God has shown me so many truths this past month. It has been a month of fully consecrating myself to the Lord while also feeling very distant from Him. My quiet time has become loud as God has opened my eyes to see His Word for what it truly is-alive.
In a season of new beginnings and a lot of endings, Jesus told me to stop worrying about my life. I often found myself being asked about my plans for the future and always responding in a tone of doubt. I truly desire to go to Liberty University after I graduate high school next spring. Being aware of the high cost of attending my dream school, my response to people would always contain “if I get the scholarships.”
My Heavenly Father convicted me to stop doubting who He is and what He is capable of doing for me.
Instead of asking Jesus to provide the scholarships I need, I am now thanking Him for the ones He has already provided.
Faith is believing in what we cannot yet see. Faith goes beyond our focus and is reached in God’s view.
Whenever I read Hebrews 11, which is known as the chapter of faith in the Bible, God showed me so much! I challenge you to read it as well. In chapter 11, the Bible mentions Biblical leaders who had extraordinary faith! Having faith was not the only thing each of these people had in common.
-God made the impossible possible in their lives
-They trusted God to do what He said He would do
-God exceeded their expectations
-They were willing to give up what they loved most because they loved God more
God is faithful! Let me also remind you that Noah built the ark before he saw the flood. That statement from the Lord blows me away! Noah believed that God would do what He told him. Noah didn’t doubt the Lord. He simply obeyed, even if he was the only one.
“By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” -Hebrews 11:7 CSB
In a season of many unknowns and changes, I rest in the fact that my God is good. His goodness does not change based upon my circumstances. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” -Hebrews 13:8 NKJV
While I was at Liberty University last week, I became overwhelmed by my decided major. I had my degree plan memorized and had already been quoting it (“Elementary Education in the area of English and minor in Women’s Leadership”).
God is taking control and letting me enjoy sitting in the passenger seat.
My plans are changing and that’s okay as long as Jesus is the One Who is changing them.
Two days in a row, He comforted me with the Bible verses listed below:
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” -Psalm 32:8 NIV
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” -Psalm 16:11 NIV
I am now praying about majoring in Christian Leadership and Church Ministries while having a focus in Women’s Leadership. My God is not going to lead me to do something I won’t enjoy. As Psalm 16:11 says, God is going to fill us with joy in His presence. His Presence will always be with His will.
I am realizing that I am not in control and that God is! He knows what is best for me and is going to get me where He wants me to be! I do not have to worry about anything as long as I am with Him.
Satan loves to feed our minds with lies. He wants us to believe God is distant from us and that we are distant from God. That is quite a lie, my friend! Our God is close, and He is near! Jesus gave His everything and died on the cross so that we could know Him intimately! Jesus raised Himself from the grave so we could be watered by Him daily. Jesus is real, and He is alive! We must stop believing lies from the enemy!
I want the P’s of God rather than the D’s of Satan. God provides peace, passion, purpose, protection, and purity while Satan offers discouragement, destruction, death, and devastation.
We must stop believing Satan’s lies! We are not far from God’s love. While nothing in all of Creation can separate us from the love of God, our sin prevents us from having intimacy with Him. Don’t let sin keep you from our Heavenly Father, brother or sister! Jesus, as any good parent, longs for His children to be close to Him. He does not want us to be far away. Jesus’ blood will cover our sins the moment we ask for forgiveness.
One of my favorite personal stories was written by Bob Goff in his book Love Does. While driving his jeep home from church, an eighty-seven year old lady ran into him with her car. Bob, thankfully, was okay, but his jeep was ruined. Bob assured Lynn, the lady who hit him, that everything was fine. She kept apologizing and even calling Bob expressing her grief over what had happened. In order to quit receiving these calls from Lynn whom he had already forgiven, Bob sent her a bouquet of flowers with a note that read, “Dear Lynn, it was great running into you… Now stop calling me! Bob.” In the words of the author, “I think Lynn got the message. I was fine, and I wanted her to be fine too. I wanted her to forgive herself, to realize we all make mistakes. I’m glad I ran into Lynn, and I’m glad she kept calling too. It taught me something about faith. It taught me that when God is big enough and loves me enough to say He forgives me, I should actually believe Him. I mean, I shouldn’t keep feeling bad about all the times I’ve messed up because that’s ignoring what God said, just like Lynn ignored what I said. When I don’t trust God’s forgiveness, it’s kind of like saying I really don’t believe He’s that good. Lynn made me think I should stop asking God to forgive me over and over when He’s made it clear to me He already has.”
I love this analogy of God’s forgiveness. If we ask God to forgive us from something, He will forgive us!
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:38-39 NIV
While platforms and fame can seem appealing to us, let’s remind ourselves that it’s not about us. I never want to be like Lucifer who thought he knew it all. Our little minds are like ants compared to our Father’s wisdom! Let’s stay humble.
God is giving us new beginnings. He is doing so much behind the scenes for us! He fights for us daily.
I love picturing Jesus as the Gardener of our souls. He handles us with such tenderness and care. He knows when the soil of our hearts is dry. He always knows exactly what we need. As said in the song There Is A Cloud by Elevation Worship, “The dry season is over.”
I love you guys and am so thankful for our Father’s love! What has God been doing in your life? I would love to hear and be encouraged by your testaments!
With love,
Haley
Undeniably His 