lean on Him... Psalm 112:7...

He is not afraid of bad news;

his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

Psalm 112:7 ESV

I used to live my life... afraid of bad news...

this is the reality of one who lives worried... anxious...

Being fearful of the next bad thing... flows from a heart filled with unbelief...

I say this because I know...

I was...

fearful... unbelieving...

even as a new Believer...

and a decade or so after...

To believe in Him is to trust Him...

to trust Him... is to know He has your best at heart...

to trust Him... is to know nothing happens without His allowing it...

to trust Him... is to know it is for your good and His glory...

A heart firm... trusting in our good... gracious... loving... all-powerful... God... is a heart free from fear of bad news... free of worry... free of anxiety...

Where are you...? when it comes to fear of bad news...?

Exercise your faith today... trust Him... with your worry...

feeling small...

Last night's surrender... led to a not so mild meltdown...

The stretching thin... feeling more like a breaking point...

Grumpy... edgy... crotchety (as my mom would have said)...
I went about doing things I could do...
sweeping...
mopping...
cooking...
taking out garbage...

In the midst of all... He threw out reminders...

The stretching thin... to be a thin place... where I draw strength from Him... not seek more from within...

During the sweeping of dirt... and complaints about those who drug it in... He reminds... my loved ones... me... are made of the same stuff...

As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 103:13-14 ESV

Taking out the trash under the broad expanse of stars... I'm reminded... He is big enough... to handle what He has called me to do... in His time... not mine...

...therefore thus says the Lord God,

"Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,

a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:

'Whoever believes will not be in haste.' ..."

Isaiah 28:16 ESV

My frantic... panicked... haste... a lack of trust in Him... 

Unbelief raising its ugly head...

Under the stars... tears welled...

repentance returned...

and I became small...

But for you, O Lord, do I wait;

it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

Psalm 38:15 ESV

muddled...?

A day beginning with inexplicable joy... has become a muddle by its end...

A puzzle really... because I've seen His faithfulness... throughout the day...

First... the joy...
then provision of unsought help... in completing my list of to-dos...
finally... peace... in the midst of problems...

But... somewhere... along the way to evening...
I've forgotten... to remember...
or... let my list... and its order... muddle my heart...

Taking on the responsibility... of the things He's called me to... rather than rolling it onto Him... fully trusting His faithfulness... to get it all done...

Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.

Psalm 37:5 ESV

Lord... forgive my anxiety... 

and lack of thankfulness... for Your faithfulness...

Thank You...

still... fighting... fear...

Waking thoughts... focused on something new...

A job taken on a couple of weeks ago... something I'd never really done before... one I wanted to do well... and not disappoint...

The past week spent preparing... learning... practicing...

This morning... my waking dreams... centered on this job...

I've noticed... when fear... paralyzes... He often moves me forward... by having me do it first... in my dreams...

There was a time... when anxiety reigned... in my heart... mind... soul...

The initial place fear implanted itself in my life... was with food...

A thought came to mind... I unwisely entertained... rather than dismissing...

Slowly... little by little... the enemy increased the number of foods... I was afraid to eat...
shrimp...
strawberries...
chewing gum...
chocolate...

I know this sounds insane... and had anyone known my internal battle at the time... I'm sure I would've been highly medicated... because the anxieties weren't restricted to just food...

But I remember... as God led me out of this pit... (one I willingly jumped into... believing lies... because the enemy had strongholds in my life...) part of the process... included eating one of the anxiety-ridden foods... in a dream...

I'd wake with the surety... that I was to eat... without fear...
and little by little... He led me out of the pit of anxiety...

All to say... I'm still... fighting... fear...

It continues to try to take hold... take back the ground its lost...

So this morning... when I dreamed of doing the job...
I realized... I'd been dragging my feet because of fear...
and today... was the day... to tackle it...

By His grace... it's mostly complete...

Grateful for the work of learning something new... and dreams to encourage me to step beyond fear...

For God has not given us a spirit of fear,

but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

casting cares...

It's been a while... since my heart's been really troubled... but last night... it was all stirred up over a loved one...

Immediately... calmly... I prayed... casting cares... anxieties... on Him...

Trusting His love for me... and mine...
knowing He's at work... dividing light... from... dark...
asking for the guarding of hearts... and the breaking of strongholds...

Peace came... as I remembered He cared... and is capable... of doing much more than we ask... or imagine...

But anxiety would rise again... as I relaxed...
fought off again by casting cares... in prayer...

Trusting...
Knowing...
Asking...

A spiritual battle through much of the evening...
one no one else saw... but Him...

Sleep came peacefully...
this morning the battle done...

The morning's devotional... confirmed the spiritual reality... and the exercise of casting cares...

There is One who careth for you. His eye is fixed on you, His heart beats with pity for your woe, and His hand omnipotent shall yet bring you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall scatter itself in showers of mercy. The blackest gloom shall give place to the morning. He, if thou art one of His family, will bind up thy wounds, and heal thy broken heart. Doubt not His grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that He loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness.

--- Charles Spurgeon,  Morning and Evening

 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

Lord Jesus... thank You for caring... 

and for Your power to carry all...!

a day full to bursting...

My waking emotions hovered around anxiety... in anticipation of a day so full... I was really unsure how it would all get done...

As the morning advanced... placing trust in Him... remembering this is all His and not mine... settling into a thought pattern of... What's next Lord...? This is Your day... I want to do it Your way...

Each step... trusting in Him...

And I find myself surprised... by an unexpected emotion... no more sense of anxiety... but a heart bursting with joy... in anticipation of how He will get it all done...!

Bursting seams... to bursting joy... trusting in Him... in every little thing...

If I say, "My foot is slipping,"

Your faithful love will support me, Lord.

When I am filled with cares,

Your comfort brings me joy.

Psalm 94:18-19 HCSB

eccentric... exiting grace...

Eccentric... a word from Saturday's teaching on grace...

She made one brief point... but the word... it echoes...

eccentric - "ek" = exit    "centric" = center  

...leaving the center...

...as a Christian, grace is our center...

She spoke too fast for my pen... but this is what I drew...

The center of the cross... marks the center of grace...

Followers of Christ find center... by being crucified with Him... by faith... dead to self... 

At the center of the cross... we stand fully in grace...

For unbelievers... and the world... the center is found in self... 

(I drew as I processed this post today...)

The truth is... the selflessness of Christ on the cross... appears eccentric... to the world...

My current treadmill read confirms...

... the center of the secular worldview is self: What will I get out of this? Who will meet my needs? I'm doing my own thing. ...

...Satan is called the prince of this world because self-interest rules the world. ...

...Such is Satan's creed, and unfortunately the lives of all too many people validate his claims. Satan has deceived them into thinking they are serving themselves when in fact they are serving the world, the flesh, and the devil. 

--- Neil Anderson, The Bondage Breaker 

Unfortunately... many Believers are eccentric... living lives much like those of unbelievers... self-centered... leading to anxiety... depression... angst... worthlessness...

Keeping center... embracing His death... as ours... forms the foothold... of grace... a foundation of peace...

No need to fret over behavior... ours... or others... He has paid the price... He receives the glory... we receive His grace... by faith...

To lose one's life for His sake... seems like foolish eccentricity to the world... but for us who believe... it is the power of grace... and peace...

For the message of the cross is foolishness 

to those who are perishing,

but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18

Eccentric... 

A word that reminds me... to keep centered... on grace... by faith...

[Similar fare...

grateful... for grace... and its power...

standing in... the joy of grace...

more thoughts... from the teaching on grace...]

practice casting...

Cast all your anxiety on him

because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

cast... to cause to move or send forth by throwing... to throw off or away... to get rid of: discard...

Life provides plenty of opportunities... to practice... casting...
difficult relationships...
illness...
children...
unknowns...
finances...
the nightly news...

There is no shortage of anxiety-stimulating circumstances...

I've practiced casting quite a bit lately...

Each time anxiety tries to rise... I cast... throw... send forth... the unwanted... emotion... on Him...

Practice fishing for peace... casting... all your anxiety... on Him...

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends

all understanding, will guard your hearts and

minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7