaa find him and save his life. Timon is a meercat, and Pumbaa is a warthog. They teach Simba a new life philosophy—a “no worries, no problems” lifestyle that forgets the past and lives with no concern for anyone but yourself. Simba is a lion, but he forgets who he is. He eats bugs and grubs just like Timon and Pumbaa and lives a carefree life--until his past, in the form of a childhood friend named Nala, bumps into him one day.  

Disturbed and guilt-ridden again, Simba goes out into a field and screams at the sky, “You said you would always be with me, but you aren’t! Your dead, and it’s all my fault!”  

In the distance Simba sees a baboon coming toward him. The baboon, named Rafiki, tells Simba that his father isn’t dead, that he will show Simba where he is. Simba follows Rafiki through the jungle and ends up at a pool of water. He sees his reflection and angrily turns to Rafiki, saying, “That’s not my father; it’s only my reflection.”  

Rafiki replies, “Look harder . . . You see, he lives in you.”   

Something stirs the water. The image of Mufasa appears. Mufasa tells Simba that he has forgotten him. Simba denies it. Mufasa says, “You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me.  Look inside yourself. You are more than what you’ve become.” As Mufasa’s image disappears in the sky, he says, “Remember you are my son—the child of the one true king. Remember….”   

The story ends with Simba returning to the Pride Lands to fight Scar and to assume his rightful place as the Lion King.  

No matter how long you deny it, no matter how you behave in an effort to forget a painful past, you will always bear the image of your Father. A self-centered and foolish lifestyle built on deception (Satan’s lies) may prevent you from living out your true identity, and the Father sees all of this.  But God never washes His hands of you and says, “That’s it. I’m writing her off. I can’t stand to look at her anymore.” Instead He brings you to a place where you must face who you have become so that you will remember who He created you to be.  

The whole reason Jesus came in the likeness of man was so that we could again see the image of God through Him. Jesus came as a man so that we could, by receiving Him, be transformed into His likeness—created anew for His glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).   

You resemble your Father, and you have great worth and significance because you were created by Him.    Dare to believe this truth with all of your heart.  Live as the daughter of the one true King

Melissa Haas currently serves as the Director of Restoration Groups for HopeQuest, a ministry group in Woodstock, Georgia, which helps people struggling with life-dominating issues.  Melissa began her service in ministry in 1993 as an international missionary to Kenya, East Africa, where she and her husband Troy worked as church planters among the Turkana people.  When a significant marital crisis ended their missionary service, Melissa and Troy began a journey of healing and restoration that now serves as the foundation of their ministry to others.  Passionate about spiritual community, healthy marriages, and intimacy with God, Melissa regularly facilitates small groups and teaches and speaks on these topics in order to help the Body of Christ grow relationally with God and each other.  Melissa and Troy and their three children reside in Woodstock, Georgia.

A Visit from Grace and Truth: Agreeing With God When I Sin



Photo by Debra Courtney

A Visit from Grace and Truth:  Agreeing with God When I Sin

By

Melissa Haas 

Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.  Proverbs 3:3

I often joke that brownies are my love language.  When I was a kid, my mom would always have something hot from the oven waiting for us when we got home from school.  To this day, the smell of brownies baking takes my heart back home, reminding me of safety and rest, comfort and love.  

Growing up in south Louisiana in a predominately Catholic culture, I found myself increasingly isolated from my peers.  We were evangelical Protestants, and my beliefs set me apart from those around me.  School was challenging.  I did not fit in, so coming home was a welcome relief.  And somehow, along the way, my need for nurture and acceptance and comfort got connected with the food that was waiting for me when I got off the bus.  Not surprisingly, one of my biggest adolescent struggles was being overweight.   

Time went on.  I got married, became a missionary, and had children.  Whenever life got stressful or painful—anytime I felt sad, lonely, or rejected—I baked.   Then, when our missionary career ended prematurely and all of my dreams were shattered, I found myself in a counselor’s office trying to sift and sort through my pain.  She became my Nathan, pointing out the shame I was carrying about my weight and the self-sabotaging behavior of emotional eating that I felt powerless to overcome.   

The truth was that I had been involved in an idolatrous relationship with food—in particular, sweet foods like brownies.  When I needed comfort, I nurtured myself instead of seeking that comfort from God and others within the Body of Christ.  I was isolated, self-reliant, and stuck.  For the first time, I was able to acknowledge the truth of my sin, but that created another problem.  

How did I accept the truth of this sin without condemning myself?  I knew from experience that self-condemnation would only trigger a self-defeating cycle of eating for comfort only to feel more shame.  On the other hand, how did I give myself grace without minimizing or justifying my sinful choices, enabling them to continue?   How did I love myself but hate my sin?  

One of my counselor’s favorite verses was Proverbs 3:3.  She pointed out that when Father confronts our sin, Grace and Truth always make the visit together.  While Truth is unyielding in His truthfulness, Love empties Himself, pouring out streams of grace filled with mercy and forgiveness.   Together Grace and Truth create a safe environment for my soul to acknowledge the truth about my failures while continuing to feel loved and accepted in spite of them.  Now that I am no longer fearful of losing love, I can focus my attention on growth and change. 

Over the years Grace and Truth have been good friends, and the longer I have lived with them, the easier it has become to accept my humanity as a gift that keeps me connected to the One I was created for, the One who calls me daughter and friend.  We all occasionally eat brownies together because God likes chocolate too.  More importantly, though, we enjoy our relationship.  The comfort and acceptance I need are bountifully supplied through my relationship with Him and His people, satisfying my deepest longings.  (And the icing on the cake is that this satisfaction is calorie-free.  Smile.) 

How about you?  How are you relating to yourself and to God when you sin?  Make a commitment to develop your friendship with Grace and Truth.  Find what you need in Him. 

Grace for Myself: Balancing the Responsibilities of Home and Family

Grace for Myself: 

Balancing the Responsibilities of Home and Family

By: Melissa Haas

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

The limitation of my humanity in managing my home is a reality I face every day.    As I drag myself out of bed each morning, walk past baskets of dirty laundry (currently there are five) and into a kitchen with dirty dishes in the sink from yesterday, I grab a cup of coffee, plop down in my chair, and breathe a prayer of gratitude--thankful for grace.

It’s taken a long time for me to cultivate that gracious response to myself.  Like many women, for most of my early adult life I was haunted by the voices in my head that said things like “godly women manage their homes better than you do” and “a good woman puts her needs and desires last.”  After all, the Proverbs 31 woman had boundless energy in spite of obvious sleep deprivation and the ability to manage all of her responsibilities successfully.   If she could do it back in the days before dishwashers and washing machines, I should be able to manage my home better than she did.

I vividly remember thinking to myself that I must just be missing something.  So I decided to attend a Bible study on the Proverbs 31 woman, hoping that I would get the tools I needed to finally be able to get my act together in running our home with efficiency and grace.   At the time my children were four, eighteen months, and three months old, and just getting all of us to church on time was a feat of amazing proportions.   (I usually did not succeed.)

Every week I would go, and every week I would come home with a renewed determination to do better in managing my responsibilities at home.  Inevitably, though, between nursing the baby and keeping my eighteen-month old from playing in the toilet and playing dolls with my four-year-old daughter, the care of my home would be neglected once again.   I began dreading the familiar feelings of inadequacy and shame I experienced every time I went to study the Bible.    My heart was heavy from failure.

One morning, as I was talking to God about it all, confessing my failure to manage my home well, I got the distinct impression that He was bored with our conversation.  “Are you listening to me, Father?” I asked. 

“Yes, daughter, I’m listening.  I’m just not very drawn to your heart right now.  You are so focused on you and your failures, you are missing the very thing I created you for—relationships.   Has it ever occurred to you that these household responsibilities you are so freaked out about have no eternal value?  What makes me smile are your relationships with Me and the ones I have given you to love well.”

“But what about the Proverbs 31 woman?   You are the One who gave her to us as an example.”

“I gave Myself as the example to follow, daughter.  I thought I set the record straight with Mary and Martha, but just in case you have forgotten, let Me say it clearly.  Your worth and our relationship are not based on how well you manage your home.  It is based on who I say you are and how much time you spend with Me.  Trust Me with your laundry and your dishes.  I can only give you the grace that you need when you choose to rest in your weakness.” 

And so I took another step on the journey of grace that day—grace for myself.  The laundry and dishes are not always done, but I love the ways He energizes me each day as I trust Him with my weakness. 

What weakness have you been complaining about?  

What’s His perspective?

Dare to trust Him with your humanity. You will find much grace for that.