Discovering what love is one day at a time
Have you ever fallen into discouragement? Have you ever found yourself focusing on the circumstances that got your mind and emotions trapped in that hole? Were you able to realize that while you were in that hole… the conversations that you have with yourself basically tear the ladder off the wall of the pit closing off your means of escape?... Those conversations with yourself at first feel like a relief as you tell yourself you are just sorting through. However, in reality you are allowing offense to take hold. It becomes a heavy weight, as you are actually shoveling up dead fleshy thoughts as you create the pit or canyon that you will camp in for as long as you choose to remain. The more you hash over the details of the offenses “committed” against you…the unfulfilled expectations of whatever it is that you have desired and have not received, the more you have partnered yourself with entitlement and complaint. Yuck…. Why is it so yucky?
The truth simply is this: discouragement welcomes wrong worship. Discouragement is a tool of the enemy to draw our eyes away from Christ. Satan has only come to steal kill and destroy…If he can take our eyes of the One who is our peace, he has an open door to get our eyes worshipping the “drama “surrounding our circumstance. In turn we “worship” the circumstance…It becomes our object of focus…all our conversations are connected to that issue. It is what we think about when we rise, and when we lie down. How crazy is that? Yet there is hope, because there always is encouragement for us. Christ is our encouragement. His Word, His truth, takes our eyes off of our circumstances and brings our eyes to the One who is our encouragement. When we are stuck in discouragement, we need to encourage ourselves God’s truth…Take responsibility for our choice, and partner with truth. “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”… We become discouraged when we start to only look at the circumstance , and our ability to “fix” “handle” or “change” it… we wear down, we can’t see the end , we can’t see what comes next…Hashing it out never will get us to see. Yet His Word reminds us…Now to Him….who IS ABLE…and not only is He able but He is able to do EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY above all that we ask (and even more than what we can’t verbalize but is just rumbling around in our brains) according to the power that works in us…and this power is the power that raised Christ from the dead…this is not will power this is God’s innate power. It’s not like a battery that when it changes something its power is diminished…God’s power is full throttle all day every day…never subsiding, never needing to be charged up…His power is eternal and everlasting… WONDER WORKING POWER! His Word also reminds us to consider it pure joy when we fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. The truth is…when we truly encourage ourselves, we exalt the Eternal One. We set Him in the right place as King over our hearts…Everything else takes its rightful spot. I don’t get it; I am so amazed at God’s Grace, and the simplicity of faith. The simplicity of taking God at His Word, believing Him, and obeying what He says. He changes everything. He takes the weight off our shoulders and replaces our chaos with peace. He is so good. Don’t get me wrong…Life…it still is difficult…some days are more difficult than others. BUT GOD is always with us to walk through every circumstance, and to wait for us when we look away, fall into a hole or dig it for ourselves. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 May we each remind ourselves and each other of His goodness and faithfulness and His love for all. May the words we speak to one another fill each other with the truth of His love for us, and His encouragement to us. May the joy of the Lord be continually our strength.
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AuthorI have been married to my wonderful husband for 29 years. We have two young men ages 25 and 20.. This blog is somewhat of a journal and attempt for me to remind myself of my purpose and invite others to join me in keeping an eternal perspective as we move through each day. Archives
May 2023
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