We forget so easily, too easily, the truths God has revealed to us (Deuteronomy 29:29). Sometimes lessons learned fade after months of not reviewing, but more often, we forget the concept that struck us in our devotions the very morning before we deliberately act against it.
“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
-Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, oh take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above”
Whether you put sticky notes on your mirror, read daily devotionals, or artistically render verses onto your corkboard— it is vital that we consistently remind ourselves of truth (2 Timothy 3:14-15). Preaching to ourselves in like manner is one way we can help ourselves embrace the love that rounds off fear and fortify against the devil’s attacks.
Truths I need sung over me every day:
Here are a few truths I remind myself of on a daily basis:
Tomorrow is in God’s hands
If I fear the future, I simply have to look back at the ways God has overcome for me thus far. It’s a mountain range of success. I shouldn’t be afraid of what the next crest will hold because the view behind me makes it undeniably clear: God made a way before, He will make a way again.
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will ponder all Your work and meditate on Your mighty deeds.”
-Psalm 77:11-12
No matter what calamity or perplexity comes my way, God is still in control. Regardless of how my life may seem to be splitting at the seams, He is still on the throne. I am going to be with Him in heaven one day. It’s going to be okay.
Satisfaction is found in Christ alone
Marriage, a job, that cottage-core lifestyle— you will never find fulfillment in what Earth has to offer. Every acquisition will eventually leave you longing for something else because we as human beings have a void in our soul only God is big enough to fill.
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
-Isaiah 30:15
We must find our satisfaction in the One who truly satisfies (Matthew 6:33). Be still and know that He is God. Happiness comes from contentment, so it is when you are fulfilled in who Christ is that you will be able to truly enjoy His tangible blessings and love others.
“My soul will be satisfied…when I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night.”
-Psalm 63:5-6
All we’ve ever needed is God’s love. We search the world for the peace He’s been offering us from the beginning. Recognize that He is the one your soul is longing for and reorient your desires to Him. As the psalmist prays in 73:25, “There is nothing on earth that I desire besides You.”
I am not the summation of my sin
I have the fear of man, imposter syndrome, and self-deprecation woven into my psyche— and preying on those flaws seems to be one of Satan’s favorite pastimes. All too easily, I slip back into believing lies about myself and negatively interpreting the motives of others.
Such voices counter everything Jesus says! I am who He says I am, and He’s liberated me to run wild, live free, and love strong. I do not need to fear rejection or be crippled by what others may think. God loves me. That is enough!
“Fallen, anxious sinners are limitless in their capacity to perceive reasons for Jesus to cast them out. We are factories of fresh resistances to Christ’s love. Even when we run out of tangible reasons to be cast out, such as specific sins or failures, we tend to retain a vague sense that given enough time, Jesus will finally grow tired of us and hold us at arm’s length…We cannot present a reason for Christ to finally close off his heart to his own sheep. No such reason exists…With Christ, our sins and weaknesses are the very resume items that qualify us to approach him. Nothing but coming to him is required— first at conversion and a thousand times thereafter until we are with him upon death.”
-Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly, 59-64
God is an “I don’t care how far you’ve run, just come home” kind of God. Come ye sinners, the call goes. There is nothing you can do that will surprise Him or turn Him away in disgust. The more broken you are, the more places He has to fill you with His love— you just have to bring it to Him (Luke 5:31-32).
Sinning when in relationship with Him isn’t an “oh shoot, my dad’s gonna kill me” kind of feeling. It’s an “I’ve got to talk to my Abba,” Psalm 51 heart cry. Nothing is going to deter God’s kind, loving, compassionate ripples of grace. You can rest securely in Him, so securely that His perfect love rounds off any fear of others.
I exist for the sake of another
We are broken pots that He puts His treasure into, cracked mirrors that reflect His glory, bent sticks with which He draws straight lines, meager songbirds that sing the coming of His dawn (1 Peter 2:9)— all to point others to the One who truly satisfies.
“What do you want to be remembered for? Having the most stuff? Seeing the most exotic travel spots? Knowing the most famous people? Maybe it’s better to be forgotten—to leave people feeling loved and a little closer to the God you serve.”
-Amanda Brown
You were not given another day in this life because you need it but because God is doing something through you in the lives of others. You are not here to acquire or consume what life has to offer but to uplift, encourage, and edify. Souls are the only thing that are going from this side of heaven to the other, so let’s love people.
I don’t have to understand
There is a lot of temptation to be angry and bitter when contemplating a part of your story that you didn’t ask for, but God wrote in any way. Even my intrinsic optimist sometimes can’t see the good. Why God? Why would you allow this evil that only seems to lead to more evil?
It is so easy to slip into a mindset of thinking I know better and disregarding the will that God has so clearly laid out in His word. “I’m going to do this,” I say, blind to the impending ramifications of my sin.
“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”
-1 Corinthians 4:1-2
Yes, sin is messy, but we are fools to think we have the whole picture, to think we understand. I don’t know why God says ________ is sin and we shouldn’t do it, but I can live according to God’s morals because I know what He values.
Trust is the key. Not knowledge or connections or a firm grip. Trust. “Be still and know that I am God.” I don’t need to know why ________, I just need to know God.
True community is found in vulnerability
Community is not an option. It is a command to the Church, and we as born-again believers are in that Church. We were made from the community of the Trinity for communion with each other— and that’s not just a show up on Sunday morning and check your socialization box for the week kind of relationship.
“The need for Christians everywhere (nobody is exempt), is to be broken. The vase has to be smashed! Christians have to let the life out! It will fill the room with sweetness. And the congregation will all be broken shards, mingling together for the first time.”
-Anne Ortlund
Small talk is necessary. Laughter is good. Fun activities are wonderful. But it is in opening up and letting the friends you’ve decided to keep into the pain, brokenness, and sin of your life where true connection is found. Share the trauma, wipe away her tears, open yourself up to see that people will accept the ugliest version of you.
“The most intimate thing we can do is to allow people we love most see us at our worst. At our lowest. At our weakest. True intimacy happens when nothing is perfect.”
-Amy Harmon
Good times get too much attention. Real bonding happens when life hurts, when you get to hold a loved one who’s crying. When you don’t have to have an answer but can just be present. When you can take them on a drive and play some of their favorite music. When you can get them a special drink and drown sorrows in ice cream. When you can speak the most absurd intentions into existence because you just need to laugh.
Highlights are good, but it’s the lowlights—everyday little things, big hurts we have to cry out—where the deepest, most true relating happens. Don’t keep yourself from transparency that hurts. There’s friendship truer than imagined to be had there.
I forgot that one of the reasons I write and review this blog is for the sake of remembering truth. It’s one of the slogans I came up with: “This is for you, this is for me. Let’s cultivate goodness together.” I need to hear the things I write, and I hope God can bring benefit to others through my sharing. So yes, let’s continue to love as God does: refusing to settle for the sinful brokenness and forever cultivating His character in and through the world. Let’s cultivate goodness, starting with remembering the truths He’s already revealed to us.
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