“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…”Psalms 95:6-8 ESV
Today and everyday, I have to make a conscious choice with every part of my being to either be succumbed to the stresses of my reality or chose to look to the reality of Jesus; His saving power and the comforting Home and care of my Father.
I once heard that, “Worry is a lack of the goodness of the presence of God.” I found this to be completely true. See, the enemy wants to steal, kill, and destroy everything about us, but Jesus wants to give us life and life to the fullest.(John 10:10) When Jesus said life to the fullest, I really believe He meant life to the fullest. Now, this isn’t a life filled with rainbows and butterflies but a life where His reality always changes our reality into something better. When we find ourselves in pain, in confusion, in shame, in sin, in tiredness, He’s always there.(Psalm 46:1) So when I find myself worried because of the circumstances I’m facing I ask myself, “Where’s my identity being build? Where’s my focus going to? Where are my mind will and emotions going to; Is it to my reality of worry or the goodness of the PERFECT presence of God?” This may sound harsh and a little impossible but I believe when we aren’t experiencing fullness from within than I believe we are actually experiencing less than what God has for us. I’m not saying the pains of your loss or the demand of your job or family are tough. I’m not saying the depression and anxiety you feel isn’t real. That’s not what I’m saying at all. In fact, if we aren’t real with where we are then what do we have to surrender? The life of a Christian is one that no matter how hard our life is, we turn and surrender to God’s heart for us. This is why Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit, so that we can be filled and experience the fullness of God’s heart. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 ESV
Focusing our reality to the reality of Jesus is simply living a lifestyle of worship. God isn’t interested in our systematic, religious life towards Him. He wants relationship, He is seeking worshippers. “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” John 4:23 ESV
This verse is taking out of a story where Jesus is simply inviting a women to the Father’s heart. That in the love and saving act of Jesus, she has a Home with the Father where she is in perfect care. So knowing and understanding God’s heart for us is so important. Our Father is a Shepherd but He is our Shepherd. His heart is full of love. His grace and mercy are always present. God’s heart is always ready to run after us and pick us up and make us new like the prodigal son.(Luke 15) Everyday we tend to move farther and farther away from His love because the demands and struggles of this world simply push us away from His care. The enemy attacks our identity. The enemy attacks our identity because, our identity creates our beliefs, our beliefs form our thoughts, our thoughts drive our decisions and our decisions birth our actions. This has been the exact season I’ve been in – learning to receive my identity and have it change my perspective.
I recently was on an 11-month mission trip called the WorldRace. Me and 15 others were traveling the world hearing God’s heart to help serve and love like Jesus. It was a beautiful but hard experience learning to live in healthy authentic community while trying to also be open to serve the cities and towns we were in. It was all about; Life is Ministry and Ministry is Life. This statement is a way to re-define and filter the way we live our lives. Rather than checking off boxes and acts of service, it’s really about at all times being in communion with God and loving Him and His people. This practically looks like being available at all times to love God and love people. To really take a step back and ask for the Father’s heart. To see the hurting, the lost, the broken, the outcast, the least and the lowest. It’s to see how God’s heart is the same for all, therefore; my heart should be the same for all. So that was my life for 8 months living out of a backpack.
I got sick and came home. I’ve been in the hospital again since being back. I’ve gotten a procedure done and will be soon talking to more specialists. We have found some temporary solutions but the Doctors are looking for some permanent ones. So I’m back home being thrown back into the way American culture is. I’m risky fighting pains and all that comes with it – lack of ability to eat. Learning to balance what I’ve learned on this trip. I’m in a waiting season where I don’t have a car. God asked me to sell it before I left and it blessed a woman so much – God is so faithful. I’m struggling with financial decisions as I’m 21 years old now paying for much of everything. But it’s been tough waiting and hearing how the Lord was going to make all this work. I came home because He said, “Trust my process.” So I’ve been home trusting in His process. A word that I feel very strongly God spoke over me through His scriptures, His voice and even others is, “Be still and know. Find rest; don’t strive.” So rather than coming back and jumping into all the things I’ve waiting on God. Surely enough, little by little He is opening doors up and making ways. I’ve found myself being placed at home at the right time with some of my friendships. My time with Father in the Secret Place has been so fruitful.I found a job and will start soon alongside it some school online. So these last couple weeks have been ones that I didn’t plan. I figured I would still be living with my family around the world but no, I’m here.
So everyday I’m having to fix my reality on to the reality of Jesus. Your perspective is your power. Is your perspective on things of this world or the eternal things that come from the Father’s heart? Now, that’s where power is found – a perspective on to Jesus. Our greatest source of strength as humans is to embrace a lifestyle of weakness. It’s in weakness where and when Christ’s power can be made perfect and change everything. (2 Corinthians 12:9) And it’s been tough but I’m finding more and more freedom from the things of this world and experiencing God’s fullness. I’m learning the beauty of being a son. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” John 15:9 ESV As mentioned earlier, God wants worshippers, He wants relationship not religion. Religion is burdensome and always pushes you to be “good enough.” Relationship, that’s a life filled with grace. A place where you are good enough because, Relationship is a place found not on our worth but on our birth. Today! Jesus is calling out to us to come Home to the Father. He is our Good and Perfect Father who will lead us like a Shepherd.
As I’m learning to do this daily, I invite you to come with me. Let’s chose to focus our reality on to the reality of Jesus and realize we are sons and daughters of the God Most High, our Good and Perfect Father. Today, Fullness is right around the corner of our surrender. Sure, our circumstances may still struggle and last but I promise you; your perspective will change and that is where your power comes from. This is all true because of who Jesus is and what He has done. “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalms 16:11 ESV
So join me in receiving the free gift of coming Home to the Father. From the beginning of time, God’s desire has been that you would find your home in Him, to know that your security, your value, and your hope come from only one source–understanding and walking in the simple truth that you are deeply loved by God. The Father’s one Desire is that His children would have life- that they would know love, experience peace, be filled with hope, and walk in joy and freedom. Now this.. that’s life to fullest. Jesus is enough and His love has been opened up to you and is right around the corner of your surrender and repentance from the life of your sin and the putting to death of your will in order to live in His and for His will. It’s not religion; it’s grace. It’s relationship.
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…”Psalms 95:6-8 ESV
