Health and freedom
Do you believe in the devil? He’s real, so it doesn’t really matter if you believe in him or not… The Bible is pretty clear about who he is and what his intentions are as it relates to God’s people and life here on earth.
He tempted Jesus in the wilderness to try to subvert God’s plan of redemption. I guess he’s still doing the same thing today, right? If he can distract us from reality, we’ll never experience the fullness of life that God has ready and waiting for us.
My mind is blown: “If we really knew God, our behavior would change radically and instantly.” Yeah, that’s pretty much it, isn’t it?
And the good news is that God is ready and waiting to be known! Jeremiah 29:13 says, “If you look for Me in earnest, you will find Me when you seek Me.” It’s as if He’s just sitting, waiting for us to get over ourselves and our own stuff, so we can really talk and get to know one another.
One of my favorite things about reading the Bible is what I learn about God’s character. Today, from Isaiah 62, it was this – that God won’t rest until He brings restoration. His people suffered devastating consequences of walking their own way, but even through it all, God was faithful and just waiting for the day when He could restore them.
“They will be called the Holy People and the People Redeemed by the Lord. And Jerusalem will be known as the Desirable Place and the City No Longer Forsaken.”
Isaiah 62:12
It speaks to my heart that God’s character is that He brings beauty out of the ashes – even the things that I’ve burned to the ground all on my own. That’s a truth that speaks to me, and brings me freedom.
When I really know God, my behavior will change radically and instantly. I wonder if that can also look like small incremental "radical and instant" changes as I learn and really get in my core each new character trait of God? I have not had heaven splitting open experiences, but I do get the "aha! or eureka!" moments as something I just read or heard rings in my spirit.
ReplyDeleteI am also amazed by Isaiah 62. As God in heaven watches the Isrealites choose sin instead of Him and then the consequences which result in Jerusalem flattened and the Jews left in bondage, He doesn't just walk away and say "they are hopeless, who else can I call to myself?" He waits patiently until they return humbly and He restores fully what was destroyed. Cool.
I have learned that when I put my stuff aside and truly look for God in earnest, He comes through as promised in Jeremiah 29:13. I want to give it all over to God and this is my day to day goal. Some days I am able to hand my problems and look for God and other days I struggle with "what if's". I have found that when I am the most broken and desperate that is when I am able to truly let go, because there is nothing left to hang on to (right?) and God Is there with me. I don’t want to be broken and desperate to enjoy God every day. I want to be able to look to God in earnest every day and enjoy what He has planned for me.
ReplyDelete"I believe that the greatest determinant of mental and spiritual health and freedom is a true understanding of God and a right relationship with Him."
ReplyDeleteI learned today that quieting myself and eliminating external distractions really helps me to hear God's voice and understand Him. I also learned that BEING with God--whether in silence, jamming to tunes, reading the Bible--is critical to my mental and spiritual health. Lord, help me be strategic to quiet myself before you every day, and understand you more as I pursue BEING with you instead doing for you!