There are days where I find myself singing "just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming swimming" not because I like the song, but because it truly describes my moment. I feel like I am treading water, jut trying to keep my head above there surface and certainly not getting anywhere. I should by now know that these "slumps" are set out to discourage me and that I can reject them and cling to the Word of truth, the Bible. Why oh why is it so easy to forget that I have weapons to fight these attacks.
I feel struck, and feeling stuck makes me feel like a failure, and then I start dwelling on things I cannot change, failures and sins that I can fix but have been forgiven of. Why do I dwell on these things that God has removed from me as far as the east is from the west. I dwell on them because I am letting the enemy lie to me. So at this moment I rebuke those lies. I cling to the truth in the word.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
The lies we are told are meant to side track us, to distract us. If I am looking at things past, things that God and I have already dealt with, if my focus is on failures that I have already given up then I'm certainly not looking at the things that God wants me to focus on. If the enemy can keep me defeated then I won't be growing and serving God in the way that I am called to. The deception is real, but the truth and the light shine through the lies and that is where my focus must turn.
This last week has been hard. My Dad had to have emergency surgery and will now be under care of a hospital for 6 weeks as his body fights infection. This leaves my Mom alone, in the country and she is not well. I am thousands of miles away and unable to help and that sets the tone for all of the attacks that follow. Sunday I was hit with a migraine, and a migraine is about the only thing that can keep me from church. Although I believe that God kept me home that day to help out some Christian friends in need, I also know that when I miss church I feel something missing, so my week continued into a downward spiral. Now I am sick and Ryan will not be home for 4 days, I have no energy and all of these burdens are resting on me. Fear, doubt, guilt from past failures, are all pressing into me. I feel like I'm only minutes from going under and then I open my Bible and my devotionals and I start to read the words God places before me.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)
But now, this is what the Lord says-he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:1-2)
I think something that really stands out to me in the Isaiah 43:1-2 passage is the "when you pass through waters""when you pass through rivers""when you walk through fire." That clearly states that we will experience these trials, they will not be kept from us, but we will not battle them alone. I love that, it gives me courage and hope. The trials of life are set out to make us stronger and God doesn't send us to deal with them on our own, He stays with us through them. Praise God, He is our deliverer!
No matter what lies the enemy is trying to burden me with I know the voice of my Shepard and I trust in Him. He will not leave me or forsake me. He loves me enough that he died for me knowing that I would sin and fail and stumble and fall. So I will keep getting back up and I will keep following him. I am not perfect, actually far from it, but I am forgiven. I have been redeemed, bought and paid for and I am proud to be a servant of God.
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)
I feel struck, and feeling stuck makes me feel like a failure, and then I start dwelling on things I cannot change, failures and sins that I can fix but have been forgiven of. Why do I dwell on these things that God has removed from me as far as the east is from the west. I dwell on them because I am letting the enemy lie to me. So at this moment I rebuke those lies. I cling to the truth in the word.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
The lies we are told are meant to side track us, to distract us. If I am looking at things past, things that God and I have already dealt with, if my focus is on failures that I have already given up then I'm certainly not looking at the things that God wants me to focus on. If the enemy can keep me defeated then I won't be growing and serving God in the way that I am called to. The deception is real, but the truth and the light shine through the lies and that is where my focus must turn.
This last week has been hard. My Dad had to have emergency surgery and will now be under care of a hospital for 6 weeks as his body fights infection. This leaves my Mom alone, in the country and she is not well. I am thousands of miles away and unable to help and that sets the tone for all of the attacks that follow. Sunday I was hit with a migraine, and a migraine is about the only thing that can keep me from church. Although I believe that God kept me home that day to help out some Christian friends in need, I also know that when I miss church I feel something missing, so my week continued into a downward spiral. Now I am sick and Ryan will not be home for 4 days, I have no energy and all of these burdens are resting on me. Fear, doubt, guilt from past failures, are all pressing into me. I feel like I'm only minutes from going under and then I open my Bible and my devotionals and I start to read the words God places before me.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)
But now, this is what the Lord says-he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:1-2)
I think something that really stands out to me in the Isaiah 43:1-2 passage is the "when you pass through waters""when you pass through rivers""when you walk through fire." That clearly states that we will experience these trials, they will not be kept from us, but we will not battle them alone. I love that, it gives me courage and hope. The trials of life are set out to make us stronger and God doesn't send us to deal with them on our own, He stays with us through them. Praise God, He is our deliverer!
No matter what lies the enemy is trying to burden me with I know the voice of my Shepard and I trust in Him. He will not leave me or forsake me. He loves me enough that he died for me knowing that I would sin and fail and stumble and fall. So I will keep getting back up and I will keep following him. I am not perfect, actually far from it, but I am forgiven. I have been redeemed, bought and paid for and I am proud to be a servant of God.
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)
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