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Confidence

John 14:27 (AMP) Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.] 

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning I take a class at the gym called Body Pump. I stand towards the front of the class, because that is where a fan is. So that means quite of bit of the class are behind me and can see me in the mirror. I like the mirror, because I can check my form while I am exercising. We are often afraid of mirrors because we do not like certain parts of ourselves. Mirrors are needed. They help us keep the correct form, so that we do not cause an injury.

James 1:23-25 (AMP) For if anyone only listens to the word without obeying it, he is like a man who looks very carefully at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he immediately forgets what he looked like. But he who looks carefully into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and faithfully abides by it, not having become a [careless] listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he will be blessed and favored by God in what he does [in his life of obedience].

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (AMP) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

Comparison is very crippling in the body of Christ. The mirror I am looking into is not to see a reflection of anyone else, other than Christ in my life. I should be an encouragement for others to continue, not a hinderance to stall growth in their life. Authenticity and real change are what people are wanting to hope in. Peace and stability in Christ are real. Being rooted and grounded in the love of Christ is possible.

A lady stopped me yesterday as I was putting away my equipment. She said, “I admire your confidence.” She told me she had been watching me and that she admired how confident I am in this class. In this class, I am the big girl. I will not be the small girl; there will not be a huge transformation about from big to small. Very little is known about lipedema, other than there is no cure. That is not why I go to the gym. I go so that I can be healthy. Mobility is health. Skinny does not mean healthy. We all grow older. What matters is that we do not quit because we do not see a change. Others see the consistency.

We are called into the body of Christ. What happens when we think that it does not matter if we show up on Sunday? Who are we really thinking of? I love my gym community. We watch out for each other and look for each other. That is called being the church. It is through the obedience of the Word in my every day that He reveals Himself more to me. I have to get outside of myself. When we think we do not matter, it is because we are still rooted in self. There is no peace in self-reliance.

John 14:21 (AMP) The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].

John 15:12 (AMP) This is My commandment, that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you.

I ask that of myself daily. I pray for opportunities daily to show others His grace, mercy and love. I also have not attachment as to whether I receive it back from them or not. That is called keeping score, and love keeps no account of suffered wrongs. Jesus never looked to received back; He continually gave. How does He show me that He loves me? In the moments that I do not expect it. From the stranger that told me they see the confidence in me. That confidence does not come natural to me. It is from a surrendered life that confidence came. It was where being rooted and grounded in the love of Christ came from. It is where my peace is found. I grieve for those who look for it any other place than in Him. I hear the resentment in their voices. I hear the lack of love for others when they speak of what others were willing to do for them, yet they will not do something small for someone else. Yet I continue to serve, not that they deserve it, but because I love Jesus.

Peace is so important, that He said He would leave it with us. Peace brings courage. Peace brings confidence. Peace opens the door to wholeness. Worry is an enemy of peace. Depression is not resting in peace. Afraid of being uprooted from what you think is safe is not peace. Peace comes because we are confident in who Christ is in our lives. Others should see that confidence. Jesus will not turn away from confidence (Matthew 15:28).

Abba, Father, our Banner, You are Mighty and Wonderful. You Name is Holy. Thank You for Your Son, that we may have Peace. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, that we may know Comfort and Confidence. We repent for the times we made our days about just us. We repent that we approach Your church the same way. We love You. Jesus said that if we loved Him that we would obey His commandment. We are sorry that we have fallen short in seeking the best for others. We repent for keeping score and only serving those that we thought deserved it or would return it. We did not deserve the Love You so freely gave when you sent Your Son. Let us look for the best in each other. Let us no longer keep accounts. Let us love like You love. We choose forgiveness today. We choose joy today. We choose hope today. We stand in Your Perfect Peace today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Rock Steady

Isaiah 26:3-4 (AMP) “You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]. Trust [confidently] in the Lord forever [He is your fortress, your shield, your banner], for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].”

Every Tuesday we have corporate prayer at our church. We have four ladies who faithfully attend (including myself), and occasionally we will have someone else or a few more show up. The week before I was asked by my team to pray loud enough so they could come in agreement with me. Talk about getting out of your comfort zone. We pray for an hour. I spend the very first part in worship to God and end in worship to Him as well. Why? Jesus told us to.

Matthew 6: 9-13 (AMP) “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment]. ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’

Prayer is a conversation we have with God. So why did Jesus tell us to acknowledge Him as Holy? You might have heard, “We are suppose to talk to Him as if He is my friend. I do not talk to my friends like that.” Your friends are not God. He calls us friend when we obey Him, not because we show up (John 15:14). Remember God’s ways are not our ways. We still have to honor Him.

Jesus modeled prayer like this so that we would not go in with the expectation that our self-centered prayers is all He needs to hear from us. If we keep our minds on Him throughout, anxiety passes, the need for getting our way passes and we can focus on those areas of His Kingdom expansion. He says He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalms 37:4). My life center should be Him (Matthew 6:21).

I have two handsome sons and a hunk of a husband. I love them dearly. I love spending time with them. Our home is filled with laughter. They cannot be my life center. If they were, our home would not be as joyful as it is. I whole-heartedly believe the Word. My joy is not from those who surround me, but the God who is within me. A life of daily worship and surrender to the Father is my joy and peace source. Do I have anxious thoughts? Yes. What happens when I do? I turn my focus on Him. I do not have to have my Bible out all day to focus on Him, but I do need to know His character and nature (which is found in His Word).

Deuteronomy 32:4 (AMP) “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness without iniquity (injustice), just and upright is He.”

Do not just say He is your Rock then go out into the world systems and measure your happiness/success based on their standards. My name does not need to be made known to anyone other than Him. When my thoughts wonder onto where our church will be and who will be there in the next year, I have to get back to thinking on Him (Matthew 6: 25-34). Do not compromise His Word or His precepts. Think on Him and all your thoughts will be what is confirmed by His Word (Philippians 4:8). Peace is your promise with this. Not just a little peace either, CONSTANT peace!! When I surrender my peace and focus on myself, someone else or circumstances that will not matter in the eternal, I have to put my focus back on Him and line it back up with the Perfect Peace.

Father, You are our Creator, our Rock and our Peace. You are the One who puts the breath in our lungs. We want to honor You today. We want to see Your will be done today. Thank You for sending Your Son so that we can be reconciled to You. In Your Son we received Your Love. We are rooted and grounded in Christ. Let us seek ways to bring glory to Your Name. Let us see Your created the way You do. Let us love Your created the way You do. Let us find creative ways to seek the best for others. Forgive us for not putting You first place in all areas. We thank You for Your grace and mercy as we turn our hearts back to You. We repent for harboring unforgiveness as a sign of mistrust in your justice. We want to align our thoughts with Your thoughts. Renew our minds with Your Word today. Thank You Holy Spirit for teaching us the things we may not have known to walk in His goodness. We choose hope today. In Jesus Name, Amen.