07.12.19. Goodness! What a great EMBRACED devo by Lysa TerKeurst! You've gotta get this book! (click the word Embraced for the link)
Lysa asks the reader who feels she is in the middle of a mess to answer the following question: Am I letting this mess define me or refine me? Then, she explains the reader's answer is crucial to feeling hopeless or hopeful.
We all know we cannot stay in the mess whether the mess has us feeling stuck or stranded. Lysa uses scripture to develop three "Go-To Scripts" which become new patterns of thought to speak Truth of the Word into her mess. You'll just have to get the book and look up Day 42 for these Turning North Go-To Scripts.
Reading through today's devotion, my own messes came forward. Some are messier than others. It seems like there are always lessons to be learned in a muck of a mess. I cannot imagine ever intentionally wanting to remain in a mess especially when we have the power within us to get out of the mess. However, when the mess leaves us feeling stranded --as if God forgot about us-- we can feel that hopelessness weighing heavier and pushing us deeper into the sludge.
I have been there.
Honestly, I let the mess define me. The word abandoned seeped into my heart adding to the ugliness of being in the mess. From there, anger would climb over a great disappointment choking off my breath. I was sure I would become the first person in history that God forgot and refused to hear her prayers. It wasn't about the mess, anymore. It was about my brokenness.
It is important that Truth resides in your heart. For even when broken or stunned, Truth will surface.
When the enemy of my soul would insert a lie, Truth surfaced.
"God has forgot about you." Then, a bubble would break the surface, "Don't fear. I won't leave you nor forsake you."
"God won't answer." <blip, blip, blip> "Don't be stressed. Don't be discouraged. I will help you with My right hand."
"You're too weak." <pppp-shsssssshhhhhhh> "You are more than a conqueror through God."
"This is impossible." <fizzy, fizzy, pop> "With God, nothing is impossible."
The scripture Truth I had memorized (maybe not remembering where they were located book, chapter and verse) was rising from the deep and so was my faith!
Then, I broke free to inhale sweet air and let it fill my lungs... "I am a child of God. I am chosen by the King. What touches my life is, first, felt by Him. He knows where I am. I cannot run or hide or be hidden where He cannot find me. I can come boldly to the throne in His presence making my requests known to Him. He hears my every cry. He goes before me and hems me in from behind. I put my hope and trust in Him because He loves me!"
Are you stuck in the muck or stranded in the mess of your own life situations? It's time to let Truth surface.
Lysa asks the reader who feels she is in the middle of a mess to answer the following question: Am I letting this mess define me or refine me? Then, she explains the reader's answer is crucial to feeling hopeless or hopeful.
We all know we cannot stay in the mess whether the mess has us feeling stuck or stranded. Lysa uses scripture to develop three "Go-To Scripts" which become new patterns of thought to speak Truth of the Word into her mess. You'll just have to get the book and look up Day 42 for these Turning North Go-To Scripts.
Reading through today's devotion, my own messes came forward. Some are messier than others. It seems like there are always lessons to be learned in a muck of a mess. I cannot imagine ever intentionally wanting to remain in a mess especially when we have the power within us to get out of the mess. However, when the mess leaves us feeling stranded --as if God forgot about us-- we can feel that hopelessness weighing heavier and pushing us deeper into the sludge.
I have been there.
Honestly, I let the mess define me. The word abandoned seeped into my heart adding to the ugliness of being in the mess. From there, anger would climb over a great disappointment choking off my breath. I was sure I would become the first person in history that God forgot and refused to hear her prayers. It wasn't about the mess, anymore. It was about my brokenness.
It is important that Truth resides in your heart. For even when broken or stunned, Truth will surface.
When the enemy of my soul would insert a lie, Truth surfaced.
"God has forgot about you." Then, a bubble would break the surface, "Don't fear. I won't leave you nor forsake you."
"God won't answer." <blip, blip, blip> "Don't be stressed. Don't be discouraged. I will help you with My right hand."
"You're too weak." <pppp-shsssssshhhhhhh> "You are more than a conqueror through God."
"This is impossible." <fizzy, fizzy, pop> "With God, nothing is impossible."
The scripture Truth I had memorized (maybe not remembering where they were located book, chapter and verse) was rising from the deep and so was my faith!
Then, I broke free to inhale sweet air and let it fill my lungs... "I am a child of God. I am chosen by the King. What touches my life is, first, felt by Him. He knows where I am. I cannot run or hide or be hidden where He cannot find me. I can come boldly to the throne in His presence making my requests known to Him. He hears my every cry. He goes before me and hems me in from behind. I put my hope and trust in Him because He loves me!"
Are you stuck in the muck or stranded in the mess of your own life situations? It's time to let Truth surface.
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