Don't Forget His Promises

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ.

And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the

glory of God.  2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV

I have been going through life full of stress and anxiety lately.  I have been worrying about things that are completely out of my hands and fully in God's. I walk around like a zombie and have withdrawn from so many people who love me.  I have forgotten about God's promises to me.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 

1 Peter 5:7 NIV

I have been doing the exact opposite of what this verse is telling me to do. I have been hoarding my cares like they are some treasure meant to be kept and valued.  I read his Word, but don't accept it as truth  and life.  I have bought into the lie that God's promises are meant for everyone but me.  

As a Christian, my life should reflect the hope and trust and joy I have in Christ, but it's been far from that.

 

But today, that changes. I will choose whom I will serve.  I won't choose anxiety and fear anymore.  I won't choose bitterness and hate.  I will choose to serve the One who forgives and the One who loves me unconditionally.  He's the One who chose to die for me even though He knew how many times I would go my own way.

I will choose to remember the countless promises my God made to me.  They are far greater than any fear I face today.  

He has promised that I'm a new creation.  2 Corinthians 5:17

He has promised to give me strength and power.  Isaiah 40:29

He promised forgiveness.  1 John 1:9

He promised to never leave me or forsake me.  Deuteronomy 31:8

He promised he would give me a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

He promised to fight my battles.  Exodus 14:14

These are just a few of the many promises the Lord has for ALL of us.  I know I'm not the only one needing this reminder today.  If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?   Satan may try, but he won't succeed (Isaiah 54:17) unless we let him!  

I pray we all remember this today.  

God Works When We Let Go

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

Psalm 51:17

There is nothing more beautiful than someone who is completely broken before the Lord.  He takes that vulnerability and does amazing things with it.  When we let go, He takes over. When we empty ourselves, He fills us.

This is where I have been the last few months. Completely broken.

I will tell you that my season of brokenness was painful and hard.  I spent night after night wrestling with the Lord and crying myself to sleep before I finally gave up and humbled myself before Him. He was true to His word and He lifted me up (James 4:10).

Being humble and broken and open to the work the Lord wanted to do in me has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.  I have learned to trust Him completely with my life and my future and the life and future of the ones I love most.  He has transformed me and continues to transform me into the person He created me to be.

It took me a while to get to this point.  Sometimes it's really hard to trust and believe, especially when you have spent a lot of your life being hurt.  Sometimes it's not so easy to let down the walls that guard your heart, because you have put them up for a reason.  Sometimes, we feel like God is the one who let us down because things didn't happen the way we thought they would.

I understand all of those things, because I felt that way too.  But then the Lord spoke to me and said to "let go" and "trust".

I just didn't see how I could do that.  I was supposed to "let go" and "trust" when it came to something very important to me...my child.  I am her mother.  I am the one who is supposed to know what's best for her.  I am the one who is supposed to take care of her.  I couldn't protect her during a time she really needed me, so you better believe I was going to protect her now.  But God is telling me to let go???  How could I do that?

Proverbs 3:5-6 says to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and he will make your paths straight.  I sure didn't understand why certain things were happening, but I chose to believe what God said.  I was broken and vulnerable before the Lord and I had to trust that He would do what He said he would do. I had no other choice.

It was not easy. I had to trust in what God was doing when everything seemed to be going in the opposite direction.  I had to find joy in the middle of chaos. I had to fight the enemy's lies with everything I had.  It seemed like everything was getting worse.

But then Genesis 50:20 happened. God turned what Satan meant for evil into something good.  It was far more than I could have ever imagined.  But that's what God does.  When we let go and humble ourselves, God will work!

The rest of the story will be hers to share and it will be amazing.

I obeyed God. I let go and I trusted Him to do what He needed to do.  He loves my daughter more than I ever could.  He knew exactly what she needed and exactly when she needed it.  He did exactly what He said He would do.

Let go and let God do the work He needs to do.