WITH ALL THE UNCERTAINTY IN THE WORLD TODAY, IT CAN BE SO EASY TO LOSE SIGHT OF WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT. WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS WE CAN PUT OUR HOPE OR TRUST IN, THAT IF ANYTHING SHAKES IT, WE OURSELVES IF WE LET IT, SHAKES US. SOMETIMES THE SHAKING IS GOOD BECAUSE IT ALLOWS THE LORD TO SIFT THINGS OUT. LIKE A FLOUR OR SUGAR SIFTER REFINES AND LEAVES BEHIND CLUMPS WHICH EXPOSES SOME THINGS THAT STILL NEED TO BE REFINED.
PROVERBS 3:5+6 TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING; IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE SHALL DIRECT YOUR PATHS.
WHEN EVERYTHING IS GOING WELL AND WE ARE ALL AT PEACE IT IS WONDERFUL. BUT WHEN EVENTS HAPPEN IF WE LET IT, IT SHOWS US JUST WHERE OUR PEACE TRULY LIES. IT’S A CHECK UP OF WHAT WE ARE TRULY HOLDING ON TO AND WHO WE ARE TRULY HOLDING ON TO. ARE WE ALLOWING TIMES TO DRAW US CLOSER TO THE LORD OR FARTHER AWAY.
PSALMS 9:10 AND THOSE WHO KNOW YOUR NAME WILL PUT THEIR TRUST IN YOU; FOR YOU, LORD HAVE NOT FORSAKEN THOSE WHO SEEK YOU.
IN MY OWN WALK I HAVE TO ADMIT I AM LEARNING. WHEN THINGS WERE GOING SMOOTHLY I TENDED TO NOT CRY OUT TO THE LORD OR HUNGER AND THIRST AS MUCH AS I SHOULD FOR HIM AND TIME ALONE IN PRAYER WITH HIM. IT’S WHEN HE ALLOWS THINGS IN OUR LIFE THAT I TRULY BELIEVE HE ALLOWS BECAUSE HE LONGS FOR THAT INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH US.
I HAVE SEEN IN MYSELF WHEN THE TRIALS COME, I AM CRYING OUT TO HIM AND DIGGING DEEPER INTO HIS WORD LOOKING FOR ANSWERS. I AM ON MY KNEES MORE TALKING AND SEEKING HIS DIRECTION. IT’S A SHAME IT TOOK ME THROUGH TRIALS TO GET ME BACK TO THE PLACE THAT DAILY AND HOURLY , MINUTE BY MINUTE , SECOND BY SECOND, I AM LOOKING TO HIM AND WHISPERING HIS NAME THROUGHOUT MY DAY. HOW I FELT SO SAD IN MY HEART THAT AT TIMES I NEGLECTED HIM AND OUR TIMES TOGETHER. IT’S IN THOSE TIMES, HE FILLS ME WITH HIS STRENGTH AND POURS OUT HIS LOVE IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT MAKES ME AWARE JUST HOW MUCH I HAVE MISSED ALL THOSE TIMES WITH HIM.
HE IS A JEALOUS GOD AND JEALOUS FOR US,,,WHEN WE PUT OTHER THINGS IN PRIORITY OVER HIM AND SPENDING TIME WITH HIM, IT MUST MAKE HIM SAD THAT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING YET MISSING WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. WHEN WE LACK WISDOM HE SAYS HE WILL GIVE US WISDOM. WHEN WE LACK DIRECTION, HIS WORD GIVES US DIRECTION. WHEN WE FEEL ALONE OR LOST, HE SAYS HE NEVER LEAVES US OR FORSAKES US. WHEN WE ARE HURT OR HEARTBROKEN, HE SAYS HE IS CLOSE TO THE BROKEN HEARTED.
PSALMS 37: 4+5 DELIGHT YOURSELF ALSO IN THE LORD AND HE SHALL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART. COMMIT YOUR WAY TO THE LORD, TRUST ALSO IN HIM, AND HE SHALL BRING IT TO PASS.
SOMETIMES, BECAUSE WE GROW UP IN A SOCIETY THAT TEACHES US TO BE STRONG, DO IT ON YOUR OWN, STOP BEING SO WEAK, THAT WE START BELIEVING ALL THE LIES. DON’T TRUST ANYONE, DON’T RELY ON ANYONE BUT YOURSELF, DON’T LOVE OR SHOW VULNERABILITY. AND THAT IS JUST THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THE LORD IS TEACHING AND IS SHOWING US HOW TO LIVE. WHEN WE ARE WEAK, HE IS STRONG. HE WANTS US TO BE COME TO HIM AS LIKE A CHILD AND TO TOTALLY FREELY DEPEND ON HIM LIKE A CHILD.
FOR SOME OF US IT MAY BE HARD TO LET GO AND TRULY TRUST. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN INCIDENCES THAT WE WERE HURT OR LET DOWN OR ABANDONED AND WE PUT UP WALLS AND SAFETY BARRIERS TO PROTECT OURSELVES. IN CASES THAT IS GOOD, BECAUSE THE LORD SAYS TO PROTECT OUR HEART BECAUSE OUT OF IT FLOWS THE WELLSPRING OF LIFE.
PSALM 28:7 THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND MY SHIELD; MY HEART TRUSTED IN HIM, AND I AM HELPED; THEREFORE MY HEART GREATLY REJOICES, AND WITH MY SONG I WILL PRAISE HIM
SO THE QUESTION IS WE ALL NEED TO ASK IS WHAT ARE WE HOLDING ON TO AND WHOM? ARE WE HOLDING ON TO OUR PAST? HOLDING ON TO PAST HURTS , HOLDING ON TO OLD DREAMS? OR HOLDING ON TO TEMPORAL THINGS VS ETERNAL THINGS?
THE LORD WANTS TO DO SOMETHING NEW IN US, BUT IF WE ARE STILL CLINGING ON TO DEAR LIFE ON THE PAST OR EVEN THE PRESENT, AFRAID TO LET GO AND PRESS ON THE THE FUTURE, WE MAY BE MISSING OUT ON SOMETHING SO EXTRAORDINARY IF WE JUST LET GO.
WHERE DOES OUR HAPPINESS LIE? IS OUR HAPPINESS AFFECTED BY THE WEATHER, OR THE NEWS, OR OUR BANK ACCOUNT, OR TEMPORARY THINGS. OUR EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS CAN BE SO FICKLE ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE CONNECTED TO THINGS THAT ARE EVER CHANGING FROM ONE DAY TO THE NEXT. OUR HOPE IS IN THE LORD WHO IS OUR ROCK . HE IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY , AND FOREVER. HE IS ETERNAL AND IS ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR US. HE KNOWS THE THINGS WE NEED IN THIS WORLD AS WELL AS THE THINGS HE KNOWS WE DON’T NEED . OUR NEEDS VS WANTS CAN BE SO DIFFERENT.
EVERYDAY, WE ARE TO SEEK HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS WILL BE ADDED. HE KNOWS WHAT WILL BENEFIT AND WHAT WILL HARM OUR WALK AND RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. HE IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND OUR ETERNAL DESTINATION THAN STUFF OR THINGS WHICH WILL FADE . NOT SO MUCH LAYING UP RICHES HERE WHERE MOTH AND RUST DECAY BUT LAYING UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN.
ROMANS 8:28 AND WE KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, TO THOSE WHO ARE CALLD ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.
SOMETIMES WE NEED A LITTLE SHAKING TO BRING TO THE SURFACE WHAT HAVE WE BEEN PUTTING OUR CONFIDENCE IN. PEOPLE, SITUATIONS, OUR HEALTH, OUR WORLD SURROUNDING US. BECAUSE IT IS ONLY THEN WHEN THOSE THINGS ARE SHAKEN IT BRINGS US TO THE REALIZATION THAT WE NEED TO ONLY PUT OUR TRUST AND HOPE IN THE LORD. WHEN WE GET OUR EYES OFF OF HIM IS WHEN WE START SINKING.
MANY TIMES I FIND MYSELF ASKING THE LORD TO FORGIVE MY LACK OF FAITH. I KNOW HE IS FAITHFUL AND CAN DO ANYTHING, BUT I HAVE LACK OF FAITH THAT HE WILL DO IT. LORD INCREASE MY FAITH. FORGIVE ME FOR MY LACK OF TRUSTING YOU. HELP ME TO LET GO OF THE REIGNS HELD SO TIGHTLY ON MY LIFE THAT I DON’T LET GO AND ALLOW YOU TO WORK. HELP ME LORD TO NOT GET IN YOUR WAY BY TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING MYSELF. TO HAVE FAITH LIKE A CHILD, TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON THEIR PARENTS NOT ASKING ALL THE WHYS BUT JUST RESTING IN CONFIDENCE KNOWING IT WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF.
YOU USE EVERYTHING FOR OUR GOOD. YOU ARE THE POTTER , WE ARE THE CLAY. MELT US AND MOLD US INTO WHAT YOU WANT US TO BE. IT CAN BE QUESTIONABLE EVEN PAINFUL AT TIMES, BUT YOU ARE FAITHFUL THAT HAS BEGUN A GOOD WORK WILL FULFILL IT TO COMPLETION.
SO I WILL LEAVE YOU WITH THIS AS I AM TALKING TO MYSELF ALSO IF YOU HAVEN’T LET GO YET, ASK YOURSELF WHY AND ISN’T IT TIME TO LET GO? STOP TRYING TO HOLD ON AND LET GO AND ALLOW GOD TO DO HIS BEST WORK.
IF YOU HAVE NEVER ALLOWED THE LORD INTO YOUR LIFE AND ALLOWED HIM TO MAKE YOU INTO WHAT YOU WERE ALWAYS MEANT TO BE, I ENCOURAGE YOU, IF YOUR TIRED OF RUNNING YOUR OWN LIFE AND THE BURDEN IS JUST TOO HEAVY, TAKE IT TO HIM AND HE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE WALKING RIGHT WITH YOU AND SOMETIMES CARRY YOU WHEN NEED ME. SURRENDER IT ALL TO HIM. I WILL LEAVE THIS SHORT PRAYER WITH YOU, BUT REALLY THERE IS NO FORMULA, HE KNOWS YOUR HEART JUST REACH OUT TO HIM AND GIVE IT ALL.
IN HIS LOVE,
JANISE
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