Be Wary of Following Feelings into the Land of Fear

This morning is a rubber-meets-the-road-faith-moment for me…my dad was airlifted to a hospital yesterday with signs of a brain bleed. He lies in ICU & I’m sitting in a hotel lobby a little under halfway to see him & my family.

Ill be honest. My eyes are leaking. I wish I could say that my heart was steadfast this morning. Sheesh, you’d think a girl that’s been writing for over nine months about the steadfast faithfulness of God’s Word would be just as steadfast, but I feel a little shaky.

As I opened my One Year Bible to today’s reading, the passage in Proverbs felt like weapons whispered by the enemy to those shaky places inside…

It promises that the way of the Lord is a stronghold & that the godly will

never be disturbed. So why DO I feel disturbed? Why DO I feel held in a stronghold of fear instead of faith?🥲

I KNOW those things to be true! I’ve even EXPERIENCED the truth of them over & over again, & yet as I sit here sipping cold coffee my feelings seem to be trumping Truth.

A song just began playing about the inescapable pursuit of God’s love. The lyrics reminded me of His steadfastness…

No, you’re not leavin,

So I’m not leavin’

You love me when I’m up

You love me when I’m down

Your love surrounds me

I can’t get away…

There are hard moments in life, like today, when my flesh wants to leave what I KNOW to be true - no, WHO I know to be true…the enemy uses these hard moments to taunt us to hopelessness, tempting us to be held by fear instead of our Father Who sees all, knows all & is over all.

Oh, Lord Jesus, even though my feelings say one thing, Your Word declares another. Thank you for the reminder that feelings can be fleeting. Do not let me deceive myself into thinking that You are nothing less than the Great I AM Who owns cattle on a thousand hills!

Much like my earthly father who is halfway across the country, You feel a little far from me…& yet I choose to watch for signs of You. I will not be disturbed, but use the flailing feelings inside as a prompt to offer a sacrifice of praise to You, to thank You & to worship You. You are my stronghold!

No, You’re not leavin,

So I’m not leavin…

#OneYearBible

March 7th One Year Bible Readings

NUMBERS 8:1-9:23

MARK 13:14-37

PSALM 50:1-23

PROVERBS 10:29-30

Preparing for the Opportunity Panic Provides

So I’ve been sensing a nudge to fast. There are many reasons why & I’ve seen several “road signs” pointing in that direction, but to be completely honest, I’ve flicked them away like pesky fleas😬

This morning, as I waited for my coffee to brew, I began quickly deleting unnecessary emails. After I swiped away the last one, I felt led to recover it. I did & much to my surprise, it was about beginning a 40-day fast on March 7th-tomorrow!😳

Fasting isn’t fun. I like food & I really like sweets (but they don’t like me 😂). I need a deep “why” to stay committed to a fast, so when I opened my One Year Bible to Mark 13, I felt sufficiently motivated.

Jesus tells of the start of end times. He describes wars, threats of wars, famine & earthquakes as “birth pains” of what’s to come. Although there’ve been many moments in history that match this description, I can’t help but feel confirmation to prepare my insides for the much that is unfolding outside.

Smack dab in the middle of the description, Jesus  gives the reader a, small, comforting imperative: “Don’t panic.” A little later, He gives another, exhorting us to, “Watch out when these things begin to happen!”

Why?

Because, He says, “…this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.”

When Daniel was taken from his homeland, his very identity was stripped of him - his name changed, his attire probably changed to appear fit to stand before the Babylonian king & his diet changed. He knew, much like this time Jesus describes in Mark, that he wanted to be ready & prepared for God to move & speak through him, so he chose to fast.

We are not only facing political wars, but also wars against the identity of this next generation. A massive indoctrination is happening in schools across our nation, public AND private. The need for prayer is great!

We need not panic, but be excited that we are appointed to live at such a time as this! NOW is the perfect opportunity to tell others about The One Who IS Peace amidst the panic! He alone is the answer to the fears we face! I want to be clear-headed & ready to let the Holy Spirit speak through me, how about you? 40-day fast focusing on whole foods starting tomorrow? Join me!

#OneYearBible

March 6th One Year Bible Readings

NUMBERS 6:1-7:89

MARK 12:38-13:13

PSALM 49:1-20

PROVERBS 10:27-28

You Can Fail at Many Things in Life, but Don’t Fail at Love

“You can fail at many things in life, but don’t fail at love.”

👆🏽That’s a quote I heard yesterday during a transformational teaching about God’s love. As I digested the statement, I thought how it’s important not to fail at giving love, but also the reverse - receiving it!

The teaching surfaced in my thoughts as I read Jesus’s most important commandment of ALL time in Mark 12. He refers to the Shema, a prayer prayed by the Jewish people twice a day since the command was given by Moses in Deuteronomy 6.

It begins with an imperative to listen. The word carries depth, imploring the listener to allow Truth to penetrate the depths of the heart, permitting understanding to surface & a compelling response to follow.

He reminds us that there is one Lord God worthy of our love. He alone is deserving of a wholly devoted love that encompasses our heart, soul, mind & strength!

Unlike the Law that requires external obedience, the very fulfillment OF the law stands before the teachers of the law!

God loves us with peculiar love because it is often unrequited, but is always unfailing!

He loves us with a strong, superlative kind of love that surpasses ALL others!

He loves us just as we are.

👉🏽No need to clean up

👉🏽No need to pare down

👉🏽Not as we WERE

👉🏽Not as we WILL BE, but JUST AS WE ARE, He loves us!

His love is first & last! No other god is worthy of our affection. This God doesn’t require works for salvation. He loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for the sins of all!

Y’all, can you imagine how lives might change if we remembered the Shema like the Jewish people?

When we keep Gods love & loyalty at the forefront, we don’t follow out of obedience or obligation, but simply out of grateful love for HIS love!

The greater we can receive His love, entirely & sincerely, the greater we can give it! The more we know God loves us, the more we are willing to take risks to follow His lead in love!

If there is any fear in our lives or hesitation to follow His lead, it’s probably an indicator that we’re resisting the fullness of God’s love. His perfect love casts out ALL fear! Oh, that we would feel the freedom to fail at anything, but His love! #OneYearBible

March 5th One Year Bible Readings

NUMBERS 4:1-5:31

MARK 12:18-37

PSALM 48:1-14

PROVERBS 10:26