Posted on by jwlozano

Everything is Alright

Listen to this blog post on my podcast Seeking God, Loving Others.

A few years ago, my husband and I were getting ready to close on our home is Southeast Wisconsin. We had moved from Houston, Texas to be closer to his family and after months of living in an apartment so small that I could see everyone no matter what room they were in, we were excited to get a bit more space. The day of the closing, we were sitting in the car when he got a call from the lender that they were unable to verify his employment and needed a contact to do so before we closed.

No problem, right? Well, he was set to resign in 5 days. And he didn’t have another job! I could see his demeanor change. At the time, I didn’t know what was going on. I asked him if everything was alright and he said, “Yes. Let’s go in the bank.” To make a long story short, his employer verified he worked there, we closed on the home, and despite resigning 3 times, he now works remotely for the same company.

There has been a lot of resistant towards positive confessions or affirmations. Many people think declaring positive statements are naive or just wishful thinking. I’m not here to argue as to whether or not they work, but I do know that the Bible tells us in Proverbs 18:21 that “the tongue has the power of life and death.” The Bible also says in Proverbs 15:4 “Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”

I read an amazing book last year by Jon Acuff called Soundracks. He talks about replacing negative patterns of thinking with helpful, positive ones, or as he calls them new soundtracks. This idea is not new. Philippians 4:8 encourages us to think positively as well. “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.“

In 2 Kings 4, there is an account of someone who did just that. Instead of focusing on what was going wrong, the Shunammite woman (I talked about her in my blog Make Room) confesses boldly “Everything is alright!” when literally everything was falling apart. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing about her story and the incredible testimony of God’s provision, healing, and restoration in her life.

But until then, I want to encourage you to start confessing God’s promises over your life. Here are a few I rehearse regularly. you can borrow them!

  • Jesus is with me, and he is enough (2 Corinthians 12:9)
  • I am well able (Numbers 13:30)
  • His joy is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10)
  • He carries my cares (1 Peter 5:7)
  • I am the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Posted on by jwlozano

Teach Them the Language

“In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people.”

‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭13:23-24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I read this verse last week in my studying. I was reading about how Nehemiah helped orchestrate the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its walls after the Israelites were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. The people of Israel had been separated from their homes. They had married foreign people, which God had instructed them not to do so they wouldn’t be drawn away from him. 

As a result, their children were unable to speak the native language of the Israelites. As believers, we have a native language: Faith. I wonder if we are teaching our children that language.

My mother in law once said, “The kingdom of God has a language: Faith. If you can’t speak it, it’s going to be very hard to operate in God’s kingdom.”

When I went to Mexico a few years ago, I mostly stayed at a resort where English was spoken. But when I did go into the city, I needed to know the language. Luckily, I grew up in Texas, so I knew enough to get by. 

Unfortunately, this is the situation for many believers. They grew up in a home where they caught pieces of the language of faith, but because it wasn’t intentionally taught to them, they only know enough to get by. 

Jesus didn’t call us to just get by. He came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly! (John 10:10). We have to be intentional about instructing our children about the things of God. We have to teach them not just how to pray, but why we pray. Children will do what they see. 

Every morning, my son is up before most of us in the house. I wish I had his energy! He usually goes downstairs with my husband who also wakes up early to read and study the Bible. He had the habit of grabbing his tablet and headphones and just watching something until it was time to get moving for the day.

While we are not opposed to him being on his tablet in the morning, my husband and I decided it wasn’t the best way to start his day. Recently, he’s started beginning his day by reading his Bible before getting on his tablet. 

It’s not a punishment or a requirement we’re forcing him to do. We want him to see it as encouragement to start the day with time with God. That before anything else happens in the day, it’s important to see what God may want to speak to you.

Let your children see you worship, pray, and read your Bible. Teach them the importance of giving, serving and fasting. It is our responsibility to teach them the language of faith before they enter the world so that they can operate abundantly in God’s kingdom.