If only I could speak eloquently the description of His Sovereignty.  Or if I could lift my hands  in worship and see the myriads of angels worshiping with us.  How can we possibly express the depth of His love when we ourselves have only scratched the surface? The grandness of His power is undeniable.  His word cuts deeply until truth is found.  Yes, He is love!  He is full of grace!  He desired you far before He ever crossed your mind.   It’s serious.  He means business.  He is jealous for you!

I believe one of the problems that we face as a church is we misinterpret His anger.  We feel deep condemnation and helplessness. His anger will convict not condemn.  If you believe there is no way out, that is not God.  With His discipline comes conviction as well as an answer, a better way, and ultimately walking in the truth.  What happens to a person who gives up?  They retreat and step back instead of pressing in.  And who could blame them?  If you have been led to believe God is always angry with you, your mindset will be one of shame and hopelessness.

What if…what if we allow ourselves to release the lies we have believed for so many years?  What if we pressed into God instead of avoiding Him out of fear?  How is this even possible?  We live in a society that constantly bombards us with suggestive advertisements.  Sometimes we are not cognitively aware that we are being bamboozled. We see it so often, we do not even question the source.  I majored in sociology/psychology and I read numerous articles with differing opinions.  I learned one of the first things you do is consider the source.  For example, if you chose to do a poll at an anti-gun rally, and you concluded 97% of the 100 “random” people you polled wanted stricter gun laws, your conclusion is inaccurate.  It’s accurate if you preface it by explaining  you chose to poll at an anti gun rally.  But, outside of that, your findings are false and biased.  Most of the polls we see are completely inaccurate, but we take them as gospel.

It’s the same with our mind, body and spirit.  Think about it…what are you watching?  Whatever you choose to view will become a belief of your own whether you know it or not.  Every time a commercial comes on for ice cream, I suddenly need ice-cream immediately.  What do I do? I call my husband and tell him I NEED ice cream stat!  It’s all I can think about until I get that ice-cream! We are very vulnerable to suggestive advertisements, smooth speeches, and the group mentality.   What or who are you listening to?  Who are the people making the greatest impact in your life?  I guarantee if you name them, you will see pieces of them in your core belief system.  What we see and what we listen to have the power to mold our perspective.  It’s not always instantly but most likely over a period of time.  If you surround yourself with negative people, you will find yourself to be more negative.

I cannot stress enough the importance of filtering these messages that bombard us everywhere we look.   Much of the time they strike fear within our soul.  And these suggestions are loud and constant.  When is the last time you sat by yourself alone in silence?  Not glancing on Facebook or Instagram, but quietly alone with yourself.  I am not sure where we lost the practice of silence and being alone to collect our thoughts, but it’s to our own detriment we cannot be comfortable being alone in silence.

I write this to merely encourage you.  I have been focussing on the mind, body and spirit connection.  And I am constantly reminded that EVERYTHING flows from our spirit.  It’s where we are meant to find our identity, but all too often we allow the soul to make those decisions.  The soul was never meant for that purpose.  Your soul has all kinds of emotions.  It’s where your emotions dwell.  If we base our beliefs on how we feel, we will  be as waves tossed to and fro, never finding solid ground.  When your identity dwells within your spirit, the same space the Holy Spirit resides, your foundation will be strong.    You won’t be confused and lost all the time.  Instead from your spirit, life will come forth.  You will be able to control your emotions better because your identity and core being resides in your spirit.

It’s a truly beautiful example of how God orchestrated the complexities of our bodies.  He didn’t create us to walk around defeated.  He created us for a purpose, for Himself, and His desire is that we choose to find our identity in Him.  By doing so, no matter what comes our way, we are anchored to the source of our strength.  And on those long difficult days, He is sweeter than a cool breeze on a summer day. He will give you everything you need to face whatever battle you are in.  But, we must find a way to incorporate silence, alone time, and focus on the One who created us and loves us unconditionally.  May your spirit be strong so that your soul can find rest.

“Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues?  Fix my eyes on God-soon I’ll be praising Him again.  He puts a smile on my face.  He’s my God.”  Psalms 42:11