"I Believe"

By Martin

Would you believe me if I told you one of the most powerful messages you could ever hear, on a daily basis, is something small enough to wear on your person? 

No, I am not referring to a cross necklace.  Although a cross is small enough to wear on your person.  But, when we wear a cross what are we doing?  We are making a statement.  That statement being, ‘I am a Christian’.  Yes, there is a message in the cross, but we do not wear it for the message.  It is a statement for others to see.  It is just like a wedding ring, I do not wear my wedding ring to remind myself that I am married.  No, it is a statement to others that I am married.

What about a WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) bracelet?  No, that is a question and perhaps a small message.  It is a symbol for us to think in a way of compassion.  It encourages the wearer to think in a different way than our flesh would otherwise think.  Instead of cursing at someone for cutting you off, or flipping them the bird, you simply slow down and allow them to pass.  So, there is a small message in that bracelet, but not a powerful message.

No, the powerful message I am referring to can be found in a TANDEM Bracelet.  Let me explain.  A TANDEM Bracelet is comprised of 5 key components; each being equal and just as powerful as the others.  The five key components are: the circles, the straight lines, the knots, the cord itself, and the hand-stitched cross.

The first item the circle, a circle never ends just like God’s never-ending love.  The straight lines represent the times in our lives when we are walking side-by-side with God; all is well and we are loving life.  Then we come to the knots.  The knots represent the struggles that we all face throughout our lives.  By looking at the knots you cannot tell one string of cord from the other.  Like the footprints in the sand, it is during these struggles in life that God is carrying us through.  The bracelet is made from parachute cord.  Parachute cord is also referred to 550-cord because one strand can withstand 550 pounds of pressure.  That is very strong cord, just like God’s love for us is very strong.  You see, God’s love for us is very strong whether we love Him back or not.  And the fifth component is the hand-stitched cross.  This is important because we know that there is only one way to The Father and that is through His Son Jesus Christ.  Jesus died for your sins and mine on the cross so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The Bible tells us that by being believers’ our lives will not be all sunny skies and cool breezes.  We will go through storms of life.  But, through His Word we know that if we believe we will not have to go through it alone.  He is our parachute and He will bring us down to safety.  For in Christ we are: Transformed, Accepted, New Creation, Delivered, Empowered, and Messengers of The Word.

Furthermore, we know that we face an enemy that we cannot see, hear, or feel.  But, we know that the devil exists and wants us to fail.  And left to ourselves we will fail every time, because we are born with a sin nature in us.  That is why we need to put on the Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).  And just as God told Joshua, “Have I not commanded you?  Do not be afraid, but be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9).

I believe that one of the most powerful messages, that you could hear on a daily basis, is as easy as wearing a TANDEM Bracelet.