With Confidence

Let’s walk right up to God! Take the mercy! Accept the Help! He’s trying to give it to us!!

Friends, You are loved beyond measure but struggle to believe it. You have a God who is ready, willing, and able to help you… but you see only darkness. You have a God who is currently at work… but you sit here hopeless.

Life can be hard. I know. I have first-hand experience, I do. Life can be so, so dark. But there is an arrow of light ready to pierce the darkness for you. Ready to bring you hope, life, and help. In fact, God has already tried to shoot his arrow of light right to the core of your hurt – but your armor is too strong. Your defenses too tall. You are holding too tight to the chains that are surrounding you.

Too strong for God? Too Tall for God? No. But God won’t force it on you. He reaches for you. He sends his arrows of light to you. He tugs on the chains saying, let go. But He still allows you to choose. And you choose to hold on and hide, even from God’s love.

I know, because I did it, too. For so very long.

I built this tower around me that said I am unloveable, unworthy, and don’t belong and I stuck to it. God said, “I love you,” and I said, “well I get that, of course, you do. I know that! But really, no. No, you don’t. You can’t.” And I stayed in my tower which was not a safe tower and refused to come out.

God said “I have freedom for you, I set you free!” and I said, “Yes! Give me Freedom, Jesus! Please!” But I wrapped the chains around me tighter and held onto them. I said and prayed all the right words, but I didn’t let go of the chains.

God said, “You belong to me! You are a child of mine! You will always belong!” And I said, “Thank you Jesus! I belong. Help me to believe I belong! Help me to feel like I belong!” But… I continued to look for all the earthly evidence that I didn’t belong as proof that God must be wrong.

God has everything for us that we need and want… but we have to accept it.

So how? When you’ve prayed all the “right” things and you think you’re doing everything God is asking of you… just how? Why isn’t that enough? To try to do everything right, everything God asks, pray all the right words… shouldn’t that be enough?

Friends, it’s too much. It’s not that it’s not enough, it’s that it’s way too much. God does need you to pray and say the “right” words. God doesn’t need you to try harder, do more, live better, or meet any sort of list you’ve thought of in your head. All you are really doing is building a higher tower around yourself of your own striving and accomplishments and deeds. God isn’t asking for any of that.

God simply says come. Give me all those hard and yucky things. Give me your to-do list. Give me those prayers you think you are supposed to pray. Give me your hopelessness, your towers, your chains, your darkness. Just throw it all on me and surrender. Stop trying to make it happen for yourself. Let go of it all. Surrender.

Lift your hands. Release all those thoughts running through your mind. And just accept the light and love He’s giving you.

I surrender, Jesus. You are in control. I surrender, Father God, take the chains, break down the towers. I surrender my pride, my ego that I need to do it myself. I surrender the lies of I am unloveable. I will believe that I am loveable because you love me and You say I am worthy. I surrender any sin in my life. Forgive me for holding onto lies. Forgive me for constantly choosing not to believe what and who you say I am. I accept that I am a child of God, fully known, and fully loved by You. I surrender myself. I surrender me. I am yours. And I am loved and worthy. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you Father God. Thank you Holy Spirit. Amen.

When thoughts come that contradict what you prayed, deny them. Shake your head and say “Nope, don’t believe that any more.” Don’t give them any more attention. Speak the truth – I am loved. God loves me. I belong to Him. “Those lies don’t work anymore. Sorry, move on.”

When you try to pick up those chains again, open your hands and say, “Nope. Not gonna do it. God has those now. They are long gone.”

And continually run to God, with confidence, and accept his mercy, goodness, and help!! With confidence! Because you know, now, you know that you are loved and worthy and have every right to go to your Father God to get the gifts he’s handing out to you!

So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Hebrews 4:16 MSG

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with CONFIDENCE, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:16 NIV

Happy Saturday Friends!