I have set the LORD always before me.
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
Psalm 16:7-8
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But God is so good. And as I sat before Him one morning, I pondered the question my squad leader had asked me the day before,
And I imagined what it would be like to be surrounded by God's love as a covering from the attacks of the enemy. But as I envisioned a skin-deep covering…I still saw how close the attacks of the enemy were. Then I imagined God's love growing as an ocean, so that I was standing waist deep in this ocean of His love. And that still left me vulnerable. Then I dived deep, and saw His love as an ocean surrounding me…and I breathed in and out of this ocean so that I was drowning in His love. And there I was hidden in a safe place where I could no longer see the attacks of the enemy.
And then God poured out His truth and wisdom and brought clarity that overshadowed my questions. The following may seem like random thoughts…but they are areas of revelation that God chose to pour out when I needed direction from Him. So I thought I would share some of them…
*Choose to live, think, and act as though God's love were enough. Instead of waiting for God's love to seem like enough, choose to live by faith, knowing His love is all-satisfying. Choose to be satisfied by Him. And when you feel the twinge of pain when people's love fails you, fall back on Jesus…and worship Him.
*In fact, learn to worship in all circumstances. When you're confused or sad or angry or frustrated or sorrowful or happy or content or miserable…WORSHIP HIM.
* Stop waiting to minister to others until you feel ready. Ask for the filling and equipping of the Holy Spirit, but then walk by faith that He has filled and equipped you to serve. Pray for encounters with God, but minister to others according to the faith and gifts He has already given you. Don't bury your talent because you don't think you've been given as much as the next person. Be faithful with what God has given you.
*Maybe God isn't wanting to talk about your sin today. Ask God to search your heart, but then trust Him to convict you…otherwise you will always live a self-flagellation lifestyle, thinking if you could purge yourself more, you would be more pleasing to God. Instead, ask God to help you grasp His love and live according to your faith in His love (Phil. 1:9-10). Minister to others, encouraging and loving them and as you do, God almost always increases your faith as you believe His truth for the other person. And as you pray for others, God is faithful to reveal your own needs for His truth in your life.
*As you seek to listen to the voice of the LORD, you need to worry less about whether they are your thoughts or the Spirit's. Don't seek to separate your thoughts from the Spirit's. Instead, focus on surrending your thoughts to Him and take captive the ones which seem out of place with His character. And as you grow in Him, your thoughts will become more and more intertwined with His as you are transformed. You are teachable and your thoughts that you think are your own are not of the flesh. A fleshly mind would not seek to understand forgiveness and satisfaction like you do.
*Sometimes you get ahead of Me and want to be taught things that you don't have experience in yet-so it becomes head knowledge. But I teach mostly by experience, because you are more engaged to learn. So, I use circumstances such as —–, ——-, ——, & ——– to teach you to not hold on to bitterness, to forgive, to love in my strength, and to press in and seek me with all of your heart. I'm willing to teach you more and open up more to you, but I want you to be engaged with all of you so that my truth sinks deep and takes root.
