We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing,
experienced it all-all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take
the mercy, accept the help. (Hebrews 4:15, 16 MSG)
....So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will
find grace to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)
Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed; neither be confounded and depressed, for you shall not be put to
shame. For you shall forget the shame of your youth, and you shall not [seriously] remember the
reproach of your widowhood any more (Isaiah 54:4 AMP)
Shame: the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable,
improper, ridiculous done by oneself or anotherI often like to THINK that I'm a perfect girl. Every now and then I get on my perfect little princess soapbox and
brag about my "perfectness" (think I just made up a word). How I say all the right things, I'm polite, I never hurt
people, i only expose my eyes and ears to good things, I never cheat, I don’t gossip and I never lie. I'm just Gods
little perfect angel **reaches for my halo** ......then reality hits and welcomes me back from my moment of
insanity !!!!
Oh how we all wish we were perfect, right? Imagine the bliss we would live in if we could truly be perfect and
blameless before God! Unfortunately while some of us may think we've come close to this perfection, the fact is
that the overwhelming majority of people have lived a "less than perfect" life. To be honest I've done and said
some things that were not pleasing to God and I'm positive have grieved the Holy Spirit. If I were to step off my
perfect soapbox and get REAL transparent with you, I’m willing to admit my less than perfect life has left me
with overwhelming feelings of shame.
When I look at the definition of shame, I can see my life weaved through the words. Shame is unfortunately a
painful feeling I've had to battle with as a result of some "ridiculous" and "dishonorable" decisions done to both
myself and others. Shame is a powerful emotion that can lead to insecurities, fear, isolation, denial and keep us
from living confident lives. More importantly it can keep us from an intimate relationship with Christ…BUT oh
thank God for GRACE(:
I love this passage in Hebrews 4:15-16 that reminds us of the forgiving Father we serve who invites us to
"come boldly before his throne" to receive his mercy and grace. How comforting to know that no matter your
past (or current) shame we still have access to the holy of all holies!! He has an open invitation for us to come
directly to his THRONE, confess our sins, reveal our hurts and receive mercy.
I love the message translation "So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy,
accept the help." Don't let shame hold you back!!! Whether its shame from a broken marriage, abuse, criminal
past, abortion, sexual promiscuity or drug addiction. NOTHING you have ever done or has been done
to you will ever keep you from God !!!
For so long I allowed shame to nearly drown me in a sea of doubt, feeling I wasn't "good enough" or
"pure enough" to ever have an intimate relationship with God and to be used as a vessel for his kingdom. Oh
what freedom I experienced when I finally decided to let go of my shame, fully accept Gods grace and start
living in my purpose. Truth is no matter how perfect you may think you are, we are all unworthy and
undeserving of his grace. Thankfully being the great God that he is, he still makes it so that we can put our
shame behind us and move forward bold, confident and fearless in Christ.
I encourage you to meditate on these passages, let loose the grip shame may have on your life and accept Gods
invitation to come boldly before his throne and walk into your freedom.
I'll leave you with the lyrics and video of a BEAUTIFUL worship song inspired by this passage, "Come Boldly"
by Mary Alessi. I keep this one on repeat:)
The pardon is granted the prisoner free
My past is forgiven now your calling me
To come boldly, I come boldly
Master redeemer Savior friend
I know you are waiting to usher me into the holy of Holies
I come boldly before Your throne
I come boldly Your throne
By the blood of the Lamb my sins are atoned
I come boldly before Your throne
For the veil has been torn away
Night has turned into day
Now I have found a way to come boldly before your throne.
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (Proverbs 4:23 NLT)
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)
Search me, O God, and know my heart... (Psalm 139:23 NLT)
Well it's Valentines Day and love has been in the air all week:)
I'm always amazed at the buildup surrounding this holiday. Cards, flowers, balloons, jewelry and chocolate surround you at every turn as people seek to express their "love" to those special to them. While I celebrate the holiday and appreciate what it stands for, it's always interesting to observe the impact (good and bad) this ONE day has on people.
Weddings and engagement celebrations wait all year for this day.
Singles either drown in lonely feelings or scramble for a date for the sake of just having "someone".
Lovers await what surprises are in store, often finding themselves disappointed as their expectations aren't met.
Those that despise this commercial man-made holiday go to great lengths to show their "Anti V Day" by wearing black and rolling their eyes as flowers overtake their office spaces.
People just get in a tizzy. I know these people AND I've even been these people at different points in my life.
Feb 14th is a day where most people lay their heart on the line. So as all the attention has been focused on our "hearts" these past few weeks, I couldn't help but think about what God has to say about matters of the heart.
Proverbs 4:23 tells us to "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
Guard: to protect from harm, to watch over so as to prevent escape or violence, to maintain control over, as to prevent indiscretion, to supervise ENTRY or exit through.
We often experience heartbreak at the hands of a failed relationship, family betrayal, broken promises or unmet expectations. We let our guards down and allow others entry into our most prized possession, the heart, leaving us open and vulnerable to hurt. Over and over we leave the gates to our heart swinging wide open, allowing wrong thoughts, actions and people to infiltrate what God has clearly deemed precious.
God thinks our hearts are so special that he wants them guarded and protected above all else. The words ABOVE ALL else have always stood out to me. He means this should be a priority in our life, this supersedes anything else we have going on, this should be at the top of our to-do list. Since "everything you do" flows from the heart, it's important to have it in tip top condition.
If you allow fear in your heart then all your decisions: who you love, how you treat people, your daily mood, etc will all flow from a foundation of fear, having a negative impact on your life. If you want "good" outcomes in your life, you must have "good" in your heart. It's often said "you are what you eat", well I'm learning it's the same with our hearts. We are what we put in our hearts. So we have to take careful action to watch over who we allow to speak into our hearts, what we allow our hearts to be connected to and take observation as to how that is affecting our everyday life. Our hearts should be whole, pure, healthy, wise, steady and full of love so that our life will possess the same traits. God created our hearts for a special reason and it's our job to protect it.
Every day, not just Feb 14th, should be a day that we celebrate love. As we do, lets make sure we are taking extra care of our hearts, for it is the very thing that God is most concerned with.
Pray and seek God on what changes you may need to make with matters of the heart. Ask him to show you what should be allowed in your heart and perhaps what you need to purge so that you can stay on the right course for your life.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It
is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices
whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures
through every circumstance.
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13: 4-7,13 NLT)
"Indescribable, uncontainable, you placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name
You are amazing, God
Incomparable, unchangeable, you see the depths of my heart and you love me the same
You are amazing, God”
(Lyrics from "Indescribable" originally written by Chris Tomlin)
Indescribable: beyond description; too intense, extreme for words
1 Cor: 13 has always been my favorite passage in the bible. Over the years this
passage has come to life for me as I've felt and seen Gods love for me at work
in my life.
Love is PATIENT: for all the years I spent outside his will, he patiently waited for
my return and welcomed me back with open arms.
Love is KIND: despite my selfish ways , he continues to give me favor and pour
out blessings in my life
Love KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONG: when I'm trapped in guilt because of my
sins, I only need to remember the blood of Jesus has set me free
Love NEVER GIVES UP: when I turn my back on him, he continues to pursue
and chase me down with his love
Love is always HOPEFUL: when my fears threaten to consume me, I remind
myself of the perfect plans he has already designed for me
Gods love is truly amazing. No words will ever be able to describe it.
What does his love mean to you? How has it changed your life?
Would love to hear
from you:)
I've posted my favorite version of "Indescribable" below.
May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God
and Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2 NLT)
I've still got a lot to learn
But, at least I know where I can turn
When I'm in my times of need
Just as long as I believe
I've loved a lot, hurt a lot
Been burned a lot in my life and times
Spent precious years wrapped up in fear
With no end in sight
Until my saving grace shined on me
Until my saving grace set me free
Giving me peace
Giving me strength when I'd
Almost lost it all
Catching my every fall
I still exist because you keep me safe
I found my saving grace within you
These are the lyrics to Mariah Carey's "My Saving Grace" beautiful and inspirational song.
I was riding in my car this week when this came on the radio. I had almost forgot how moving
the song was. Thinking about Gods grace took me right into worship. As I grow in my
relationship with Christ I become more aware of his grace at work in my life. It doesn't take
long for me to have a flashback...
When fear attempted to stall me, his grace gave me hope to believe.
When the enemy tried to keep me entagled in the bondage of sin, his grace set me free.
When my hectic workload increases my stress levels , his grace gives me peace to calm the
storm.
When I suffered tremendous loss, his grace gave me strength to carry on and finish strong.
When I put myself in dangerous situations because of bad judgement, his grace kept me in the
safety of his arms.
Indeed our saving grace is found in God and God alone. As you grow in your relationship
with God I pray you discover his grace at work in your life...past, present and future.
Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 AMP)
So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience. God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it-no matter what. (Hebrews 4:11-13 MSG)
In my post last month I spoke about obedience and my personal experiences hearing the voice of the Lord. This post is a continuation of that topic...
Have you ever had the Lord scream at you? I mean literally fuss at you like a parent would a child?
I believe the Lord speaks to us individually in ways that sometimes only the two of you can understand.
I am quick to confess that I've had (umm..still have) a "rebellious" spirit since I was a child. Which meant I was always getting a "talking to" by my mom, teachers, instructors, bosses,etc. because of my need to do things "my way" (im the baby of the family so give me a break:-) So I'm very familiar with being fussed at for my wrongdoings but had never experienced the Lord speaking to me in that way until this past summer..
"STOP IT!!" I was preparing for work when I heard those words from him. I was knowingly being disobedient in an area of my relationships and I knew it wasn't pleasing to God. That morning my mind was trying to foolishly reason my actions and how I would "make it work", even if that meant some ungodly compromise. Clearly God was not having it!!! In response I even attempted to talk back to God and explain my reasoning.."NO, JUST STOP IT" was all I got back. I know for some this may seem "spooky" but I can't make this stuff up..trust me!!!!:) I knew what I had to do and I knew it was going to be hard. Tears instantly fell from my eyes. God was calling me into complete obedience and I knew there would be some casualties along the way. My flesh would suffer (rightfully so), my relationship would drastically be altered and I had no clear indication of what the future would
hold.
Hebrews 4:12 says the word is like a "double edge sword" (or "surgeons scalpel" in this message translation) judging our thoughts and attitudes, forcing us to listen and obey. Defined "double edge sword" means: having two sharp edges, something that can have both favorable and unfavorable consequences. Gods word proclaims his blessings but it also serves to correct and judge us. That correction can be uncomfortable to our flesh.
I'm without a doubt a recipient of Gods amazing grace. It's covered me when I made bad decisions and desired to do wrong. I didn't want to keep taking advantage of that grace so on that day after hearing his voice, I surrendered. I promised God no matter the costs I would obey, do what he was telling me to do and trust him like never before. Have there been costs? Did my relationship change? Is it a struggle? YES, YES and YES!!!!
While my circumstances and situations may not appear to be "ideal" or fitting in "my plan" still my joy, peace and contentment comes from knowing and being close to a God that loved me enough to save me from myself. God knew my disobedience would soon land me in a pit of destruction but with his words that convicted my spirit, he was giving me another chance. A chance to do it his way so that i can bear good fruit and experience his blessings. Fully relying and leaning on God is a perfect place to be. I feel closer to him now than ever before, he's overwhelmed me with favor and provided me encouragement along the journey. I'm indeed blessed to be walking in obedience and am expecting God to continue to do great things! I encourage you to let go of your way and reasoning and trust God. As long as we hang on to his word, walk in obedience, keep the faith and keep believing WE CAN NOT FAIL:)
If you desire to dig deeper into the amazing journey that comes when you trust God, check out this awesome book "Trusting God" by Girlfriends in God ministry. http://www.girlfriendsingod.com/trustinggod/
You will be blessed!
Psalms 63:8 “My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You…” (AMP)
Deuteronomy 13:3-4 “….God, your God, is testing you to find out if you totally love him with everything you have in you. You are to follow only God, your God, hold him in deep reverence, keep his commandments, listen obediently to what he says, serve him—hold on to him for dear life!” (MSG)
“I DON’T WANT TO!” With pouted lips and arms folded (figuratively speaking) I reverted back to the bratty little girl I once was (and still am at times!) This selfish and rebellious reaction was the attitude I took when the Lord started speaking to me and asking me to move into obedience. God interrupted me in the midst of my being consumed in my problems, worried about my unmet desires and manipulating situations for selfish gain (Guilty!). I was more focused on living a life I so desperately wanted, not really paying attention to what God wanted for me. As I went about my daily mundane tasks: laundry, washing dishes, checking email, preparing for my work day, etc. God began to audibly (admittedly a bit scary) begin to start telling me what he wanted me to do. Over the course of 2 ½ months he began to ask a whole lot from me that I didn’t necessarily understand, had never thought about and flat out didn’t want to do! We are talking RADICAL OBEDIENCE! Something I never had felt moved to do. I figured I was doing just fine obeying “most” of what the Bible instructed and being “Christlike” as often as possible, surely that was enough, right?!
One of the things he told me while I was doing laundry was to “start writing devotionals”, Write?? something I NEVER had done and more importantly never had a desire to do (At one point I started to write a memoir and gave up after 3 lines..lol); however here I am on this blog writing devotionals and sharing my life journey :)
STILL God was calling me to do more and so naturally my doubt and insecurities began to set in: “I can’t”, “I’m not qualified”, “I’m not worthy”, “What’s the point?”, “What will my friends think?”, “I’ve made too many mistakes”, “They won’t like me anymore”..Should I go on?? I think you get the point! For all my doubts and questions God’s answer continued to be the same “JUST DO IT” (his voice was getting sterner..ouch!) He was clearly not playing with me so I figured I better quit playing with him..
“Reach out to a friend”
I knew God had given me a gift of encouragement but I didn’t always exercise it. At the time God was calling me to connect, encourage and share more of Christ with a close friend that was hurting; I myself was in a “not so good” place. I was caught up in frustrations at work, fretting about my finances and future, struggling with my weight and tangled up in worry about a relationship that was not working out the way I had hoped. I needed encouragement, how dare God ask me to set aside my feelings to focus on ministering to someone else? I figured I would at least make the attempt to follow what God was calling me to do, so I started small : forwarding an online devotional here and there; a little conversation over dinner; suggestions to “pray about it”, basically run of the mill encouragement.
I felt I simply could not be bothered with taking her (or anyone else’s) pain full on but I knew God was not pleased with my half hearted answer to his call. Until one night she called me, at the time I was balled on the couch full of tears once again consumed in my “issues” and while I didn’t realize it, I too was sinking into a pit of depression. I answered. She shared. I listened. I shared. Our pain was the same. Three hours of talk time later I now knew it was time to press in. So the journey began: sharing sermon notes; attending church together; supportive emails and phone calls; praying for each other; sharing of testimonies; her finding her own church and both of us seeking God like never before. And in the midst of that I discovered the most unexpected blessing. While I was called to encourage her I began to become encouraged by her! The chains from my bondages were being broken, shame from my sins was released and I began to be lifted out of my own pit that I had tried so hard to hide from others. The truth was that while I appeared to “have it all together”, I didn’t, I knew it and didn’t want many people to know. I was full of pain from a father who has absent, broken relationships, bad decisions and a slew of insecurities. God knew best. So he used this call, this connection, and this journey with my sweet friend to move me from being a regular “church girl” to a bold, fearless, authentic believer, worshipper and seeker of Christ. He had called me to help her so he could help me! WOW!
The journey with my beloved friend still continues. She is in such a great place I get so happy in the Lord (I could run laps!) when I see the joy and light that has returned to her life. The other day we were talking and I mentioned having one of my “bad days”, feeling a certain situation wasn’t turning around the way I desired and perhaps that my last couple of months of obedience and seeking hard after God was somehow in vain. She said “Not true, if for nothing, I’m not sure how I could have survived these last couple months without you”. HUMBLED. It was with those sweet words God impressed upon my heart “It’s not about you!” We have to allow God to use us in whatever way to encourage, uplift and inspire others for HIS GLORY. That’s my calling. I’m now totally surrendered to his will, his way, his heart and his plan for my life.
As I was writing this post I listened to a song “YES” by Shekinah Glory. The song comes from the heart of God and the lyrics are very relevant to my story: “There is more that I require of you, will your heart and soul yes? If I tell you what I really need, will your heart and soul say yes?”
God requires more of us. Will you say yes?
There was still MORE he was asking of me and I had to say yes. I will share in my next posts…
Psalms 31: 7, 17 “I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy and steadfast love, because You have seen my affliction, You have taken note of my life's distresses…Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, or disappointed, for I am calling upon You..”
Going through difficult seasons in life can leave us feeling in despair, confused and hopeless. Sometimes life difficulties last longer than we anticipated and seem like they will never end. To the person who has abruptly lost their job the “unemployed season” brings feelings of uncertainty, anxiety and doubt. During a “sickness season” your body as well as your mind is gripped with pain, drained and overwhelmed. In the “loneliness season”, the heart is often left reeling from the sting of rejection and abandonment, in search of comfort and desperate for a sense of belonging. These seasons do test our faith, are no doubt difficult to manage and at times too much to handle! While we would all love to live a drama free life, the reality is that LIFE HAPPENS and we are challenged to push through.
This Psalms is a refreshing reminder that God is fully aware of our afflictions and life distresses (v.7). Knowing that he sees what were going through is really enough to give us peace! The word already confirms for us that he has a plan for our life (Jer 29:11), he’ll never leave or forsake us (Joshua 1:5), that joy comes in the morning (Ps 30:5) and that he is a GOOD God!
God has the power to ease our burdens, lighten our load and free us from our pain. We must believe that he will not “disappoint us or put us to shame“(v.17) So, when we find ourselves in the midst of these “seasons” we should do as the psalmist instructs: REJOICE! We should release the sound of praise, a sound that is full of hope and love should flow out of us in the midst of our challenges, knowing that our God has already given us the victory. While you are going through life challenges, focus on the God that sees and acknowledges your pain. Then start to REJOICE and PRAISE him in the midst of it all, declaring his goodness, love and mercy and trusting he has the power to lift you out of your circumstance. Our praise puts our faith into action.
