Am I sharing your testimony?

Sometimes we just need to deal with those issues — you know, get some rest, amp up our healthy food choices, take a mental break or just spend some time with the Lord. Sometimes that is what it takes to feel more stable and capable of dealing with the demands of our lives. But sometimes, no matter what we try to do, we can just feel down. In despair. Hopeless.

That’s when God gave me a simple verse with a powerful truth.

Why are you in despair my soul? Hope in God. (Psalm 42:05)

Girl, I began to speak hope to my soul. I asked my soul why I was in despair and when I really thought about it, my reasons for hopelessness were not nearly as strong as my reason to have hope.

Maybe you need to speak hope to your soul too? Hope is a choice. It might have feelings that accompany it, but hope is not a feeling. It’s a decision that allows us to be steady and sure. It anchors us to something greater than ourselves — and  all our changing situations and emotions.

When we are confronted with a circumstance that challenges us, we have two choices. We can say to our souls, “Soul, you might as well get depressed, fall into despair, and give in to your worst impulse.” Or we can say to our souls, “Soul, you might as well have hope, believe in something good happening, and place your expectation in the goodness of God.”

That’s what the psalmist did. He attached his hope in God to a promise from God. He asked, “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me?” Then he told his soul, “Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence” (Psalm 42:5 NASB).

He reminded his soul that the help of God’s presence was a guarantee. And that left him with no reason to lose hope. The promise  of God’s help and presence is for you too, my friend.

God will be your help, no matter what you are going through and no matter how you feel right now. You, too, will bust out in praise to your God because He will bring you through this. He will be the “help of your countenance.”

In other words, He will put a smile back on your pretty face and remind you of His goodness.

What have you said to your soul lately? When you feel downright worn out and run down or when disappointment happens, avoid the self-sabotage of telling yourself it will never change and you will always feel this way.

Oh girl, do not speak despair to your soul!

Do something different. Ask your soul why you are in this state. Then change what you can but most of all, tell your soul to choose hope.

Do you know what that means? Well, if you have a teenager, you probably do.

Dad jokes are well… how shall I put it? Dumb. Yep, they’re just flat out dumb. And, my husband has taken “dad jokes” to an all new, Olympic-sized level. 

The other night after dinner, he rubbed his stomach and said, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me.” Then, he looked at our teenage son and said, “Get it? Get it? All that is within me?” He chuckled and thought he was just hilarious while Connor rolled his eyes and sighed, “dad joke.”

So, you get it, right? But, when Phil used that Scripture as material for one of his dumb dad jokes, it made me think — “Oh brother, maybe dad jokes do have value?”

It made me think of how often I say “Bless me, Lord,” instead of “Bless the Lord.”

The scripture really says “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me…” not, “Bless my soul, O my Lord!”

It’s easy to mindlessly utter the “Bless me, Lord” kind of prayer, isn’t it?

So, take a moment and have a conversation with your soul!

Now, that is about as churchy and vague as possible, isn’t it?

What in the world does it mean to tell your soul to bless God?

Okay, let’s break it down so we can figure it out.

To help your soul bless the Lord, ask yourself these questions:

1. Does my mind bless the Lord?

Is what I am thinking about a blessing to God? Do the things I ponder and meditate upon bless Him? Do my mental processes like judging, learning, and concluding honor and bless Him?

2. Does my will bless the Lord?

Do the choices I make bless God? Do I bless God when I am strong-willed? When I am weak-willed, is God honored? When I apply my volition to a situation, how does it make God feel?

3. Do my emotions bless the Lord?

It’s good every now and then to really consider if our souls “bless the Lord.” When we focus on blessing God rather than just being blessed by God, the result is… blessing!

The cool thing is that when we bless the Lord with our souls, our souls are blessed.

John Piper put it this way: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

So, tell your soul to bless the Lord today and be most blessed! Sister, that ain’t no joke!

In what ways can your soul bless the Lord today?

Or, do you dwell on the past feelings of what you’ve done, what you regret, and who you’ve been?

Oh girl, God has given you a brand new day. It’s a day full of mercy and freedom just for you.

God doesn’t want you to dwell on your past. If you do, you will start to dwell in your past. You will live stuck in past mistakes, chained up by old lies, and bound by regret.

But, God says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Sister, don’t you want that? Don’t you need that? I want… need… to forget the former things!

I don’t want to dwell in the past or on the past!

I need to dwell in the present truth of who I am in Christ and I know you want to dwell there too.

Our feelings from past failure or former insecurity can be powerful and they can shout so loudly…

• “You aren’t really loved, you are just tolerated.”
• “You will only be accepted by God if your behavior is acceptable to Him.”
• “You aren’t whole, you need to do more, be more, and have more to be complete.”

So let me give you three key truths — powerful statements backed up by powerful Scripture — you can tell yourself over and over to help you dwell in the present truth of who you are.

Three Key Truths

Truth #1

I am dearly loved.

Colossians 3:12 says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

You are not loved because you’ve earned it, you’re loved because God is love. God won’t love you more if you’re better behaved and He won’t love you less if you blow it! His love for you is based on who He is, not what you do.

Sweet sister, receive the present truth that you are loved… dwell in that truth. Let it wash over you, fill you with comfort, and give you a secure identity.

Truth #2

I am accepted.

God backs up this truth in His Word: “…to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6 NKJV).

You are accepted not only “in” the beloved, but “by” the Beloved, God Himself!

You have value. You have worth. You are visible to Him!

When you accepted Christ, He accepted you.

You may sometimes feel rejected, but how you feel is not who you are! You are accepted, acceptable — no exception!

Truth #3

I am complete.

Colossians 2:10 says, “…and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (NKJV).

Now, we can still sometimes feel unfulfilled, but, discontentment is a feeling, not a reality you dwell in!

You were made full with the fullness of Him.

When Jesus died on the cross, His final words were, “It is finished.” And when He said it, He meant it! It is finished… completed.

You are loved. You are accepted. You are complete.

Sister, that is the present truth that you dwell in today — a loved, accepted, and complete woman of God. So, dwell well!

Question: Which of these three truths do you need to remember and remind yourself of daily?