What's Your Heart's Desire?

I have this dream cabin idea.  I’ve been planning it for years. I know the style, the layout, the windows, the deck, the porches and more. I know what kind of furnishings I want and even the wall colors and flooring ideas. It’s wonderful. I have pinned ideas on pinterest, bought books about it and scoured the internet for ideas and accessories. It is fully planned in my mind.

Although it’s been in my mind for years, other things have come up that keep this dream in the background. Most of us, if truth be told, have a hidden dream that we’d like to have become a reality. Generally for most folks it’s a dream that’s above and beyond normal living.  After all, I have a lovely home and plenty of “stuff” already!  Many times it’s just plain living that roots out dreams or puts them on the back burner. Sometimes we don’t want the dream bad enough to sacrifice for it. We just dream about it and somehow think that’s enough.

Have you been dreaming about being an awesome Christian with a closer walk with God? Are you hoping that one day you’ll feel secure in your faith and willing to step out on the water? Are you wondering if it’s possible for ordinary people to actually experience extraordinary living? Maybe you’ve dreamed you could have faith to move mountains, but the mountain remains. You dream about speaking oracles of God, but you just give up and give in. Life is tough and the going gets tougher all the time. But when we base our dreams upon the sure foundation of God’s Word, then He will give the feet to our dreams! Don’t worry if it seems to take time, for time is what you need: time to pray, time to plan and time to grow.

God loves to plant dreams in your heart. You may hear Him speaking to you this morning, telling you things about yourself that you just can’t imagine in your wildest dreams. He says to you to quit dreaming and start living in His light! Everything you need, beloved, is found in Him. Everything you can only hope for is found in the reality of walking in Christ.  He has given you heaven to dream of but He wants you to be securely set in the reality of all He is. Dreaming of being right with God? That truth is found in Christ. Dreaming of doing things the right way instead of failing over and over? That truth is found in the Word of God. Dreaming of being more than a conqueror, free from fear, overcoming your emotions? It’s all True – when we live in the light of His Word.

Oh beloved, run to His Word this morning and take it in, digest it and live it out, for that’s where dreams truly become reality! He loves you and He’s for you and that’s the TRUTH He wants you to experience!

Psalm 37:3-4 Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.

Matthew 6:21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

2 Peter 1:4 And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire You more than anything on earth.

Isaiah 26:8 Lord, we show our trust in You by obeying Your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify Your name.

Jeremiah 32:40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship Me, and they will never leave Me.

Philippians 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.

Is Your Identity Being Stolen From You?

There’s a lot of talk about identity theft. I can’t imagine it happening to me, can you? Years ago when my niece’s son went to rent an apartment they found out that someone was using his social security number. If I remember right, they had achieved bad credit and because he was trying to use his identity to secure an apartment, it came up suspicious. They got things worked out but it was scary for them to know someone else had taken what belonged to them.  We had a bogus bill that kept coming to us, so we took it to our lawyer. In the course of working it all out, we found out that our lawyer’s wife had her identity stolen when she was a child! When she grew up and tried to establish her own credit, she found someone else had left a bill unpaid in her name.  I had no idea, but someone can even get your identity and use it to get medical care. 

There are safeguards to protect your identity.  Even if you’ve had your identity stolen you can recover. It takes time. But it’s worth it. Often people work under the radar so it pays to check your own credit scores and make sure there’s nothing listed that doesn’t truly belong to you. 

Spiritually speaking there is an identity thief lurking in our lives. His desire is to steal our identity in Christ and make us live with the consequences. He wants to steal, kill and destroy every nuance of our faith. He wants to subvert the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives and divert the assets of our faith so that we cannot use them in our walk.  He likes to replace the truth with half-truths so that we aren’t able to live freely in our faith.  His greatest desire is to kill all hope in us. He also loves to steal our hope and destroy our dreams.

Have you been a victim of identity theft? Are you living as though the Word is not available to you? Are you full of fear, dread, sorrow or disappointment? Do you believe that your credit report reads that you are unworthy, unfit, unlovely or unlovable?  Maybe you think you don’t have any rights left to live a free and productive life in Christ!

Oh beloved, run to the Lord of Heaven and Earth and open His Benefits book this morning! Look from the first chapter to the last and reclaim your identity! Every single promise is yours! Every single encouragement was written just for you. Don’t let the enemy of your soul continue to steal your identity for you were destined to live in the light of God’s Word and that’s where your true identity lies.  In and of yourself, there may be things that aren’t perfect, but your true identity is in Christ! He paid your bad debts off at the cross, He canceled all unworthy things that were credited to you at the empty tomb and He’s seated at the right hand of the Father now, making intercession for you so that your identity will stay secure.

Oh how He loves you! Oh how He protects you! Oh how He watches over you to perform the truth in your life.  Let go of those things that are not a part of your identity and begin living the Truth. For the Truth is your guardian, your watchman, your peace and your future! Let God rebuild your identity with the washing of the water of His Word and see how you will be able to live free and justified fully!

John 8:32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 2:9-10 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Ephesians 2:7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins.

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for His glory.

God's Words are Full of Love for You!

I often laugh and say that if we had another child I would definitely lay that baby down and forget where I left it! I find myself remembering less well (that’s my take on it).  That can be good or bad. Remembering where the keys are might cause a problem, but as long as I remember what they’re for eventually they will be found and I will use them.  Sometimes your memory can be your enemy.  Suddenly out of nowhere you’ll be face to face with one of the unsavory kind – you know - where you were thoroughly embarrassed as a teen or made an incredibly stupid blunder? Or perhaps out of the blue a memory of past regrets comes flooding through your mind. It feels as though at times the memories we don’t want show up and the memories we need fail us. When faced with our own human memory, most of us would admit the past is not all that great. The future may not look rock solid either.  The onslaught of the enemy of our soul can push our mistakes into our minds so that we are momentarily blinded to God’s Truth. 

Oh beloved, are you having a hard time remembering the Truth? About you? About your past regrets or your future fears? I’m praying for you today. That you will be such a student of His Truth that when the enemy shows up to parade your past in front of you, you will not wither like the flowers in the blazing sun, but rather you will respond with God’s information! Get with your Beloved Savior this morning and talk with Him about His Words to you. They are full of love, full of promise, full of hope. His Word will increase your capacity to remember the Truth and decrease the power to listen to the lies that want to take root in your mind.  Never forget – God loved you then, He loves you now and He will love you forever!  Rehearse His Love Today and reject everything else!

Deuteronomy 8:18 Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant He confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

1 Chronicles 16:15 Remember His covenant forever— the commitment He made to a thousand generations.

Psalm 105:5 Remember the wonders He has performed, His miracles, and the rulings He has given.

Psalm 111:4 He causes us to remember His wonderful works. How gracious and merciful is our LORD!

Psalm 103:2 Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me.