Tag Archives: trust

Morning Thoughts

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If they form their opinion about you without knowing the facts, their opinion doesn’t matter. On the other hand, if they form their opinion about you while knowing the facts…their opinion still doesn’t matter. šŸ˜‰

Let’s talk about God’s opinion. That is the one that matters. 

Here is a tiny glimpse into how highly He thinks of us: He loves us so much that He sent His son to die for us. He loves us so much that He redeems us, restores us, and renews us. He loves us so much that He gave us unique gifts, personalities, and stories to share with the world. 

We can rest knowing that is His opinion of us!

But alsoā€¦ let’s not rest so well that we are content to say, “This is just who I am,” because God gives us daily opportunities to evolve into the person He created us to be. 

“God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.” Max Lucado

I have two challenges for myself and you! 

1. Let’s not allow anyone’s opinion of us to affect our attitude. 

2. Let’s obey God as He lovingly shapes us to become more like Christ. 

Here is a new phrase I’m going to embrace, and I invite you to embrace it, too: “You can think what you want about me. I’m over here doing my best to become all God created me to be.”

Have a great day, Friends!

Lord, You Make All Things Work Together

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Dear Lord, thank You for faithfully listening to our prayers. YouĀ care about every single one of our requests and heart cries. Your Word says we can confidently bring our burdens to Your throne and that You will equip us with Your mercy and grace. Enable us to release bitterness, unbelief, or anything else that might prevent Your mercy and grace from having their full impact. Help us remember that You are ceaselessly concerned about our lives and that while You might intervene in an entirely conspicuous manner, there will also be times when Your work will be behind the scenes and, therefore, not as visible. When we canā€™t see Your hand and the wheels You are setting in motion, may we still have an unwavering belief that You are actively moving. Open our hearts to what You are teaching us in the midst of trials.

In our world today, confusion and chaos can sometimes threaten to overwhelm us. When we find ourselves in that position, Lord, help us to set our minds on You, the Prince of Peace, instead of the problems. Remind us that You have given us access to Your matchless, perfect peace. Empower us to wait expectantly for Your peace to wash over us and to protect us from strife in even the most difficult circumstances.

Help us to rest in the promise that You always cause all things to work together for our good. Remind us that what we think is good might be different from what You know is good and that Your definition of good supersedes our definition. Assure us that You are sovereign, have everything under control, and are for us, not against us.Ā 

Lord, thank You for Your unfailing love for us. Help us surrender to Your will, way, and wisdom.Ā 

In Your holy name we pray, Amen.

Hebrews 4:16, Philippians 4:7, Romans 8:28

New Song: Jesus, Here’s My Broken Heart šŸŽµ

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I would love to share a new song with you. And I just have to share this too: I wrote it in less than two hours. (For me, thatā€™s crazy! Songs usually take me much, much longer to finish.) I almost felt like God just dictated the words and the music, and I wrote it down! It was something I will never forget!!

If you listen to this song and it touches you, it would mean so much to hear from you! Maybe you can relate…I feel a little vulnerable after writing songs and blog posts and putting them on the internet for anyone to hear/see, so it is a huge encouragement to hear feedback!!

I truly hope you are blessed by this song and these facts: we are immeasurably loved by God and He wants to heal our broken hearts. He is just so good.

Lyrics: Another sunrise, another opportunity. But Lord, You know that lately itā€™s been hard to see Your light through the darkness and Your peace in the worldā€™s mess. Oh, Jesus, wonā€™t You help me

Jesus, hereā€™s my broken heart. I place it in Your hands. And when I try to take it back from You, help me to trust Your flawless plans – even when I donā€™t understand.

This burdenā€™s heavy and I am feeling weak. Seems like the worldā€™s noise tries to drown out the words You speak. You promise comfort. You promise rest. Oh, Jesus, wonā€™t You help me?

Jesus, hereā€™s my broken heart. I place it in Your hands. And when I try to take it back from You, help me to trust Your flawless plans – even when I donā€™t understand.

Youā€™re the only One who truly knows my soul. You knit me together ā€“ only You can make me whole again. Wonā€™t You help me?

Jesus, hereā€™s my broken heart. I place it in Your hands. And when I try to take it back from You, help me to trust Your flawless plans – even when I donā€™t understand.

Jesus, hereā€™s my broken heart. I place it in Your hands.

Letā€™s Be Radiant!

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When we become stressed, it can be easy to forget where to place our focusā€¦we unfortunately look inward and attempt to figure life out on our own instead of looking to Jesus for the help He lovingly offers us.

Psalm 34:5 says those who look to Him are radiant and that their faces will never be ashamed.

May we look to Jesus and pursue complete obedience to His way. May our trust and hope in Jesus cause an unmistakable glow to radiate from our lives! 

Dear Lord, may Your Holy Spirit nudge us when it is time to change our perspective. Open our eyes to You and Your way, Lord. We desire to lovingly serve You and reflect Your light. Amen.

Far Beyond Our Comprehension

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God doesnā€™t think like us. (Thank GodšŸ˜‰)

8Ā For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
Ā Ā Ā Ā neither are your ways my ways, declares theĀ Lord.
9Ā For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
Ā Ā Ā Ā so are my ways higher than your ways
Ā Ā Ā Ā and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)

His ways and thoughts are far beyond our comprehension. Sometimes that can be frustrating and cause us to wonder, ā€œWhat in the world is going on in my life right now?ā€ But itā€™s good to remember that His love for us is far beyond our comprehension also – which means even when we donā€™t understand His ways, His deep love for us guarantees He is doing what is best for us.Ā 

Sometimes what God says is best doesnā€™t make sense in our human way of thinking, but if I know one thing, itā€™s that God knows what He is doing.Ā 

Letā€™s choose to trust Him more and more each day.

From Negative to New

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It is not unusual to feel overwhelmed by negative emotions such as anger and sadness from time to time. Let’s be honest: our world is full of complex people and complex situations, so it is understandable when we experience and express complicated emotions. However, it is essential to remember that we are not required to stay stuck in that state! In other words, we do not have to wait for challenging people to start treating us better or for difficult situations to improve before we start reacting in a Christlike manner. (Iā€™m sure we can agree that in some cases, we would be waiting a lifetime!) Therefore, choosing whether or not to let negative emotions have control over how we live is our own decision to make.

When weĀ dwellĀ on anger or sadness, we lose the opportunity to move forward in expectation of what God has in store for us. We may also miss chances to reflect Christ – which is an integral part of our mission on this earth.

So, what can we do when we find ourselves stuck in that unwanted state? Spend time with Him by reading His Word and praying. The Bible is chock-full of treasures for all of us, such as peace, comfort, and love. Talking to God reminds us that He is relational, and He understands what we are going through. Spending time with Him will help us view our circumstances with a fresh set of eyes and a renewed perspective. 

The next time we feel stuck in negativity, let us open His Word and remind ourselves of His many promises. Let us ask God to help usĀ stop wallowingĀ in negative emotions andĀ start welcomingĀ new ones that He is eager to offer us.Ā 

Dear Lord, when weĀ experienceĀ negative emotions, help us exchange them for a new, better alternative.Ā We are grateful that You bless us by replacing our anger and sadness with Your extraordinary peace. Thank You for being ready and willing to come alongside us and help us become the people You want us to be. Amen.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;Ā his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

Let God Have the Final Say (Our Identity in Christ ~ Day 3 of 3)

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We have a choice to make. We can believe the false identity created by the worldā€™s negative opinions of us, or we can read about, reflect upon, and ultimately receive the identity God bestowed upon us. It takes increased patience and intentional prayer to decide we are going to embrace our God-Authored identity, but we are capable of it with His help.

Philippians 2:5 says, ā€œIn your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.ā€ That verse and others with the same message make it clear that before we were born, God placed a calling on our lives: to be like Jesus. Continue reading →

What Are We Seeking?

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When incomprehensible things happen in our lives, and they will, we can choose to be okay with not always knowing the whys.

Godā€™s ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and He is working all things out for our good. (Isaiah 55:9, Romans 8:28)

Instead of seeking the reasons behind the hard situations we face, letā€™s seek His face.(Psalm 105:4) In other words, take time to get to know Him better, and consequently trust more deeply in His plan.

It comes down to believing that God, who knows all, knows best.

Read more about seeking His face here.

Have a great day, and may you strive toward a deeper faith and a wider witness today!

I Trust You, But…

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There is a specific prayer Iā€™ve been consistently lifting to God for the last year.

Sometimes, I ask Him to give me just a tiny glimpse of a sign that He is hearing my prayer and working in this situation.

Sometimes I feel renewed in my belief that the answer is on its way. Sometimes I donā€™t, and then my prayer is punctuated with tears.

Sometimes I consider taking a break from praying about this specific situation because I convince myself God is sick of hearing about it.

Sometimes I believe His perceived silence means that other parts of the plan are getting set in motion.

Sometimes I believe He is developing a characteristic in me that I need to be equipped with to better handle the answer to the prayer once it comes.

And sometimes I conclude my prayer with, ā€œLord, I trust You, butā€¦,ā€ along with a variety of the following options: but I donā€™t see You working, but I donā€™t get why itā€™s taking so long, but maybe I heard You wrong, but maybe my prayer is on the bottom of Your list.

This morning was one of those times. Continue reading →

Perfect Peace

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Raise your hand if you would like to experience God’s perfect peace.

Isaiah 26:3 tells us that God gives perfect peace to those who “keep their purpose firm,” and “put their trust in Him.” In addition to perfect, the Bible also describes His peace asĀ transcending all understanding in Philippians 4:7.

God’s peace sounds like something worth pursuing, doesn’t it? Continue reading →