Our True Convictions Are Exposed

CONFESSION:
Good morning, my friend!  Good morning, Father!

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” - Hebrews 11:6

Lord, Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.  You are unchanging, but our level of faith, and what we truly believe, can be all over the map.  It’s the middle of the night and this thought refuses to leave me.  It’s the thought that our deepest convictions about what we believe about You are revealed in our choices and how we treat one another.

When we are mistreated and we respond in kind, we are declaring our belief that You will not defend us, and we must avenge ourselves.  When we are stressed and reach for food, alcohol or some other drug, we are saying that we do not believe that You will comfort us, so we must comfort ourselves.  When finances are tight and we are tempted to cheat on our taxes, we are revealing that we don’t trust that You will provide for our needs.  When we spend money we don’t have to buy things we can’t afford, we declare that we do not believe that You can help us to find happiness or contentment without it, or that You might bless us with something beyond our financial ability to afford.  When we are unhappy with our current situation and manipulate to get our way, we are saying that we think we know better than You do, and either You are negligent, lacking in compassion or less loving than we are, or that You are incapable of changing our circumstances or our perception of them.  And when we work seven days without honoring You by taking a Sabbath rest, we are saying that we can’t trust You to help us to get things done in less time.

The examples are endless, but I am coming to the realization, rather late in life, that other than natural disasters, accidents and unexpected occurrences, just about everything else that is a mess in our lives comes down to faulty beliefs, (held by we ourselves, someone else, or both).  The faulty beliefs are about You, Your power, Your goodness or faithfulness.  This is all just one step deeper in thinking about my choices and behaviors than I have been willing to entertain before.  Until now I have just looked at the surface seeing that, “I want... I must... I feel...”  Only now am I looking deeper as to the underlying beliefs that provide the framework for those thoughts and feelings, that lead to actions.


Father, I lift my friend.  I pray for us both.  Reveal to us our faulty and warped beliefs about:  who You are, Your goodness, power, faithfulness, justice, generosity, creativity, patience, compassion, wisdom, kindness, forgiveness and love.  Expose the underlying, broken framework of our beliefs that keeps us stuck, hopeless, discontented and self medicating.  Through the Word, our quiet times, conversations, nature and circumstances, shine Your light of truth.  Tear down our false beliefs.  Take us down to the bedrock.  Then rebuild our framework of belief, starting at the Cornerstone of truth.  How much different our world and our very lives would be, if we believed and knew You as You truly are, Lord.  Give us a revelation, Father.  When we see You as You truly are, so many of our pleading prayers will simply fall away and be replaced by praise, as we realize that we can rest in You.  Father, we believe.  We want to believe.  Help our unbelief.  And in the process, help us to change our choices and our treatment of one another.  In Jesus Name ❤️

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unshakeable Hope

Image
  UNSHAKEABLE HOPE By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” - Psalms ‭139:23  ‬NIV As the times we are in are heating up, our eyes search for HOPE and comfort.  We look longingly over our shoulder at the “Good Old Days”—simpler times, old relationships and habits—people and things that, in the past, brought momentary relief.  But, more often than not, we find that the fleeting well of comfort found there has since dried up. ‬ We have not been abandoned to fend for ourselves, however. God, Himself, will be our refuge!‬ When everything else is shaking, we have been given a glorious hope.  God is immovable, and when we put our trust in Him, so are we!  ‬ “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.” – Psalm 125:1-2 NIV Beloved, let’s not until the worl...
Read more

Kissing Boo-Boos

Image
  KISSING BOO-BOOS By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly Oh, the miracle of a kiss on a boo-boo!  I remember being little and getting a cut on my finger.  I’d raise that chubby finger and go running to my mom.  She always knew what to do.  She would gently clean it, put on a bandaid and give it a kiss.  We weren’t done until my hurt had been kissed.  There was magic in that application of compassion and love.  It made the pain go away. We have all seen that toddler with a boo-boo.  They run to their mom or dad to clean it, put on a bandaid and give it a kiss.  If the wound isn’t treated, the tiny nick can continue to hurt and bleed. Each time it is touched or bumped they are reminded of the pain.  And an untreated wound can become infected and grow. There are people all around us with unkissed boo-boos today.  They are hurt, afraid or sad.  They go through life fearful of being hurt again, and looking for someone they can t...
Read more

The Secret of The Birds

Image
 THE SECRET OF THE BIRDS By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “Praise the Lord from the earth, Sea monsters and all deep sea creatures; Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and winged birds.” - Psalm 148:7, 10.   Morning has broken and the choir of birds outside my window is singing their hearts out.  Birds may not be considered to be intelligent, yet their response to God in hardship could teach us a few things.  We humans grumble to God about so much, but the birds praise their creator in severe heat and bitter cold.  They may have nests and the shade of trees, but they don’t have the many comforts we enjoy, yet they praise Him.  They know a secret:  God is enthroned upon our praises.  When our hearts are full of worship, He takes His rightful place and brings with Him joy and peace. Let’s take a lesson from the birds.  Their trust in their maker to provide for their needs, even in the face of harsh seasons, calls out to our faith.  It ...
Read more