Tender Mercies
Setting my heart to give God everything is the first step in an amazing adventure following Jesus. Just like Peter, James, and John dropping their nets at the sea shore, I have no idea the amazing things I am about to see and experience, all the while getting to know Jesus better. This is God's intention for anyone that says "yes" to His Son: to see Him move and operate in my life and the lives of those He and I are about to encounter together, as He lets me join with Him to permanently mark the earth with my presence.
It is this adventure with God, experiencing and releasing the power of the Holy Spirit with my choices for agreement with God's plan, that I was made for. The fashioning of my heart was done with this plan in sight. Free will (love) allows me to choose whichever plan I like, but this is the race I was made to run. This is the life that will satisfy the secret desires of my heart...some of those desires I don't realize are even there...but they are. The world fights to fill them with one dimensional and temporary fixes, but God will fascinate me with satisfaction as I walk in agreement with His perfect plans for me. A heart made for eternity will never be satisfied with temporary pleasure.
Just as God has a plan for me to be fascinated and exhilarated as I walk in agreement with Him, the enemy of God is serious about stealing this from me. If He can't keep me from choosing to set my heart to walk this out with worldly distractions, He then moves to plan B: hinder my steps as much as possible...hoping I will eventually turn around. David describes this in Psalm 40:
Psalm 40:11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. 12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me. 13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!
David gave the problem and the solution to the enemy's main line of attack against someone who has "set their heart" to walk in God's plan, but is still working out the reality of walking it out. The key is understanding the role of guilt in derailing my vision of everything God is calling me up to.
As I reach for more of God, I walk into more light. If God is the source of light, drawing near to Him results in more light hitting my eyes. The more light I walk in, the more I see. More of God's fascinating kingdom comes into view, but so does a more clear vision of my actual condition. More light results in me seeing more of the rebellion hiding in my own heart. That is why David said "my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up."
This awareness of darkness in my heart is glorious evidence of God's plan leading me into more light, but the enemy skillfully tries to turn my eyes inward.
Satan tries to use guilt to get us to disqualify ourselves. This is the opposite of the response God wants. David gives us the key...tender mercies!
If I will talk to God about what I see and tell HIM about the guilt I feel (rather than talk to myself about it), and remind myself to stand on the truth of God's tender mercy, loving kindness, and the truth of salvation...the truth that anything the light exposes in my life was already paid for by Jesus...then I completely short circuit the plan of the enemy to use guilt against me. It pleases the Lord to quickly deliver and help me each time I listen to His truth and respond. To rely on God's tender mercy and refuse to give guilt any voice in my heart is to agree with God! Then I am back on track to pour my whole life out on Jesus' feet, and gain everything in return!
Psalm 43: 2 For You are the God of my strength; Why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your tabernacle. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
It is this adventure with God, experiencing and releasing the power of the Holy Spirit with my choices for agreement with God's plan, that I was made for. The fashioning of my heart was done with this plan in sight. Free will (love) allows me to choose whichever plan I like, but this is the race I was made to run. This is the life that will satisfy the secret desires of my heart...some of those desires I don't realize are even there...but they are. The world fights to fill them with one dimensional and temporary fixes, but God will fascinate me with satisfaction as I walk in agreement with His perfect plans for me. A heart made for eternity will never be satisfied with temporary pleasure.
Just as God has a plan for me to be fascinated and exhilarated as I walk in agreement with Him, the enemy of God is serious about stealing this from me. If He can't keep me from choosing to set my heart to walk this out with worldly distractions, He then moves to plan B: hinder my steps as much as possible...hoping I will eventually turn around. David describes this in Psalm 40:
Psalm 40:11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. 12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me. 13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!
David gave the problem and the solution to the enemy's main line of attack against someone who has "set their heart" to walk in God's plan, but is still working out the reality of walking it out. The key is understanding the role of guilt in derailing my vision of everything God is calling me up to.
As I reach for more of God, I walk into more light. If God is the source of light, drawing near to Him results in more light hitting my eyes. The more light I walk in, the more I see. More of God's fascinating kingdom comes into view, but so does a more clear vision of my actual condition. More light results in me seeing more of the rebellion hiding in my own heart. That is why David said "my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up."
This awareness of darkness in my heart is glorious evidence of God's plan leading me into more light, but the enemy skillfully tries to turn my eyes inward.
Satan tries to use guilt to get us to disqualify ourselves. This is the opposite of the response God wants. David gives us the key...tender mercies!
If I will talk to God about what I see and tell HIM about the guilt I feel (rather than talk to myself about it), and remind myself to stand on the truth of God's tender mercy, loving kindness, and the truth of salvation...the truth that anything the light exposes in my life was already paid for by Jesus...then I completely short circuit the plan of the enemy to use guilt against me. It pleases the Lord to quickly deliver and help me each time I listen to His truth and respond. To rely on God's tender mercy and refuse to give guilt any voice in my heart is to agree with God! Then I am back on track to pour my whole life out on Jesus' feet, and gain everything in return!
Psalm 43: 2 For You are the God of my strength; Why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your tabernacle. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
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