When I am soaking in God's Word, carrying my burdens to Him, allowing Him to reveal to me my true worth...these failures are quickly forgotten, removed from me "as far as the east is from the west." And there are times and seasons that I walk in this close relationship with my Creator, that I sense His drawing, that I walk in His peace.
And there are times and seasons where I forget who I am. When God brings to the surface new levels of healing needed, and I am lost for a time. Needing God, yet blindly trying to find my own way.
It is to this sense of blindness, this inner "lost", that Renee speaks to in Chapter 3: Finding Love That Won't Fail Even When I Do. There are several quotes that stood out to me as I read...I will let Renee do the speaking...
Quotes from A Confident Heart, chapter 3
God is "the unconditional love you are looking for."
Until our hearts find complete security and significance in God's unconditional love, we will never be satisfied.
God put a longing for unfailing love in our hearts because He knew it would lead us back to Him. Only God's unfailing love will fill and fulfill the desires of our hearts. It is the deepest thirst of our souls. Until God's love is enough, nothing else will be.
Jesus invited her (Sam, the Samaritan woman) to worship Him in Spirit by offering to pour the living water of His Spirit into the well of her heart, filling the empty places in her soul.
By being honest about her life and the lies she believed, (Sam) could start turning toward the truth. She could bring the thirst of her heart to Him. Only then would she find confidence in the power of His love and start living in the security of His promises.
If we are doing well, we feel fulfilled. If we are not doing well, we feel empty and life we have less worth.
It's almost as though we wake up every morning with an empty jar, like Sam, and walk around holding it out to people or things, hoping they will fill us. We look to ___________________ to define us.
The wells of our hearts were created to be filled by God alone. The deepest thirst of our soul can only be quenched by Him.
So what do we do when our hearts start tossing and turning with emptiness and uncertainty? We need to stop and ask Jesus to help us see the worth we are placing in other things and the worth we are seeking in other people.
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This chapter reminded me (Charity) that I can not fix my brokenness. That the areas of hurt, the ways I seek to drown my pain, are areas where I need God. I look forward to reading more in the chapter.
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How far should you be in the book by now? I hope that this book is a blessing to each of you, and that you are reading it in the way that works best for you. I will post weekly (hopefully) as I read another chapter (hopefully)...but feel free to read this on your own schedule.
I began this blog hoping that it would facilitate an ongoing conversation among the women of the church. I invite you (and beg you :) please let us know how this book is stirring you, the journey you are on, thoughts that come to you as you read, quotes that ministered to you...and anything else that would be a blessing to those in our Lifegate family...from this book or in your own devotional life. Send me an email, and I will post it to this blog. Until we have a chance to laugh together again...blessings!
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