Recently I was moved to have an entire week on our study blog that gave praise and glory to God. Yep, an entire week of praising Him!
Cool idea, right?
At least I think so! You see, I was bowed under a load of worry and care. Each day I would commit these cares to God, and each day I would grab them back into my own puny hands before I even got up off my knees in front of His throne of grace!
Oy vey.
I need to practice what I have been preaching, no? Yes.
This went on for a couple of weeks. I could feel more hair turning gray, I swear.
Then I realized that Satan was at work in my life. I was allowing him to turn my thoughts to the problem, instead of to the God that could solve it for me.
I needed to focus on Him.
I use a devotional book each day, and a major theme in the book is to re-focus our thoughts as many times each day as needed. To keep looking at Him, instead of looking at our surroundings, and staring at our problems. To simply breathe, and say, "I trust you, Jesus."
You might not believe how freeing, how liberating, how peace-filling that one phrase can be, uttered by a heart that sincerely wants to commune with Him.
When I began to think that I was too small, too sinful for Him to help me, God also used verses to point me in the right direction:
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (I John 4:9-10)Surely my Father was reminding me of His love, and His interest in my problems! He also showed me this verse:
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. (Proverbs 8:17)And lastly, it was "Satan, get out of here!" when I read this:
Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 1:3)First, my loving Father reminded me of His gift of salvation; then He reminded me of His daily availability for me; then He reminded me that I had only to turn to Him, and I would find Him.
One day later, God moved in my life and solved my problem! Praise Him! He is so faithful to His promises, and loves us so!
I wanted to share this in case someone reading here needed some encouragement. I'm a walking billboard now, and I want to share how good God has been to me -- starting with my salvation from sin. Please, if you have never accepted His free gift of eternal life, look on the sidebar and read the post that explains how you can accept His grace and live a changed life.
And this all made me want to encourage all of you to join me in praising Him. Let's have a week of praise, shall we? Let's glorify Him! Today, let's concentrate on thanking Him for our salvation!
I am truly thankful for my salvation! Thankful for the hope that I have, to be free in His love, knowing He is in control and He loves me no matter what I do or don't do.
ReplyDeleteI really need a praise week. Heavy burdens seem to be weighing me down lately. I'm thankful HE can carry that load for me, IF I will let Him. :)
I am so thankful for my salvation. Thankful that God reached down to me in a truly horrible time in my life, full of sin and doubt and rebellion, and said “no more, you are free from this and now are my child”. Not actually in words, but certainly in the result. The scriptures say that:
ReplyDelete" We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2Cor 10:5
That has got to be the hardest thing ever, to take my thoughts captive. They seem to roam all over the place without any control what so ever. Yet, if it is commanded, then surely God will give the strength and ability to do ir,
I truly do thank the Lord for my salvation. Though it was some 50 odd years ago and I have wandered (and wondered) at times. But to be free in His love and to know I'm forgiven is a huge relief from burden, even though I try to take the burden back on board many times!! He has made us free from sin and death and the gates of hell shall not prevail against us!! This is a lovely idea, Jacque xx
ReplyDeleteI do thank you for these studies. With your lessons and the lessons on the book "The Story" by Randy Frazer that we are doing in Sunday school I have learned so much this year. Even though there has been so much happening in our lives this year I have a peace that everything will work out the way it is suppose to.
ReplyDeleteI took my husband to out patience last Wednesday and we met this doctor that was so helpful and caring. There has been a lot of questions that we don't know the answers to about his silicosis and his lungs that he is referring him to a Respriologist. He is a lung specialist that will tell us about lung transplants. We don't know how long before he is put on a waiting list and so forth. Not knowing is hard. So maybe we can get some answers to our questions. I was talking to the receptionist at the specialist for his knees and it looks like within the next three months for that surgury. It would be nice if he could walk without a cane.
Again thanks for your prayers and for the great studies.