"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9
"God, my hope and my strength. My ability to move and breathe. My peace. My way. My life. You are my wisdom and my direction. You are my joy and the source of all my strength. You satisfy my soul. I love you Jesus. Thank you for how you love me.”
I wrote these words in my journal, when I quite honestly didn’t feel any of these things. I felt like I had lost hope and had no strength. And from that place, I didn’t want to move and I even felt like I could breathe. Peace felt a million miles away, and finding it felt impossible. My joy wasn’t there because I wasn’t setting my heart on WHO joy is, and therefore, my soul continued to be in want and unsatisfied. I had forgotten that the whole reason I’m able to love HIM, is because He FIRST loved me.
But one day, instead of opening my journal and writing out all my feelings and emotions and blah, blah, blah… I decided I would change it up a bit, and began to write the opposite of what I was feeling. I chose to believe that even though I didn’t see or feel it yet, HE was my hope and my strength. He is my ability to move and breathe. He is my peace, and he never leaves…so peace hadn’t left me. The joy of Him is my strength, so If I set my heart on who He was, I would be filled with the strength that I needed. I reminded myself that more than anything, I’M LOVED BY HIM. Wherever I was believing lies or had a negative thought or emotion, I covered it with His truth and with His love.
THIS is TRUTH.
1 John 3:1 says, "Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God."
I want you take note of the word “bestowed” here… Bestow means to present as a gift, to give, or to put on. That means that whether I realize it or not, as a child of God my Father has given me His love as a gift. He has placed His love upon me. I can never change this truth, its truth whether I believe and receive it for myself or not.
If you’re anything like me, you can have a tendency to overthink things, and replay situations in your head over and over again. This can be a very bad thing, or it can be a very good thing. It all depends on what I’m focusing on, thinking about and replaying. Are the thoughts in my head truth? Are they bringing me life and peace? Or, are they lies—bringing me discouragement and confusion?
TRUTH says, “Where the spirit of The Lord is, there is FREEDOM” (2 Corinthians 3:17)
If you’ve felt discouraged lately, or even have a sense of disappointment, I want to encourage you to take some time and ask yourself what it is lately that you’ve been focusing on and replaying in your head. My mom always says, “What is it you’re listening to?” Meaning, are you listening to His voice of truth, peace and life, or are you listening to thoughts of disappointment, fear, and ultimately, death. We live in a world where we’re CONSTANTLY being faced with things that could seem true, but are not true. So, we have to CONSTANTLY cover ourselves with what we KNOW is true, and that is only found in His word.
I want to encourage you to make covering yourself with truth a part of your daily routine. Sometimes, it’s something as simple as getting ready in the morning and as you’re getting dressed or putting on your makeup, just thanking him for how He loves you. When you set your mind on His truth, it will not only begin to change your feelings and emotions, but it will change your relationships and your whole perspective on life. You will begin to see Him in everything and every moment.
Originally posted on Live Original with Sadie Robertson