I remember a season of my life,

where I dealt with horrible, intrusive thoughts…

Thoughts that would freak me out.

Thoughts that would try to “chew me up.”

Thoughts that would make me question what kind of a human being I was—”Why am I DEALING with THIS?”

Thoughts that would make me want to run and hide, or do anything to distract myself.

And at the time, I didn’t understand what was really going on.

I just thought something was very wrong with me, and I didn’t understand where these scary and disturbing images, scenes, and thoughts were coming from, or why?

Often when I would be in social situations, trying to “overcome“— that’s when they would seem to hit the most.

…these horrible, destructive “torpedos”…attempting to steal my peace, and my fellowship.

I was already dealing with intense social anxiety, and “now this?”

Before long, I became fearfully expectant of them.

And guess what happened then? It got worse.

So I would excuse myself to the restroom, I would cry out to God, and I would recite a handful of go-to scriptures.

In faith, I would speak them out in the midst of my situation.

But many times,

the fear

the anxiety

the unwanted, unwelcomed, or condemning thoughts

…they didn’t just go away when I wanted them to.

The situation didn’t get any easier

…in that moment.

For a while I thought they would never go away.

Have you ever declared a scripture, in faith…

and in that moment, nothing FEELS different?

It doesn’t FEEL like anything happened in your situation?

You KNOW that a powerful truth was spoken into your situation—like a sword from your own mouth.

You KNOW a truth was believed and declared.

…and yet that “thing” that you face, seems to remain.

But what if there is far more happening than meets the eye? Or even “undetected” by the heart?

And there always is…

“So also will be the word that I speak;
    it does not return to me unfulfilled.
    My word performs my purpose
    and fulfills the mission I sent it out to accomplish.”—Isaiah 55:11 TPT

We know that God often does His work, “behind the scenes”… “outside of time.”

We know that He often does His “heart work” in ways we cannot pinpoint, or track or comprehend—He does it in His way.

And the way He can work with and within time, is far different than the way “time” is for us.

And then suddenly…

you notice the situation has changed

Suddenly…

something is different.

And you realize…

that a scripture you were clinging to, has gone from words on a page

and from words believed,

and declared

and spoken out

…to being written upon—known— within the deepest places of your heart.

And you now KNOW it, through and through.

Because now, you’ve lived it.

It’s WITHIN you…

And suddenly, what is TRUE,

becomes TRUTH—KNOWN by you. 🌻‘

Suddenly…

His truth has come alive in your heart. 💖

Suddenly…

His truth has been made real in these life circumstances you’re going through.

You’ve now experienced His truth within you.

So trust His Word—no matter what does or does not “appear” to happen in that moment in time.

Don’t lose heart, don’t lose faith, be encouraged, hang on, be expectant…

We don’t know exactly HOW He will choose to carry out His work in our situations, or when we will to see it and realize it…

But we know this… He is faithful.

It is written:

His Word does not return void.

“I don’t think the way you think.
    The way you work isn’t the way I work.”
        God’s Decree.
“For as the sky soars high above earth,
    so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
    and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
    and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
    producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
    not come back empty-handed.
They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
    they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.”—Isaiah 55:8-11 MSG

Thank You, Father. 💝

Oh yes, by the way… that season I was going through? It’s behind me now.

God did a work, He took me through a learning process, He cleared some things up, and His truth sank into my heart, and now I have a deeper understanding of what was going on and how to face the things I was dealing with, should I need to face them again.

How, exactly, did He do it? When, exactly, did He do it?

I don’t know, but I know that He did. 💖

-Heather 🌺