For He Cannot Deny Who He Is

The majority of 2020, we have all said similar things about this year.

“Oh, that’s just the 2020 thing to happen.”

“Wow, I guess that just fits right in with 2020.”

“I can’t wait until 2021 comes around, next year will be better”.

I am SO guilty of saying all of those sayings and more. This year has been HARD. It has stretched us, bent us completely in half, and even broke us in some ways. This year has been the year that absolutely every single person has gone through hard times not just once, but multiple times. We have had to sacrifice a lot, more than we ever knew possible. We have had to get back up each time we got knocked down… because life isn’t about how many times you get knocked down, it’s about the willingness and ability to get back up and keep moving forward. That forward movement doesn’t need to be huge. Heck, even some days that movement has been measured inch by tiny little inch.

Living in December of 2020, a year that at the beginning showed so much potential and promise, it is super easy to list all of the ways that life didn’t go right. It’s so easy to point out why you didn’t accomplish all of the things you had set out to accomplish in January. What is a little more difficult to do, is see the blessings that came with this year. To be able to lift up your hands in worship and thankfulness to God for all that He did right in your life. I think that this year has been such a great reminder of just how reliant we need to be on God to carry us through and reveal what purpose He has had for all of this on the other side of the struggle.

While I was in the Word a few days ago, doing my daily devotions, God smacked me in the face with a phrase from scripture that I hadn’t paid much attention to before.

“¹¹ This is a trustworthy saying:

If we die with him,
    we will also live with him.
¹² If we endure hardship,
    we will reign with him.
If we deny him,
    he will deny us.
¹³ If we are unfaithful,
    he remains faithful,
    for he cannot deny who he is.”

2 Timothy 2:11-13 (NLT)

Did you get that last part?! I know that in 2019 when I read through the Bible, I missed it. I didn’t underline it or make a note about it… I just glossed right over it and onto the next sentence. But because of all of the struggles that we have endured this year, this hit home! It was like God whispered to my tired soul “You may not understand it now and it may seem like darkness is following darkness. BUT, I will remain faithful to you because I am who I say I am!”

I have absolutely no answers for you as to how or when God will make everything that we have endured this year known. Heck, it may not be until we step into eternity that we find out why these trials kept coming. What I do know for an absolute fact is that Jesus has been before us- leading the way, besides us- holding our hand as we go, and behind us- making sure that the doors that have closed will not be re-visited.

It’s been a while since I have written a blog even though I’ve felt so many good messages and wanted to write them to encourage anyone that stumbles across them. I think I have been letting the fear of the unknown and my anxiety about anything and everything get in the way of following through with what God had called me to do. I also think that I took the little messages that God prompted me to shout from the rooftops for all to hear, and selfishly held onto them to help myself get through struggles. I didn’t do what I needed to do in order to take as many with me down this path called life. I didn’t pour love out to people the way I knew I needed to. I didn’t let myself believe that I had the time. That stops here. When I get a message, I will do better at writing them down and sharing them.

I believe that God has so much HE wants to give the world and most of the time, He doesn’t do it in loud ways. He does it through whispers to your spirit, through nudges in your gut, or though thoughts that randomly float into your mind and take even you by surprise.

Let’s get better at digging into scripture, talking to God and applying what He teaches through the Word, to the world. Our world needs it now more than ever. This darkness that we have all endured will not win. LOVE wins. LIGHT wins. GRACE wins. FAMILY wins. RELATIONSHIPS win. Even if they are socially distanced right now. Those things that matter are worth enduring hard times for. Remember and be reminded, especially during this holiday season, that JESUS is the answer. His message to love above all else is the answer.

Keep going my friend, God will remain true to His word and fulfill His promises to your life- rest in that. For He cannot deny who He is!!!

If you haven’t put your faith and trust in Jesus yet, I promise you that it will be the greatest decision you will ever make. All it takes is for you to declare that you want Jesus to be the Lord of your life and the person that you run to in all circumstances. If you need help in what to pray- reach out. I would be so happy to guide you!!

~Gracefully Kellen~