“From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.“—Ephesians 4:16
There’s a lot of distracting “self-destruction” trying to happen right now.
Can I just be vulnerably honest with you?
…if there’s anything that absolutely makes my blood boil (Lord help me), it’s seeing a person being bullied and picked on, cornered, criticized, torn to shreds with words, and put to shame—ridiculed with the intention and goal of “utter destruction beyond repair.”
And do you know, any of us can find ourselves doing this kind of thing… I’ve been guilty of it in my life too, until it hit me, and I realized what I was doing.
…and I think of what was done to our Lord Jesus…
Is this really what our goal, our focus should be right now towards one another, as believers?
I’ve seen this kind of behavior in my own flock of chickens.
You know, chickens are sometimes known to pick apart and utterly destroy one of their very own—to the death!
Does the Lord want us to focus on picking each other apart right now, our own brothers and sisters, and does He really want us to get stuck “living” in yesterday?
I believe God wants us to come close to Him with our own hearts open before Him, and focus on looking to HIM in this time—He is our “Lighthouse” in this storm!”
He is the One who can speak into our hearts what is TRUE!
He wants us to cling to Him, our “Anchor!”
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”—Ephesians 4:29
And He wants us to think on these things…to think in THIS way…
“So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.“—Philippians 4:8 TPT
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…”—2 Corinthians 3-5
Now is the time to turn from all of the chatter…and focus intently on Jesus…staring directly into His eyes, listening SO closely for our Heavenly Father’s heartbeat…our “Morse Code”…
“Father, what do YOU think about all of this? I want to hear it from YOUR heart? Will You show me in Your Word? What’s NOW, God? What’s NEXT?”
Jesus is our WAY, He is our TRUTH, and He is LIFE!
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”—John 14:6
…He has invited us—each one—to come into His presence. He invites us close so that we can each hear His heart, that we might be led into the truth and revelation of His Word. He gives us sight to SEE what is true.
And He reminds us, and brings us back to what really and truly matters…
In Acts 20, Paul writes…
“…But that matters little. What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God…
28 “Now it’s up to you. Be on your toes – both for yourselves and your congregation of sheep. The Holy Spirit has put you in charge of these people – God’s people they are – to guard and protect them. God himself thought they were worth dying for. “I know that as soon as I’m gone, vicious wolves are going to show up and rip into this flock, men from your very own ranks twisting words so as to seduce disciples into following them instead of Jesus. So stay awake and keep up your guard...“
So let’s pull ourselves away from all of the “chatter”…
The malicious accusations, the ridicule, and the cold, hurtful, damaging words that only aim to utterly destroy…
Let’s bring ourselves into the “heart of the matter”…
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”—John 10:10 AMP
Remember, the enemy’s goal is to steal, kill, and destroy….
…he wants to steal, kill, and destroy our faith…
…he wants to steal, kill, and destroy our relationships…
…he wants to steal, kill, and destroy our peace and joy…
And he wants to do everything he can do to get us to do things that will take ourselves off course…
…but like a child, just run to your Heavenly Father.?
Let Him clear it all up,
let Him clear it all away, wash it all away…
He’s good at that, you know?
…leaving only what is true,
…leaving ONLY what leads to LIFE…
THE way—His way.
Run to your Heavenly Father. ?
Let Him wipe your tears as He collects each one in His bottle—He remembers, He takes note, your heart matters to Him.
Tune all of the other noise out for a moment, in His presence…
Listen closely to His voice, His heart, His reminders…
And “breathe in” as He breathes LIFE back into you…
As He refills, as He mends…
And He dusts us off,
And He reminds us of what He’s promised in His Word,
And He reminds us of who He has designed and created us—each one— to be.
And now… refreshed, recharged, and ready… we continue on our way—His way—as we move forward on this journey with Him… always onward and upward.
How He keeps us on track. ??♀️☀️
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”—John 16:13
Hang on to Him, keep trusting, keep WAITING, and KEEP GOING!
“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.“—Hebrews 11:6
“Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.“—Psalm 37:34
Thank You, Father. ?
-Heather ?