Heart’s Desire

Newspapers can have some of the best quotes about Christmas and other holidays sometimes.  I found these amazing Christmas thoughts a year ago.  My Word of the Year — Joy — is sprinkled all the way through, along with one of my words from the past.

The best part of Christmas for me is how joy burst onto the scene…The season doesn’t just ask us to think joyful thoughts, to wish compassion and kindness on our valley, to hope those who have little might be provided with enough.  The story bursts into our lives and demands some action. “Don’t just think about joy,” Christmas says, “Be joyful!”  Don’t only wish compassion and loving-kindness on our valley; embody it, spread it, give it away!”  What joy! What a blessing!  — Rev. Jimmy Bartz, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Jackson Hole Daily, 12/20/17

“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of man in Israel,” Simeon tells Mary.  “And a sword will pierce your soul, too.” These are admittedly dark thoughts in a season of light.  Many of us come to the holidays with pierced souls…but Christmas is not about mere nostalgia, and not without its comforts.  The British author J. R. R. Tolkien – something of an expert on such things – argued that every great fairy story has a “turn” in which despair is suddenly and miraculously reversed and the heart’s desire is fulfilled.  “It denies (in the face of much evidence if you will) universal final defeat…giving a fleeting glimpse of joy, joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.”  For Tolkien, this moment “rends the very web of story,” and allows us to see something real about the universe itself.

For Christians, the nativity story is the “turn” of human events.  In a world that would not yield a bed to a pregnant woman, the miraculous reversal arrives in a manner no one expected.  All involved are ambushed by hope.  The very strangeness of the deliverance – involving angels, kings and a pregnant virgin – indicates that God alone has taken hold of the storyline. But there is a glimpse of joy beyond the walls of the world…It means that the cruel appearances of life are the lies, and that joy and grace are the deeper realities.  It means that God is with us, that God is for us, even when we feel forsaken, especially when we feel forsaken.  It means our exiled souls can find a home in Bethlehem.  – Michael Gerson, Washington Writer’s Group, 12/25/17

 

Word Review

This year will be the tenth year I’ve chosen a “Word of the Year.”  This has meant so much to me; it’s been hugely impactful in my life every year.  I thought before announcing my new word I would give a review of all the previous ones.  It’s almost like God gave them to me in a sequential order, with each one building upon the previous one.  Often, I would see several of my words in a single passage (as you’ll see below).

2009 — Hold

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  –Hebrews 10:23

He is before all things; in Him all things hold together.  –Col. 1:17

2010 — Way

For the ways of the Lord are right.  –Hosea 14:9

You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of Your presence.  –Acts 2:28

2011 — Trust

Don’t let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, and trust also in me.  –John 14:1

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.  Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  –Hebrews 10:23-24

2012 – Refuge

In Thee O LORD, do I seek refuge; let me never be put to shame; in thy righteousness deliver me!  Incline thy ear to me, rescue me speedily!  Be thou a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!  –Psalm 31:1-2

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.  –Psalm 118:8-9

2013 – Journey

When our days there were ended, we departed and went on a journey.  –Acts Acts 21:4

The angel of the Lord came a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.  –1 Kings 19:7

2014 – Presence

But now, by giving Himself completely at the cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in His presence.  –Colossians 1:22

Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your hand will lay hold of me. –Psalm 119:7-9

2015 – Pain

I know all about their pain.  And now I have come down to help them.  –Exodus 3:7-8

He took our suffering on Him and felt our pain for us.  –Isaiah 53:4

2016 – Worship

I was caught up at once in deep worship.  –Revelation 4:2

The best preparation for worship is not rehearsal, but surrender.  –A. W. Tozer

2017 – Cast

Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you.  –1 Peter 5:7

The twenty-four elders will fall down before Him, who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.  –Rev. 4:10-11

Truly these words have been a huge help to me in my life.  God speaks personally through words, images, messages, situations, difficulties.  It’s been really powerful to see each of these words work in my life.  The lessons from them have been progressive. I had to hold onto Him more deeply before I could understand His ways; then I was in a position to start trusting Him more once I understood Him better.  I found myself in a safe refuge of protection but the next thing you know, I was on a journey of more discovery.  I sought to be more aware of His presence, especially in times of emotional and physical pain.  The result was that I began to worship Him in all situations as I learned to cast all anxieties and concerns upon Him.  The next post will reveal my new word for 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Refuge in Trouble

Did you choose a “Word of the Year” for 2012?  Ever since Chris, of the Compassion Blog, introduced this concept to me, I have been writing and journaling about my word every year.  It’s very important in my walk with God.  It has transformed my devotional time, as I watch for uses of the word throughout the year.  I keep entire notebooks of the words throughout the year.  My previous words have been:

2008–Ways

2009 —Hold

2010–Trust

What is my word this year?  Refuge.  As God was impressing this word upon my heart before Christmas, I had no idea that the year would begin with this very concept.  One morning, I awoke to find this message from my former LDP student, Emjay, on Facebook:

Mommy…our city was devastated by the typhoon last night.  Many lives were lost…and all our things and house are gone by the flood..my father and brother were almost drowned..thank God they were saved. We have nothing left..please pray for us..

All last week, I have been sharing photos and information about the relief efforts from Emjay’s church, of which Compassion is a supporting partner.

The church is a refuge for many families right now, and will continue to be for several weeks.  The Lord is the ultimate refuge for His people.  What does it mean to be a refuge?

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.  The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.  — Psalm 28:7-8 (ESV)

In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! … Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!  For you are my rock and my fortress…Psalm 31:1-3 (ESV)

Here are some photos of the church as a place of refuge in the Philippines right now.  If you would like to contribute to the relief effort, please click here and you will be directed to a quick way to make your donation on behalf of all these precious people.  The needs are huge, and we need to come alongside Pastor Jay and his congregation as they reach out to so many in need.

From the looks of these photos, it is obvious that a refuge provides:

• Shelter
• Safety
• Provision
• Nourishment
• Rest
• Fellowship
• Comfort
• Encouragement

Please make a donation today!

I Trust You

After I asked God for a new word of the year, the one word that kept coming to me was “Trust.”  Previous words had been “Ways” and “Hold.”  One of the ways I confirm these decisions each year is to see if that word is in my next Bible reading.  Sure enough, it was there in every passage I read the next day:

You love him even though you have never seen him.  Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.  The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.  –I Peter 1:8-9

Through Christ you have come to trust in God.  –I Peter 1:21

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable.  Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.  — I Timothy 6:17

It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.  –Titus 1:3

Another thing that happens each year is that all of my yearly words will show up in one scripture portion.  I realize this will not happen as the years add more and more words to my list.  But it was interesting that the very morning I was wondering and thinking about this, they WERE there in my reading of the day:

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.  Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  Hebrews 10:23-24

It was so good to see my word in the devotion I was reading at the time, too:

When you’ve grown too tired to trust and pray, when over worked nature has quite given way:  then just drop it all, and give up to rest…He knows you do pray.  He knows you do trust, and He knows, too, the limits of poor, weak dust…You have trusted your life to Him to keep, then don’t be afraid to go right to sleep.  –Ella Conrad Cowherd [from the devotion Streams in the Desert, by L.B. Cowman, 12/23]

Another of the first uses of the word I saw was on Dr. Scott Todd’s excellent blog, True Fast:

“Did you know the word ‘gullible’ is not in the dictionary? … The asking and responses to this question categorize the world into three camps — the trusting, the jaded and the trust-destroyers.  Of course there was a darker side to these exploitations of our childhood inclination to trust others…[therefore] We live in a culture of skepticism and walk the streets with people who have been disillusioned by mistrust since they were seven years old.  They are demanding evidence.  Let’s give it to them…And for those who are skeptical about the possibility of ending extreme poverty?  Let’s show them the evidence too.  –Dr. Scott Todd, True Fast, 12/21/2010

My devotion the very next day was on a similar theme of childhood trust:

Have you experienced a sorrow caused by unkindness, when others cruelly mistreat your trusting heart? … –L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, 12/22

When Compassion International posted the final chapel with Wess Stafford, I was not surprised to hear him using my word as well.  In fact, it was the key word and scripture of his address:

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.  They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.  Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.  –Jeremiah 17:7-8

Then Dr. Stafford proceeded to tell us how to get “from here to there:”  “Keep walking in the direction God tells you to walk, and the miracles happen along the way.”  In other words, keep trusting as you walk (as the verse above says).  He didn’t say we are blessed when we “Dig in,” or “pray more” or “try harder.”  It’s all about Trust.  This was so encouraging to me — to hear how God had blessed Compassion’s ministry as we trusted Him in this very difficult year.  While other organizations were reeling and licking their wounds, Compassion was enjoying the fruit of our leadership team’s trust in God.

Trust and rest when all around you puts your faith to stringent test; let no fear or foe confound you, wait for God and trust and rest.  Trust and rest with heart abiding, like a birdling in its nest, underneath his feathers hiding, fold your wings and trust and rest.  –L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, 12/15

Let me distrust myself and put my trust in Thee.  –Augustine of Hippo

We know how much God loves us, and have put our trust in his love.  –1 John 4:16

Don’t let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, and trust also in me.  –Jesus Christ, John 14:1

The word “trust” is the heart of faith and is the Old Testment word given to the infant, or early, stages of faith.  The word “faith” conveys more an act of the will, while the word “belief” conveys an act of the mind or intellect, but “trust” is the language of the heart…for it sees and feels and it leans on those who have a great, living, and genuine heart of love.  Therefore let us “trust also in Him” (Psalm 37:5), through all the delays, in spite of all the difficulties, and in the face of all the rejection we encounter in life.  And in spite of our feelings and evidence to the contrary, and even when we cannot understand our ways or our situation, may we still “trust also in Him; [for] He shall bring it to pass.”  The way will open, our situation will be changed, and the end result will be peace.  –L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, 12/15

Finally, one of the most exciting uses of the word “trust” was in a friend’s blog.  I met Mink in Thailand when we went to our LDP student’s graduation.  Mink is in a time of transition as she takes on a new role at the Compassion Thailand country offices.  I love reading her blog, because it takes me back to her wonderful country, and to the gentle, loving people we met there.  I learn more about the Karen people, which she loves so dearly, and I receive great encouragement from Mink’s open, transparent sharing of the challenges and struggles of life.  Mink is deep spiritually and relationally.  By that, I mean that she loves deeply and spiritually ponders everything in life.  I learn so much from her.  I was thrilled to see her New Year’s post entitled “Surrender and Trust.”  Her words are so true of all of us — we don’t trust God enough.

My goal is to say “I Trust You” every day to God.  I don’t mean this in a literal, ritual way.  I mean that I want this thought to come out of my heart, out of my walk with Him every day.  I want to trust Him more than I trust myself, more than I trust my bank account, or Pastor, family or friends.  I want to live and breathe trust in the Lord.  I want to smile when trials come, to keep on when the ways get rough, and to never lose hold of my trust and confidence in God.  And Mink is right — surrender is a big part of that.  Bottom line — He can be trusted!

New Ways

It’s almost time to choose a new word for the year.  But before this year ends, I’d like to share some of the ways God has blessed me with my current word of the year — “ways.”  I have a whole notebook full of phrases, scriptures and quotes that use this word.  I have grown a lot in my relationship with the Lord.  It’s been a good way to see how He is speaking to me from year to year.  Click here to see my word for 2009, and some of the ways God used it that year.

Here are some of the quotes from this year’s journal for 2010:

I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to do well, who leads you in the WAY you should go.  — Isaiah 48:17

Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My WAY is hidden from the LORD: My cause is disregarded by my God?”  Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and HIs understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary…     –Isaiah 40:27-29a

During this time let God’s love shine upon your WAY; welcome the Lord in your heart and you shall rejoice. — Jerica, My Compassion International sponsored child in Kenya

His grace sometimes comes to us in WAYS we would never expect. — Chuck Swindoll, Old Testmament Characters (study guide), pg. 46-47

Let us test and examine our WAYS.  Let us turn back to the Lord.  — Lamentations 3:40

When God’s people are worried and concerned that their prayers are not being answered, how often we have seen Him working to answer them in a far greater WAY!  –L. B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, 10/23

He holds the victory in store for the upright. He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the cause of the just and protects the WAY of His faithful ones.  –Proverbs 2:7-8

He made a WAY in the manager, a WAY through the Son.  Messiah, the promised before time had begun.  For God so loved this world though He knew what love would cost.  He made a WAY in a manager to make a WAY to the cross.  –Lee Black & Steve Merkel

We are full of sin.  So we come to you so you can put us back in the WAY.  –Haitian Prayer, from God is No Stranger, pg. 26

How happy is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His WAYS!  In this very WAY the man who fears the LORD will be blessed.  –Psalm 128:1, 4

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the WAY; walk in it.”  –Isaiah 30;21

Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this WAY.  –Matthew 11:26

I persecuted the followers of the WAY, handing some over to death.  –Paul, Acts 22:4

But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the WAY.  –Acts 19:9

The WAY of faith is very different than the WAY of law…  –Galatians 3:12

Before the WAY of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law.  We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the WAY of faith was revealed.  –Galatians 3:23

We believe we are all saved the same WAY, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.  –Acts 15:11

Look!  I am sending my messenger and he will prepare the WAY before me.  Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to His Temple.  –Malachi 3:1

I have chosen the WAY of truth; I have set my heart on Your laws.  –Psalm 119:30

A Cheyenne Warrior fell here on June 25, 1876 while defending his homeland and the Cheyenne WAY of life.  –Memorial marker at the Battle of Little Big Horn

True goodness is not doing extraordinary things.  It is doing ordinary things in an extraordinary WAY…It is not a WAY of doing special things.  It is a special WAY of doing everything.  –David Roper, A Man to Match the Mountain, pg. 171-2

The only WAY genuine patience can be acquired is by enduring the very trials that seem so unbearable today.  Turn from your running and submit.  — L. B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, 8/2

Stop at the crossroads and look around.  Ask for the old, godly WAY, and walk in it.  Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.  –Jeremiah 6:16

Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the WAY you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.  –1 Timothy 41:2b

The one who says it can’t be done should get out of the WAY of the one who is doing it. –Chinese Proverb

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my WAYS higher than your WAYS and my thoughts than your thoughts.  –Isaiah 55:9

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low; who toil along the climbing WAY with painful steps and slow; Look now, for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing.  O rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing!  –Edmund Sears (It Came Upon a Midnight Clear)

A Year on Hold

I can’t begin to describe how much this concept of choosing a single word theme for the year has meant to me this year.  Perhaps you would like to pray about it and ask God to give you a word for 2010.  As Chris said in the Compassion Blog, “…you’re not choosing a word.  The Holy Spirit is giving it to you…It helps me stay connected with Christ and His plans for me throughout the year.”

My word for 2009 was “Hold.”  I could not believe all the ways God used it in my life this year.  I kept a whole notebook of quotes I came across in scriptures, books, songs, sermons and other sources.  I’m not going to type out all of the complete phrases I recorded in my notebook — it would be too much — but here are some of the ways the word has been used.

Hold ♥ Held ♥ Holding ♥ Hold Fast ♥ Lives on Hold ♥ Hold Back ♥ Behold ♥ Beheld ♥ Holds ♥ Hold Onto ♥ Hold on ♥ Hold the Faith ♥ Hold our Confidence ♥ Hold up in Prayer ♥ Holding Back ♥ Hang On ♥ Withhold ♥ Hold Us ♥ Hold Me ♥ Hold the Rope ♥ Hold Together ♥ Held Together ♥ Held Fast ♥ Holds Out ♥ Strongholds ♥ The Lord My Stronghold ♥ Uphold ♥ Hold Tight ♥ Upholding ♥ Held Captive ♥ Hold Firmly ♥ Hold You Back ♥ Withholding ♥ To Have & To Hold ♥ Holding up to Contempt ♥ A Firm Hold ♥ Hold a Grudge ♥ Take Hold ♥ Hanging on Tight ♥ Hold Me Fast ♥ Lay Hold of ♥ Hold Your Ground ♥ Handholds ♥ Take Hold of Promises ♥ Taken Hold Of ♥ Holdin’ On ♥ Holds Promise ♥ Household ♥ Foothold ♥ Upholds ♥ Hold Things Loosely ♥ The Hold of a Ship ♥ A Hold on Reality ♥ Holding Promise ♥ Hold Mirrors ♥ Hold These Truths ♥ Hold Your Own Ground ♥ Holds the Power of Death ♥ Take Hold of Eternal Life♥

God has used this word in a powerful WAY for me this year.  It truly has helped me focus less on myself and more on what He is saying to me.  I’ve learned to TAKE HOLD of His promises, HOLD BACK on my impulsiveness, deal with STRONGHOLDS, and HOLD ONTO His love, wisdom and sufficiency in all WAYS.  I can’t wait to see what next year has in store for me.  He has already been flooding my mind and journal with examples of next year’s word for me, and I’ve got my 2010 notebook ready to go — eager to see all the WAYS He speaks to me about HIS WAYS (as opposed to MY WAYS) in 2010.

Can you guess what my new word is?

Great Quotes — Nine

It’s time to update you on some of the “hold” scriptures and quotes I’ve come across recently.  When I chose this as my word for the year, I had no idea there were this many different uses of the word.  I’m really wondering what God will give me for a word in 2010 that can even come close in comparison.

The happiest people I know are the ones who have learned how to hold everything loosely and have given the worrisome, stress-filled, fearful details of their lives into God’s keeping.  — Chuck Swindoll, Encouragement for Life

Few could resist Babylon’s charms.  Few had a firm enough hold on reality not to fall for her pretense.  — Beth Moore, Daniel study

That was the reason for Simeon’s song.  Deep inside his tired old heart, he knew that the infant he held in his arms was in truth the One who had been holding him all his life long. — Michael Card, Joy in the Journey

Jacob was born gripping his twin brother’s heel, holding him back, trying to get ahead. — David Roper, Jacob

…train yourself to be godly.  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.  —  1 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV)

David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph.  Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.  — 1 Samuel 23:14 (NIV)

Great Quotes — Seven

It’s time to update you on some of the ways God has used my word recently — the word is “Hold.”  I’m amazed to see all the uses of this word.  Here are more of the quotes and scriptures I’ve jotted down in my “Hold” notebook.

He gives the childless woman a household, making her the joyful mother of children.  Hallelujah!  –Psalm 113:9 [HCSB]

He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.  — Proverbs 2:7-8 [NIV SB]

So he left them with the King of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.  — 1 Samuel 22:4  [NIV SB]

Sometimes He holds us close and lets the wind and waves go wild…Sometimes He calms the storm and other times He calms His child. — Scott Krippayne

A Christian is a person who decides to face and live through suffering…No glib smart answers.  No lectures on our misfortunes…No hasty Band-Aid treatments covering up our trouble so the rest of society doesn’t have to look at it.  None of that:  the suffering is held up and proclaimed — and prayed.  — Eugene H. Peterson, God’s Message for Each Day

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.  — Isaiah 41:13 [NIV SB]

I know that everything that God allows to come our way is with a purpose and all we have to do is hold on to God and have faith. — Letter from Mary Jane, LDP student in the Philippines

Strong Hold

Something really big happened to me this summer.  I grew up feeling that I could never do anything right, and therefore have always felt rejected, unloved and unwanted.  I honestly felt that anyone that said they liked me was pretending.  The bottom line was that I was constantly worrying about what others thought about me.

In the midst of working my way through two Beth Moore Bible studies — “Breaking Free” (for the 2nd time) and “Esther” — I really saw some strongholds come down in my life.  A stronghold is anything that has a “strong hold” on you.  Perhaps you recall that my word for the year is “Hold.” Well, I found that I was holding onto a lot of lies in my mind, and letting those thoughts control me and keep me bound as though in a prison.  The lies said, “You’re no good,” “Nobody loves you,” “You’re a failure,”  “You’re stupid.”

The answer to “nobody loves me” is not “Oh yes they do!”  (although it’s true).  The answer is, “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks — for God loves me completely, unconditionally and sufficiently.  All that matters is His thoughts towards me.”  This is the truth I needed to apply to the thoughts that were troubling my mind.  I had believed this truth for a long time, but had not really applied it very well.

You see, I have been troubled my whole life by various strong personalities that tell me what to do, how to do it, what to think, how to act.  I was cowering before each of these people emotionally.  Thankfully, my husband is not part of this crowd!  But many strong and controlling personalities have caused me to feel inadequate, guilty, rejected and unloved.  Not that there isn’t responsibility on my part — because there is.  I needed to repent of worrying about what others thought of me; and only care about God’s thoughts (He accepts us just as we are!).  I also needed to repent of anxieties, fears, angers and resentment.  I even needed to repent of a specific form of unbelief — not believing I was loved, by God Himself.  Do you believe you are totally, unconditionally, and sufficiently loved by God, and that no one else’s love matters more than His love?

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungoldly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  –Romans 5:5-8 (NIV)

As these lies were cleared out of my mind, and replaced by truth, I was able to see those strong personalities for who they are (not always living a very happy life either), and to pray for them and care about them.  Now, much of this took place about eight years ago, when I studied “Breaking Free” the first time, but I was not yet walking in these truths until this summer (when I studied it the 2nd time, and half-way through started the “Esther” study as well).

It was time to take the plunge and walk in the truths I had already believed — that God loves me unconditionally, that it’s all about Him, not about me; that it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.  It doesn’t matter what I do right or wrong; it’s all about Jesus — and He did everything perfectly, in my place.  We don’t earn our salvation and we don’t “please” Him or gain His approval by doing good works either.  These are results of our close walk with Him.  There is nothing that we can “do” to cause Him to love us any more than He already does.  Believing this is crucial!  It changes everything!  Walking in this truth is not always so easy, because we spend a lot of time trying to “be a blessing to others,” or “fix things” or “be a good Christian.”  These are all good things, but must only be a result of walking close with Him, not something we do to try to “please “Him or “bless” another.

Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’  Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this:  to believe in the one he has sent.'”  –John 6:28-29 (NIV)

It is not about us!  It’s all about Him — what He did, what He thinks, who He is and How He works — His Works, His His Thoughts, His Sovereignty, His Ways!  For instance, He has a Way to reach those we love, and we need to trust Him with this.  He might use us, or He might use another, but He has His Ways and we need to let Him work!  He know what is best for us; we can trust that it is good, right and proper.  His truths and thoughts need to fill our minds, not ones we receive from others, from the world and from the enemy.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  –Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

He is all-sufficient, all-knowing, sovereign and good!  His love knows no bounds!  He is capable of anything, anything!  Nothing and no one is beyond His reach!

This summer I started applying these truths, and I was no longer afraid of the strong personalities around me.  I could also die to the lies that were assaulting my mind.  For instance, I would see a shirt in a store and think, “This would look good on me” (i.e. people would like me in this) — and then I would think, “No, I don’t have to buy it — I can die to that.”  I thought about putting my hoodie on before going to choir and thought, “The kids will think I’m cool if I wear this…” and then I thought, “No — I don’t have to be accepted by them.  I can die to that.”  I wanted to buy some Chacos (sandals) and thought (again), “They will think I’m cool.”  I thought, “No — I don’t have to do that.  I can die to that…I like the sandals though, and they’re comfortable, so I’ll buy them because I want to, not because I want to impress someone else.”  The piano was placed in the back of the auditorium, rather than in front, and I thought, “I don’t have to be in front; I don’t have to impress anyone; I can die to that.”  When someone would intimidate me in some way, I would think, “I don’t have to be afraid of them…it doesn’t matter what they think.”  I never felt so free!

It’s a day by day, moment by moment dying to that destructive way of thinking.  It’s filling my mind up with truth rather than lies, and repenting of unbelief, bad attitudes and fears when they overtake me.  It’s choosing to put God front and center, and walking by what I believe instead of being under the control of anyone else’s thoughts about me.  It’s trusting Him completely.

It’s wonderful to be free!  It’s like I’ve walked out into the wilderness and taken a huge breath of fresh air!  I love listening to God!  Why listen to any others when they send negative or despairing thoughts?  Best of all, now God has a strong hold on me, and He has become my stronghold, my fortress, my security and source of love.  Hallelujah!

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.  He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior…   –2 Samuel 22:2-3 (NIV)

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  –Psalm 9:9 (ESV)

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  –Psalm 18:2

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  –Psalm 27:1 (ESV)

But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.  –Psalm 94:22

Float

I told you that my word for this year is “Hold.”  Well, I have a new one for you — “Float.”  This is the crazy word my friend  has chosen for this year.  I just had to laugh.  I have to admit, this is the first type of picture that came across my mind:

What do you think of when you hear this word?  I thought maybe I had misunderstood what she was saying.  But no, the word is “float.”  

Then we got to thinking this through.  She said that God wants her to relax, sit back a bit; let Him work in her life.  He wants her to see that all her planning, arranging, manipulating and organizing is not His Way.  “Float.”  Get in the stream of life and “float.”  Let it flow — let Him move you where He wills, without your help.  I loved it.  Now I had a new picture in mind:

Float

Isn’t it beautiful and peaceful?  I thought of some of the things Beth Moore said in a Bible Study recently.  We were reading about Mordecai’s report to Esther that some of the guards were planning to murder King Xerxes.  In relaying the message to Xerxes, perhaps Esther hoped the King would honor Mordecai.  However, although the account was written in the Chronicles of the Kings, it was promptly forgotten.  Was she disappointed that her planning hadn’t worked?

Certainly she was greatly relieved that disaster was averted, but after going great lengths to give Mordecai the credit for the revelation, Xerxes seemed to overlook him completely.  Esther led that royal horse to water, but she couldn’t make him drink…[sometimes] nothing takes more discipline than giving someone information without telling them what to do with it…Information served with a heaping side of personal agenda almost never turns into the meal we planned…Sometimes providence can be defined as times when God trumps your perfectly good plan with one of His own.  –Beth Moore, “Esther,” pg. 55

The beautiful story regarding Mordecai ends with the fact that although Xerxes had forgotten him, God hadn’t.  The recognition of Mordecai came later in the story, in some of the most dramatic and entertaining scenes in God’s Word (in my opionion).  

God’s word to us is to “Hold onto Him” and then to “Float.”  Let Him do the things only He can do — in His time and His way.  Let Him perform a much greater work than we can ever imagine.  

My dear friend wrote to me the following day.  She had googled the word “float,” and here is the surprising first image that appeared.  I think this picture says it all!  This is what God really had in mind when He said to “Float.”

Float