Standing there, remembering, it felt like these moments happened just 5 minutes ago…they still weigh heavy. Somehow, everything about these situations said so much about me. Here’s how they played out:
1. I cut the strawberries carefully, practically savoring the trifle I’d soon pick apart. Conversations were ample, fun and full. Juice ran off my fingertips and I loved the feeling, the freeness, the summer air. Life was good, until, I came undone by her words, “You cut differently than I do.”
2. A friend joined me for a morning IV of coffee. We connected, discussing: who we are, where we will go, and how we will approach things. But as quickly as the caffeine jolt appeared, it was crashed with his words, “Well, I am just different than you. I don’t do things like that.”
3. She was kind. So kind. I love her. I still do, but it stung deep when she said, “I believe differently than you do.”
Differences make us feel odd and outside the norm. Rather than feeling like a belonger, we feel like an outsider. Underneath, we hear hostile threats, declaring, “You are wrong. You are not as good as me.”
Ever noticed? These threats come in all different shapes and sizes: A child whose dreams, views or agendas are different. A spouse who thinks “contrarian”. A job moving forward with different plans than the ones you were committed to. A person who looks nothing like you. An opinion that doesn’t resonate with yours. A person you can’t relate to. Backgrounds you don’t understand.
There’s this little homing device I wear. It’s broken. It bumps me into things. It roams and returns me to the same old stuff, like making people happy and trying to impress them with my best dresses. It gets me zapped too. Usually by guiding me outside the boundaries of safe, where I get electrocuted by a dog fence or something like that.
Zap… You look dumb again.
Zap… You messed up again.
Zap… You are letting your kids down.
Zap… You’ll never find your way.
Are you at all like me?
Trying to adventure to more, but feeling continually zapped by failure?
I just read the book, Making it Home by Emily Wierenga. I think this girl gets me.
Her words shed light on the spectrum of my issues:
She says, “I still forget I have a voice.” I say, “Yes, Emily. I often can’t hear myself; that voice feels afraid to stand up for itself too. It feels like no matter how loud it screams it will still be hushed and shushed rather than loved and embraced. I get that.”
Maybe my voicelessness prevents me
from hearing myself – from hearing God too.
She says, “I’ve been working all my life to make something of myself.” I say,“Yes. I go because if I stop, I might be left with – me. And having to deal straight up with all that, well, sometimes that is even more terrifying than all the work I use to cover me.”
Maybe all my hard work,
speaks over the power of Jesus on the cross
– and how desperately I need his saving.
She says, “Because there aren’t accomplishments enough to affirm the three-year old inside who still can’t talk, the nine-year old who decided to stop eating, the sixteen-year-old who was dumped for being too nice.” I say, “Mmm…hmmm. The voices of the past come back, but they don’t sound like the voices of yesterday, they now sound like mine.”
What was then, I claim as now.
Oh, I know, Emily, I know. I know living with the emotions called its-scary-to-be-me.
Often, the fear of self is our greatest fear.
It’s in this place where you have to come to terms with the idea that God made you alright. That he likes you alright. That you can speak inner-truth without retribution. That you can fall down and he won’t hate you. That taking the risk is worth the small chance you might fall over the cliff. Because he’ll catch you when you do. And this is the point – almost the point of life, I believe.
Unleashing the wounds under all the age-old bandages are freeing. You rip off what the enemy has placed over your mouth and again you come alive. You scream out, “I believe in Jesus. He loves me the way I am. He is healing what was broken. I don’t have to know the way; he does. You get real; he does too.”
You see his face; it looks like love.
I am approaching that.
She says, “I am learning that being a woman is about giving until it hurts and then receiving so much that my soul might break.” I say, “It looks like letting go.”
God says,“For whoever would save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” (Mark 7:35)
So often, I think it is about fixing.
I think it is about rewriting.
I think it is about thinking.
I think it is about finding a counselor.
I think it is about working harder.
I think it is about fitting more into my schedule, or organizing things well or stopping bad behavior.
It’s not. Finding my way is about losing myself to love and finding myself swept up under the feet of Christ as he saves.
It is about getting so wrecked and so raw that you’re remade. This happens through little people, sometimes, small feet whose tender trust in dad, shows how much you can trust a good daddy. Or, through a book, as it sparks an area you need to stop, pray about and deeply consider. Or, through a husband, who humbly and sacrificially gives so abundantly that God calls you to scream thanks. Or, through circumstances that align, like stars, only as a loving Savior could display. Or, through a fresh encounter with God that almost leaves you breathless. Or, through prayer that works, as each word takes hold in the air.
Home is all around me. I am in the center of it, because God is in the center of me. Will I believe?
This small shift, this mustard seed belief, changes everything. For, when I get low and looking, I uncover Jesus. Then, I see me, coming to life. Rather than a dull image, I move with certainty and power. I run like a flip-book drawing galavanting to purpose. It may not look like much by the world standards. But, God and I? We know, it is power, vision and hope that are leading.
They lead home.
Thank you, Emily, for sparking this in my heart. In this case, God rushed in through small words written in a medium-sized book that was written by you; I am grateful.
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Sometimes you meet someone you immediately connect with. Emily is this sort of gal. Her honest and engaging prose lifted my heart to another place. Emily cares. This is what I felt when I read her book. I felt loved, as she grew in love for herself. Thank you, Emily.
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For women who have grown up in the tension between third-wave feminism and Martha Stewart, it can be a struggle to define and embrace the meaning of home. There is constant pressure to do things a certain way, and sometimes intense criticism from those who think you’re doing it wrong. But what if home isn’t really about whether or not you homeschool or have a career? What if it’s more about who you are than what you do?
There he was, Jesus, tugging the weight of the world on his shoulders, straight up the road to his demise. He trudged along, weighted. He proceeded by faith, bent over. Heart and body, likely splintered. By all accounts, Jesus, looked like he was failing and failing badly, very badly. His Messiah mission fell, His name apparently couldn’t save, His cause was causing people to laugh, mock and taunt him.
Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” Mt. 27:39-40
People anti-worshipped him by outpouring disgust.
“Fix it!” they screamed. “If you are so great, why do you look so bad?” they yelled. “If you trust your God, why has he let you down so badly?” they ensued.
Are you hearing the same?
Does it look like you’ve been left on the side carrying failure?
That you are destined to be hurt?
That God isn’t coming through for you?
Sometimes, I feel I am falling into the great abyss of obscurity and aloneness. I see the black storm. I see myself as homeless.
These storms make our future look dim.
We continue to drink, even though we wanted to quit.
We figure we will never shed that last 10 pounds.
We react in anger and try no different.
We gossip, then do it again and again.
We figure we will always be stuck in a dead-end job.
We have no hope for our marraige.
We decide our kids will always be ingrates.
We accept rejection at work and no longer try.
We feel like a sub-par Christian and accept that as truth.
We believe we will always be in debt.
And on and on it goes…but, no doubt about it – it will never end well – for us.
What if Jesus, by all accounts,
saw the circumstances and declared himself destined to be a loser?
He could have –
if he lived by the comments, claims and convictions of the world around him.
If he chose to believe doubts over faith.
If he didn’t believe in a good, good daddy.
If he didn’t know that a Saving God, always saves.
But, he didn’t.
Jesus believed victory was on the brink and didn’t let his mind sink.
He kept walking…even though.
He kept ministering…even though.
He kept his mind on heavenly…even though.
He thought about forgiving us…even though.
Even though, he was hanging on a limb in gut-wrenching agony.
He thought of us.
He is still is.
He is thinking of you and where you stand.
He is thinking of that standing place as his victory-place.
Will you sink by how you think or will you rise keeping your eyes on the prize?
I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Ps. 16:8
Jesus’ situation looked bleak.
It looked heavy.
It looks so bad the ones he loved ran away in fear.
But here is how it turned out, here is what he was right on the brink of: He was buried, he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures—and is still alive! (1 Cor. 15:4)
He is still alive and still saving us.
He is still alive and still pleading for us.
He is still alive and still making a way for us.
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.
And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Cor. 1:20)
His answer to your heart is – yes! Yes, he will do the amazing for you, according to his will, if only you believe.
And we all say, Amen.
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I believe.
I believe in Jesus Christ, only son of the Father.
I believe He died for me.
I believe He rose from the dead.
I believe He ascended into Heaven.
I believe He will come again.
I believe.
But sometimes, I forget that this belief means so much more because of who it is I believe.
Recently our oldest son, who is severely dyslexic, decided he wants to go to medical school. He came to my husband and me and said, “I think I am supposed to be a doctor.”
Not for one moment did I doubt him.
I homeschooled John for the better part of his academic career this far.
I know.
I know first-hand that the road he just ventured onto will be hard. When I say hard, I mean “reads at a 5th grade level” hard, or so the test makers tell me. But I have seen the work of this man-baby, I have witnessed a determination in him like no other.
I believe.
It is one thing for John to believe he can do all things through Christ who is his strength. It is another thing for someone else to believe he can do it. And on the evening after John’s announcement I made arrangements for him to test into the university near our home, my alma mater. A tightness grew in my chest as I recounted the days of dreaded placement and diagnostic testing. For just a moment I entertained, “what if…”
I quickly shook off the thought.
I believe.
And somewhere on the still evening air, a warm sound swept over me.
I was bathed in peace.
I was slain by love.
I was certain the sound was audible.
The breath of my Lord comforted me and I heard Him say, “I believed first.”
Yes.
The Alpha and the Omega, the God of Isreal, Maker of Heaven and Earth believes in my boy’s abilities to be fulfilled, the good work that this God created him for cannot be impossible. It cannot be measured by human standards. And in that moment, I am further struck with the reality – He believes in me too.
As much as I strive to love and serve this Mighty and Mysterious God, as many times as I have proclaimed my adoration, as often as I have shouted “YES LORD! I believe!”
He believed first.
He believed all those years ago on a hill, nailed to a cross.
He believed as He descended into the abyss.
He continued to believe as He walked that road to Emmaus.
And when He ascended back to the Father, He believed without a doubt.
He believed in me at the dawn of my conception.
He believed in me as I took my first steps.
He believed when I fell away from Him, when I rejected Him.
He believed in my daughter-ship, He believed I would return.
He still believes. He believes even when I am at my worst.
He believes.
He believes that the good work He began in me will be carried through to bring Him glory.
This is magnificent to me. When I am in doubt, when I am afraid, when I can’t bring myself to believe, He who dwells in me… believes.
So great His belief he took His petition, His deep and unshakable beliefs, and died for me on the Cross.
Who am I that He who measures the depth of the sea
and counts the feathers on the songbird,
believes in me?
I believe I am the daughter of the God of All.
I believe my son, a newly accepted Pre-Med student at my alma mater, is the son of the God of all.
I believe I am a foster mom, when I was the most terrified woman on the planet. Afraid I would get hurt, afraid of the brokenness, I believed in the calling from my God.
I believe I am an adoptive mom of two precious boys, I believe in all seven of my children.
I believe I am an author, when everyone said, “It’s too hard to get published.”
I believe I am a sinner, desperate for a goodness I am incapable of on my own.
I believe in an unseen God who first believed.
Who am I that He believes in me? I am a believer in Him. He is mighty to save. He is mighty to deliver. He believes in the impossible for He was able to conquer death, death on the cross – for me.
And for you.
He believes in us, dear friend. He believed so greatly in us – and His Father loved us so, that He took it to the grave. Meet Him there. Crumpled at the foot of the cross cry out the hurt, the disappointment, and the fear. For even if the only words you can muster are… I believe. Know He will honor and care for you. He will deliver you and conquer that which terrorizes you. He will make all things new. He will make it all work together for good.
The great I am, your Father in Heaven… He who first believed.
Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil. 1:6)
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I gripped my chin, thinking, I need to reach out and ask her if there was a problem with me. I couldn’t figure out why she didn’t seem to be progressing forward with the work I had turned in. I knew, it must be – what I had done wasn’t good enough. She thought my work was horrible, trash-worthy, and she just didn’t know how to tell me. She was avoiding me. The hair on my skin rose with the awkwardness I was about to approach.
I typed the email.
Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. (Prov. 10:19 MSG)
Rather than pressing play on my mouth
was God called me to press – pause?
I waited, staring at the cursor. So much time had passed and she had given me nothing. Still, God says it wise to wrangle wild words. I minimized the screen, considered the thought and went along with my day, wondering, often, if I should text.
What harm would it do? At least I would know. At least I could tie down my emotions, rather than having them fly everywhere.
Often, our greatest goal when we charge is to change our feelings. I knew many of my words were about me feeling good, and not about producing a good and Godly outcome. They were about me knowing – now. They were about me feeling – happy. They were about me getting answers – so I knew I was worthy.
He who restrains his words has knowledge, And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Prov. 17:26
A cool spirit. It sounds light. It sounds like a refreshing breeze. It sounds easy. Understanding arrived: She is busy. I can offer her space.
Press pause, Kelly.
A week passed, and an email arrived. It was from her. She saw my work and not only wanted to use it, but in a more prominent capacity. God knew all along.
You never know God’s good cause,
being worked through your pause.
You want his hand ruling over your outcome, not your hasty mouth.
What I know now is I could have ruined it all by racing in to rectify my feelings. I could have spoiled what God was growing up in the perfect timing. I could have missed a growth opportunity in patience. They can be the hardest kind.
How do you do with opportunities of patience? When do your feelings call out to you to “fix” things? Do you speak a heap of demands or from a heart of love?
I realize now. I can lay back. Why? Because what I want to rush into, God is already in.
One God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all. Eph. 4:6
He is in it and is carving spiritual and emotional strides. He is ironing everything out. He is making all things work together for his good, my good and the good of the entire story that extends beyond my here and now. I can trust that. I can believe in that. I can hope in that.
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving… (1 Tim. 4:4)
And, so, what small wait, what unheard response or what dead end – in those, I will remember God is there and because he is there, goodness is there. It is who he is, it is what he does and it is simply the only thing he can ever produce.
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We live in a beautiful world. But, we live in a scary world that appears to be becoming increasingly so. To be honest, it has been a bit difficult to navigate but I must. We must. We cannot rely on our emotions or even our perceptions of what is going on around us. We cannot allow that to dictate our lives/behavior. We are only to rely on the God who never changes and whose Word is a sure foundation.
The world we live in and actually my very city is in a state of pain and anger and frustration. I don’t have any answers or advice to offer but I do know that I am not to fear. I am to rise up and stand strong in the midst of confusion. I am to be a light in the midst of darkness.
How we do this is simple, not easy, but simple. We look to God. It sounds cliche but really, it’s not. Jesus is the solution to EVERY problem.
He is our anchor.
He is our hope.
He is our truth.
The key to not living in fear is to remember the truth of who the Lord is in spite of circumstances that surround us.
Trust the nature of God.
John 4:8 says that God is love. Ephesians 2:4 says that God is merciful. Ephesians 2:8-9 says that God is gracious. And Psalm 136:1 says that God is good. The nature of God never wavers or falters. He cannot be anything other than Himself. I love that! He doesn’t change according to circumstances or moods. He is not a man that He should lie. He is who He is and that’s all there is to it. He is peace in the middle of our storms.He is our rock when all around us is shaking.
Trust the faithfulness of God.
“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3
There are countless verses about the Lord’s faithfulness but this is one of my favorites! I live in Baton Rouge and as you’ve probably seen on every media outlet, the atmosphere here has been tense and angry and hostile at times. I need to remember this. Our enemy is not flesh and blood but Satan. It is God who works within His children and gives us strength and causes us to stand strong in the face of any opposition. He never leaves us to fight battles alone. He encamps us on all sides.
Trust the sovereignty of God.
“I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: My plan will take place, and I will do all My will.” Isaiah 46:10
This one of those verses that blows my mind! God knows the end from the beginning. He’s knows everything that would ever happen before even the foundations of the world. I don’t know about you, but that can be trusted. Nothing in our lives or in the world around us comes as a surprise to Him. He is faithful to make a way when there is no way. Often times, our pain and struggles and hardships catch us off guard and we wander around dazed and confused. The Father isn’t. He knows every detail inside and out, upside down and right side up. He never causes tragedy, but He does sometimes allow it. I’m not sure we’ll ever know why but I am willing to live in that mystery knowing that He will bring about the outcome that brings Him the most glory and is for our good.
He is our anchor.
He is our hope.
He is our truth.
He is our very present help in our time of need. Let’s praise Him! And let’s stand up boldly and take courage…not in our our own strength, but in the strength of the one who placed it inside of us.
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Karina is a devoted follower of Jesus from New Orleans, Louisiana, but has made her home in Baton Rouge for the past 15 years. She spends much of her time leading worship at church, writing, reading, dancing and mentoring the next generation. She has a huge heart for serving and missions. She is an advocate for the local church especially the one that she attends, Healing Place Church. She also enjoys working out, traveling, photography and going to concerts/conferences.
Karina believes that every woman has a God-sized dream on the inside of them and it is up to an encouraging community to help nurture that dream. Her goal in writing is to see women get a revelation of God’s Word and discover how to apply it to their lives in order to walk in freedom and live the life that God intended. But the most important thing to her is to live out the call of Isaiah 26:8…For His Name and His Renown are the desire of our souls! You can connect with her at “For His Name and His Renown.”
I came home from a prayer meeting all full of Jesus and with new plans to let his love flow.
Sitting down at the computer, I knew three things:
1. God was using me to roll-out his glory.
2. I am encouraging others with words that only God could ordain. He is bringing unity.
3. Jesus’ pulse was beating in my heart.
I pressed into my work with fervor. But, as time passed, my mind strayed. It wondered what people were up to? It pondered, what am I missing online? It called me to Facebook, then to my emails. God’s work will be waiting when I return…I figured.
I scrolled.
But, as I did, three things captured me:
1. The face of someone from the past. They brought me straight back into a bad memory.
2. Images from the Dallas catastrophe. It tried to rip the idea of unity apart in my heart.
3. An email from my husband, reminding me we have no idea where we are going to live or what our plans are.
What God established,
distraction was determined to demolish.
Like a perfectly organized shelf, my heart was arranged just right. It was oriented towards God, only to all be knocked down, at a moment’s notice, by my own carelessness in keeping my heart set straight.
This kind of thing happens subtly. This toppling of God. It happens somewhere between morning devotion and child carpool. It shows up in a day somewhere between worship and workers with paint cans who never show up. It arrives through the voice of a boss who sounds like he hates you.
How do we stay devoted to God
when distractions get stuck to us?
“Only God knows,” I thought. And he did.
What God put on my heart was two words: Purpose and Protection.
1. Purpose: If we don’t purposely pursue his plans, our plans will fail.
Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Ps. 127:1
This means, no matter how blaring the noise, no matter how worthy its notability, we don’t welcome it in for coffee. Sure, this alert, notification or ding can arrive at the doorstep of our heart, saying, “Hey look at me. Look at me! I need your attention.”
But, we can act differently by saying, “I see you, but right now, I am on a mission from – and with – God. I need to focus on his face; he has plans for me that I cannot be deterred from.”
2. Protection:If we don’t guard against discouragement, we will swim in it.
What good are we to spread love, if we walk in defeat? We must consider what sends our heart astray and then, like we are holding a leash to a dog that is biting us, break the leash and send that yapping dog astray.
We need to let go of the leash that has actually kept us captive.
What is it? Facebook? Comparing? Jealousy? Performance numbers? Words from a friend that really is not even a friend?
Cut the leash.
Friends, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be beholden to the world, pinned down by it. I want to be a running and raging fire, releasing the love of Christ.
To do this, I must protect the sanctity and the sacred connection to my King. You must too.
For as we target our focus,
what will come in focus,
is the very focus of all our affections, the King of Glory, the Hope of Nations, the drink of living water,
the way through all our existing questions.
There he is enthroned,
empowering his people, pleading on our behalf,
equipping us with what we need.
And we will feel it, we become certain,
eager even,
heart pulsing, we want to move.
And we do, we rise into his purpose.
Unrestrained.
Uncontained.
Unbelievably effective for his cause.
We find ourselves.
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Bang! The thunder sounded like a shot in the night, except it was morning. Either way, the shrieks that ensued caught us all off guard. “Quick, get under the blankie! Let’s hide,” Madison shouted at her toddler brother.
They tumbled down like miniature-wrestlers, grabbing the comforter and maneuvering it over their heads.
They felt safe. But, what I could see from the height of my vantage point went beyond two sets of covered heads – to the 3 feet of remaining limbs laying uncovered. These soft legs, arms and hearts were still vulnerable – vulnerable to thunder, destruction and all the fierce consequences of lightening.
All I could think was, “Those cute little fools aren’t safe. They’re hardly covered.”
In the same way, I act like a fool.
Do you?
Do you take cover with defensiveness, escape and busyness to escape the danger of reality?
Are you afraid to deal with mounting problems and the excruciating weight of your own emotions?
Do you figure Jesus won’t be able to handle the likes of you?
It’s embarrassing, ugly even, to admit, but I cover. I grab a leaf and pretend it will hide the ugliness of my nakedness. Yet, what didn’t work for Eve, still doesn’t work for me.
These thoughts… “If I can’t see my problems, my problems can’t see me…” “If I pretend it isn’t there, maybe it will go away…” “If I can fight back with strength, I won’t be so weak…” …these thoughts, leave me vulnerable, exposed and aimless – running like a rabid dog in hunt of life.
Even worse, my tricks go bust, because no one is tricked. My family sees my limbs flailing about. My God sees everything. And, my insides see a hole too deep to climb out from.
The tension mounts, my heart asks:
How can I deal with my feelings without fleeing?
An answer settles: What pain we give God an opportunity to see, he’ll free.
Because God is a God of clear vision… From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all…(Ps. 33:13-14)
…who cares. who considers everything they do…. (Ps. 33:13-14)
And He sees deliverance and delivers deliverance to those who desperately hope in him. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. ( Ps. 33:18-19)
His tender mercy wants to approach us (Lu. 1:78). It doesn’t look like a hand raised. It doesn’t squint with eyes furrowed. It doesn’t pontificate with a red face. No. It is a cupped hand that holds you tenderly, as if you were a shell about to break into his glory.
Unfailing love wants to heal you. He wants to heal me too.
Will we let Deliverer deliver us from fear to faith?
We don’t need to hide from tender mercy. For it is, after all, what we most crave, isn’t it?
So today, gather your courage, put it in a line, get it ready to launch, and pray with me: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts (Ps. 139:23), make them plain to my eyes, Lord. Help me be able to handle them. Show me the way to go. Teach me. I am open.”
Then prepare your heart to be flooded by He who is – LOVE. He will lead your way through the muck and yuck. Through thick and thin. Through tears and healing.
He won’t let you down, as you look up.
It may not always feel easy or safe, but, every time, his ways are (Mt. 11:3o).
So, let’s no longer pull the comforter over our eyes, for the Spirit is comforter (Jo. 14:26) and his vision will see us through.
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The devil loves us weak.
God loves it when we renew our S.T.R.E.N.G.T.H.
Do you know what this looks like?
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Is. 4:31
Can you imagine not growing weary or faint? Do you soar?
Or has the devil kept a toe-hold on your coattails, preventing you from ever flying?
It’s easy to let that happen. To stay down.
Just this morning I was driving and a little bug kept hitting my car. I started to get frustrated, “Why is he tailing me? He’s making a mess of my window,” I thought. What I failed to realize was that only 2 minutes before, I had been worshipping. This little pest stole the moment.
We all have pests chasing us. They try to steal God’s place of glory in our heart. These little nuisances are often what the devil uses to drive our hearts away from God. We usually allow it.
What tends to be hard for us to accept is that straight up bible knowledge won’t always save us. Why? The devil doesn’t care how much scripture you know. He doesn’t even care if you have the whole bible memorized. He doesn’t care if you have a PhD in Christian Apologetics. He’s never worried about the mind, the devil is always worried about the heart.
My warning to the church? Let’s not get so enthralled with our mind, that we lose our heart in the process. Some churches, I believe, are allowing this.
This horrifies me. I don’t want to live my life as a bible-toting mouthpiece, but as a woman wielding Jesus’ power in the world.
What about you? Might it be time to fortify your heart, the inner place? So the inner radically changes your outer world?
8 Tangible Tips to Renew S.T.R.E.N.G.T.H.
and Win the War against the devil:
1.Scripture list: Hunt the bible and dig out the best verses. Carry these on a sheet with you, post them on your morning mirror or hold them in your wallet. No matter what, rely on these words as if they are your crutches and you have no legs.
2.Train your mind to immediately notice the taunts of doubt, discouragement, devastation and despair. How? Take inventory of your feelings. When you hear those stinkers hit you, refer back to #1.
3. Respond with truth. The devil takes ridiculous statements and massages them to sound plausible in your mind. If you answer back with a hard-lined, get-out-of-here, truth-filled comeback – he will not as easily want to come back.
Example:
Devil: “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. It is written…” Mt. 4:6
Jesus: ‘It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ Mt. 4:7
After 3 attempts and 3 successful comebacks, Jesus won his wildnerness encounter with the devil. Keep on fighting the fight and the fight will subside.
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Mt. 4:11
4.Engageyour mind with holy and you will find yourself committed to peace.
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” Phil. 4:8
5. Need Jesus all the time. All the time. Not a little bit of the time, but every time. Just think, if you are always calling on Jesus, how can the devil be calling you astray?
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Lu. 19:10
This means, call out, when you feel unsure. Call out when you feel heavy. Call out when you feel hungry. Call out when you feel tired. Call out when you need wisdom. Call out when you hit boredom. Call out when life gets futile.
6. Glorify God, out loud. Speak proud. Speak with the full strength of Jesus Christ behind you. Speak like one whose team, every time ends up as overcomer.
It sounds like this:
You reign and rule Jesus. You will win. Every time. You are holy and mighty to save Christ. You will bring me through. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Period.
7. Thank God. If you are saying thank you, the devil can’t as easily put a bag over your head and plumage your mind with the idea that you are being stolen, ruined and left in some far off land where God can’t see you. Instead, you will rise up in wonder at all the riches God is raining down on you. Thankfulness is like a rainbow on a dark and rainy day.
8. Hope. Endlessly believe in the power of God.
This is what it sounds like when put in action:
God is greater than my problem. God will win in the end. My light and momentary affliction is creating for me an eternal glory that far outweighs the here and now. 2 Cor. 4:17 Jesus stripes healed me once and they will do it again and again. He is healer. It may look like a windstorm today, but God is pushing into me his image and I will stand firm. The Lord is doing an inner work; it transcends my vision. God will always be faithful. I can walk in complete assurance of this.
Soar.
Grab hope.
Fly high.
Glide.
Find new heights of faithfulness,
God will be your strength.
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Ever noticed when things feel bad,
the whole world turns bad in the blink of an eye?
I will not like the school my kids will attend. My summer will amount to boredom. My future book will go bust. My efforts will not succeed. People are going to laugh at me. I will never laugh again.
Ever noticed, after you think badly, you think God hates you badly?
Negativity makes you fall further….
God doesn’t bless people who wallow. He doesn’t help those who can’t help themselves. He doesn’t want a sour puss like me. He gets angry when I can’t dwell on truth.
He has distance reserved for me, because I am distant…I figure.
Are you heading down, down, down too? Thinking of all you aren’t, don’t have and will never get?
Half of me is tired of feeling tired. The other half is ready to pull out some fighting gloves to get positive again. Care to join me?
3 Ways to Embrace Positivity
1. Acknowledge you are feeling down. Let God grab that feeling and hold it. Know that he doesn’t get all red-faced, hot and bothered about it. He doesn’t steep with hot air when he thinks of you. Instead, he looks at your trial with tenderness. He cares.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Ps. 34:18
2. Confess & return to His presence.
The past is in the past. With this, there is no reason to wad your bad rap sheet and to stuff it in your pocket. Christ doesn’t require you to carry it around. Simply, say I am sorry, really mean it – and throw it out.
So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! Lu. 11:13
3. See faith in all things.
If you believe in what a good God can do, rather than what you can’t do – just imagine what he could do – through you. This is faith. Consider it a weapon for worriers. Something we can pull out, stand tall in and believe in.
We can pull it out and say:
This kingdom may look against me, but God is for me. Justice on earth may seem impossible, but God will be just. Promises seem far away, but God’s Word is as good as gold. Lions want to snap my head off, but God can keep their mouth shut with a blink of his eye.
“For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—Who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.” Hebrews 11:32-33
We can conquer kingdoms, no matter our size. We can uphold justice, even if we are a stay-at-home mom. We can obtain promises, despite our continual failings. We can stop the mouths of lions, who may look like teenage boys with ferocious appetites and foul-sounding speech. Who knows what we can do – if only we believe.
With God, all things are possible.
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About 
For women who have grown up in the tension between third-wave feminism and Martha Stewart, it can be a struggle to define and embrace the meaning of home. There is constant pressure to do things a certain way, and sometimes intense criticism from those who think you’re doing it wrong. But what if home isn’t really about whether or not you homeschool or have a career? What if it’s more about who you are than what you do?
Karina
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