You asked & He spoke.

So these past couple weeks for whatever reason I have been struggling with an old issue in my heart. I for some reason have picked it back up & started to carry it again. I asked the Lord to speak to me this morning in my devotion time & He did! Listen to this! I was reading Numbers 32-33 & in 33:55 it says:

55 " 'But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.

The Lord was warning the Israelites to get rid of the wicked people that were inhabiting their land, but they were hesitant to get rid of them. Whether it was because they were comfortable with it, they knew what to expect, they were familiar with this struggle...whatever the case my be they were not telling these people to leave. This spoke right to where the heart of where I'm at. in 55 it says...."Those you ALLOW to remain..." It is amazing how fast we can forget that small lesson! I am in control of what I ALLOW in my heart, or WHO I allow in my life! I do not have have to pick up old habits, hurts or hang ups! I WILL tell this to get out of my land before it causes anymore trouble!!!
Thank you Lord for speaking right to the heart of where I'm at! I love you & am grateful you don't let me suffer in silence, and I am CHOOSING to let it go! ♥

Where I came from.

So this past week or two I've been really wishing I could forget where I came from. Not where I was physically raised, not even the family I came from, what I mean is, where I've come from in the last 3 years. I wish I could just forget a certain part of my life that caused me so much pain. There are so many constant reminders that I just wish I could take that out of my memory. I was taught this verse just recently:

Job 23:10
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

This verse is what is keeping me pressing forward. Knowing that the Lord is for me & on my side & wants whats best for me, and wants the best me! Keeps me going forward...So until next time, I will come forth as gold!

The last night

Well tonight is my last night in Chicago. I've been here since Saturday visiting my dear friend Erica. Being here in the beginning made old thoughts, and habits come back up in my heart. It was odd to feel those & remember, but the Lord is good & gracious to give me support through those rough patches! It was amazing because the very morning I was struggling, I sent a text to my accountability friend to pray for me. She was a good support to me that day to remember that it wasn't real & to pray. Then the sermon that morning was on Job 23:10 "He knows the way that I take; and when he was tried me, I shall come forth as gold!" amazing.
Some highlights were:
Gold is made by melting, then you bind it together, and then there is a separation process; Just like God wants to do to us. I learned that Every trial we face is allowed by God for our ultimate good! And that Good = all we need, not all we WANT! That was a huge reminder for me! Also, trials need not steal our joy, because they bring us to the power of God, because they prove that we are God's children, because they increase our ENDURANCE, and finally because they build our intimacy with Jesus! Another point was that until I embrace my trial in unwavering submission to God, I will not reap the good! And then the one thing that stuck out most to me was that our weakness opens the power to God's strength. God doesn't exist for our comfort! His goal is to make us HOLY.
I felt like I was supposed to be there at Harvest that morning. I felt like the Lord made that sermon for me! Our God is so good and gracious, and cares so much for us. Even in our weakness, he is STILL strong. He is still there! He still cares & wants to continue refining us over & over.
Lord, may I stay at your feet. Humbled and patient. May my heart be so near yours, may I be blameless. May I be a tool that you use for your ultimate good.
Thank you for teaching and loving in this way!

Remind Me

Lord,
Today is a hard day. Be with me in my thoughts and in my heart. Around old friends brings up old feelings and thoughts. Remind me of who I am in you today. Remind me that I don't want that life. Remind me of what that road cost me. Remind me of what I've gained now! Remind of who I am in you! Remind me of what it would cost me now to go back!
Remind me Lord.