God of the impossible

Life is filled with impossible situations.  Health, finances, relationships, family, jobs, and many others can be overwhelming to our human thinking.  Solutions can be hard to imagine and even harder to implement.  Many times, I limit my thinking and my doing to ideas that have "worked" in the past. 

At the end of the last school year, I started praying that God would teach me to "think outside the box".  Since then, I've become more and more aware that I am not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent.  In short, I am NOT GOD!  But, the more important revelation has been that God is not human.  He has NO LIMITATIONS!  He can see from the beginning to the end of time.  He is all powerful and all knowing!  He is everywhere at any given moment.

I've been dwelling on these truths from the Bible...
"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord.  "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine."  Isaiah 55:8

Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible.  But with God everything is possible."  Matthew 19:26

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.  Matthew 6:33

I realized that I have been putting God in a "human box", thinking that He has the same limitations that I have.  WRONG!  I've been seeking God more and getting lost in my own thoughts less.  He has answers to my impossible situations that I cannot even fathom!  If I would just listen to Him and be obedient, He will make possible what seems to be impossible! 

I am so grateful that God's ways are beyond anything that I can imagine!  And I am learning to live knowing that with God everything is possible!

a letter to my friends

My dear friends,

As you know, relationships are my thing.  Nothing brings more joy to my heart than spending quality time connecting with people.  God built that into the core of my being, and the devil hates it and tries to destroy my relationships by lying to me about myself.  I've been praying that I would know the truth and the truth would set me free.  (John 8:32)  One by one, God has been revealing lies that I have believed about myself, showing me the truth, and setting me free.

For most of my life, I've believed the lie that I am not good enough, especially in relationships.  Isn't that ridiculous?!  I've spent a lot of time trying to prove to people, but really myself, that I am worthy of their friendship.  There has been so much fear...of abandonment, loneliness, isolation, rejection.  And in an effort to avoid those things, I have isolated myself when I think I don't measure up.  Anything to avoid someone else confirming my fears.

I'm writing to you all to ask for your forgiveness.  Please forgive me for all of the ways that my insecurities and fears have adversely affected our relationships.  Please forgive me for isolating myself when I need you the most.  Please forgive me for being demanding and needy.  Please forgive me if I have hurt you.  Please forgive me if I wasn't there when you needed me.

My wise friend, Miranda, put things into perspective for me this week.  My paraphrase of her words...God created us with the need for relationship with Him and with each other.  If our focus is on Him and following Him, the relationships will fall into place. 

I know the truth and the Truth has set me free!  I pray that our friendships will be what God wants them to be...better than ever before!!!

Thank you for walking the road of life with me!  I am forever grateful! 

Dawn

be alert!

Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  1 Peter 5:8-9

I am tired.  My emotions and my thoughts run amuck when I am tired, and the devil takes advantage of me.  He knows that I am an easy target right now.  I am not alert to his deceptive schemes.  I have no self-control and no energy to take captive the crazy lies in my head that overwhelm me.  I can feel fear and anxiety rising inside, trying to shut me down.  The devil is doing his best to devour me while I appear to be defenseless.

 I AM able to resist him and stand firm in the faith!  Romans 8:11 says, "And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you."  I can do everything through Him who gives me strength!  (Philippians 4:13)  I cannot stand firm in the faith on my own.  I need Jesus!  I need the Holy Spirit!  I need to fill my mind with The Truth so there is no room in my head for lies!  And I need people around me who will love me, encourage me, and speak The Truth to me!

None of us can resist the devil and stand firm in our faith on our own.  We need each other.  And most of all, we need Jesus!  Be alert, my friends!  The devil wants to steal, kill, and destroy us.  Let's stand together and resist him!