• Giving God Glory by seeking His heart

A Seeking Heart

~ Hearing God's Voice in the Chaos.

A Seeking Heart

Tag Archives: encouragement for the brokenhearted

All Things Are Possible

02 Friday Nov 2018

Posted by Melissa G in Christian Growth, Encouragement

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

all things are possible, being sure of God's faithfulness, believing God, Can I belive God, casting the net, encouragement for the brokenhearted, encouragement for the weary, faith, God is able, God is for me, God is for you, God is limitless, how to stay encouraged, Is God worth believing, our limitless God, trust

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26

How can this be? Is this for real? I mean, I’m looking at what’s in front of me, I know what God has promised, but how in the world is it going to happen? Jesus said it, but did He really mean all things?

I’m reminded of Joseph in the book of Genesis. Remember that poor guy? His brothers hated him so much they sold him into slavery, lied to their father about what happened to him and he ended up in Egypt. He did pretty well for himself until a false accusation landed him in prison. Then, after several years, Joseph went from prisoner to vice-pharaoh. Overnight! How?

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26

I’m reminded of the Israelites building the Tabernacle. They were instructed to use certain materials in certain ways with precise specifications. Once they completed it, God’s glory came and dwelled with them. They went from God speaking to them through a prophet to God dwelling in the same enclosure. In the blink of an eye! How?

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26

I’m reminded of a little boy with a sack lunch. It contained 2 loaves and 5 fish. Jesus blessed it, broke it, and turned it into a meal for thousands of people…and there were leftovers. How?

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26

I’m reminded of some disciples who had toiled all night trying to catch fish to provide for their families. They had thrown the net over and over and over and caught nothing. Jesus told them to cast their nets one more time and they caught so many fish they had to call partners in to help them because the catch was so great. After one more throw of the net. How?

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26

That’s all it takes with our God…one night, one blink of an eye, one offering of all He’s provided, one more throw of the net. How?

Our God is limitless.

Our God is for us.

Our God is the God who takes the impossible and makes it possible. 

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26

Rest in that today.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

*image by Amazon.com

Advertisement

Staying Hydrated

23 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by Melissa G in Encouragement

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

am I important, does God care about me, does God love me, does God provide, don't give up, encouragement, encouragement for the brokenhearted, encouragement for the weary, encouragement for the weary soul, encouragement to keep hanging on, how do I keep going, how to deal with stress, how to keep going, how to keep trusting God when things seem hopeless, how to receive truth, hydration for the dehydrated soul, our faithful God, our God is worth it, our Great Physician, our loving God, positive words, weary in well doing, what to do when you are too tired to move, why am I so tired, you are important

dehydrated athlete image.jpg

Water… we all need it. Some of us hate that fact and some of us are okay with it, but all of us know that we must have water to quench our thirst.

Over the course of my life my feelings have changed regarding water. When I was little, I would drink it, but I really preferred other things. When I was a little older, because I could get my own drink, water was seldom on the menu. After a few years, water became a necessary evil. I knew I had to drink it, but, “yuck”, I really didn’t like it. I simply thought I was a person who would never care for water. Today, I GUZZLE water. I love it. I can’t imagine not wanting water! My relationship with water has definitely changed.

Even though I now love water, there are still days when I go too long without a drink. When that happens, I must sip water for a while or it’s too much for my system. If I were to guzzle water at that point, it would do more harm than good. It would cause my body to release even more hydration and I would keep getting weaker. Of course, we know this would cause dehydration.

We’ve seen athletes get dehydrated over the years. We’ve even seen some athletes become so dehydrated they collapse. Their medical staff doesn’t run over and pour water down their throat. No, they gently see to their needs and give them sips of hydration. Sometimes an I.V. is required, and once again the needed liquid has a slow release into the body. This is the only way the athlete can get better. A slow release is much better at that point than a waterfall. A gentle drink is better than guzzling. Their body is craving hydration, but it must be taken in slowly.

Sometimes, this is what our Great Physician must do with us. We are so spiritually dehydrated that we collapse. He lays us back in His arms, as we see medical staff do with dehydrated athletes, and He allows us to sip at His wellspring of life drop by drop and sip by sip. The spiritual athlete in us is craving hydration, but we have been too long without replenishment. Guzzling is out. Sipping is in. This way, when the time is right and when we are rehydrated with His wellspring of life, we are able to keep running our race that He has set before us. At times, we’ve had to stop and lay on the side of the road because we have forgotten that we need to run in His strength, with His hydration and not our own.

Oftentimes, when I am in a dehydrated place I want to hurry and get the nourishment I need and keep running. I just want a quick fix, but this is where the trust comes in. God knows that I need more than a quick fix. He knows if I begin running again too soon, the collapse, the spiritual dehydration, will happen once again. I need to trust and lie back in the arms of my Savior. I need to be open to His nourishment in the time He knows my system can handle it.  In His arms is the most hydrating place on the planet and this is where I should have been all along. I should have been running the race with His Living Water running through my veins.

Think about a child who has been sick all night. When dehydration sets in, we are told to place an ice chip in the side of their mouth. We wait a little while to make sure their system can tolerate the moisture and then place another, but only if their little body is able to absorb it.

That’s our God. He places a truth in our mouth and waits for us to absorb it. He gives us a gentle sip that our system can handle. The well of God is too deep for us in the moment. We can’t guzzle it yet. We are too dehydrated and are now finally willing to sit and sip. He places truths in us slowly to absorb like ice chips. Truths like…

“I’m here.”

“I’m always good.”

“I see you.”

“Forgive.”

“I am your strength.”

“I love them even more than you do.”

“I love you.”

“I am your Healer.”

“Talk to Me.”

“You are NEVER alone.”

“Trust Me. I’ve got you.”

“I am for you.”

“I AM…”

Whatever truth we need, He places it gently into the side of our mouth and helps us to absorb it into the core of our being. We are so thirsty and we want to guzzle the truths of His Word, but He knows a truth absorbed deep into the heart is worth a thousand truths resting unused in the mind.

At times like these, I sometimes look around and see so many others guzzling truth after truth and I want to quote verses to Him like Psalm 81:10, “…Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” God’s response to me is, “Not this time. Be still and learn. Rest in Me. Sip. Absorb. Sip a little more. Rest in My arms.”

Some truths must be sipped. God uses these times of spiritual emptiness to place His truth into our very bones. Some lessons can only be taught when all other voices are gone, when you are so dependent on His next drop of moisture that your senses are only alert to Him, to His voice and to His rain.

Dehydration is never good, but God uses this place as He uses all things for the greater good (Romans 8:28). He takes these times of need and places us in His arms to take the burdens that we would otherwise never give up. He looks at us drenched in sweat and dehydrated to the core and says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me…you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light,” Matthew 11:28-30.

When the truth He is teaching enters our body and has truly been absorbed, our Great Physician will allow us to start running once again. We are rehydrated, but still weak. He will look us in the eye and keep placing replenishing truth deep into our souls, one drop at a time. That’s our God. That’s our sweet Savior. He’s always teaching and always giving us the hydration we need. Just like Psalm 16:11 says, He reveals the path of life to us.

As we make our way on the road once again fully hydrated and fully restored, we have His voice still in our ear, “I am here. I am good. I am your Healer. I am your Great Restorer. I love you…” Whatever lesson we were taught is in the very core of our being maturing and bearing fruit. We were so empty and the truth we needed to learn was too deep to do anything but sip, but sip we did. Restored we are. Running once again with His hydration filling every pore with the full knowledge that our Savior restores, redeems and refreshes all who are willing to lie in His arms and trust.

If it’s your time to sip, rest in the fact that God is faithfully holding you, teaching you and restoring you. He will NEVER leave you or forsake you (Hebrew 13:5), and remember some truths are just too important to gulp. So be still and sip in the arms of your Savior.

Seeking Hearts Ministries            My Story

*image by Mark’s Daily Apple

 

 

The God Who Does Not Fail

06 Friday Jul 2018

Posted by Melissa G in Encouragement, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

can God be trusted, Can I trust God, clinging to hope, does God change, encouragement, encouragement for the brokenhearted, encouragement for the weary, feeling discouraged, focus, god never fails, having the right perspective, hope, hope for the hurting, how to have peace, i feel like I'm in a dark place, Is God faithful, is trusting God worth it, keeping the right perspective, our amazing God, our loving God, our never failing God, perfect peace, what to do when you are struggling, when you feel darkness surround you

Lady with Bible in field - image.jpg

In a hymn by William Fullerton we see these words:

“I cannot tell how silently He suffered, as with His peace He graced the place of tears, or how His heart upon the cross was broken, the crown of pain to three and thirty years. BUT THIS I KNOW, He heals the broken hearted, and stays our sin, and calms our lurking fear, and lifts the burden from the heavy laden, for yet the Savior, Savior of the world is here.”

This beautiful hymn reminded me that even if life is intense and confusing, even if things around me are murky and unclear, there are many things that I do know. Many things that I can still trust. Many things to be encouraged by. Here are just a few:

God is love.

1 John 4:16 – “And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.”

Jeremiah 31:3 – “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.”

God is good.

Psalm 136:1 – “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love is eternal.”

God is light. No darkness dwells in Him.

I John 1:5 – “Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.”

God is my protection.

Psalm 36:7 – “God, Your faithful love is so valuable that people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.”

God is my sanctuary.

Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

Psalm 71:3 – “Be a rock of refuge for me, where I can always go. Give the command to save me, for You are my rock and fortress.”

God is my portion.

Psalm 16:5 – “LORD, You are my portion and my cup ⌊of blessing⌋; You hold my future.”

Psalm 119:57 – “The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words.”

God is faithful.

Psalm 36:5 – “LORD, Your faithful love ⌊reaches⌋ to heaven, Your faithfulness to the clouds.”

Deuteronomy 7:9 – “Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.”

God is present.

Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

God is glorious and righteous.

Psalm 97:6 – “The heavens proclaim His righteousness; all the peoples see His glory.”

God is sovereign.

Psalm 138:8 – “The LORD will fulfill ⌊His purpose⌋ for me. LORD, Your love is eternal; do not abandon the work of Your hands.”

God is kind.

Romans 2:4 – “Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

God is peace.

John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.”

John 16:33 – “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

Philippians 4:9 – “Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”

God is Healer.

Psalm 103:3 – “He forgives all your sin; He heals all your diseases.”

Luke 6:17-19 –“After coming down with them, He stood on a level place with a large crowd of His disciples and a great number of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. They came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those tormented by unclean spirits were made well. The whole crowd was trying to touch Him, because power was coming out from Him and healing them all.”

God is trustworthy.

Romans 4:20, 21 –  “He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God because he was fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

God is incomparable.

Psalm 40:5 – “LORD my God, You have done many things— Your wonderful works and Your plans for us; none can compare with You. If I were to report and speak ⌊of them⌋, they are more than can be told.”

God is greater.

1 John 4:4 – “You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

God is FOR me.

Psalm 56:9 – “Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call. This I know: God is for me.”

God is worth it.

2 Samuel 22:4 – “I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I was saved from my enemies.”

Revelation 4:11 – “Our Lord and God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because You have created all things, and because of Your will they exist and were created.”

So, be encouraged. Even when life is bombarding you with situations out of your control and you are struggling to keep your head afloat, cling to what you know. Cling to the God you know. He will not fail.

Fullerton went on to write in his hymn:“I cannot tell how He will win the nations, how He will claim His earthly heritage, how satisfy the needs and aspirations of East and West, of sinner and of sage, BUT THIS I KNOW, all flesh shall see His glory, and He shall reap the harvest He has sown, and some glad day His sun will shine in splendor when He the Savior, Savior of the world is known.”

Trust that today. Trust what you know. Trust in the One you know. God has never failed anyone throughout all eternity and He will not fail you!

Seeking Hearts Ministries      My Story

Staying Broken

31 Thursday May 2018

Posted by Melissa G in Christian Growth

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

all things for good, broken people, brokenness, can all things really be for my good, dealing with pride, do christians need to be broken, do i have to be broken, do i need to be broken, encouragement, encouragement for the brokenhearted, encouragement for the weary, false pride, having it all together, help me I'm broken, how to look like a good christian, how to put yourself back together, how to recognize god's work in my life, how to shine God's light, I can't see God in this, wanting to have it all together, what does brokenness look like

In Watchman Nee’s book “The Breaking of the Outer Man and the Release of the Spirit”, he expresses that in order for Christ to flow freely out of us and into the world around us, we must be broken vessels. He gives example after example of life being released only once a vessel has been broken.

One example Nee uses is a seed. In John 12:24, Jesus says, “Unless the grain of wheat falls in to the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” He explains that it’s not a matter of whether the grain has life, but whether the outer shell is broken. How does this happen? Through temperature, rain, and the earth itself. All come together to break the shell of the seed, so the life of the grain can be exposed and grow.

Another example Nee uses is the alabaster flask in John 12. Unless the flask had been broken, the pure oil would not have been released. Without the breaking, the precious ointment would have still been inside. The value wouldn’t have been released without the breaking of the outer shell.

As I was contemplating this first chapter, trying to absorb new truths, I remembered that Nee asked, “What if the broken places in our lives, the very wounds that we try to keep covered, what if those are the very places Christ can shine through?”

Wait a minute. You mean all those injuries, all those hurts, all those cracks in this hard shell are supposed to stay open? You mean I don’t have to “pick myself up and dust myself off”? You mean as I lay broken in complete surrender at the foot of the Cross, that’s when people see God in me? It’s not about “having it all together”, but really about falling apart?

Wow. Just wow.

I’ve always thought that putting my broken pieces back together made me a “good Christian”, a stronger Christian, when in reality that was defeating the purpose. When I cement the pieces that God has broken away from me back with self-recrimination, doubts, discouragement, self-judgment, or whatever adhesive I’m using that day, all I’m doing is removing the places that the light of God can shine through. Then, He has to get His chisel out once again.

When I realize all the wounds, the hurts, the disappointments that have become broken places in my life are for God to shine through, then it’s all worth it. Why would I try to put pieces back together that have always been meant to be exposed? How can I be the light of the world if I’m not willing to let Him shine through my broken places?

I’ll admit, this is completely foreign territory for me. I’m really into “having it all together”. Believe me. But, I’m more into what God wants me to be, and this feels right. This concept of staying broken before Him makes sense. It’s about absolute surrender. It’s about being the branch and depending on our Vine. It’s about being the light in a dark world. If I have a hard shell, that doesn’t happen. If my alabaster flask stays closed, His life-giving ointment cannot flow onto others. I’m not talking about staying a victim. That’s unhealthy. What I am talking about is allowing God’s hand to remove the dry, crusty shell of a girl who has places in her life that are hard as a rock. Nee says that we can’t speed up the process, but we can extend it. I have definitely seen this in my own life.

So, my prayer has changed quite a bit over the last few weeks. Instead of praying for ways to “get it together”, I’m praying for the places that need to be broken to be removed in His time and in His way. I’m praying for the continued willingness to let the pieces fall where He wants them to fall, and allow them to stay that way in order for His presence to shine through me.

Let’s be broken together so that all people see is His light shining through.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

*image by prayers4america

 

Getting Mud Between My Toes

18 Friday Nov 2016

Posted by Melissa G in Encouragement, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

a messy life, being hurt in church, christian journey, dealing with vain tradition, disappointments in church, encouragement, encouragement for the brokenhearted, getting dirty, getting messy in life, God's truth, how can I get past the hurt, I need encouragement, man's opinion, religion, tradition, tradition of men, truth, vain tradition, when life gets messy

muddy-feet-image

 

Song of Solomon 5:3-5 says, “I have taken off my dress. How can I put it on again? I have washed my feet. How can I dirty them again? My Beloved extended His hand through the opening, and my feelings were aroused for Him. I arose to open to my Beloved…”

Lately, I’ve been pretty discouraged with what I will call the “established” church. Not the doctrine, but the implementation of that doctrine through tradition and opinion. I’ve really questioned my place in ministry on a local level and I’ve been anxious about God calling me to another area of service before I’m “ready”…whatever that means. (Imagine the kid on the team who doesn’t think he’s ready to play, white knuckling the bench every time the coach needs another player, cringing in case he hears his name called? Yep, that’s been me.)

As I was reading through Song of Solomon, I came across this beautiful passage in chapter 5 and realized that even though I feel as if I have washed my feet and taken off the old garments and do not want to get dirtied up again, when my Beloved reaches for me, I’ll be ready. Why? Because my feelings for Him will once again allow me to willingly say, “Yes” to whatever He has for me. I won’t be excited because of the assignment. I will be ecstatic because I get to run away with my Beloved. So what if I get a little dirt on my clothes and feel mud oozing through my toes? So what if life gets messy once again? As long as my Beloved is guiding me, as long as I am open to His guidance, it will always be worth it. I’m finally remembering that it’s always better to be a little dirty with Jesus than sitting in a room scared that I’ll ruin my shoes.

Life is messy. Ministry is messy. Family life is messy. You name it and it’s messy, but God has called us to minister, to love and to bless others, not to stay in the chamber of our life too scared of a little dirt to follow Him when He reaches for us.

Right now, God has me in a place of encouragement and excitement and I am able to enjoy simply being in His presence. It’s fun, but I know that there may come a time when He reaches for me to enter the fray once again. Whatever that may look like, however things may play out, whenever He reaches for me to come out of my pristine chamber I will run after Him knowing that He loves me more than I could ever imagine and knowing that when I get dirtied up again He is faithful to cleanse, restore and renew. How could I not run with a God like that?

So, if you’re like me and a little nervous about the next step, (maybe you feel like the kid on the bench not quite ready to be in the game), know that when your Beloved extends His hand towards you to come away with Him, it’s always the right time and even if you don’t know you’re ready, He does. Be confident in who He sees, take His hand and run with Him as you have never run before.

My Story

Seeking Hearts Ministries

(image by seat of my soul)

 

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • December 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013

Categories

  • Christian Growth
  • Encouragement
  • Fasting
  • Guest Bloggers
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • A Seeking Heart
    • Join 76 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • A Seeking Heart
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...