In case you didn’t read yesterday’s introduction to these upcoming 23 days of heart searching, I encourage you to do so. We’re opening up our hearts to questions that will prepare us to make room for Jesus in this Christmas season like never before. These questions come from a chapter titled “Obstacles” in one of my favorite books, The Revival We Need, by Oswald J. Smith.
QUESTION #1: *Have we forgiven everyone? Is there any malice, spite, hatred or enmity in our hearts? Do we cherish grudges; and have we refused to be reconciled?
Whew! Nothing like a LOADED question to start off these devotionals right? It’s a weighty question, but possibly one of the biggest stumbling blocks that can be easily removed as we search our hearts.
Maybe you’ve heard the expression that holding onto an offense is like drinking poison and hoping it kills the other person. That scenario sounds ridiculous, but holding onto unforgiveness causes us to die spiritually. This is an area where we must invite the Holy Spirit to come in and examine our hearts. Here’s a few ways to do this;
1.Pray this prayer when you can quietly and without distraction posture your heart (yes moms go hide in the bathroom ;-) ) “Jesus, I want my heart to be filled with light. I ask You to show me any area of forgiveness in my life. Please help me to forgive and release myself and others and walk in the spirit of peace in my heart.”
2.Have a piece of paper ready and write down anything that comes to mind. You might be surprised at the trival things that come to mind or past events you didn’t realize were still bothering you. That’s ok, don’t ignore these promptings.
3.Ask yourself questions like this—“Am I holding unforgiveness towards myself for anything?” (sometimes this can be the hardest area to release forgiveness, but know Jesus forgives you of your sins and desires you to be free). “Am I delighting in holding a grudge against someone?” (I’ve prayed with people who literally hold grudges because of a sports game outcome that they weren’t even playing in! Hello! These things must be eradicated from our lives). “Have I refused to humble myself and ask for forgiveness for my sin against another?”
I’m not saying this is all that can be done in the area of forgiveness nor that it’s easy, but it will continue the process of making your heart healthier and more free in Jesus.
SCRIPTURES: For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, Acts 3:19
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mark 11:25
This time of year marks a period of reflection of the birth of Christ. Jesus was sent to the world to save us from sin and reconcile us to God. In light of this, I’d like to do a devotional for December to prepare our hearts to receive the beloved Son of God this year.
I had a conversation with a friend today where we both exchanged questions we have about our faith and our futures. We both acknowledged how hungry we were for the reality of Christ to be made known in our hearts in a tangible way everyday. We shared how in seasons past, there seemed to be a deeper passion and effortless purity that is now too often occupied by the complexities of life and difficult times. This conversation provoked me to dig deeper in songs, books, and scriptures that have continually inspired me and have lit a flame in my heart in times past.
Today’s blog is an entry setting up the next 23 days of devotionals that will lead up to the final entry on December 24th, Christmas Eve day. I am going to be asking 23 questions found in one of my absolute favorite books, The Revival We Need, by Oswald J. Smith. These heart searching inquiries come from a chapter titled, Obstacles. They will cause you to examine barriers where sin creeps in and separates us from God’s presence and power flooding our lives. Stephen and I will be prayerfully working through these questions everyday with you and sharing some reflections we have. I will keep them short and simple ;) but please take time to read all of today’s post.
My prayer is that this Christmas season would be the best yet as you are filled with the knowledge of the love of Christ. I pray that as we ponder these truths and pray these next 23 days that we would eradicate things that would hinder Jesus from having all of our hearts. He desires to be Lord of all of our lives, not just the parts we’re willing to give to Him. Our lives need His power, our lands need His presence. God’s word promises us that if we humble ourselves and pray, He will hear us and forgive us of our sins. There may be times this month in examining these thoughts, that you feel you need to acknowledge (or some say “confess”) your sins against God and others. In these times, as painful as it can be to your own will, emotions and intellect, choose the road of humility and ask for forgiveness. Those who were at Jesus’ birth came and bowed down because they acknowledged that even though they didn’t fully understand what was happening, this small baby was worthy of their worship.
A simple way to walk through these devotions would be to write down the questions and a response daily. You could make a post it note, or save it as a screen saver on your phone. Setting a reminder on your phone with the question typed on there can alert you to further reflect as the day unfolds. When repentance is needed, boldly ask for forgiveness from God, others, and from yourself as the spirit leads.
I encourage you to check this blog daily and if you miss a day, make it up when you can.
**Here’s a short excerpt from the chapter we will be discussing to prepare our hearts for the coming questions.
“There is only one obstacle that can block up the channel and choke God’s power, and that iss in. It alone can hinder the work of the Spirit and prevent a revival. “If I regard iniquity in my heart,” declared David, “the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18). And in Isaiah 59:1,2, we have these significant words: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.” Sin, then, is the great barrier, and it must be put away. Nor is there any alternatives. There can be no compromise. God will not work as long as there is iniquity covered up.
Sorrow for the consequences and punishment of sin is not sufficient, but sorrow for sin itself as committed against God. Hell is full of remorse, but only for the punishment incurred. There is no real contrition. The rich man uttered not a word of sorrow for his sin against God (Luke 16:24). David, though guilty of both murder and adultery, saw his sin as against God alone (Psalm 51:4). Mere remorse is not true godly sorrow unto repentance. Judas, though filled with remorse, never repented.
There are three kinds of confession that must be considered:
1. Private Confession. Where sin has been committed against God alone, it need be confessed to none but God (1 John 1:9; Psalm 32:5).
2. Personal Confession. Where the sin has been committed against another, it must be confessed not only to God but also to the one who has been wronged. Nor will there be any peace until the confession has been made and forgiveness sought (Matthew 5:23,24).
3. Public Confession. Where the sin has been committed against the church, that is to say, an entire congregation, a class, organization, family, or a company of people, the confession must be as public as the transgression.
As long as iniquity among the people of God is covered over and unconfessed, just so long will the Spirit of God be unable to bring about a revival. Men must get right with each other in order to be right with God.
It is a common experience for groups of people to gather together for nights of prayer for a revival and yet never have their prayers answered. What is the trouble? Let the Word of God answer. “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.” Hence, let us uncover our sin first of all; let us make straight the crooked ways, let us gather out the stones, and then we may ask in faith and expectancy for showers of blessing.
Now let us take our sin one by one and deal with each transgression separately. And let us ask ourselves the following questions. It may be we are guilty and God will speak to us.”—Oswald J. Smith, The Revival We Need
I’m downsizing my life right now to move overseas. The irony is that I’m not clear on where we will be moving except in general terms of “East Africa”. Don’t worry dear friends, I’ll inform the world when I know something myself. Even in my not knowing, my “planner get it done” mode has kicked in. I may not know all that needs to get done just yet, but I can take on things that definitely need to get accomplished irregardless to where we move.
When I moved away from home for the first time in 2008, I squeezed everything into my Honda Civic (except for my 28”suitcase—thanks Pastor Jayde for squishing my overflow into your van :-) ). I slept on the floor for several weeks until I was surprised with a bed for my birthday. I repeated this same thing except with a different car when I moved in 2012. Every time God has provided for me down to the forks and towels that I needed (my husband says Amen). I never owned forks or towels or any furniture for that matter until Stephen and I got married last year.
Why am I saying all of this? Because as I am minimizing my life again from what I currently own and use and trying to fit most of my life into three 50lb bags, I’m realizing how much I LOVE my stuff. Stuff can be categorized as clothes, kitchen appliances, books, blankets, and decor. Becoming a wife has made me more attentive to the later and I love how our modge podge of second hand and in some cases 3rd-10th hand furniture pieces has made our house a home. I clearly don’t own a lot of fancy things, but even the simplest of things bring me joy and are hard to relinquish.
I’m realizing that looking back I can see the faithfulness of God and how I was content in every season of the past. This is an assurance that as I plan and prepare for the future, I will be content as well.
As I’m giving away most of my clothes and planning for essentials I need for Africa I’m asking myself continually, “is less really more?”. The strain of reducing what I own and stepping into the unknown doesn’t necessarily affirm that less is more. There have been numerous studies done on this subject of the psychological stress involved with ‘choice overload’ when people are presented with too many choices. It can be very overwhelming and people typically do well when given a less broad spectrum of choices. When I was engaged, I knew better than to try on a million dresses and waste too much time looking up gowns. Now I had the advantage of selling wedding gowns for years, but once I decided on my wedding dress that was it. It was the first gown I tried on because I had an idea of what I wanted and in comparison to 2-3 more gowns, I made my decision. No more searching for me.
Now I wish ALL of life was that simple, but it’s not. There is one area however that I feel defends the hypothesis that less is more. This is our relationship with God. I often pray, “Remind me what I said ‘Yes’ to”. This means that I continually need to remind myself of why I said, “Yes” to Jesus and why I said, “Yes” to making Him the Lord of my life. If I treat my relationship with Jesus like I do my wardrobe closet or refrigerator where I stand there with my mouth open in an overwhelmed stare at choices, I’ll close the door and not choose Him and His word.
I know that I need these reminders too for me to choose to “take up my cross and die to myself daily”. When Bailey is in full swing, she doesn’t stop as easily to listen to the Spirit’s prompting. When there are too many distractions and things that fight for my attention, my eyes don’t look up to the cross as long or intentionally. I know in the case of my spiritual life, less of me equals more of Him. Therefore with Jesus, less is really more. John the Baptist said, “I must decrease that He (Jesus) might increase” (John 3:30). If I truly want the Kingdom of God to advance in my life, I must be willing to decrease, so that Jesus might abound in and through my life.
For me in this chapter of life, it looks like preparing to move to Africa. This will mean less convenience, less “stuff”, less seeing those I love, but there is one “less of” that I’m looking forward to and that is less of me.
Instead of being overwhelmed by choices, I’d rather be overwhelmed by His glory. Instead of acquiring more “stuff”, I’d prefer acquiring more knowledge of the Holy One. I’ll gladly trade my more, to gain His more in my life. Until then, I’ll fill up my suitcases and await His instruction.
“You surround my heart with songs of rare belief. Creation groans and leans on You, How I with that I could too. Teach me more to be like You.”
“My heart longs to worship You, My heart longs to give You a pleasing offering. I am overwhelmed. I am loss for words to describe You.”-Rita Springer
Tonight I wanted to jot down some thoughts I’ve been having about the word, “simplify”. It has been on my heart a lot recently and not just because I’m a missionary about to move overseas, although it’s definitely given a broader perspective.
I am little Miss “If there is a simpler way or easier solution, do it” girl :-) A pet peeve is overcomplicated situations and I have a knack for making things simpler and creating smoother ways to get things done. I even had a Pinterest page dedicated to such joys I find titled, “All Things Simplified”. Hey—it makes me breathe easier and smile haha!
I am so bent this way that before I could drive I challenged my parent’s choices of routes through Tulsa. For instance, it was habit for them to take a short cut through a neighborhood to get to a family restaurant where we celebrated birthdays and special occasions. This involved waiting to go straight at a stop light, driving a mile through a neighborhood with exactly 3 stop signs and then turning left at two lights which were usually red. Not to mention the two speed bumps in the neighborhood. I knew that if they were to sit in the left turning lane at the first light as opposed to going straight, they’d be able to go first, turn right onto the main street they wanted and turn right into the parking lot of the restaurant avoiding any delays of lights and neighborhood twists and turns. The day came when I challenged one parent to go my route verses the other parent who was going the traditional route. Of course, the simpler and easier path won, but it didn’t change the way they drive to this restaurant haha! Needless to say if I’m driving from their home, I beat them and save a table.
Because of this need to simplify and make the fastest path from point A to point Z, I know traffic times and can estimate travel anywhere in Tulsa. I’m always searching for ways around unnecessary traffic, construction and delays and possibly trying to be my husband’s GPS at times (I love you SK). I wish this very natural ability to simplify would play into my spiritual life more. Far too often I’ve found my walk with God full of noise, clutter, and excess busyness. There are times when I’m practically pulling my hair out, because remember I like things simple and life is just not that way at times. In those moments I hear Him calmly speaking a word of peace and wisdom that had I not freaked out I would’ve heard in the first place.
*sighs* Do you ever find yourself like this? Today, as I was getting my hair cut, my stylist was commenting about how God is not obsessed with activity, we are. It was never His idea for us to run a million miles an hour in a million different directions. We aren’t made for that and truly our bodies can’t handle that. He doesn’t ask us to be busy for Him. He desires the simple things from us. This is not a call to laziness or to not serve Him with excellence, but it is a call to simplify and focus on what matters.
I have a love/hate relationship with the story of the two sisters who were friends of Jesus, Mary and Martha. This story is found in Luke 10:38-42. So often I want to be Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus. BUT, and there’s ALWAYS a lot of “buts”, I’m like Martha who “was distracted by all of the preparations that needed to be made…” I am doing this and doing that and running here and thinking about this and “Oh rend the heavens here” and crying tears for the lost and hurting there….and overloading myself. I burn out and I have to reengage my spirit to be still and just BE in His presence. As my husband often says, “God made us to be human BEings, not human DOings.” AH! But (there’s that BUT again) where’s my identity if I’m not doing?!?! ::pulls hair:: —haha-you know you can relate!
I know that Jesus fully knows more that I do what I am capable of, yet if I am not doing what He’s asking of me, it’s vanity and there’s no grace to do it. There are days where the simplified thing to do really is to use the God given abilities to take on a lot of tasks, organize, pray, and do ministry. There are other days where He’s asking that I come, dial down, tune out distractions and be in His presence. To simply sit at His feet.
In as much as we’d like to simplify and organize our lives and traffic routes to make life smoother, we must primarily focus on simplifying and holding onto the basics of Christianity. To know Jesus is to love Him and He is worthy the best of us not just our left over burned out parts. In return for us seeking Him first and loving Him rightly, we’ll find the rest of our life simplified. That doesn’t mean life is SIMPLE, but it can mean that Jesus can guide us to the paths that are the most beneficial for us. Even if this to my dismay is a cut through a seemingly unnecessary neighborhood full of delays ;-)
Simplify. Simplify your walk with God. Ask yourself, what are you doing that isn’t of Him right now? What distractions are in your life that are keeping you from sitting at His feet? If you were to simplify more, how much more effective would you be with that renewed peace and joy from His presence?
“You’re calling me to lay aside the worries of my day To quiet down my busy mind and find a hiding place Worthy, You are worthy”
I’m hoping that this week has been a good one for you. No matter where you’re at in your walk with God, I pray that this week’s blog has encouraged you. We’ve focused on how to give God our praise and receive His love and today we’re going to focus on love notes to others.
On my way to write this blog at a near by coffee shop (why is it easier to write in a place that is busy and smells like pumpkin spice?), I passed a man walking down the road. This man’s shirt was shredded on one sleeve and he looked weary. He was carrying grocery bags of a store which was a fair distance from where I saw him. My heart instantly ached and I wished I could do something like offer him a ride. I had a mental picture of Macaulay Culkin in “Home Alone” carrying those plastic grocery bags and them busting through onto the ground (oh my imaginative brain!). Nonetheless, this man ties in perfectly with today’s topic!
There are talents, strengths and time available within each of us to help other people. To a certain degree, we can love people and celebrate them in our own strength. Yet, until we have a right understanding of God’s perfect love and allow that to renew our souls and flow through us, we love and serve within our own measure. When we operate in a place where His love flows in and through us, we can impact people with a love greater than our own. This is another reason why God so desires to pour His love into us is so that it can overflow from our lives.
Recently I prayed over the sweetest young girl. She had hair color similar to mine which made me all the more drawn to her. I noticed her passionately worshipping the Lord at the altar and yet sensed her heart was breaking. I asked her what I could pray for her for and wasn’t prepared for what she shared. She’d been molested, her dad was in prison for killing someone, her mom was battling an advanced stage of cancer and a few other scenarios. I breathed and within myself asked Jesus to draw near. When I encounter these scenarios, I have nothing of myself to offer. I may have the same hair color as she, but I share no advice or life experience that can help her. All I have is to rely on God’s love and Holy Spirit to encourage through me.
This case and the man without a car carrying grocery bags may seem a little extreme to your everyday scenarios, but I didn’t travel far to encounter either of these people. In all actuality, we don’t have to look far to see pain and struggle. Even our closest of friends or family members are continually walking through life and life can be quite challenging at times ;-) This is where we can be used greatly by our sweet Jesus. We can reach out, pray and encourage.
Today’s challenge isn’t for the weak in heart, but also is applicable for anyone in any season of life. I’ve often found that in the most difficult seasons of my life, when I give out of what God is doing in me and love on others, that He pours the love I need back into me. I’m believing that as you move outside of your comfort zone and step into today’s challenge, that your life and those you write notes to would be encouraged in the love of God.
1. Pray and ask the Lord to give you a heart for someone today. Maybe it’s a best friend or family that you haven’t actually prayed for in a while. Maybe it’s a co-worker or a barista at your daily coffee stop. Once you feel like someone has come on your heart, don’t disregard it, begin to ask God what He is saying about them/how He feels about them. This can be the simplest thing like, “He loves them” or “He rejoices over them”. These may be simple but are biblical truths that are powerful.
2. Once you feel like you have revelation about what God wants to say over them, begin to pray into what you hear. Say, “Father I thank you that you love (fill in name) and that you rejoice over them. Holy Spirit, encourage them today. Pour out the love of the Father and the Son. Fill them with your spirit. Draw them near to your heart. Perfect everything that concerns them. Give them a hunger for your word. Keep them in your ways.”
3. Lastly, write a “Love Note” to this person along with a scripture if you feel led, letting them know God loves them and that you’re praying for them, or however you feel led. This can be done easily through a Facebook message, email or even better, a hand written note! Note: this does’t have to be over the top, but even a simple sentence can make someone’s day especially when it’s bathed in prayer.
My encouragement to you would be to continue in your love note journey. Post love notes of how great God’s love is to remind yourself to praise and love on Him. Write love notes from God and post those as reminders of how much you’re loved. And keep asking God for His heart for others to continue to be a light unto them.
How’d you do with your love notes from Monday? Do you notice any changes you experienced or challenges with writing love notes to God? My prayer is that as you develop these love notes TO Him, that you’d see more and more of His goodness and love in your lives.
Today, we’re going to focus on Love Notes FROM God. This one excites me a lot! As much as I LOVED creating and giving notes to Stephen, I loved receiving them more. I feel the same way but more with God. When I compare my weak ability to praise God with His perfect love and life over me, it isn’t a fair match ;-) Yet His heart is so moved by my love. I don’t have to choose Him, so when I do pour out adoration and make Him first, He knows it cost me something.
One of my favorite books in the Bible is Song of Solomon. Ok, hold all of the quizzical brows and hear me out for a moment. While this book can be interpreted as a love song between a man and woman, it in my opinion can be even impacting when viewed as an exchange between our Bridegroom, Jesus and us. Now this should never indicate anything weird ok? So with that in mind, let’s look briefly at a few passages in this beautiful love story.
In the beginning of this book, there is a revelation of the Shulamite woman (who represents us) where she exclaims that she is “dark but lovely”. A favorite commentary of mine on this passage says,”The maiden’s recognition of her blackness is not an acknowledgement of the former sins that have been put away; all that was knowingly wrong in her life has already been put away or she would have never have been able to come to this place of intimate fellowship in the King’s chambers. Her cry, “I am dark,” is a revelation of the blackness of the unrenewed mind-the mind that has been corrupted for so long by Satan. It is a revelation of soul-power, of everything that is a product of the soul-life. It is a revelation of the unsubmitted soul of a man: mind, intellect, emotions and will, all of which must be brought under the control of the Spirit of God. Once the maiden only thought of the blackness as sin, but now she sees the blackness of her unrenewed soul.”
Did you catch all of that? Those few sentences changed my life! The maiden has cried out to know the Lord and to be prepared to have fuller knowledge of Him. Then she sees where her own thinking didn’t line up with His thinking of her. She sees where she didn’t take care to renew her own mind to His ways. She sees the darkness, but also the truth that she is indeed, lovely. I could write a book write here on how we, men or women ought to see ourselves lovely in His sight, but for now this blog will do.
Throughout the book we see these deep exclamations of the Bridegroom over us saying how lovely, how fair we are! We sense the desire of His heart beckoning us to mature and to lean on Him. By the end of the story, the maiden, once dark and in need of redemption is now whole and dependent on her Beloved, not her own unrenewed soul. From there, the two can partner together to impact other people’s lives. The once broken woman is now healed and full of love to give to others.
This is the place I feel that God wants you to go today. To a place where He can show you the places in your life where you are too, in need of His great salvation and love. Where you can realize what you look like reflecting HIs love. That you are truly dark but lovely. That you need His great love. John 3:16, so ever popularly quoted exclaims that, “for God so LOVED the world that he GAVE His only son that whosoever believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” What a picture of LOVE-that God gave His only son, Jesus, and that Jesus gave His life for us, and the Holy Spirit came to fill us! There are no other “gods” in the world who’s names mean love. This is the one thing that our Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit have to give us-ever lasting love.
There is redemption from our sin. There is redemption from the hurts of this life. There is redemption of our unsubmitted souls. There is love available for us. Perfect love that comes without fear or selfish intents. Love that truly like the Bible says, “covers a multitude of sin”.
Today’s truth and challenge below is to hopefully complete the 2nd part of “love your neighbor as yourself”. If you don’t see yourself as lovely and capable of receiving His great love, you can’t rightly give love to others. I’m believing that as our minds are renewed and we praise Him and pour our love on Him, we’d receive His love and partner with Him to give it to others.
Challenge for today;
1.Read through Song of Solomon with this paradigm of you as the Shulamite woman and receiving His great love for you.
2.Read John 3:16 and write what that passage means to you. Sometimes the scriptures we think we know the best are the ones where we can quote them, but our hearts have yet to soak up the real application. Meditate on His love.
3.Write 3 love notes from God that apply to areas that you’re needing a renewed mind to His love. For some this could be an example like 1 John 4:18 about perfect love casting out fear. Others it’s that you need to know you’re lovely, Song of Solomon 2:2. Others need to know His passionate pursuit of your heart, the book of Hosea has some great truths of His love too.
Praying for you today and believing that you will awaken to love and your hearts would be full of His love. That all other weights, lies and distractions would fall aside and that the peace that comes from accepting His great love would flood your hearts and minds.
Commentary excerpt came from “Bible Studies for the Preparation of the Bride”, a study of Song of Solomon by Bob and Rose Weiner.
My husband Stephen moved to Madagascar in January 2012 while we were dating. While I knew the future held a deeper relationship for us, I knew I had to let him go to Africa. He was moving with only a couple of 50 pound suitcases, so there was no room for extravagant gifts from me. I had prayed about what to do for him that would show him my love and ended up writing to him 21 cards. They say it takes 21 days to break a habit or for a new habit to form and I said I wanted to be a habit he didn’t have to break (insert cheesy ‘awww’ here). Some were funny and witty while others contained sentimental memories and scriptures of encouragement.
These notes were a source of strength to him in his first few weeks living in a new country and culture while being separated by thousands of miles from me. In the months that followed, I went and visited him in Africa where he proposed to me on the Equator on safari in Kenya (he did REALLY well!). Then the following week brought us to the island of Madagascar, his new home and a place where we’d once again say goodbye. It was at this time I left him with 22 notes that were shaped in hearts and sealed with either a plastic sticker in the form of a lock or a key. When Stephen came to the States later that summer for a couple of weeks, he brought a journal for me that he’d written in since my departure and left it for me to read until he returned for our wedding. These note exchanges along with hundreds of emails and our sometimes successful Skype calls carried us through our separation.
In thinking about these “Love notes”, it made me think about how good God’s love is and the numerous excellent ways that He displays His love for us. He’s written His heart in His word and left us with those notes to guide and instruct us while we’re separated physically from Him. This week I want to write about how to extract these three areas from God’s Word; 1. Love Notes to God 2. Love Notes to Us from God 3. Love Notes to Others. These entires will be more of a practical challenge for you to implement in quiet time, journals, or in blogs of your own!
My scripture for the week is Matthew 22:37-39 “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus was asked by some religious people what was the most important commandment. This was his reply in which he over emphasized that all of the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments. He was stating that as we love God fully, we will love ourselves rightly which will allow us to love others purely.
So today I’d like for us to explore loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. Right away I can see that there is no other logical room for anything else. If we are passionate about Him and seeking Him fully, this leaves no room for our love to weaken and be distorted. How do we do this when our hearts often wander and get distracted? I’ve proposed some simple yet not all encompassing things we can do.
Read the Psalms The Psalms are full of praises and admiration of God and His character. Through desperate times and in trying situations, the book of Psalms offers us insight of how to turn to God in our distress, our joy and our questioning. These scriptures are excellent for us to use as our own prayers at times, which brings me to number 2.
Pray out loud Begin to praise God out loud. This opens the gates of His presence in your life. This can look like extended times by yourself while reading His word. Other times can include the hustle and bustle of your job and caring for your children while walking into a store, driving in the car, those quick bathroom breaks (God is probably the only person who appreciates sharing this moment with us ;-) )or as we’re waking up or falling asleep. As you begin to practice prayer as it relates to thanking the Father, worshipping the Son, and welcoming the Holy Spirit, you’ll find how easily prayer flows into all parts of your day.
Write down your words There’s a great principle connected to writing down your thoughts of praise and trust in God and His word. When you implement setting truth before you like posting it on your mirrors, fridge, or set it as a screen saver on your phone, you continually keep it before your sight. God continually says through the Bible to set His word before you, to fix your eyes on His promises. As you see these reminders throughout your day, you will be equipped to overcome lies of the enemy and praise God for His goodness.
My challenge for you today and through Tuesday is to meditate on the goodness of God. Pull out your Bible (or get your bible app out) and find 3 truths of His goodness. Write them down and post them in a place you can see them. Pray these 3 scriptures out loud saying ,” God I thank You that You are good…” etc. I trust that as you uncover more of His goodness, you’ll begin to pour out love on Him.
This week as we’ve discussed this topic of “Hurt”, we’ve mentioned how our own hurt effects many areas of our lives if left not dealt with. One main area is that hurt we’ve personally experienced can hinder God’s plan for healthy relationships. Today I want to encourage you that no matter what you’ve faced, God desires to be near and heal your wounds.
About six years ago I got violently ill from a trip to Cambodia. This unfortunately turned into a cycle of my immune system fighting for several years. However I knew that God had called me on that trip. During the time I was sick after coming home, I was encouraged by Jeremiah 30:17 which says,”For I will restore health to you AND heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord.” I took this to mean that even though I was seemingly only hurting physically that God was going to heal me in my emotions as well. This promise still stands with me today as I face any challenges.
God’s will for you is health and wholeness in every way. You can’t rewrite your past, but with the Spirit of God, you can write your future and be healed of your past. I’ll go ahead and tell you the end of His story for you is that you are complete in Him. This is His desire. This is what the blood of Jesus paid for; that you’d have access eternally to the Father and be saved and have healing in every way.
Many well known men and women who were used by God greatly to move in healing ministries went through incredibly trying seasons in their own health. It’s interesting that through these seasons of unbelievable pain in their physical bodies, God later used them to bring physical healings into bodies in miraculous ways. These people knew that He had healed them and from that place of dependency on Him, they cooperated with His spirit and many were healed.
Can I suggest to you today that your testimony of His healing in your life can cause others to be set free? God wants you to experience freedom from your wounds not only for you, but so that others can be healed too.
I realize life is difficult and in ways we can’t understand at times. I was praying for some people recently and some of the situations these people were facing were unthinkable to me. I could never comprehend losing a parent and a spouse in a week of one another. I can’t fathom the reasons severe depression plagues some minds with horrific events like rape, rejection and abuse. Everyone has different wounds and different scabs that have formed. Some may have found victory and wholeness in Jesus already, but others are hurting deeply. All of us have continual areas we have to renew daily to God’s word and the power of Holy Spirit. There is still healing to be found for all of us.
My prayer is that you’d take time to allow His presence reveal areas where you’ve been hurt. That you’d allow Holy Spirit to do surgery on your heart, mind and emotions. That you’d release any unforgiveness, envy, anger etc. I pray as you are diligent to become healed and whole, you’d be surrounded with healthy relationships and lead other people into healing of their own through Jesus!
This week as we’ve discussed this topic of “Hurt”, we’ve mentioned how our own hurt effects many areas of our lives if left not dealt with. One main area mentioned is that hurt we’ve personally experienced can hinder God’s plan for healthy relationships. Today I want to encourage you that no matter what you’ve faced, God desires to be near and heal your wounds.
About six years ago I got violently ill from a trip to Cambodia. This unfortunately turned into a cycle of my immune system fighting for several years. However I knew that God had called me on that trip and stood on His word of healing. During the time I was sick after coming home, I was encouraged by Jeremiah 30:17 which says,”For I will restore health to you AND heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord.” I took this to mean that even though I was seemingly only hurting physically that God was going to heal me in my emotions as well. This promise still stands with me today as I face any challenges.
God’s will for you is health and wholeness in every way. You can’t rewrite your past, but with the Spirit of God, you can write your future. I’ll go ahead and tell you the end of His story for you is that you are complete in Him. This is His desire. This is what the blood of Jesus paid for; that you’d have access eternally to the Father and be saved and have healing in every way.
Many well known men and women who were used by God greatly to move in healing ministries went through incredibly trying seasons in their own health. It’s interesting that through these seasons of unbelievable pain in their physical bodies, God later used them to bring physical healings into bodies in miraculous ways. These people knew that He had healed them and from that place of dependency on Him, they cooperated with His spirit and many were healed.
Can I suggest to you today that your testimony of His healing in your life can cause others to be set free? God wants you to experience freedom from your wounds not only for you, but so that others can be healed too.
I realize life is difficult and in ways we can’t understand at times. I was praying for some people recently and some of the situations these people were facing were unthinkable to me. I could never comprehend losing a parent and a spouse in a week of one another. I can’t fathom the reasons severe depression plagues some minds with horrific events like rape, rejection and abuse. Everyone has different wounds and different scabs that have formed. Some may have found victory and wholeness in Jesus already, but others are hurting deeply. All of us have continual areas we have to renew daily to God’s word and the power of Holy Spirit. There is still healing to be found for all of us.
My prayer is that you’d take time to allow His presence reveal areas where you’ve been hurt. That you’d allow Holy Spirit to do surgery on your heart, mind and emotions. That you’d release any unforgiveness, envy, anger etc. I pray as you are diligent to become healed and whole, you’d be surrounded with healthy relationships and lead other people into healing of their own through Jesus!
On Monday, I discussed how hurts that we feel can effect many areas of our lives and form ways of thinking that aren’t always healthy or beneficial. One main area that our own hurt can cause negative effects in is our relationships. God has entrusted us with armor to defend and protect His will and plan for our lives. This includes healing and wholeness in our lives and healthy relationships. When we wield these weapons to inflict pain instead of using them for their original intent, we are out of alignment with God’s will. We are not called to have unsafe relationships with people; we are called to be safe people who reflect Christ.
Several years ago I was placed in an awkward situation. There were things said about me that weren’t true that caused some unnecessary tension in a couple of relationships that were dear to me. In keeping my mouth shut and not defending myself, I thought I was doing the right thing. However, my heart was wounded that these friends would think something untrue and make a situation out of it that caused distance between us. I stubbornly defended my own case within my own heart and let my hurt grow. When one of these friends called me to share some exciting news one day, I verbally celebrated with them, but felt confusion in my heart. A few weeks went by and as I prayed one day, God decided to lovingly bring this scenario up. I pleaded how I had been “right” and didn’t have any ill feelings at all towards either of these friends. He countered my plea and said, “Your sin isn”t that you harbor unforgiveness. You were wrong in that you didn’t celebrate and bless what I’m doing in this friend.” Oh…(weight of conviction), Ok. I am not partnering with the Spirit of God and positioning myself to be used of him to celebrate this friend.
It was through this situation that God showed me the importance of the Elizabeth and Mary relationship. Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist, and was much older in years than young Mary. She had waited a long time for the promise of bearing a child. Through a miraculous encounter with the Lord, her husband Zechariah finds out that Elizabeth will conceive a son and that they are to name him John and that he will prepare the way of the Lord Jesus! Talk about a huge testimony! Elizabeth was going to bear a son to bring forth the promised Son of God-the Messiah they’d all cried out for! This was a very very big deal. Then along comes her younger cousin Mary to visit her one day. Upon meeting, Elizabeth’s womb jumps for joy at the knowledge of Mary’s child within. She then begins to bless Mary and her womb and instantly knows by the Spirit that what Mary is carrying is her Lord Jesus Christ. Here in a moment where selfishness could’ve taken over her, where her past disappointments and hurts could have taken an upper hand, Elizabeth’s spirit came shining through. She blessed Mary and in turn, Mary helped Elizabeth birth her promise.
When we allow potentially hurtful scenarios to turn into beautiful synergy with God’s heart, we can bring healing to others and receive healing in our own hearts. No relationship with another person will ever be perfect, but we can allow God’s desires for it to flourish as we’re intentional about seeing Him and keeping the right heart towards the other person.
Another biblical example of a relationship that God protected is found in the book of 1 Samuel between David and Jonathan. When the two first met, David had just taken on a battle of slaying the giant, Goliath (insert your favorite kid’s church memory here :-) ) and came to present the head to Saul, the reigning king and Jonathan’s father. Jonathan who had also been out fighting the Philistines, immediately took a love and understanding to David. He took off his armor and gave it to David. Later on when conflict arose between Saul and David and Saul sought David’s life, Jonathan remained faithful to his friend. Even when his own father grew angry, cursed him, and cast a spear at him, Jonathan didn’t react out of a place of hurt. Wow! Those closest to us often hurt us the deepest. When we can overcome those situations and treat others out of a place of peace and wholeness in the Lord, we receive healing from those who’ve hurt us. The bible doesn’t say that Jonathan wasn’t envious of David basically taking his inherited right as King, but if he had those feelings, he did not act on them. There were many reasons that Jonathan had to have ill will towards David, but instead of continuing in the footsteps of hurt and offense, he played a major role in God’s will for David’s life by keeping him alive.
It’s not that we’re expected to not have hurt feelings or unhealthy intentions. We are human and fall short all the time. However, as a son or daughter of God who’s made a decision to make Jesus the Lord of their life, we have to be intentional to let our spirit guide our actions towards other people. Instead of using our weapons to fight the real enemy, we often use our weapons to harm one another. This certainly hurts other people and also gives ground for our wounds to fester. Far too often we take what God has entrusted us with and harm other people. We allow our hurts to cause our swords to stab others or take entitlements and run over other people. Ouch!
I’ve faced this is very real ways as I’m sure that you have too. Take time to pray and allow God to bring up some scenarios where hurt in your life is currently or has wounded others in the past. Remember that He is a Father who loving corrects and rebukes us, that we might be healed and break hurt cycles. Don’t allow condemnation to continue or putting yourself in unhealthy and unsafe relationships. God’s desire is that you’d be an overcomer of all hurt and run to Him for healing!
Part 3 will conclude on Friday as we discuss how healed people can heal people.
