Believe

When I was asked to share with a group of girls,

"What does it look like to forgive yourself?"

The first word that came to mind 

was

BELIEVE.

I knew that in my life journey of forgiving

myself and others

I knew I needed to believe something 

different than what I was currently 

BELIEVING.

When you've spent the greater part of your years

in a valley or you've descended

down into a pit

you become conditioned to 

learn

know

and believe 

that place.

We take residence up in it and call it home.

You decorate it just so
 to distract you 

from the pain

from the hurt.

You take it on 

as truth

as life

or like I've said many times

"This is the life I've been given, my lot in life, so live with it

make the most of it."

But then I heard a whisper.

A voice I didn't know, but wanted to.

A voice I longed to hear, now present.

It told me "I was believing a lie."

It told me "I was believing what others said about me."

It told me "It wasn't my fault."

It told me "This is NOT my lot in life."

It told me "To believe something new, something true."

It told me that I needed

 "to take my thoughts captive and bring them to this voice."

Who are you?

This whisper, this voice

was strong but gentle

was deep but heavenly.

He told me I needed

"To demolish all this chaos in my mind."

He told me I needed

"To not worry about anything, instead pray to Me about everything."

He told me

"Let Me transform you into a new person by changing the way you think."

He told me

"Think about things that are wonderful, true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.

Because this is what I think of you Melissa."

He told me

"Trust me from the bottom of your heart, don't try to figure out everything on your own.  

Listen for My voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; I'm the one who will keep you on track.

Don't assume that you know it all.  Run to God, Me, your Father in heaven!

 Run from Evil!

Dear Child of Mine

I want you to say these very words

I am

Breaking

Every

Lie

Intentionally

Evoked

Violently on

Me.

BELIEVE

You are my child and I never meant any harm to come upon you.

What the enemy meant for evil, I will make for good.

"There comes a time to drive a stake in the ground
 and lay claim to 
one life 

one focused goal

 and 

one God."

 Choose to 

BELIEVE

Him!"

2 Corinthians 10:5-NIV

Philippians 4:6-NLT

Romans 12:2-NLT

Philippians 4:8-NLT

Proverbs 3:5-7-The Message Bible

"Beth Moore Quote"

NIV-New International Version

NLT-New Living Translation

"Not for Us"

Do you remember reading through The Watchtower and Awake and when scripture was referenced;  being told
"But that's not for us."

Do the words

"Those verses were meant for bible times, not for today."

What about

"But we obey this, and follow that because it's in scripture."

It was always so confusing for me
 to remember

what parts of the bible were for me
and what parts weren't.

I remember my bible being more of a reference book
 that I went to on occasion.

I remember sitting at the dining room table
preparing my talks for Thursday nights.

I had all my concordances out
my Reasoning from the Scriptures book out
 studying those books, but never really looking into the bible.

Fast Forward 20 years..........

For the word of God is quick, and powerful...

When the scales fell from my eyes

and the veil was torn before me

God's word flooded me, it came quick.

It was so powerful it moved me
literally to my feet,
and to my knees.

As I went to an old copy of the Reasoning from the Scriptures book.
There it was.

All of it.

The re-wording, and the deleted words.

God's word came and pierced me, it divided everything I had ever known.

Sure the letters that Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth (the Corinthians)
 the Church of Ephesus (Ephesians).
Sure that's who he was writing to.
But God in his infinite being
was giving these words to ALL of us, for the past 2000 + years!
The Word of God is eternal!

"Sure Paul had his audience, but God had a whole lot bigger audience."*1

ALL the words in the bible are for me and for you!
Not a selected few.  We all have the right to know "The Truth."
See I cried out to the Lord, in my anguish and in my confusion and He
sent forth his Word and healed me.

"Trying to simplify the infinite? You will never have authority over the Word of God."*2

I can't believe there was a point in my life
 where I believed that I knew every single thing God knew, and what He meant.

 That I had authority to tell you;
"Just the way it is."

I had Jehovah figured out.
To a T.
Down to a science.
I was always ready for the ping pong game you would throw at me.

No more.
 Please forgive me for my arrogance.
Please forgive me once again for my self-righteousness.
Please forgive me for telling you "The Lie" and not "The Truth."

However today
 I know:
All authority is directed and given only by the Holy Spirit.

Today
I know:
I am a child of God.

Today
I know:

There is in store for me
a crown of righteousness which the Lord will award me, the righteous Judge.
Not man!

Let me ask you:

If "Not for Us?"
 If "Not for You?"
If "Not for Me?"
Then for who?

BELIEVE IT!
Believe His Word!
IT'S ALL FOR US!




Hebrews 4:12  Psalm 107:20
Psalm 119:89  Isaiah 40:8  1 Peter 1:25
Romans 13:1  1 Thessalonians 5:5   2 Timothy 4:8

*1Quote-from Beth Moore

*2 Quote-from Beth Moore