Authentic Heart
By Margaret D. Mitchell
Week of June 5, 2022
God’s Word wisely advises us to not be anxious about our lives in general (Luke 12:22). To not be anxious about tomorrow (Matt 6:34). To not even worry about what we will say (Mark 13:11). Or worry about how we will defend ourselves (Luke 12:11).
We strive to be daughters and sons after God’s own heart, like David, and to be courageously wholehearted, like Caleb. Because we know that God has given us the ability to move from anxiety to authenticity with His help as He constantly works on our behalf to bring us into wholeness.
So, how do we get from anxiety to authenticity to live out God’s abundant life for us as a battle of good over evil, light over darkness and Holy Spirit over flesh (John 10:10)?
His Word offers us a strategy against an anxious heart in Philippians 4:6 AMP, which says, "Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God."
Therefore, God’s process to go from anxiety to authenticity is to pray and petition Him with gratitude. No matter what, everything we face in life can be willfully processed in this faithful attitude.
It begins with the heart of Jesus in us, His spiritually born-again ones, and ends in the fullness of victory when we return home to Heaven.
The middle involves diligently growing in holiness by increasingly receiving God’s virtuous characteristics and ways into our souls to become more like Him and see ourselves from His perspective so we can know and do His will.
Colossians 1:23 TPT wisely advises us to "...continue to advance in faith, assured of a firm foundation to grow upon. Never be shaken from the hope of the gospel you have believed in."
So, our best life is firmly rooted in a foundation of faith in our One true God, on which we can choose to stand and trust that He and His ways will work out His goodness for us, no matter what comes and goes.
It’s a lifelong journey that includes a timeline of trusting God enough to give up lesser things and reach higher to become like Him and partner with Him to fulfill His calling and complete specific divine assignments (Mark 25:21).
On the contrary, anxiety works with the enemy to facilitate lack. Anxiety is propelled by fear and rooted in lies. Acting out of fear and lies is the opposite of operating out of love and truth, which causes us to move in a wrong direction from what God originally intended.
Since we reap what we sow, living in lies grows weeds of falsehood, including insecurity and pretense. This pretense is a facade of sin that works against the powerful shield of faith Jesus died to give us. This sin produces death in various forms.
But we don’t have to bring trouble on ourselves. Proverbs 28:26 TPT says that "when you lean on the wisdom from above, you will have a way to escape the troubles of your own making."
Therefore, we will come to know God’s abundant life as we choose Him as first priority in all things (Mark 6:33).
To do this, we must "set" our "minds on things above, not on earthly things" (Colossians 3:2 NIV). This means remaining in God’s Word and Spirit of Presence.
So, since we become what we worship and attract what we worship, our best life comes from worshipping the only authentic High God worthy of worship.
We don’t have to settle for less.
Our wise, truthful, eternally gracious and merciful God, who is Love Himself, is for us, not against us, He desires that we experience Him in such depth of relationship that we release false burdens and find perfect rest in our dependency on Him as our faithful source to meet all of our needs.
It’s not about figuring it out on our own, which would be self-reliant. Proverbs 28:26 TPT tells us that "self-confident know-it-alls will prove to be fools."
And, we don’t have to step on others to achieve anything. This would involve a lack mentality. Rather, it’s about humbling ourselves before God to agree with Him and partner with Him His way. It’s about exploring, with enthusiasm, His how as we journey with Him. We can enjoy the adventure when we believe Him at His Word.
We must remember that His very life covenant, for which He died, was to bless us—to enable us to receive greater life than we deserve or can even imagine on earth as it is in Heaven. It’s a choice we make every moment of every day.
He invites us to invite Him, as the source of faith in us, to prove out His faithfulness in all areas of our lives.
So, do you trust Him at His Word for this true flow of life?
If not, ask Holy Spirit to reveal what you are believing that is working counter to His best plan for you. Then repent of having believed that lie. Renounce it. Turn back To God and His truth. Decide to take courage and agree with Him above all else, no matter what. And walk out your best life with your best attitude in agreement with Him.
Pray with me if you will…
Dear Lord,
Thank You for Your love for us. We renounce all lies of the evil one and choose to agree with You. Thank You that Your Word is faithful and true. It does not return void. It will go forth to accomplish the purpose and mission You sent it out to do (Isaiah 55:11). Show us Your glory, Lord, and help us to "feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill" our "thoughts with heavenly realities…not with the distractions of the natural realm" (Colossians 3:2 TPT). Help us to take courage and yield to Your spirit, not our flesh. Help us depend on You, not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Help us to see as You see, to walk with You and to dwell with You every moment of the day. Help us to experience complete freedom in Your truth as You continue to establish it in our lives. Thank You, Lord, for Your grace upon grace for taking us from glory to glory, from victory to victory. Thank You that we don’t have to worry about our days ahead, because You are faithful to Your Word. Have Your way, Lord. Get us precisely where You desire we be. For Your glory.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name,
Amen.
And now, "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ.
Originally published Sunday, 05 June 2022.
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