Day 7 – Saturday
Saturday morning, during my quiet time with the Lord, I stared at the ocean as it crashed against the reef. I held tightly to a seashell that I found on the steps and closed my eyes. I began to imagine a shell at the bottom of the ocean gracefully being tossed and guided. It wasn’t trying to control its direction and wasn’t trying to prevent itself from moving. It was free . . .
This weekend I was at a leader’s retreat that Generation 4:12 (the ministry I am a part of) put on. In this time, God placed within me a desperation to be like that shell.. As the time for worship came Saturday morning, I couldn’t seem to get a grip on my emotions. The Lord was exposing my heart to His love in a greater way. He showed me that I was only skimming the surface of His love and if I choose to let go, I could sink into the depths of it. If I let go, I could be free.
Both Wednesday and Thursday were filled with situations that really challenged my faith. God showed me how much I wanted to be in control of the way others viewed me and how much of a grip the ‘Fear of man’ had on my life.
Desiring God has an amazing post on Fear of Man (click for post) .
It’s not surprising that once the blinders of pride were removed the fear of man became evident. I have always known that I struggled with the desire to be approved by others and the fear of not being perfect. I just had no idea how many areas in my life it impacted. Once pride was uprooted, the ugliness of my desire for acceptance was unearthed.
“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe” (Proverbs 29:25).
Friday night I began to see how deep the roots were and how badly they needed to be gone . . I was confined to a cage that was 3 sizes too small… It restricted me from walking out in the fullness of what God has been calling me to do . . God calls us to live a life of freedom in Him. He does not call us to confine ourselves to the limitations and expectations of man. So He exposed my heart to the mysteries of His love. It was like His heart began to unfold and I was being encountered by its captivating beauty. Without Him speaking a word, He gave me something more than I could have ever asked for. He revived my heart and broke the chains.
Ephesians 3:18
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
Beloved, that is my prayer for you today.. For all of you who are reading this, and for those who haven’t but are at a place where they need to explore the truth of His love. I pray that you may have the power to understand how wide, how long, how high and how deep God’s love is for you. I pray that the fear of man will be broken off of your life and that you will choose to explore the ocean of His love. I pray that you will choose to lay down the chains for good and that you begin to scorn the things that once held you captive.