BEING PLANTED

God so patiently and lovingly revealed things to me in Africa about myself. One was that I have not been firmly planted in His work because I lacked confidence in who I am  in Christ Jesus. I was always standing on the side line watching those I was sure must be qualified to do such a noble work. I believed in Him but was not believing Him.  I was living with the insecurity of past failures.  I needed to walk in His forgiveness rendering Satan’s arrows useless, unable to penetrate my emotions and weaknesses. I need to daily walk in His forgiveness for myself and for others. He is not remembering the failures of my life but drawing me into a relationship using those experiences, if I will learn from them, and using new trials and tests to teach me more about Himself every day.

Psalm 103: 11 & 12
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
¹² As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

I don’t understand why it is so hard to walk in forgiveness. Thoughts stemming from inferiority that can hinder us from stepping into a position in His Kingdom do not come from Him. Thoughts of others who we think are more qualified when the Holy Spirit is speaking something eternal to our hearts are not from Him. When God called me to Africa I was flooded with doubts. I was walking in insecurity instead of an awareness of who Christ is in me. He does not make mistakes. He knew what He was doing when He called me.

^II Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

I am so amazed and honored that He would use me to bring glory to Himself.

There is no room for un-forgiveness in the heart of a Christian.  Forgiveness is the medicine that destroys the bitter root and allows the heart to be a haven for love. The condition of ours heart dictates how we feel about ourselves and others.  

 Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
1And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
³ Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,
⁵ Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Satan has to ask permission to bring trials into our lives, but it is God who allows it.   When we are in the midst of a trial, we must not surrendering to our emotions but to His will so that we experience victory He has for us. Trials give us an opportunity to trust our Father, to become more like Christ and to to bring glory to whom glory is due... our Heavenly Father.  

I remember making a list of offenses that I was holding in my heart in church and nailing it to the cross.  The physical exercise of taking the paper and nailing it to the cross was very emotional and reminded me of just how much Jesus forgave. Who was I to hold un-forgiveness against anyone.  It was very symbolic and very healing.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.