Month: April 2017

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” ~John 14:1

Jesus tells us not to let our hearts be troubled. Fear is the greatest enemy of faith, the complete antithesis to the hope and assurance we can hold onto as precious children of a loving God. Yet fear always seems to have such a firm grip on my heart.

I let it. I let fear slowly and subtly sneak in when I’m not looking- into the places where I am not actively pursuing Christ, the places I have hidden from Him and the places where I have insisted on being the master of my own fate.

“and do not give the devil a foothold.” ~Ephesians 4:27

When we give the devil an inch, he’ll take a mile. He loves to consume and devour and destroy: our hope, our security, our identity. He wants to confuse us, to deceive us, and to tempt us into a life we were never meant to live. And when we allow worry to fester- allow our hearts to be troubled- we are giving him prime real estate in our hearts.

But the devil has no place in us, and God already has the victory over darkness. The devil’s foolish schemes will never amount to anything, if we don’t let them.

I experienced some serious spiritual warfare this weekend, but through a strong and beautiful friend and prayer intervention, I was able to experience a taste of the victorious life, of an empowered and faithful life- a life devoid of fear.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” ~James 4:7

What are we so afraid of, anyway?

“Do not be afraid” is written in some variation in the Bible 365 times, a reminder for each day of the year, and a testament to the utter importance of this command from our Father. Fear holds us back from all that we are made to be, from allowing all that He is to consume our lives and bring us home into His loving arms. The devil wants us lost, but in Him we are found. All we have to do is believe that His promises are true, that His heart for us is compassionate and loving. If we can truly embrace these truths and receive His goodness, we will not be afraid or troubled. Then, no matter what happens, we will know that it will all be okay.

It is well with my soul.

He is risen indeed. And with His resurrection, we too shall rise. That’s what He did for us:  He died so we could die– to ourselves. To all of our dysfunctional, dark emptiness. To all of the pain and anguish and hurt we carry around. He came to free us from the chains that bond us, the chains of broken relationships and broken homes and broken hearts.

We are free. We are truly and completely free. A new beginning. A fresh start. A shedding of the old ways, and a taking up of the cross. He bears all of our burdens, all of our fear. And His burden is no burden at all- His yoke is easy.

Beautiful, wonderful Savior, Friend, and Mighty Counselor. Thank you for what You have done for us.

I am new.

Inner peace is one of those things that has been completely elusive to me for much of my life and it seems like I am constantly striving for it but looking in all the wrong places.

I try so hard to find something that simply wants to find me, if I’ll let it. The inner peace of the Holy Spirit in me. It comes by trust, not effort.

As I am learning to let go and be broken in the places that I am without trying to cover up and pretend like I have it all together, the resistance is fierce. The Devil wants me stuck and worried, but the Lord wants me peaceful and free. You know you are making progress when the fear comes on strong. It is by facing that fear that you can truly let go and allow it to shape you into who you are meant to be.

You’ve heard it before: trust the process. The outcome is out of our control, so what’s the use in worrying about it? I want to live each day in the comfort of knowing that my life is not in my own hands, but that there is a Maker and perfect Planner in control. I am empowered to choose my path, knowing He will open doors and opportunities as I go. That’s how I can have peace. That’s how I can finally trust.

There are so many different suggestions for how to achieve inner peace: meditation, yoga, prayer…etc. and these are all good things, but what it ultimately comes down to is the emptying of our hands and our hearts, so that we can be refilled in joy, hope, and purpose. There is always a breaking down before a building up.

In the middle of my journey I am frightened, confused, angry, and sad at times, but I know it is not the end. God has the victory and peace prevails.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ~Collossians 3:15

God is the opposite of hurry and worry. He wants us to bear fruit, and if we are constantly hustling and rushing around trying to get everything done, nothing of worth will be produced because there has been no time and care put into our activities. They are fruitless. I feel like God is always telling us to slow down.

Be still and know that I am God. ~Psalm 46:10

There is a hustling in my mind that is out of sync with my heart, with God’s spirit in me. There is something that tells me I must do everything and experience everything and I must do it right now or it will be too late. Seize the day!

Yet as I am thinking about what I should be doing, I am not enjoying what I am doing right now. My mind is always five steps ahead of me while my heart remains behind. I can never catch up, and I’m tired. My soul is tired. I need rest. I need to stop trying to figure it all out. There is a plan.

The mind of the man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. ~Proverbs 16:9

While I am so busy trying to figure out my next steps, my life is happening. The world keeps going and I’m missing out because I’m not present. I let my mind run away and take me with it, and everyone is worse for it.

I am needed here, now. All we have is the present, and we get to choose how we use it- are we going to be engaged with the world around us in a meaningful and connected way, or continue to detach and numb ourselves with the drugs of hurry and worry?

I choose to be here and now, no matter how imperfect and unfinished and messy it is. God meets us where we are and carries us forward- it is not in our own strength and will.

Let go of your to-do list, just for a moment, and trust that the Lord of the universe loves you infinitely and will take care of your every need.