August 25, 2017
When You Forget Who You Are
Susie Larson
Today’s Truth
It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak … >2 Corinthians 4:13, NIV).
Friend to Friend
Ever had one of those weeks when everything that could go wrong does go wrong? You can’t find your groove to save your life and your circumstances repeatedly trip you up and stress you out?
I remember one such week for me. I battled insomnia in the worst way, which made me feel prickly all over. My children were out of sorts too. They were under the weather and crabby and seemed to cry over the littlest things. I felt irritable and easily frustrated. And so tired that my skin hurt.
At one point I passed by a mirror and winced. I didn’t at all like the reflection staring back at me. I saw only the worst version of myself. Tired. Crabby. Exhausted. Brain-fogged. Which was especially uncomfortable since I had a speaking event coming up that weekend.
How could I possibly prepare my heart when I couldn’t even find my footing? But then, deep within my soul, I sensed God’s invitation to trust Him with the surface parts of me, things that I could barely stand to acknowledge, as well as to trust Him with the deepest parts of me that still needed healing and wholeness.
Amidst the temptation to loath myself and cringe at my weakness—I put my foot down and prayed: Lord, even here, even now, I belong to You. And despite my bleary eyes and messy hair, I’m still Your treasure—a spoken-for heir of God. This is true because You say it’s true. So I speak it out loud for my own ears to hear and I choose to believe it until my heart fully knows it. Thank you, thank you for seeing past my frazzled exterior and for valuing the treasure of my soul. I wrap my arms around Your grace. I seek Your face in this place And I will finish this race because You promised to get me safely home. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.
Something stirred in my heart after that prayer. I knew God’s words were true regardless of how I felt about myself.
First we dare to believe. We grab God’s truth as our very own. Then, amidst our choice to believe, we walk and talk like it’s true.
When faith makes its way into our ears, it also finds its way into our hearts. In my experience, when my ears hear my mouth say truths that God has reflected in His Word, I’m changed. I’m strengthened. And I remember once again that I’m not who I was. I’m not what I do. I’m someone God loves and enjoys.
As we go through life, we’ll walk through storms that smash against us. We’ll try to find our footing amidst the pelting rain and the whipping winds. Sometimes those storms are of our own making. Sometimes they’re the natural elements of a fallen world. And sometimes we’re turned upside down in a storm that had nothing to do with us, and everything to do with someone else’s rotten choices.
No matter the reason for the storm, at times we’ll find ourselves responding in ways that are beneath us. We’ll say things we wish we hadn’t. We’ll be forced to reckon with our humanity and with our very real need for a Savior.
Praise God we have one!
During such times it helps if we remind our souls that we love because He loved us first. We can walk in His promises, not because we’re perfect, but because He is. We can enjoy His presence because He’s the One who invited us there in the first place. We can and will be used greatly by Him because He knew all about our frailties long before we were ever aware of them, and He planned ahead of time to redeem us from them. Amazing grace!
Let’s Pray
Thank you, Lord, that even when I trip up, You’re there to catch me. You don’t disgustingly look the other way. You’re grace is enough for me! There is no one like You! I will believe. I do believe. I will, therefore, speak with boldness and great power.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Are you kind to your soul? Do you see yourself as an heir?
Dare to believe (and speak) what’s true about you because of Jesus.
More from the Girlfriends
Today’s devotion was taken from Susie’s book, Your Powerful Prayers: Reaching the Heart of God With Bold, Humble Faith. Learn more about Susie by visiting her website at www.susielarson.com. Be sure to connect with Susie on Facebook at www.facebook.com/deeperlifeinchrist or on Twitter at @SusieLarson.
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