Below is a blog post written by the facilitator of the online Bible study I am currently participating in (and have shared a devotion or two based upon what I'm learning there). It was another excellent reminder for me. For the last day and a half I've been stumbling around my shuttered heart without my Jesus flashlight.
I have felt isolated and alone.
My thoughts were certainly not on His truth, but rather on my limitations.
Frankly, it's still pretty dark in here...but I am starting to see cracks of light filtering through my gloom.
One of the things that the Lord reminded me this morning is that I am not alone. Certainly He is always with me. But, I also have so many friends and family members who have the same worries and cares that I have. When I went into my Bible to read again the passage Melissa lists below (Philippians 4:13) I was drawn to read the first part of Philippians 4 instead:
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work. - Philippians 4:1 (NLT)Without a doubt, it is the amazing love and friendship that I have with all of you that makes everything I do for our church a joy and honor. I believe that each of you feel the same way. We care and share our hearts because of the love we have for one another.
Chuck Hagan sent me an encouraging email this morning and shared a thought from his pastor that says it all:
The question that Melissa talks about below is:“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
“Faith sees the cross -- Hope sees the resurrection -- Love sees the people.”
Do you have any limitations or weaknesses that make you doubt God can use you -- or would want to? If so, describe them and why they make you doubt God can use you.Shee whiz...you'd all fall asleep if I listed my answers out in this post! :-) In fact, all those doubts and fears are what has been keeping my heart so murky this last day. They are dispersing, however, as I read God's Truth and shine His light on them...and I am reminded of the people and love that makes everything I do (and we do) worth it!
Dear Lord - Thank you for reminding me of your Truth and love this morning. Thank you for the wonderful church family that I am blessed to be a part of. Please help us all to focus on your strength, your sufficiency...and everything that You can do through us. I personally see your glory sending beams of light into my darkness and I am humbled by your love and care. I am praying for your light to reach every corner of my heart today and make it a glowing testament to the faith that your Holy Spirit sends in plenitude if I ask for it. Please shine down on each one of us with your glorious power and help us join together to walk out in faith, hope and love toward the path that you have planned for us. I love you! Amen.
Blessings and peace,
Leah
Melissa Taylor, Author and Speaker |
Posted: 20 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT
Do you remember the last time you were in the dark? I’m not talking about not having enough light to see, I’m talking about having no light whatsoever. For me, the last time was really in the dark was during hurricane Wilma in 2005. If you have never been through a hurricane, it can be a very scary, experience and for me, Wilma was my first hurricane. Lucky for me…she had been the worst one to blow through South Florida since Andrew.To prepare for a hurricane, you put these very heavy metal shutters over every door and window of your entire home. These shutters worked very well to protect your home from high winds and flying debris, but they were also excellent at blocking out every bit of light. Let me tell you, when you lose power and you have those shutters up, it is pitch black…you feel like you are inside a cave, completely engulfed in the blackness. You try to see your hands, but even though you know they’re in front of your face, you just can’t see them at all. You keep expecting your eyes to adjust to the darkness, but there just isn’t any light for them to absorb. It’s a surreal experience and a bit frightening too. Then someone finds the flashlight or lights a candle and the room seems to flood with its light. It may take a few moments for your eyes to adjust, but once they focus, you can see everything and go about your business. You take that light with you everywhere; you can’t leave it in the kitchen and expect it to reach the hallway. Wherever you bring it, you also much make sure that you don’t put anything in front of the light that would block it from illuminating the room; that light becomes your priority.
I know it makes easy sense when we talk about a literal light, but what does this have to do with our confidence? How is light going to make things better? We know the Light Renee refers to is Christ, “the light of the world” {John8:12}, but how does it work, what exactly is the light illuminating? After all, we don’t turn on a light unless there is something we need to see clearly.
Jesus met many men and women who were filled with doubts, but Jesus didn’t point to them and give them instant confidence and take away all of their feelings of doubt and insecurity. Even if He had alleviated those feelings, they would eventually return. As creatures of habit, we begin doubting again because we rely on ourselves to be our source of confidence. Instead, Jesus illuminates for us the true source of all confidence which has the power to dispel our doubts. Throughout scripture, we are reminded again and again how God uses the imperfect, the sinful, the rebellious, the hot headed, the weak, and everyone else in-between to further His kingdom.
- Moses had an issue with stuttering, but God still used him to free the Israelites; letting Aaron do the talking. Exodus 4
- Rahab was a prostitute who hid Joshua’s two spies because she had heard of God’s mighty strength. Joshua 2
- Esther approached the king in order to save the people of Israel from annihilation, an action that could’ve easily ended in her death. Esther 4
- David fought Goliath, not because he thought he was a great warrior, but because he had faith in God’s strength and power. I Samuel 17
- David also had a weakness for women and murdered Bathsheba’s husband to hide the fact he had gotten her pregnant; yet, David is still called a man after God’s own heart because he repented and returned to the Lord. II Samuel 11-12
- Peter was known to speak and act without thinking…cutting off a man’s ear when he tried to arrest Jesus, but he also walked on water trusting that if Christ said he could, then he would. John 18 & Matthew 14
- Paul was on his way to Damascus to arrest any followers of Jesus he found there and drag them back to Jerusalem for trial and perhaps execution, but God saw fit to use Paul to reach countless people for Christ. Acts 9
Getting the idea here? God used each of them, not because of how confident, powerful, or talented they were, but because of what He chose to do through them. When we focus on what God says we can do, there is nothing that is off limits, we can do all things through Him, because He is our strength; Philippians 4:13. Now we’re back to…how. Do you remember what I said earlier about taking the light with you, what Renee wrote in Chapter 3 about when/then statements (pg 60), or what Stephanie encouraged us in her post yesterday? In order to dispel our feelings of doubt and insecurity, we have to shine the light of Truth found in God’s Word and watch those feelings scatter at the name of Jesus. We have to do this on a daily basis, taking that Truth with us everywhere we go, we can’t leave it behind and expect it to help.
Here is your task, if you haven’t already, answer question 3 on page 94. Once you have done this, seek His Word, ask Him to share with you a verse to replace those lies of doubt with His Truth; Philippians 4:13 would be a good place to start. Then, write that Truth on an index card and keep it with you, say it out loud anytime that doubt starts hissing in your ear. Personalize the verse by inserting your name, rewrite the verse as a prayer, and completely immerse yourself in His Truth. If you need a little help in doing that, I hope this post about Praying Back God’s Word will get you going in the right direction.
[youtube= http://www.youtube.com/watch?
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