Rebuilding is a Promise

I have been in a remodeling project. It’s not my kitchen, bathroom or any other place in my house. The remodeling I am undergoing is in a much more important living space–my heart and mind. Yes, friends, God is doing the work of remodeling and renovating my interior world…AGAIN.

I can look at the mess and think of the process as negative from start to finish. For the record, I am good at focusing on the mess, how about you? But, what would happen if we learned to focus on the promises of God rather than on the problems in front of us? Well, I am about to tell you what happens, and it’s not my experience alone, it has been documented for thousands of years in the Bible.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Isa 26:3

What is a steadfast mind? It is a mind that is fixed, firm and unchanging. It is a mind that is fixed on trusting God in the middle of every bad thing. And, the promise that is attached to this fixed mind is….PEACE! For the past several weeks I have been experiencing this peace. I can only explain it as a neutral place. My problems seem to have neutralized before my very eyes. Don’t get me wrong, they are still there, but the effect they have had on me is neutralized, or in other words, I have the peace of God in the middle of the remodel! I think I finally got so sick of the mess that I waved the white flag of surrender and began agreeing with God’s Word that He is sovereignly at work within my life..and I began praising Him for the promises. Every time a stab would come to my heart, I would stop and redirect my focus. Sometimes this meant apologizing to someone if I over-reacted in a circumstance out of hurt…but if quickly redirected the peace comes flooding back. I have not felt this good in years. And, believe me, it’s not because of my circumstances! Yet, peace is at home in me as long as I am fixed on God’s rule in my life.

PEACE…it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

I am quite skilled at getting myself trapped under the rubble of a real-life construction zone. I get pinned down by the weight of my circumstance and can barely breathe. Like most, I just figured as long as I still love Jesus, then he understands and this is about the best I can do. The trouble is, while pinned down under my problems, I am no longer free to move about and do my Father’s business. Instead I am gasping for breath and just trying to survive until help comes to take the load off of me…or simply put…I wait for the problem to end, THEN, I once again go about my Father’s business. Though natural to me, it is backwards scripturally.

I am going to be blogging about living within the promises for awhile. So let’s start today.

Jesus said, ” Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:2

Are you being cut, pruned, hurt by a circumstance? Well you can gripe and complain endlessly because the cutting really does hurt…OR…you can hang on to the promise that you will be EVEN MORE FRUITFUL! You can also receive the compliment that you were already bearing good fruit and that is why the God who loves you is allowing you to once again be pruned. He knows that in order to get more he has to take from us all that could be holding the production of more and better fruit back. Taking away hurts. We take it personal. We live under it rather than choosing to live under the promises of God’s Ways, which in the end takes us up and over our problems…creating peace, neutralization of the problem, inner safety, hope and yes….JOY.

Here are some promises to live under today:

• You will be even more fruitful when God is finished with this season in your life John 15:2
• The Holy Spirit lives inside you today, working in you always John 14:17
• The Father has made a home inside of you, respect His presence by trusting Him John 14:23
• The Holy Spirit will teach you all things during this process, listen up. John 14:25
• The Spirit of Truth is your counselor. Bare your soul and be healed. John 14:15
• God chose you, appointing you to bear fruit, this is his plan John 15:16
• In order to bear good fruit, you must be pruned from time to time John 15:2

It’s all good, because God is good.

Now, what is being cut away at in your life? Are you in a crummy circumstance? Could God be trying to get to the interior of you to do some healing, changing, pruning? Ask the Holy Spirit, who was given to us to lead us into all truth and counsel us in all things, to begin making the way clear for you, so that you can quickly submit to God the area He is working in. Don’t be afraid. You have a Good Shepherd.

Psa 23… The Lord is My Shepherd! He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul.

He loves you and he is leading you and restoring you. I believe this for me too.

Let’s believe together and become steadfast minds that God can use for his Glory and Purpose.

Trusting,

Debbie