Defying Gravity

We had a powerful worship service at PUR tonight, you guys. Chains were broken, hearts were mended, and lives were changed. The Spirit of the Lord was moving in so many lives; my heart was so overwhelmed with the mercy and goodness of our Savior that I could not hold back the tears. I'm telling y'all, it was a powerful, powerful night in the House of the Lord.

Tonight, Cole (our awesome college pastor) started a new sermon series entitled "Gravity." It was about how our God is a gravity-defying God. What exactly does that mean? (I'm so happy you asked, hehe.) Let me start from the beginning...

(P.S. If you are an 18 to 20-something-year-old and are looking to be encouraged, please join us at PUR on Tuesday nights at Forest Hill at 7:00. The "Gravity" series will last 4 more weeks, and it is going to be awesome, I just know it.)

But anyway... In this world, we will have pressure. (I know what you're thinking... DUH, Claire, that's obvious. But stick with me here.) This pressure can actually feel like gravity, constantly pulling us down. That pressure often takes the form of discouragement. We become discouraged with our jobs, with our income (or lack there of), with school (I'll insert a big 'ole amen right here), with our relationships, etc.

Let me tell you a little more about discouragement as Cole laid out for us tonight. 

Discouragement is:

Universal 

(Everyone becomes discouraged at one point or another.)

Recurring 

(I mean really, don't we all feel that it never goes away sometimes.)

Contagious

(Misery likes company, correct?)

Unpredictable 

(Often times we never know when it's gonna strike.)

And my favorite... Temporary 

(Contrary to popular belief, it won't last forever. Can I get a hallelujah and amen?!)

Take a look at what the Lord says in John 16:33,

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

God doesn't say that we may have trouble in this world; He says we will have trouble. We live in a very sinful world, so it's pretty obvious that trouble will come sooner or later. But the amazing thing is that He has overcome the world. He conquered sin and death and the grave... all for us. If that doesn't get you pumped up, I don't know what will. :)

Back to the whole gravity-defying-God thing. Don't you believe that if God created everything in existence that He certainly has control over His creation? I sure do. We serve a gravity-defying God because there are no forces in your life bigger than God. Your worries, problems, cares, concerns... None of those are bigger or more powerful than God.

When you get a few minutes, I want you to read Matthew 14:22-33. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus had just finished feeding the five thousand. He told the disciples to go on ahead of Him, so of course, they went on their way. Verse 23 says that Jesus went up into the hills to pray. (Little side note here, don't you think if Jesus Himself needed to spend quiet time alone with God in prayer, that we certainly do too?? That really hit home with me when Cole said that.)

The disciples were out on a boat pretty far from land when a strong wind and heavy waves came. This is when Jesus appeared to them by walking on water (How doggone amazing is that? HELLO, walking.on.water. So cool!) The disciples were freaked out and started shouting, "It's a ghost!" Poor disciples, hehe.

Then Jesus spoke to them and said in verse 27, "Don't be afraid. Take courage, I am here!" In verse 28, Peter says, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." How many times are we like Peter in our own lives? Lord, if it's really You, could you pretty please help me with this problem?? 

So the Lord tells Peter to come, and he does. He walks towards Jesus on the water for about 5 seconds until he saw the crazy waves around him and took his eyes off Jesus. And then bam, Peter starts sinking. Doesn't that happen all too often in our own lives? We take our eyes off Jesus, and the discouragement, the trials, the problems all become more than we can bear alone. 

But what does Jesus do for us that He did for Peter... He grabs our hand in His and pulls us out of the chaos. How truly amazing is that? All we have to do is reach our hands out to His, and He takes us in His arms. What a blessing. 

The pressure of life isn't going to go anywhere; it's always going to be there, just like the waves and wind was still there in Peter's instance. What matters is our focus on Jesus because His power will never fail us. 

We have a choice to either respond to life's failures or we can choose to respond to God's power in our lives. Our focus depends on our connection with Him, and when our hand is in His hand, we will defy gravity in this life. When we cry out to God, He does not hesitate, not even for a moment. 

I want to leave you with this powerful verse from Romans 8:38-39:

"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."

When you begin to feel discouraged and feel that this life is beating you down, remember Whose child you are, my friend. Nothing can separate you from the love of God, absolutely nothing on or under this earth. God's power will always remain in your life, but when you start sinking, remember that in order to defy the gravity of this life, you must first choose to place your hand in His. 

Love & Blessings, 

Claire

💚