Lately I have needed encouragement. A lot of
it.
A lot of my spare time lately has been taken
up with me just feeling kind of confused about some things going on.
And at the end of the day I am just kind of
left feeling insecure and…uneasy in my own skin.
Have you ever felt a fight inside of you?
It’s almost like that whole “devil and angel on your shoulder” kind of thing.
You know what is both right and wrong, yet they are still at war within you.
I am so thankful for Christ. I wish I could
explain the change that He has created in me these past few years. I know that
because of what Christ has done for me and because of who I am in Him, the good
will always overcome the bad inside of me…and those times when the bad does
seem to win…God will still use that for His glory and for my good.
I have been so encouraged lately by one
simple fact: He goes before me.
Lately, these words have had such a literal
sense to me. There have been times when I have been so insecure that I have
even been terrified to walk into a room because of the fear of not knowing what
is going to happen. Yet God just keeps whispering in my ear, “I’m here waiting
for you. I’ve already conquered that.”
Because of Christ, I’m free from seeking out
fleeting security in the world. And I’m free to find ultimate, lasting security
in Him.
I just need to OBEY Him.
I can reason my insecurities and try to
justify them all I want. But until I fully give them over to Him, I am just
going to keep fighting the same battle.
These days I have just really been stuck on me and how I am feeling. And I think that that is only making it worse.
So I just want to encourage any of YOU who
are struggling with insecurities right now. And I want to offer you the comfort
in knowing that whatever it is that you’re afraid of, whether it’s picking up
your phone, or walking outside of your door, or like me…walking into a room…just
know that if you are obeying and walking with Christ, He has gone before you
and conquered ALL of your fears and insecurities. And He is with you…just
waiting and ready to walk you through whatever it is you are hiding from.
How Will I Know?
Jesus answered and said, ’I thank You, Father . . . that You
have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to
babes’ —Matthew 11:25
We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we
either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us
more and more from sin— “But if we walk in the light,” we are cleansed
“from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly
perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and
death are immediately at work again.
All
of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through
obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once
you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God’s truth work into you by
immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to
know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If
you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the
next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when
five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as
sunlight. Don’t say, “I suppose I will understand these things someday!” You
can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you,
but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest
truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth
about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of
becoming one of the “wise and prudent.” “If anyone wills to do His will, he
shall know . . .” (John 7:17).
- My Utmost For His Highest
