Truth Tuesday: A Gentle Whisper

1 Kings 19

Fundraising is going to change the way I think about a lot of things.

I know that without a doubt, but I thought for my life to be changed in a radical way a radical thing had to happen.

In my mind,

Radical = a big huge event

Very rarely do I think of radical as something small or quiet like “a gentle whisper”.

Last week, all I wanted was confirmation that I was doing the right thing; that I was actually called to be a part of Edge Corps, that what I was doing was enough, that I wasn’t alone. I wanted something big to reaffirm me. I wanted to feel something. I wanted to cry. I wanted something big.

Nope, I couldn’t cry. I didn’t feel anything. Nothing radical happened.

Or at least my concept of radical didn’t happen. But God was all over last week.

The Lord told Elijah He was going to pass by the mountain he was on.  Great winds came, an earthquake happened, and fire occurred, but the Bible says God was not in any of those things.

(Those are big things and they change a lot about the landscape of the earth.  I find myself thinking “Elijah, how were you not moved by those things?”)

How cool is it that Elijah was moved by a whisper?! A whisper.

He waited through 3 huge events. He knew that wasn’t the Lord speaking to him.

God does move and speak in big ways, but sometimes He wants us to be patient and wait for His gentle whisper.

My prayer is to wait on the Lord. He is faithful and He will provide for my desire to feel something, to be moved. Maybe it will be in big ways, but I want to be so in tune that I will wait and not miss His whisper.

P.S: I also really like this song: ENJOY

Truth Tuesday: Tomorrow is for Tomorrow

You don't know what each day will look like until you live it. Sure, you can scheme and plan and worry all you like, but you won't really know what each moment holds until it happens.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. - Matthew 6:34a

Just like the saying "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover," I feel the same is true for each moment, each day that God gives us. Don't judge your day by its circumstances or anxiety of what's to come. Live it. Let each moment happen, and let God orchestrate your day. Live in the present, enjoying the blessings that God gives you. Tomorrow is for tomorrow.

Truth Tuesday: It's Not About Me

God has uniquely made me.  I have a distinct personality, different likes & dislikes from others, different opinions, different ways of doing things and dreams for my life.  Sometimes I am get frustrated with who I was and who I am.

Why can’t I be like that?
Why can’t I do that?

Etc. Etc. Etc.

But God has made me the person I am for a reason.  Now, that doesn’t give me the excuse to be complacent.  I am the person God needs me to be right now, but He isn’t done with me.  Denying that puts doubt in His sovereignty and love for me. 

Lately, I have been realizing how much I think about myself, my situations, my feelings, peoples’ reactions to me…the list goes on. I was a little grossed out by that fact.  Even with the right intension of not being self-centered, I was wrapped up in me.  That’s the thing about intentions….they aren’t actions.  Actions actually require movement.

Okay so here is my point…finally, right?

I am going to meet people who are completely different than me: in convictions, God’s plans for our lives, and so much more, but I think we get stuck in worrying about the little things that we get away from the point….JESUS.  That’s all that really matters.  I need God’s strength everyday to walk away and remember it’s not about me! I don’t need to prove I am right and try to be good enough because thinking and doing all that still all comes back to me. I need an attitude check and eyes to see His action in my life. It's all about Him. I need His guidance to give up intentions and choose action.  Action resulting in obedience. 

Truth Tuesday: Fear

She does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen, for she is settled in her mind that Jehovah will take care of her.

[Psalm 112:7]

So here's the truth about fear: it's a lie. 

“And avoid fear, for fear is the consequence of every lie.” -Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

Fear is merely the consequence of a lie. Let me break it down for you.

If I'm afraid that I won't have a place to live, or won't raise all the money we need to raise, or won't find a car, then I am just believing the lie that those problems are bigger than my God, that He can't (or won't) handle them. If I'm afraid that I don't fit in with a certain group or might be rejected by someone, I am believing the lie that what others think about me is more important than what God thinks about me.

Usually it all boils down to believing the lie that God is not big enough, good enough, ________ enough to take care of the situation, to take care of me. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

[Philippians 4:6-7]

I don't know about you, but often fear and anxiety look pretty much the same in my life. If something is consuming my thoughts, chances are I'm fearing. But God knows what is best for me. He is good. And He wants me to just be thankful, and then let Him know what's going on, asking Him for help. And then He gives His unfathomable peace that guards my heart and mind from all those lies that want to come in and make me fear.

So as you're going into the middle of the week, choose peace. Choose to be thankful, and to come before God with your fears and anxieties- your lies. Let Him take those lies and replace them with His Truth and His Peace.

Truth Tuesday: Prayer

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you have know him better.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…

{Ephesians 1:16-18}

Prayer:  

One night, confused and frustrated over life, I broke down, got off my high horses of stubbornness and pride, and went to ask for help and insight.  After word vomiting all over my dear friend, I was still hurt but seeing a little clearer. I realized Jesus still had a lot He wanted to process through with me.

but I was left with a lingering question. 

Why do I bother to continue to pray about it?  He already knows all my thoughts and what He is going to do…duh.

My dear wise friend threw this at me to chew on for a while…

“Prayer is not so that God may know our thoughts
but
that we might know out thoughts as God does.”

Talk about pretty cool.  I read back through my journal and realized God had not only been answering my prayers, but guiding my thoughts in my prayers to see Him in action.  I am telling you now it wasn’t easy to go through, but all the while He was showing me what He wanted me to look at and think about the situation. 

Lesson learned: I not only get to look back and see how He has worked in my life but also get to see Him working in my life.  Yeah for prayer!