Back to the Basics

by Elizabeth Trichel | Dec 7, 2023 | Life Advice, Wisdom

“I have learned to hold all things loosely, so God will not have to pry them out of my hands.” – Corrie Ten Boom

Materialism. Something I would argue to be one of my biggest sin struggles. What is it about this sin in particular that takes my eyes off Jesus so easily? I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the root of this struggle and I think I’ve come to somewhat of a conclusion. We live in a world where everyone has material things which is normal, of course. I’ve got plenty of my own. But where my struggle comes in is when I begin feeling like I need to play catch-up with everyone else. “Wait that looks SO cute on her, I want that!” “Oh, this is what’s trending, I’ve got to get it!” “If I can just get this one thing, I’ll be satisfied!”

And in today’s society, when so many people are fixated on the same worldly things, it’s easy to feel like whatever we’re doing is okay, good or bad. Like we’re safe to continue doing what we’re doing because other people around us claim to be believers and are doing the same things. But the danger in this is that when it turns into a chain reaction and everyone starts feeling like it’s all “okay”, there’s no-one around to correct with Truth. And steadily, sin (of any kind) creeps in and becomes normalized. Now, more than ever, is the time for us to point back to Scripture in every decision we make and truly ask ourselves the cliché but insightful question, “what would Jesus do?” 

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with owning things. But when our main focus shifts from what satisfies Jesus to what satisfies us, our lives begin to reflect self-indulging culture, and our idea of our purpose on Earth gets skewed.

I often think about this scenario: What if there was no-one else on Earth except me and God? If there was no-one to impress or compete with. If there were no distractions from my sole purpose in life: glorifying Him. While I do know God intended for us to be in community and there is no likelihood for this scenario to ever occur, I find myself with the desire to live with this mentality. Pure joy. Obedient to whatever He asks of me. Not worrying about whatever “cool” thing the person next to me is doing or chasing after. No comparison and no insecurities. No distractions. And I have this urge to carry that joy, love, peace, patience, all the fruits to everyone around me. 

When I think about this scenario, I picture a specific place in my mind. It’s the place I’ve gone for years to just be with God. Something about this place brings about feelings of peace and serenity. When I’m there, it feels as if God is holding my hand and walking alongside me as I talk with Him. Let me be clear, God is omnipresent. He is in your car, your house, your workplace. Anywhere you go, He is with you. And we have access to Him wherever we go! But there’s something about seeking out a place that’s special to just you and Him. For me, it was a game changer. There’s nothing else I associate my special place with other than God. I encourage you to do the same! Seek out a spot of your own to meet with Jesus, whether it’s a room in your house or a spot in your backyard!

James 5 has been on my heart recently and I can’t seem to get it out of my head. 

“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! … You have lived on Earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourself in the day of slaughter.” (James 5:1-3,5) 

It might sound a bit harsh, but sometimes I, personally, think I need harsh correction to snap me out of the disillusionment that worldly possessions are our source of fulfillment. 

But when I sit in the silence with Jesus, and everything else fades away, I’m reminded that nothing in this world rivals the beauty and glory of our Savior. 

My pastor and his wife spent this past Sunday’s sermon discussing the little details of the Christmas story that are often overlooked. A baby, our Savior, entered this world, not in a fancy or ornate way. But in a manger. And He did it so personally. Because He’s such a personal God. He came to Earth knowing every flaw and every imperfection, every sin and every mistake we’d ever make. And He still chose love. He still chose the cross. He still chose you. 

He loves us in spite of our mistakes, even when we do fall short and take more delight in the things of this world than the things of Him. But when we fall, we get up, and run back to Him, because He’s waiting with open arms.

I’m challenging myself to recognize the sin at the forefront of temptation. For instance, when I feel the urge to make an unnecessary purchase or indulge in the material things, I’m learning to think about how I could use that same money or resources to contribute to God’s Kingdom.

I’m reminded of the scripture: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

Materialistic things may seem temporarily fulfilling, but the satisfaction of Jesus is eternal. 

It can be a dangerous game when you find yourself debating if you “can” pay your tithes or not from a paycheck because there are other things you want to buy instead. I have found myself in that mindset more than I’d like to admit. But when I go back to what I know to be Truth, that everything I “own” has been God’s since before He ever loaned it to me, that He loves me beyond the worth of anything I could ever offer Him, there’s a shift in not just my actions, but my intentions and perspective. God wants us to give back to Him because we love Him. And when our minds stray to the wrong place, there are hearts will stray as well. But in the same way, when our minds shift to the right place, there our hearts will shift as well. 

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

What is it that when you sit in the silence with God with no distractions, you feel Him urging you to shift in your life? Ask God to show you through His Word or however He chooses, and then follow those convictions. We are a team running the same race toward Jesus. And one day, when we reach the finish line, we’ll see why the things of this world’s value were incomparable to what Jesus has for our eternity. 

I love you, friends! And I encourage you to keep running the race with endurance!

Elizabeth is a member of Team LO and is passionate about Jesus & writing! She enjoys spending time with her husband, Chaz, having coffee with friends, and helping lead worship at her church. 

Keep up with Elizabeth on Instagram @elizabethmtrichel

A Shift in Perspective

by Ciara Laine Myers | Dec 5, 2023 | Life Advice, Wisdom

Fear and discouragement inevitably knock on the door to my dreams. When I answer now, I politely welcome them in, acknowledge their presence, and then escort them out before they invade my refrigerator and linger on my couch. I tell them I’m too busy this time, that I have God’s business to attend to, and that they don’t have any business tending to me. I can make up a lot of reasons why I can’t, or shouldn’t, or don’t deserve it; that dreaming is reserved for other people, people who aren’t like me. But here’s something I often remind myself of: I technically don’t have to believe in myself. Instead, I can lean entirely on God’s abilities, which are perfect and never-ending.

To prevent crippling fear from creeping in sometimes, I do an exercise called “Fear Setting.” It’s been so effective in my life throughout the years that my husband started recommending it to his clients in therapy. Here’s the exercise in case you want to try too:

1. Write down one goal that you are afraid of (in question form).
2. Now, make a list of every fear you can think of as it relates to this goal. These can be realistic, highly irrational, or dramatic. Write down any and every little thing you can think of that could go wrong. This is not a time to be judgmental toward yourself or your fears. The more you write down, the better.
3. Then make a list of ways that you can prevent these fears from occurring. This is a great place to work on your brainstorming abilities and problem-solving skills.
4. Finally, if some of your fears do come true, list ways you can repair your life and recover from them.

Even with this soothing exercise in reach, there are some days when fear can be so paralyzing that moving forward feels more like navigating the forceful hands of quicksand. On days like those, I refer to the basics: What does God say about fear? I’ll thumb through the concordance and choose one word that I need to focus on that day. Sometimes it’s “fear” itself or “anxiety” or “worry.” Then I’ll look up each recommended scripture, reading them aloud to myself, pacing around the room, desperate for peace. Eventually, I’ll be so consumed with the Holy Spirit that putting in the work becomes an expression of my excitement rather than something to dread.

This is what I read today: “I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:3–5).

Graduating from a fear-based mindset to a faith-based one has been the most liberating and useful thing I’ve done these days. Maybe “graduating” isn’t the best word to use because it’s more like studying. It’s an ongoing process, not some place I’ve arrived. But it’s influencing everything—how I listen to God in my prayer life, who I call for help, and how authentically I try to parent and live and work. I don’t know anyone who lives without fear, not truly. But the skill I’m trying to master lately—I’m calling it a skill because it takes practice—is to welcome that fear, sit with it, pray through it, and then do the thing anyway. This skill has the power to change the course of my life if I let it. It’s entirely challenging, but I’m building childlike faith in the process. Even though caving into the fear, and the ice cream, is a much more natural solution, I’m gaining spiritual muscle by spending time reading my study Bible and praying every day when I’d rather put it off. I’m letting God know that I’m eager to be used and that my character is forming. He can trust me with a specific assignment, big or small or in between.

Fear might stop by to say, “Hello,” from time to time, but it no longer stays the night. Faith is the sink-or-swim moment in all our stories, and maintaining trust in God and His voice is essential, like clean water. Fear is its counterpart, entirely dirty, dark, and toxic to the insides.

I know it seems daunting to step out in full faith, like being the first one in a relationship to confess those “three little words.” The fear of not being loved in return is terrible and haunting and sickening all at once. Yet somehow, you clear your throat, look the other person in the eye, and muster the courage to say, “I love you.” Why? Because there’s a slight chance that person might say, “I love you too,” making that leap of faith worth any future rejection. So as fearful as I might be today, I have a choice: I can believe God, or I can ignore His calls, continually sending them to voice mail. I hope I choose faith. That hour after hour, I look to God as intensely as my husband and I looked for his wedding ring in the middle of the electric-blue Caribbean waters. We never found the wedding ring, but we always find God when we keep searching for Him. “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8).

I hope with this newfound perspective—this shift from fear to faith—that my mindset grows stronger with experience and repetition. That the more I do it, the more confident I become in the process. Because when God trusts me with something, He never reveals all of the steps to take. Not for me not asking him 24/7 though. I’ve pleaded with Him many times for clarification, requesting details and fretting over the what-ifs. But still, He does not unveil anything else until He wants to, and it’s usually never when I’d like Him to. I know, I know. Faith wouldn’t be required if I knew all the answers ahead of time. It’s okay. I’m starting to appreciate that, or at the very least, I’ve become more used to it. Now when God speaks, I jump with what appears to be a hard landing and no net. Then, like clockwork, like Superman, He catches me at the very last second, easing my anxious mind and glorifying Himself in the process.

Taken from Glasses Off: Seeing God When Your Vision Is Gone by Ciara Laine Myers (Westbow).

Ciara Laine Myers the author of Glasses Off: Seeing God When Your Vision Is Gone. She loves her family and friends, and she loves to read. Like you, she’s not just one thing. She’s a mother and an award-winning business owner. You can find her in the pages of this book and in Prosper, Texas, where she lives with her husband Paul, her daughters Audri and Averi, and her dog Zoey.

Keep up with Ciara on Instagram at @ciaralainemyers

The Power of “Even If”

by Mya Ramirez | Nov 30, 2023 | Life Advice, Wisdom

If you are anything like me, it’s easy to worry about anything and everything! Sometimes it can be the simplest things in life, like worrying if I said the right thing to someone in a conversation. But other times, it feels like the weight of the problem is so big that all I can do is worry about the outcome or solution. In those moments, it’s easy to feel so hopeless and scared. You start thinking, “what if this happens” or “what if that happens” and from there, you can spiral at all the negative possibilities. If you’ve found yourself in a similar situation, you are not alone. Actually, you are in the right place. I can’t wait to share with you the power of “Even if” and how my faith in God has been forever changed.

5 days after turning 19 years old, I had one of the scariest surgeries I’ve ever had. At the time, I was a collegiate long distance runner and had been running my whole life. In 2017, I started having back pain that was preventing me from running and even doing simple life tasks. After months of doctor appointments, physical therapy, and injections…I still had pain and no answers. I remember feeling like no one believed my pain. I remember feeling alone. I remember begging the Lord to heal me and take away the pain as I knew he could. But in this season of my life, the Lord didn’t do that. Once I finally got answers, I learned that I have Degenerative Disc Disease and because of this, I was going to need a 360 back fusion. This is a surgery where they go through the stomach and put in a cage with stem cells and then they flip you over and go through your back and add rods and screws. As you can understand, I was terrified! I started worrying about everything. “What if i can never run again, what if relearning how to walk is so hard i can’t do it, what if my surgery has complications, and what if i don’t get to go back to school next semester?” I gave power to the worry in my life and those questions started to consume me. Thank goodness for wise, loving moms. It was before my surgery that my mom told me this verse, “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s troubles are enough for today. Matthew 6:34” This verse is a hard concept to understand, especially for those who worry and fret about the future we can not see. We shouldn’t worry about things we can’t control. At the end of the day, we are not the maker of the universe or the one in control of our own lives. However, the good news is our God is! He already has tomorrow planned for us. He will take care of us day-by-day and moment-by-moment. During this season of my life, I really learned what it looks like to trust God even when I didn’t know what the outcome would look like.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if we just trust God in everything we do? I mean like REALLY trust him. It’s easy to trust God when life is going your way, but what about when you’re held to the flame? Where does your faith go then? When we are lacking in faith, we start to stand in the power of “what if” statements.

• What if I’m not pretty enough?
• What if I’m not good enough?
• What if I never get to be a mother?
• What if my friends judge me for following Jesus?
• What if I disappoint the Lord?
• What if my marriage won’t last?
• What if I never get married?

According to the dictionary, “What if”, is used when something is RARELY done or just IMAGINED. Every time we use a “what if” statement, this is just the worry talking about something that may not even happen or an idea that our imagination came up with. Our emotions control these “what if” statements…and let me tell you, sometimes your emotions lie. “What if” statements only take emotions, but “Even if” statements only take faith. The word “Even if” is used to say that if something is the case or not, the result is the SAME. Is this as mind blowing to you as it is to me? Whether this happens to you or not, the result is the same! This is who Jesus is! He is good, no matter what happens, no matter if he answers your prayer or not, he will always be good. If we stand in the power of “what if”, then we will never get to experience the faith of “even if”. There is even a story in the Bible that proves this.

My all time favorite Bible Story is about 3 young men and the faith they had in the one true God. In Daniel 3, we learn about King Nebuchadnezzar and a huge golden idol he made. He told everyone that when they hear the musical instrument, they must bow down to worship the gold statue. Anyone who refused to obey would immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. When it came time to bow down to the idol, 3 jewish men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, would not do it. The King told them that they would be thrown into the furnace if they didn’t…and this was their response:

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17 -18)

The 3 men were thrown into a furnace that was seven times hotter than usual. Then the King saw a 4th man standing in the fire with them. He called for them to come out and saw that they had not been burned. King Nebuchadnezzar then praised the Lord and told everyone to follow the one true God.

We see in verses 17-18 that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had faith that God could save them. They trusted God enough to say that even if he doesn’t save them, THE RESULT IS STILL THE SAME. Whether they turned to ashes or they were saved…God is still good & God is still King. God may work a miracle in your life or he may not…but that can not change how you respond to a test of your faith. It’s easy to let pain and sorrow lead your life, but look at the 3 jewish men. They still had to go through the fire and experience the flames…but the Lord was WITH them through it all. God is with you in the moments you feel alone, he is with you when you feel hopeless, he is with you when you don’t know what’s going to happen next, and he is with you when the weight of worry comes crashing down. I encourage you to change your “what if’s” to “even if’s” and stop giving power to worry. Today you can be set free from worry, but you have to declare your faith to the Lord. Not 10%, not 50%, not even 98%…you have to give 100% of your worries to the Lord. When you do, just like King Nebuchadnezzar, people around you will see your faith and will be encouraged to follow after the one who truly knows the plans for our future.

After having major back surgery, the Lord answered my prayers. I relearned how to walk, I went back to college the next semester, and I even finished out my college career as a long distance runner for my school. And let me tell you…Jesus got all the credit. In that season of my life, the Lord chose to heal me, but I had to have faith. I’m not saying that having faith is easy or after you give up worry, you won’t ever struggle again. The truth is your faith will always be tested in life, but if the Lord has done it before, I know He will do it again. But even if he doesn’t, I know He is still good and the plan he has for my life is better than I could ever imagine. My faith forever changed the moment I started changing my “what if’s” to “even if’s”.

Mya is a member of Team LO and enjoys spending time with her husband, Isaac, and their dog Bevo! Keep up with Mya on Instagram @mya.d.ramirez!