Beth (B) – Now God wants to showcase himself through my words. He wants this to be about Him not me. He wants glory and He can use my words for His glory. Can I step off familiar? Guarding the place. What am I standing on? What am I guarding? I see Jesus holding my elbow and guiding me from the spot I have stood. I am leaving the blanket I hid under. I am leaving the bat that I swung. I am leaving with Him because I want to see where Jesus is taking me. I want to see what he has for me. I do not want to be stuck – alone – trying to fight off. I want to relax, be still, be alone with Jesus and hear what he has for me and see what he has for me. Lord, help me as I move off my familiar and into new. Show me what you have for me. The comfort, the safety, the being known and heard, the rest and refreshing in you. Lord – I have been on guard for so long, I need to know you are on guard and I am safe. I no longer want to be standing in any place you are not –
God (G) – This season is different – from the dark to the light – the place I have for you is safe and quiet and peaceful. It is restful and refreshing. It is full of me. Beauty, light, life, love, replenishing, grace and mercy, favor and blessing, gentle and easy, protected and free. You are beautiful and I want you to hear me – and me only – fix your eyes on me and let me speak to you. You are my one and only precious Beth – the beauty in you was created by me before time and remains still today. Through all the trauma, heartbreak, cursing, confusion and destruction, you have remained and today you stand steady with me. Leaving hard, ungodly, destructive, damaging, dark and ugly places behind and stepping into new and fresh and fabulous and favor galore with me. Let’s celebrate the new. It is good.
Today is a really big and beautiful day. Today marks the start of new. New places, new people, new ways. You will see my hand often in many surprising places and ways. It is beyond your thought or imagination and you will clearly see it is by my hand and for my glory. I am incredibly glad to have you fully with me. The remnants are torn, the old is behind, the new awaits and it is glorious. I am glad to have your heart fully settled in me, in my faithfulness and in my goodness and in my bigness and in my creativity and frivolity (lightheartedness, zaniness, gaiety, fun!) and radically standing with me and nowhere else with no one else. Lead with love and watch and see what I do. Keep your eyes firmly fixed on me and my ways and watch and see what we do. It is amazing and incredible and other worldly and not been seen this way before. It is my idea – not yours – and it is good.
B – Lord, I like your idea – I want that – your way Lord in every area – your idea.
G – Relax in the tumble dry (Beth picturing the dryer) – the stuff – the people and places – none of it sticks or settles – just let it bounce by – it is not yours to hold – just stay with me and watch and see – none and no one defines you but me. I explain, defend, see and hear and it is my job to take care of you. You are mine. Your heart is fully protected in me and it is good. This is what freedom looks like. Nothing but me Holds you. Nothing but me sees you fully. Nothing but me knows you. Nothing – no one – no thing – you are seen fully, loved fully, appreciated fully, understood fully and I lavish on you fully all of my love and provision and favor. I am on purpose for you. You. So relax. You get to be with me fully – today. It is today. It is done. Today matters to me.
B – Thank you Lord.
Jeremiah 43:2 in part …and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you to say…
B – Lord, this?
G – Yes. Arrogant (having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s importance or abilities – Latin arrogant – claiming for oneself – haughty, conceited, hubristic, self–important, opinionated, egotistic, full of oneself, superior.)
B – Wow – this is description of fear but it is not about me – it is their hearts – arrogant – ok Lord – I hear – letting FEAR go – it is out of my hand. I am holding your hand.
Arrogant people often suffer from low self esteem and feelings of low self-worth (not sure where this came from?).
And this is what I fear – response from people that exhibit this? Yes Lord, I am letting go of fear – it seems comical and yet it has held me – I repent for hanging on to the tentacle of fear and I am letting go of this detestable thing and hanging on to you. No longer – I see you – you see me – you know the truth and I will not believe the lie – I will not. By your Holy Spirit I am choosing wisdom, counsel from you – that’s it. Period! Yes Lord. What a funny place to go in scripture and so rich – wow – only you Lord.
Excerpt from An Encourager’s Heart