But it isn’t just the “negatives” of life we feel keep us from God.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?…..

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”         

Life, angels, the ordinary, happy present, and the heights of creation are all able to form wedges between us and the love of God. But nothing is a match for the glory of our Lord and His faithfulness to keeping those who belong to Him.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God…

1. Not Life or Death

Can life test our faith as much as death? Yes. We are so easily caught up in our busy schedules, our desires, and the many things we consider important. Excessive focus on life in this world so quickly leads us from a right perspective of God. Solomon had it right: “everything under the sun is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:14). Everything under God, however, is worthwhile. “Life” as we live it cannot get in the way of His love.

2. Not Angels or Demons

Heavenly beings and influences, like miracles or specific calls on our lives, so often bewilder and beguile us. Our righteousness and spiritual blessings, just as much as our encounters with evil, can be twisted to divert our praise and confuse our goals. But God’s steadfast love will withstand even through the ups and downs of spiritual experiences.

3. Not the Present or Future

For the worriers of the world, the future is always an ominous fear. For the dreamers of the world, the present is never quite satisfying. Each of us with our unique personality and outlook is easily swayed in some way by the perception of time. Our Lord set time in motion and is sovereign over all things in all times, whether we find the season good or bad (Genesis 1, 2 Peter 3:8).

4. Not Height or Depth

Sharing “highs and lows” is popular in youth groups. Everyone understands the basic concept: some things in life are “highs” –they are great and exciting. Others are “lows”- full of pain and difficulty. Our Lord isn’t just with us and active when we recognize that we need Him in the “depths” of life. He is at work in the “highs”. Praise the Lord that no matter how great things seem, we are never separated from the giver of all good things (James 1:17).

Truly nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord –not the worst of times, and certainly not the best of times.

God doesn’t just show up in our tragedies, like a bad weather friend. God delights in raising up as His children through our most glorious moments and seasons too.

Perhaps most awe-worthy of all: if nothing horrible and nothing extraordinary can separate us from the love of God, nothing in between can either.

On the ordinary, okayest days, His love is just as true, strong, and life-sustaining.

On the ordinary, okayest days, His love is just as true, strong, and life-sustaining.
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We have nothing to fear in the good, the bad, and the in-between. 

{This post was originally published on My Faith Radio}

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The post What Can Separate Us? {Recharge Wednesday} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

When February 14 comes near, I hear and see the sting of broken hearts disenchanted with the whole “Will you be my valentine?” charm or its absence.

As a young and vulnerable heart, Valentine’s Day without a boyfriend seemed ghastly to me. The Valentine’s Day blues at its peak. A girl in love with love.

Does Valentine’s Day Define Us?

Why do we think being someone’s valentine defines us? At least thinking it’s the tell-tale sign of who we are in regards to having and owning love. Like the cliche’, “I’m lucky in love.”

For the security of celebrating the day-of-love holiday, I often see girls and women date someone other than their “first pick” until after the holiday. Guys do this, too. Settle. To fill the spot for grandiose images of candlelight, romance, flowers, and chocolate.

Yet, I’ve always wanted close relationships with people who really get me. To know my heart as much as a person can know another human heart. Do they know what makes me smile, moves me to tears, causes me to laugh out loud, brings me to sadness, or throws me into a tizzy?

To understand me and love me. For. Me. As. Me.

3 Valentines I Always Wanted to be:

• The Daughter Valentine. To be my father’s little girl, then his big girl. And his sweetheart as a child and woman dear to his heart. Why? He was absent from my life for several years when I was a young child.
• The Friend Valentine. The sweetheart next door. Known as the small town girl who’s sweet, kind, and loving. Young school days of passing out valentines to all my classmates. But transferring into those yearbook signing days of “To a sweet girl.”
• The Girlfriend Valentine. Picked as the sweetheart of someone in school. Especially middle school and beyond. “Will you be my valentine? Will you be mine?” So, one day in college, a boy asked me to be his valentine forever. Nearly thirty-five years later, I’m still my husband’s sweetheart.

Do you have the Valentine’s Day blues? Are you valentine-less this year? Boyfriend-less, girlfriend-less, marriage-less, or in any relationship that is love-less? Perhaps you are in a marriage with so much “less” than before—sweethearts that drifted apart.

Don’t Totally Skip Out on Valentine’s Day

Even on non-valentine days, I’ve felt loveless. The pit of my heart carried a nagging sense of deep, dark emptiness. This, my friends, is a sad condition on any day. Any.

Valentine’s Day, the day of love, can be a jubilant celebration regardless of whether you’ve secured a valentine date, dance, dinner, or the love of your life. No need to totally skip out on the holiday.

Cupid loaded with his bow and arrows is not necessary.

When it comes to true love, Cupid’s always missed the bullseye. His make-believe persona and pretentious match-making are stray arrows that never hit dead center the target of real love.

When it comes to true love, Cupid’s always missed the bullseye. #ValentinesDay #Love @FridayKaren
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But my heart’s been pierced with an arrow of enduring love that Cupid knows nothing about. The piercing love of someone who really “gets me.” He understands me and loves me. For. Me. As. Me.

One who asked me to be His. And He promised to hold me dear to His heart forever.

There's One who asked me to be His. And He promised to hold me dear to His heart forever. #ValentinesDay #Love @FridayKaren
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He pursued me with a proposal, “will you be mine?” Accepting His invitation, I instantly became His daughter, friend, and sweet to His heart. Completely loved and never loveless again. Ever.

The valentine I’d always wanted to be. God’s. It beats the socks off the Valentine’s Day blues, transferring real love into my other relationships.

When God drew back His bow, He hit dead center the target of real love. Jesus’ heart was pierced for me. And you. On the cross. A day of love. The greatest Valentine’s Day and love story ever told. Ever.

A grand valentine invitation. Jesus is calling, “Will you be mine?” #ValentinesDay #Love @FridayKaren
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“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13 ESV.

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Linkup is open! When God drew back His bow, He hit dead center the target of real #Love ... Jesus’ heart was pierced for me and for you. Join us as my friend @FridayKaren helps us learn more about the greatest #ValentinesDay
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No matter how much we try to know, we don’t know it all. There are always opportunities we can’t see. The Lord is always at work on something we don’t even know needs work. It seems that knowledge, no matter how fervently we chase it, eludes us in some ways.

Relying too heavily on our limited knowledge leaves us with regrets…or at least in the position of having to decide between making choices based on what we know versus what we believe.

Have you had to make a choice that you knew was right but that you thought you would regret? I have. Over and over again.

A long time ago, I turned down a job offer. For a position I’d prayed for for years. Every bit of limited knowledge I had said “make it work,” that this was the opportunity I’d been waiting for. The Lord told me no. When I said yes to Him and no to the offer, I thought I would regret it soon.

The next day, another call came. Another offer. The same kind of position –but somewhere else with better hours and better pay (and what turned out to be amazing people.) And it came with the peace of the Lord.

All I had to do was wait one day. I couldn’t have known what was coming. I couldn’t have known that it could get better than that first offer seemed. I couldn’t have known that regret for a day would be erased by the Lord to make the slate clean.

Thank the Lord –He knew. Thank the Lord –He even washes our regrets anew!

That’s what happens when we regret and the Lord erases it. We take a slate that we’ve muddied and dirtied with doubt and with whole reliance on reason, and we toss it out. Regret makes it seem like there is no turning back and that slate is now useless forever. He erases it, He makes it clean.

Romans 8:27-28 tells us that “He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” (MSG)

Who would have thought that even our regrets could be used for the good of those who love Him?

Who would have thought that even our regrets could be used for the good of those who love Him?@BethanyMcIlrath
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For all the ways my knowledge fails me, I’ve found the Lord does not. Even when I fail. Even when my choices seem backwards, but right. He erases regret because regret it about my way –and when that slate is clean, He makes beautiful works of art that are better than anything I could ever dream.

Today I’m glad I turned down that job.

I’m glad that money has kept us at times from making decisions to do things more “typically” because we’ve had some amazing relationships out of it. I’m glad for some of my worst moments because, without some of the mistakes and brokenness I’ve regretted, I would never have let people into my heart as far as I have. These are some of my anti-regrets. These are what keep me saying “Yes, Lord” when I want to say “no.”

{A version of this post was previously published elsewhere}

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Why, yes. Yes, there is! And we have access to front-row-seat tickets.

Yet, I’m not talking about things or situations we attribute to the phrase, “It was heaven on earth.” Such as food, trips, or any experience we feel was heaven-like.

We are so limited in what we imagine for heaven. It’s much bigger and carries more awe than we realize.

A New Heaven and Earth

But the new heaven and earth will one day replace this fallen world we live in.

Look at how it’s all described in Revelation 21:

“Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes.

There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true’” (Verses 1-5, NIV).

How wonderful this is what we have to look forward to. Still, in the present, there are moments of heaven touching earth and touching our lives.

Moments of Heaven Touching Earth

1) Look around and look up—often. We may never know what God desires to rain down from heaven unless we remain aware, looking for it…looking for Jesus.

2) Engage in our life and in prayer. Who knows what is waiting behind the veil of heaven ready to pour over us until we ask. And ask on a regular basis.

Heavenly Father, oh how I need an outpouring from heaven in this situation, today, this hour, this moment in time. In the name of Jesus. Amen. 

3) Be present in the present. Showing up in our loved one’s lives both physically and emotionally. Showing up at church, at work, in ministry, with our neighbors and friends. We carry a piece of heaven’s real estate, sealed by the Holy Spirit, as a promise of new life.

4) Act as Jesus with skin. That’s a sure-fire way to see glimpses of heaven. Model Christ to our family and friends, to the downcast, wayward—anyone without hope.

A surefire way to see glimpses of heaven on earth. Be Jesus with skin to others. @FridayKaren #Jesus #heaven
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5) Abide in God’s presence. Both worship and God’s Word instill in us the riches of heaven. We are a walking billboard: “The same God who reigns in heaven, lives and reigns in me.

We are a walking billboard: The same God who reigns in heaven, lives and reigns in me. @FridayKaren #heaven
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Bringing Pieces of Heaven to Earth

Want to bring the hope of heaven, Jesus Christ, to this world? Grab ahold of true hope, the anchor for our souls. Living in such a manner that others ask where to find it. And then lead them to the cross and an empty tomb and a risen Savior.

Want to see the mercy of heaven displayed in living color? Access God’s mercies, new every morning and then dispense mercy to others without limitation or hesitation.

Want to encounter the goodness of heaven as we dwell on this earth? Allow the Spirit to lead us, crucifying our flesh. The Spirit grows the fruit of goodness in us, pointing others to a good Father in heaven (See Galatians 5:16-24).

Want heaven’s love-factor brought down to our daily lives? Walk in God’s ways and His love. Refresh our minds with the unconditional love of 1 Corinthians 13. Since we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Acts of real love for our fellow man is one of the greatest manifestations of heaven on earth.

So, you see, we’re already citizens of heaven.

And we hold front-row-seat tickets to heaven on earth.

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Join @FridayKaren to discover how we are not only citizens of heaven, but we also have access to front-row-seat tickets for heaven on earth. Link up is open! Share your blog. #heaven
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My guy is a good one. He is godly, discerning, full of integrity, persistently loving, and so humble he’ll be annoyed I’m complimenting him publicly. So the reality of him struggling with anything perplexed me for a long time.

I wanted to help. Well, really, I wanted to 'fix him.' Seeing him hurt made my heart hurt. @BethanyMcIlrath
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For a while, I tried to reason with him. He’s sharp, so our logic debates ended, at best, in a stalemate.

Being a big fan of “suck-it-up-buttercup” myself, I tested the phrase out on him. Oddly enough, the result was withdrawing.

Then, determined to be more encouraging, I worked hard to add optimism to any sign of struggle in every conversation.

On the best days, I took advantage of opportunities to push Scripture. I added planned “Jesus-times” to the schedule and set up sound structure I was sure would fix everything.

One night, I remember so clearly, he finally (gently) called me out on my attempts to fix him. Having been kind in what he probably didn’t perceive as a confrontation, he fell asleep. I did not.

I stayed up confessing to Christ my errors, crying out about my inability to make things better and my lack of ability to apparently even help. Bit by bit, my praying turned to Bible reading and it struck me:

Only God changes hearts. In fact, there’s a lot only God can do. @BethanyMcIlrath
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Since then, I’ve committed to not trying to change anyone’s heart- including my husband’s.

God is faithful.

I can’t begin to pinpoint how many answered prayers have been evidenced by changes in my loved one’s lives and hearts (without my meddling.)

When I want to strategize and test and push others into what I believe is a “fix,” what I really need to do is bring them to Christ in prayer. That’s the example Christ and the apostles set for us, and it flows from loving others well.

“You have a special place in my heart. So it is only natural for me to feel the way I do.” –Philippians 1:7

This is what Paul said before and after recording his prayers for people in Philippi. He prayed because he loved them.

This Valentine’s Day, let’s remember that praying for others is a wonderful, beautiful, and effective way of loving them.@BethanyMcIlrath
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Who are you praying for today?

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Paul’s greeting to the church at Philippi warmly displays his godly affection for the fellow believers he was so invested in. Each expression of love in the greeting teaches us something about what it means to build one another up in Christ.

Let’s not gloss over this passage as a nicety.

Will you take it as an opportunity to examine yourself and your affection for fellow believers with me?

“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi.”

–Ph 1:1

Point: Right away, Paul identifies himself and the recipients of the letter according to who they all are in Christ.

Q: Do you think of others as 'that busy, loud lady', 'the guy who never smiles' or… 'one of God’s people?'
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“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” –Ph 1:2

Point: We enter conversations with all sorts of intentions and baggage. Paul brings God’s good gifts right away instead of offloading his own stuff.

Q: Do you engage with others to extend God’s peace and grace first and foremost?

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” –Ph 1:3

Point: Every time we remember people is often a lot of times. And sometimes those remembrances are the result of grudges, suspicions, and other issues we haven’t let go of.

Q: Do you thank God for others when you think about them?

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” –Ph 1:4-5

Point: Joy accompanied Paul’s prayers for the Philippians. He was appreciative of their reaction to the Gospel and saw them as partners in faith.

Q: Do you rejoice about others’ faith, do you pray joyfully for others about their love for the Lord?

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” –Ph 1:6

Point: It’s easy to prescribe our own ideas of the work that needs to be done in others’ lives, as well as to worry about their growth. Paul trusted Christ to do the work and complete it- and he made that clear to his loved ones.
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Q: Do you speak confidently about God’s work in others’ lives? Do you trust God to work in others?

“It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart” – Ph 1:7

Point: Paul felt joyful, appreciative, and confident about God’s work in these people because he was deeply invested in them.

Q: Do you carry others in your heart in such a way that you are deeply invested in their faith?

“Whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.” –Ph 1:7

Point: In every circumstance, Paul recognized others as sharing in God’s grace with him. It would have been easy to withdraw or assume they couldn’t understand, making comparisons. Instead of drawing lines, Paul drew a circle of God’s grace around himself and others.

Q: Do you see others as sharing in God’s grace through your circumstances?

“God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” –Ph 1:8

Point: Paul’s longing was so sincere and so based in Christ, instead of being rooted in convenience, relational chemistry, or ancillary things held in common.

Q: Would you want God to testify about the way you have cared for others? Has that caring been Christlike?

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” –Ph 1:9-11

Point: Paul’s prayers for these beloved people weren’t focused on circumstances, wishes, or even trials. His main concern was their relationship with Christ and their progress in the faith.

Q: Are your prayers for others about them growing in and glorifying God?

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They didn’t see his pain.

They didn’t notice his need.

They didn’t care that he was in the house of the Lord.

What they cared about was entrapping their perceived enemy, the one who threatened long-held traditions and the law that elevated them to a pious, powerful place. They wanted to defend what they thought they understood. Their goal was to prove their point.

So what they saw was an opportunity.

“He went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’” –Matthew 12:9-10

Jesus never mistook a person for an opportunity.

The perfect example of love, Jesus never used a person as a way of self-seeking.
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In His response, He addressed the man, his pain, and his need. He also highlighted the God whose house the man was in. He had mercy on him. Jesus healed the man and redirected the conversation.

Much as they tried to make it about rightness, Jesus redirected them to God’s righteousness.

While they used men to serve their purposes, Jesus served men to fulfill God’s purposes.

Sadly, we tend to be more like the Pharisees.

Too often, we regard people as obstacles like when we:

• Are curt with people for efficiency’s sake
• Place convenience over kindness
• See other people’s challenges as hindrances or provocation to compare ourselves

Other times, we use people as a means to our ends, like when we:

• Expect people to be the means to our happiness
• Enable others so we can avoid confrontation
• Complain to loved ones so we feel better, regardless of how it affects them

Will you join me in asking the Lord’s forgiveness for seeing people as opportunities to be served instead of as opportunities to serve?

I’d like to be more Christ-like in my view of others, how about you?

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“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.” — Winston Churchill

Aneurin Bevan, also known as Nye Bevan, was a Welsh Labor Party politician who acted as minister of health in Great Britain’s post-war government between 1945 and 1951.

During his time as a politician, he became known as a harsh critic of those whom, he believed, “opposed the working man.” Among others, Prime Minister Winston Churchill was a primary target of his verbal attacks. The ideological differences between the two gentlemen created animosity that became widely known in the political arena, as well as to the public in general.

Late former Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker told the story of the day Winston Churchill, sitting in the House of Commons, received the message that his enemy, Nye Bevan, had just died. After receiving the news, Churchill bowed his head: “A great man, a brilliant man, a tragic loss,” he muttered under his breath.

Some minutes later, a member of parliament came to Churchill to inform him that the press was waiting to get his “heartfelt opinion on Nye Bevan.”

Churchill thought for a moment, then looked up, circumspectly, and said, “Are you sure he’s dead?”

The Prime Minister, known for his severe demeanor and strong opinions, dreaded to be forced to act as a politician, instead of speaking his heart.

This story about Churchill somewhat reminded me of something that I personally struggle with.

I too find myself in a quandary when someone I love continually makes the wrong decisions. And the struggle becomes even harder, when the person in question does not take criticism in a positive way.

In such circumstances, we must decide: Do we ignore their bad choices, and even nod our heads in approval, or do we fearlessly speak up, confronting them with the truth?

Is love ignoring someone's bad choices, or does it mean we speak up,confronting them with the truth?
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It seems to be a no-brainer, doesn’t it? If we see someone we love heading for trouble, we warn them. That’s the right and loving thing to do.

But we all know this is easier said than done, mostly because defensive people usually justify their wrongdoing, sometimes even quoting the Bible and saying that “God told them” to do so and so.

I’m always amazed at the things God gets blamed for.
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Why even bother, right? Why should we tell the truth, no matter what?

I found my answer this morning, while reading a bible passage in the book of Second Kings.

Israel had been divided into the Northern and the Southern kingdom, and the two kings decided to join forces and fight against one of their enemies together.

As it had become the custom, they summoned 400 so-called prophets to inquire about their decision. All 400 false prophets encouraged the kings to gather their armies and take over the enemy’s territory. But then, Micaiah, a true prophet, boldly dared to deliver a completely different message: If they went into battle, they would certainly die.

Even though he knew the kings would not heed his counsel, he risked his life by going against the kings’ wishes, and chose to honor God’s word.

He chose to tell the truth, at all cost.

Telling the truth is not always a matter of life and death, as it was for the prophet. And sometimes — I get it — holding our tongue can be a wise, political move, as it was for Mr. Churchill in the death of his political adversary.

But when it comes to my family and friends, I am asking God to help me to be bold, and love them enough to confront them, rather than condoning their wrongful actions. I don’t ever want someone I love to one day look me in the eye, and say: Why did you not say something?

This article was published on Patricia’s weekend column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) on Saturday March 18, 2017.

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