Alright, Stop What You Are Doing And Listen Up

hey all - something has broken in my life and i must put out some encouragement.

there are two schools of thought - God's and not God's (i label it - the enemy). we have all been told the Bible stories, the scriptures, everything that says what God says is true. i.e. we walk by faith not by sight, God calls us redeemed, etc. BUT I SEE THAT WE DON'T WALK LIKE WE BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!

for example - how many of you live day in and day out with emotions all over the place (even if you don't outwardly show them....). i am not good, i can't do anything right, at least i can do it better than so and so, umm i wish they would get it right don't they see everything is getting messed up around them, they do so and so and such and such, i am praying for them but they don't seem to get the hint....

alright - those thoughts are led by what is not God's thoughts. i.e. - enemy. if you don't like to say there is an enemy out there or we "give him too much credit" - whatever. the fact is whether it is our 'flesh' or the 'enemy' something is going against what God says and that is wrong, where ever you put the blame.

soo all that to say - the previous is the wrong way to think.

as christians - Christ followers, children of the Living God - we are new creations, the old is gone. (doesn't look like it??? umm we don't walk by what we see, but by faith. and i am going to go on with this for a bit.

God calls things that are not as tho they are - abraham. yeah, he was dried up and OLD, his wife - no capabilities to have children. God moved in on their little situation and said 'abram, you will be the father of many nations. and i am going to give you a new name just to prove it to you. you are not who you were, but something new (new name... ).' abraham and his wife, sarah (she even got a new name too...), SINNED. they brought into the agreement with God something that God did not want to use. God still honored His promise. God still made abraham the father of many nations.)

moral of the story - what does God say?!!!! that is the ONLY TRUTH. it doesn't matter what i see in front of me, or HOW long it takes. God is truth!!! what He says, happens. i get to claim - i am who He says i am. it doesn't matter what i look like to you. it doesn't matter what i think of myself - God says i am something different.

i believe in Jesus. His sacrifice was enough for me. He made me virtuous, righteous, kind, loving, an overcomer, everything good and perfect (justified - just as tho i did and do nothing wrong.) it doesn't mean i don't repent, it just means he ALREADY paid for it.

now just as paul speaks about in romans, does that mean i get to keep sinning just because i am forgiven. no!! my motive is new, i want God's best and He is working within me the ability to walk the way HE SEES ME. i don't want to sin, i want to walk free in God's stuff.

i was made a virtuous woman when i was 6 or 7 years old. i asked Jesus to come into my heart. at that very moment God saw me through Jesus. justified, righteous, perfected, finished work. i then went about my own life, choosing to believe lies that the enemy fed me. rejection, failure, messed up, unloved, etc. it took the amazing power of God working in me throughout various seasons in my life to FINALLY begin seeing - i am not that messed up person in God's eyes. therefore: i am not messed up..

people, He sees us perfectly when we trust Him. when we give up trying to ..... be good, be loving, be, be, be. when we lay down our striving and trying and trust Him. He will work in us to will and do what He wants. just how He sees us doing things... trust is hard. if we ask Him, He is faithful to help us trust Him.

see, if we are looking at ANYONE else, or any situation to give us worth, tell us we are good, or doing a good job..... it can not sustain us. there will come a point when that person or situation will let us down. ONLY GOD IS STABLE. only He does not change. His emotions don't get the better of Him. He doesn't get tired of us and impatient.... He is LOVE and He operates in love, out of love. HE IS LOVE. not the human kind, and not the kind that stops troubles from coming our way, but the kind that smooths the path through the troubles, the kind that gives us perfect peace while under attack. He lifts us up, He defends us, He, He, HE.... we trust and quit trying to .... change, fix, help,.....

God wants nothing in front of Him. no one. no thing. no belief. they are idols.... just Him. He will give us the desire of our heart when we stay steadfast on Him. (doesn't mean spending our life minute by minute reading the Bible or praying. means the focus of our life, where we get our life from, is HIM.) He still has to help us with that... we have not the strength, capabilities, stamina, it is Him.. you will see that the desire of your heart is brought to pass. may not look like you thought it would. it is better than you hoped it would be. He does it, and no one can stop it when you are trusting Him.

it doesn't matter how much time you spend reading the Bible, how much time you spend praying to Him. what matters is that you get that connection with Him. He says My sheep hear my voice and another they will not follow. get to know His voice, He speaks everywhere. Wisdom cries out in the streets.

God let me hear You. help me shut the stuff in my mind off. make Your still, small voice loud enough that i can hear it. You want me to hear it, then i will know what way to go. then i will know what to do. You don't want me floundering around out here by myself. You are a real relationship, closer than my closest friend. i need to hear You so that i can have life, and life abundantly. help me hear YOU.

stop what you are doing and listen up....