Our Inspired Journey

This was a question I wondered either knowingly (or most often, without realizing it) much of my life, especially once I got into high school and older. I didn't realize that the way I gave way to fear and concern over what people thought of me, was a sign of the war the enemy was waging for ME...ME being the 'Danice' God created and intended for me to be. I found myself being versions of myself in different groups of people I was around. When I changed groups, I almost hid the parts of me I didn't think they'd like and became the version of myself I thought they would. I never really felt like I was trying to be someone else, but I did feel guarded...careful...restrained...certainly not FREE.

I'm excited to say that I've started another Bible Study at church...this time it's called "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore...I know, another Beth Moore study!...but I started it thinking..."I'm not sure I have much to "Break Free" from. I haven't struggled with drugs, alcohol, or destructive relationships in my life. I don't necessarily feel like I'm in bondage right now to anything in particular, yet I know that I'm not, nor will I ever be perfect, so Lord...show me where growth and freedom needs to become more of a reality in my life.

Last week, I was reminded that if we find truth in the world based on our environment and experiences...this kind of truth will be constantly changing and shifting based on where we are and who we're around. We will be left feeling incomplete since there in NO ONE on earth who is perfectly consistent in their love and affirmation of us. When I adjust who I am based on who I'm around, I am saying that "For these people, I'm going to make adjustments on God's creation (ME) for the approval of man." This kind of behavior gives power to the lies Satan tries to tell us, that we are going to feel better about ourselves if we have the world's approval.

Thankfully, this is not the end of the story. We would be lost without God's truth entering into the story of our lives, and intervening what would otherwise be a tragic downward tailspin of a life story. God's truth...who HE says we are...newly created when we give our lives to Him...redeemed...saved...claimed by HIM...this is a TRUTH worth putting ALL our hope in. The truth is (I know it because it says so in the Bible) is that God's truth trumps Satan's lies and the truth we come up with from our life's experiences. Oh sure...we learn things as we live, but the world is constantly changing, people lie...if we live life to please people, we may sometimes feel successful and other times feel like a dismal failure, and I promise you in the end it'll be like Solomon says in Ecclesiastes.."a chasing after the wind" and purposeless.


I've talked with several dear people in my life lately about this very issue. After every conversation, I came to the same conclusion...We must be fully satisfied by God alone. If we give any other relationship or person in our life more of a "voice" of input than the Holy Spirit, then our satisfaction and peace in life will be completely dependent on an imperfect being. Not only is it unhealthy for us as God's created ones NOT to prioritize the voice and truth of our Creator, but it is unfair for those we are around to expect them to fill places in our life solely intended for God.

Our identity will most secure, regardless of our shifting circumstances, when we seek to be completely satisfied in Christ alone. When we seek to know and believe God; to glorify Him; to find satisfaction in Him alone; to experience His peace; and to enjoy the presence of our creator...we will find that other relationships in our life are like icing on the cake, but don't really fill you up! Don't get me wrong...God intends for us to be in community with one another. We just have to be careful we don't put people in the place only God should be in our life. This would be like putting icing on the cake stand before the cake! I love icing...but there's nothing like a big piece of chocolate cake with the right amount of icing on top! Too much icing and what was intended as a sweet treat quickly turns into a tummy ache!

God wants to satisfy you today...Matthew 6:33 says..."Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all the rest will be added to you." He longs to meet all of your needs...relationally, physically, spiritually, etc, but asks you to look for HIM first. My favorite verse growing up, was Psalm 37:4..."Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." I was so excited that it said He would give me my desires that at first, I passed over the part about delighting in Him first. As I grew, the Lord showed me that as I focused on DELIGHTING in my Savior, my creator, the one who thought me up...I was HIS idea...the one who loved me, came for me, died for me...Once I began delighting in who HE said I was by the way He loved me unconditionally, I realized my desires actually changed. No longer were my wants just for me. I began to love as He loves...delighting in the success of others, not just my own...looking for ways to fulfill needs others had, instead of worrying about my own first. Not only does God want to satisfy us, He wants to CHANGE us. And He can.

Thank you Lord for being a God who loves us where we are, but doesn't want to leave us that way. Draw us to your satisfying love today which is more than enough to fill even the deepest void of our souls. We adore you, Jesus, and praise you for making us WHOLE beings who live to praise you and love others the way you did when you walked on earth! We want to draw near you today...help us in our unbelief.