If God is for us...if He is on my side....then I HAVE ALL I NEED TO LIVE LOVED!!!!
The big question that many of us don't dare to answer out loud is, "Do I trust God to be God?" If someone walked up to me today, and asked me that question, of course, I would say, "Yes...I trust Him." But how do our actions show that? Remember the old saying, "Actions speak louder than words?" What are our actions saying?
This past week, as a couple, my hubby and I went through some highs and lows with what God has placed on our plate to handle. We are trying to sell our house in Indianapolis and have placed it on the market. Just a few days after we did, we had an offer on it. Of course, we got excited and started wondering if God was answering our desire in a quick fashion. Short story version, we had to reject the offer but we learned a lot through that process. Is God still God? Of course! We had some disappointment feelings in not selling yet but through it, we have a peace that God is in control and He will sell it in His timing. I love the fact that even though my heart sometimes has to catch up to the truth, God is trustworthy and is FOR ME!
A truth that I was reminded again of this morning came from this statement, "God's love is NOT based on me - it's simply PLACED on me! Therefore, it's the place from which I should live - LOVED!" (emphasis mine:-)
So, back to the question, "Do I trust God to be God?"
Isaiah 26:3-4 give us a promise from God....

"You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast

because they trust in You.

Trust in the Lord forever,

For the Lord - the Lord Himself -

is the Rock eternal."

Steadfast is an older word we don't often use in every day talk. I like the meaning of it thought. Steadfast means to uphold, support, to lean upon or take hold of, sustain, refresh, revive. God promises to give me peace not as the world offers but as only He offers IF I keep my mind leaning upon Him! I went further and read some of what Matthew Henry had to say about these verses. This hit me, "Good principles fixed in the head will produce good resolutions in the heart and good practices in the life." Wow! What we feed our hearts and minds dictates how I respond to pressures placed upon me! 

Trust means to have sure confidence in something or someone. If I trust, I can be bold and secure. Am I reflecting this statement when I say I trust God..."God is good at being God!" This means that God is good. God is good to me. I don't have to figure out my life today to believe that! He will sell our house in His time and I don't need to worry!

Lysa TerKeurst puts it wisely this way, "The mind feast on what it focuses on. What consumes my thinking will be the MAKING or the BREAKING of my identity. Approach each day by simply stating: 'God is good. God is good to me. God is good at being God. And today is yet another page in our great love story. Nothing that happens to you today will change that or even alter it in the slightest way."

So today, remember that God's love is NOT based on you! Rather it's PLACED on you! 

Go walk with the King today...and BE A BLESSING!

Line - Label - Lie

Just when I think I have read the best of Lyssa Terkeurst, she surprises us all with yet another treasure of a book, "Uninvited." She nails so many heart issues on the head but just doesn't leave you hanging wondering how in the world do you deal with this. She gives honest and down to earth practical help for a hurting heart. Sometimes, we don't even realize why we react the way we do, right or wrong. It definitely is making me re-evaluate how I talk to those in my home, those I meet by chance, those who stop in unexpectedly....how are my words being accepted?
"We connect an event from today to something harsh someone once said. That person's LINE becomes a LABEL. The LABEL becomes a LIE. And the LIE becomes a liability in how we think about ourselves and interact in every future relationship." (Quote from "Uninvited")
WOW...if that doesn't get your attention...read it again! Lisa gives an example of how this works in our minds...
THE LINE - "I don't want you" becomes the label "You aren't accepted"
THE LABEL - "You aren't accepted" becomes the lie "You aren't worthy."
THE LIE - "You aren't worthy" becomes the script of self-rejection. It unleashes suspicion, doubt, hesitancy, and many other liabilities that hinder present relationships. We project the lines of rejection we heard from our past on others and hold them accountable for words they never said. And worst of all, we catch ourselves wondering if God secretly agrees with those who hurt us. (Quoted and emphasis mine)

I am excited to continue on in this study and as time permits hope to post some of the jewels I find for my own heart through this study.

Think about this...."Rejection steals the best of who I am by reinforcing the worst of what's been said about me." Mmmm.....deep thoughts both for my own heart and for the words I say to others. As the Psalmist said..."Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O God!"