"The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart
by the one who knows what you could be and fears it."
- John Eldredge
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
Jesus of Nazareth (John 10:10)
I am feeling the need to apologize for the movie clip that I have added for this journal entry. It is rather dark and disturbing, yet I feel it is necessary. My flesh does not want to disrupt or disturb any one's day with such a dark illustration, but my heart whispers, its worth the risk.
So far my journey, my testimony has been has been filled with it's fair share of loss.. and I'm positive yours has been as well. No one in their right mind would choose to read my posts unless they needed a friend to walk with along their own journey of loss. What I hear Christ calling me to do at this point of my journey is to look up from loss to hope. I made Him a promise to tell my testimony of hope, even if there is not one yet visible to the naked eye.
"They won the victory over him because of the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. They didn't love their life so much that they refused to give it up."
- Revelation 12:11
I believe there is a battle that is unseen to most of us. And the way we win the battle is sharing our testimony, our story of God's Glory in our life. Your testimony will most likely be one of how you battled for your very own heart. When you were born, you were born as a sinner into a sinful world. One question you may have is, " If God made me, then why and how can I be a sinner at birth? For the bible tells us
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."
I believe there is a battle that is unseen to most of us. And the way we win the battle is sharing our testimony, our story of God's Glory in our life. Your testimony will most likely be one of how you battled for your very own heart. When you were born, you were born as a sinner into a sinful world. One question you may have is, " If God made me, then why and how can I be a sinner at birth? For the bible tells us
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."
Psalm 139:13
Yes, He created us, knit us together in our mothers womb. He deposited with in us a destiny, a glory, a story that is up to each of us to uncover, to find and live out while here on this earth. This treasure is found in our hearts. We only become aware of this when we are born for the second time.. not a physical birth.. our spiritual birth.
"For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives."
- Romans 6:4
Most of my life I believed my heart was bad, not to be trusted. Yet the Bible tells us that when we come to Christ and accept Him as our Lord and savior He gives a new heart that we must guard because it determines the course of our life.
"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."
-Proverbs 4:23
My heart is hard to listen to at times. It yearns for more love, more life and both more abundantly. When I hear it call out for these desires, I get frustrated because I just don't believe I can have more. The multiple attacks by the enemy in this past season led me to believe this lie. He tried to cover my new heart of flesh with shame and hopelessness. He tried to get me to agree with him.. that my life is about loss and enduring. Not true.. Big lie.. and I finally had enough. It was time to return from the wilderness. To tell a story of what it is like to be tempted to loose heart, but because of Gods presence in my life, it was impossible for the enemy to win. My heart of stone may have led me to the wilderness again, but while I was there I discovered God's heart of flesh was real and worth fighting for.
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" - Ezekiel 36:26
So, I want to challenge you all today. Do you see the battle in your own life over your heart? Are you discouraged? Do you believe your heart is good and worth fighting for? Set aside some time to ask God about your discouraged heart.. let Him reveal to you the rare beauty within your heart. It is in this place that you will begin to see an end to the darkness.
Take in this truth as you talk with God today..
"We have been made alive in Christ. Just as we received our sinful nature from Adam, we receive our good and Holy nature from Christ. It has always been God's plan not just to forgive you, but RESTORE you."
