Tis time after a long hiatus to compose a post. On the heels of the Thanksgiving holiday, naturally I am inclined to focus this post on the topic of being thankful. And a photo from a walk that I took Thanksgiving morning stirred an idea... In the cold Midwest midmorning of Thanksgiving, I was surprised to see some long, green grass blades poking up through the snow alongside the lifeless brown ones. Of course I had to snap several pictures. And as I did so I was struck with the thought that even when all that once was vibrant and full of life in nature has became frozen and dead, there is still the promise of new life in spring. In a lifetime, just as in nature, there will be cycles and seasons. Sometimes things must pass away and be let go of, some things may be brought to restoration after a period, and sometimes completely new things suddenly grow. And of course what must die and what will live again, and what seeds will sprout and what will be later reaped, is known only by God until the time comes. And that is where thankfulness and tenacity come in. Psalms 9:1-2 TPT And of course there are a plethora of verses throughout the Bible on thankfulness. But there are two keys that I pulled out of these ones. By the way, I highly recommend reading the entirety of Psalms 92 & 100. Key 1: Thanksgiving and Praise are tied to remembering the good things that God has done in the past for you, and tied to the goodness of God's character in general. Key 2: An attitude of gratitude is like a secret code to open the door into God's presence - which results in peace and joy regardless of circumstances. (See Psalm 16:11, Isaiah 26:3, & Phillipians 4:4-8 listed below at the end) So, if you can stir yourself enough to praise and thank God no matter the situation, and recall how He has shown Himself faithful thus far, then you will be spurred into a resolve to remain steadfast and experience hope, peace and joy in the presence of God. Another way to put it > Thankfulness begets Tenacity, and Tenacity begets Thankfulness. And I know oh so well that this is easier said than done! This has been a long season of testing thankfulness and tenacity for me. I have to very intentionally remind myself of the truth of the verses that I included in this post. So keep going, stay the course, and know there is light ahead. Psalms 16:11 TPT
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The most potent truth that I have experienced lately is summed up in the title above: real breakthrough begins with raw surrender.
What is raw surrender? Well it is certainly not an easy position to be in. It is allowing every feeling to be felt, being completely honest before God, and then letting go and letting God's hands hold everything. It is being OK with not everything being OK and accepting that not all the questions have immediate answers. It is acting in obedience to God and continuing to worship and praise Him in the midst of waiting desperately for resolution and restoration. It is continuing to contend in prayer and laying still at the feet of Jesus in spite of circumstances. It is humble submission to letting Holy Spirit work in matters of the heart. And as I have found, when the point of true surrender to God is reached, God so graciously releases his healing and redemptive power. And I could go on about this topic, but I shall leave it as this pithy thought for now. And so December has begun. Though it feels as if Winter has arrived, Autumn is still technically the season. It is a time of T R A N S I T I O N As noted in the post before, it's as though I have been in an Autumn, a transition time, for a longer time than I would like. And I have had to go through a faith-testing process. And as I have discovered in past faith-testing seasons and have rediscovered in this one on a different level, God is patient and present. He is patient enough to put up with my questions and unloading. He is present with His comfort and His assurances when I finally settle down to be aware and listen. One of those times that I stopped wrestling and started resting, I continued the poem that was last posted. The poem now feels complete. Although I very well may edit it at some point as it was done as a free-flow. Here is the poem in its entirety. The *** indicates the continuation point. ~Waiting For The Shift~ And I shall end this post with these Scripture thoughts that have comforted me... Psalms 71:3 TPT Autumn is such an interesting season. A season of beauty and of harvest, of reaping the benefits of what was sown. But it is also a season of loss and a season of preparation. Preparation to be able to endure difficulty until the cycle continues to shift into new life and hopes are redeemed. I feel as though I have been in an Autumn situation of life for a long time. Too long. I am so ready for Spring. A few weeks ago I was inspired to do a quick poem as I sat on a shore line amidst strewn leaves, half naked trees, and wind whipped water. I believe it needs additional lines and that the poem is not quite finished. I will share what I started and there will be another post to come to continue this story. Before continuing to the poem however, I want to make a note of something. On that day at the shoreline, as well as many days that have gone by that have felt like a season of autumn going on and on, just as I noted about autumn being an interesting season of a combination of things above, in my experience there has been some beauty and goodness amidst loss and pain. And though there are still many questions, confusion and concerns, there are times when God feels close and brings a measure of peace and comfort. Waiting For The ShiftI have seen winter snows
Melt away to reveal new growth I have seen spring rains Bring color and life again I have seen summer sunshine Create an environment that thrives But I am in the autumn I am waiting and longing Waiting for the season to shift Longing for God to mend the rift Oh God my God show me how I can continue to cling to hope now The New Year has come and with it the resolutions for it to be different, better... a fresh, NEW start. So many good intentions and great ideas... and then how long does it last? The determination and motivation go so far and then... and then... Then the new gets old. But what if it doesn't have to be that way? Is there a way to keep the steam going, keep the train on the right track? Or is there a chance that when the train goes off track, it can be rescued and put back on the right track? I am very familiar with the cycle of setting down goals, getting excited about things changing for the better, starting strong, then succumbing to discouragement and weariness. And sometimes getting the courage to try again only to have the cycle repeat. How do you get out of that cycle? Can you indeed break free? Yes! Because living in the power of Christ, through the Holy Spirit, you have access to the victory Christ paid for and won! Is it easy? No. But is it possible? Yes! It requires, first of all, "choosing new" - you of your own will choose to be made new in Jesus. Step 1 - believing and trusting in Jesus as your one and only Savior. Step 2 - making the choice daily, or even hour by hour or minute by minute if needed, to surrender to Jesus as Lord. Step 3 - get a perspective shift, and see things through the lens of being a beloved child of a good Father God. Scripture says if you believe in Jesus, you become a child of God. You are saved and redeemed. But you need to continually choose to "put on" (hence a choice) the new self/new nature available through Jesus. And as a child of God, live submitting to him, just as a child does with a father. You have victory in Christ, and he is responsible for that victory so you do not have to strive. But God allows free will and the devil hates you and tries to destroy you, so you have to intentionally submit your will to God’s ways to live in freedom. In one statement: If you are willing to submit to a God who loves you and wants the best for you, then your surrender to this good Father God will transform you and position you in a place of peace and rest, joy and freedom, and the ability to experience pure love. But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:16-17 TPT But whenever a person turns [in repentance] to the Lord, the veil is stripped off and taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). [Isa. 61:1, 2.] 2 Corinthians 3:16-17 AMPC .... Be open and vulnerable to God... trust him.... and discover true freedom in your identity in Christ Jesus. True love for God means obeying his commands, and his commands don’t weigh us down as heavy burdens. You see, every child of God overcomes the world, for our faith is the victorious power that triumphs over the world. So who are the world conquerors, defeating its power? Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Some more verses that have these ideas: Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation. Romans 10:9-10 AMPC But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name–[Isa. 56:5.] John 1:12 AMPC And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:23-24 AMPC For it is Christ’s love that fuels our passion and holds us tightly, because we are convinced that he has given his life for all of us. This means all died with him, so that those who live should no longer live self-absorbed lives but lives that are poured out for him—the one who died for us and now lives again. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 TPT But he continues to pour out more and more grace upon us. For it says, “God resists you when you are proud but continually pours out grace when you are humble.” So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will flee in agony. Move your heart closer and closer to God, and he will come even closer to you. But make sure you cleanse your life, you sinners, and keep your heart pure and stop doubting. James (Jacob) 4:6-8 TPT “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. Matthew 11:28-29 TPT I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] |
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But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect--
life in its fullness until you overflow!
~ Jesus (from John 10:10, TPT)