A few random thoughts...
I am reading a cool book by Allen Arnold called "The Eden Option". His statements speak to my heart ~ cause I've been stressing lately thinking I’m not doing enough for God.
"He (God) values intimacy over productivity. Relationship over accomplishments. What is done in your own strength ultimately comes to nothing. But what is done in union with God has the power to transcend you and ripple far beyond this moment in time."
I find that so encouraging. I want to do things with God's enabling ~ and have the consequences ripple into eternity. As we walk with Him, God will lead us to do the things He wants us to do. This is so freeing. We don’t have to stress and feel like we are missing His will somehow. It’s a walk of rest and trust—believing that He will lead and guide—that He will empower us to do all He calls us to do—and that it will be glorious. May we all abide in Him. Without Him we can do nothing. (John 15:5)
Katherine Welwood, a woman who helps those needing healing from trauma, wrong mindsets, and soul wounds, also wrote some words that resonated with me. “The battle is for the mind. Satan is the father of lies and takes advantage of us through the lies we believe. How can two walk together except they agree? Jesus said, You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." Satan's words may sound like truth, but they never are. Never agree with his lies. Jesus speaks the truth because He is the ultimate truth.
Katherine wrote, “…when I chose to diligently renew my mind, to believe who God says I am and act on it, my healing journey accelerated. The Word of God says, be transformed—have a metamorphosis which is the literal meaning, by the renewing of our mind. When I think of metamorphosis, it brings to mind a butterfly which starts as an egg, hatches into a caterpillar,
wraps itself in a cocoon, and emerges a beautiful butterfly.” When we are born again, the process begins. But the process takes time. Be patient with yourself. Be patient with others
Have you ever felt God prompting you to do something? One day, while sitting under a mosquito net in China, I felt led to write ~ so I did ~ non-stop ~ from morning to night. Two years later I put all the scribbly notes onto my iPad at a guest house in Haifa, Israel. It took several years for God to prepare my heart to write my story. It is the story of a metamorphosis that is only possible because of God's amazing compassion, grace, mercy, and love.
I had a lonely childhood. I felt abandoned, rejected, unloved. Years living in other people’s homes convinced me I was the outsider ~ not belonging ~ so alone. It sounds crazy, but I am thankful. God used the scenes of my life to give me a greater heart of compassion for others.
As a 21-year-old university student I was disillusioned with life. I felt like there was a black, empty, hollow space growing inside me. The emptiness, darkness, and hopelessness of my life overwhelmed me. I decided I had nothing to live for. It seemed suicide was better than living. I considered jumping out a window on the 18th floor of an apartment building.
While looking at that window, deciding what to do, I had a vision. I don’t know what else to call it. It's hard to explain. It had been a cloudless day but now thick clouds seemed to appear just outside the window obscuring everything. I knew they weren’t really there, yet I could see them. I could see through the clouds and I saw a throne. I could not see His face but I knew the One seated on that throne was Jesus. I knew He was crying for me because of the pain, sadness, and brokenness of my life.
He spoke ~ not with words I could hear ~ but with words that resonated inside me. “Rena, this is not My plan for your life. If you turn your life over to Me, I will bring more beauty out of your life than you could possibly imagine at this moment.”
Then, incredibly ~ in a split second ~ I saw my entire life. It was kind of like seeing a high speed video. It was too fast to see details, but I had the impression that it was an incredibly beautiful life. Obviously, I chose to live. This next part, the unveiling of the “video”, was a process.
I began searching for God ~ everywhere. He seemed to be hiding. Finally, thankfully, there was a random invitation to a prayer meeting and I found Him! I was broken-hearted that I had grieved Him. I repented of my sins and asked Jesus to be my Lord and Saviour. Because of His grace and mercy I was forgiven.
I became a child of God, adopted into His beautiful, forever family. No longer alone. Such amazing love. If I had died that day I would have missed out on so much God wanted to do in my life and throughout eternity. He saw a sad, lonely girl and In His great love and compassion, pulled me out of darkness into His amazing light. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus set me free from the law of sin and death. I found Him, yet, I am seeking Him still.
A Life Set Free is a true story about the love and faithfulness of God. It is a story of miracles and God’s amazing grace. It is also a story of incredible adventures I never dreamed I would live ~praying with a voodoo queen in Haiti, staying at an orphanage in Uganda, sharing the love of God in Mexico City as an earthquake shook the ground under my feet, leading a dying woman to Jesus in a hut in Belize ~ so many exciting stories.
Did you know YOUR story is being recorded in heaven? It's the story of your metamorphosis ~ your transformation into the image of Jesus. How cool is that? God loves you more than you can possibly imagine. I pray God will help you be brave and strong as your metamorphosis takes place. May you be strengthened with power through your spirit, in your inner man, that Jesus will fill your heart and mind and transform you into His image. Blessings and love, Beloved of God. A Life Set Free is available at A Life Set Free (the audible book) https://www.amazon.ca/Life-Set-Free-story-faithfulness/dp/1092493484 Please scroll down to the comments and leave a comment. Blessings, Beloved of God.