Romans…

I’ve been reading in Romans lately and lots of good nuggets I wanted to share.

 

Romans 8:1 has been coming to mind a lot recently. “So, now there is no condemnation for those who belong in Christ Jesus.” I have given it to my clients (btw I’m a counselor now yay!) and told myself that a lot lately. To be honest, I’ve been condemning myself in my head… in my inner thoughts because of what I didn’t do “right” or something silly like that. I keep repeating this verse in my mind and God is transforming me to see that I am free from those thoughts of condemnation and that I can’t do everything “right” in my standards. I cannot meet the standards I set for myself.. it’s impossible. God has a set of standards I can reach with Him. Mostly, it’s freedom in Christ that comes to mind. Trusting Him and being Obedient brings that freedom. 

Romans 8:12 “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.” Whoa. What? NO OBLIGATION. Again, freedom… I forget this and go along and feel the shame and guilt… I don’t have to do that. Realizing what this scripture really means brings a new sense of freedom. I can combat the sinful nature within me.. I have a choice.. but also….

Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”… which I could take you down the Roman road from here…. which I will refrain… because I want to share other verses in Romans instead. God forgives me and sets me free in that I have no right to have those condemning thoughts… He is not condemning.

Romans 11:34-36 “For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory” This cracks me up because how often do I think I need to give Him advice on what’s going on in my life or what a good solution would be? hahah. A humbling reminder that God is BIG and I’m but a tiny piece of His BIG PICTURE. 

Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” The last part really hit me. Be patient in trouble AND keep on praying.. hm.. good stuff.

Romans 14:23 “But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.” I took this and applied it to every area of my life. I definitely recently had times where I didn’t follow my convictions and had doubts and did it anyway.. hm.. Thank God for His Grace….

Just a few verses I’ve pondered and chewed on. Hope God speaks to you like He did to me through these verses.

Ok.. one more.. extra. From Galatians…

Galatians 6:9 “So, lets not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity we should do good to everyone – especially to those in the family of faith.”

 

Refreshed by the Word of God

Ever feel like you are so tired that just getting out of bed seems like a terrible feat within itself? That’s how I’ve been feeling this past week or so. People keep asking How are you doing? My response has been “I’m just tired.” Wore out, empty, in need of rest.. i thought physical rest, but God has shown me that I need spiritual rest. Resting in the Lord. I have been frustrated because on the weekends all I want to do is sleep and lay around. I feel like I should be doing things (it’s summer!) and connecting with people.
God pulled me aside and said Rest in Me. Again, Matthew 11:28 rang in my head “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

I’ve been wallowing in my burdens and responsibilities. I am a counselor at a christian organization and I absolutely love it! But ministry can absolutely be draining, if I let it… and I’ve let it drain me.. I’ve been  trying to survive the best way I can… that doesn’t work. Only through Christ can I live to my best.  Today, He reminded of that. I’ve been reading in 2 Corinthians 4 and 5 the last few days. I love 2 Corinthians 4: 8-10 “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.” That has given me encouragement to keep pressing forward. In chapter 5, Paul talks about being ambassadors for Christ. In the commentary of my bible it states “The fear of God gives us uncommon courage in the face of life’s troubles.” What a reminder and change of perspective. So often, I try to fix things on my own or carry others burdens. Sometimes, it’s not for me to fix and not a burden I should carry. As stated above in Matthew 11:29, God’s burden is light, it isn’t heavy. 

Laying them down at His feet in order to be free. It’s sooo much easier said than done.

I say all this to say that today I sat down and spent some much needed time in the Word. It didn’t matter what it said but I knew I needed some refreshing from the Lord. I, like many, have been a bit neglectful in reading and praying… thus the feelings of tiredness because I’m not as connected to God as I should be. I kept trying to “fix it” or “figure out what’s wrong”. Something I tell my clients all the time, “It’s ok to not be ok.” Just seek the Lord and He will give you strength. Today, God refreshed me by reminding me of His strength, reminding me what it really means to REST in Him, and Remembering how to refuel myself for the work He has placed before me. It’s amazing to see His strength and receive it in times of weakness. 

2 Timothy 1: 7

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God does not give you a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

This scripture has been one of my favorites for many reasons, but God has given me a new perspective on this scripture more recently. I’ve known that fear and timidity was not from God. I mostly focused on the fear part. There was a period of time where I didn’t sleep much for a month and this scripture rang true in my head every night as I anxiously tried to go to bed. It was fear that had gripped me. 
Now in my life, I’ve closed a chapter of my life and the page has turned to a new chapter. I was hired at a job that for awhile I thought was impossible to obtain because there were no positions open. God orchestrated the impossible to become possible for me. I now have a job as a Recovery Counselor and I work with women that have substance abuse issues and mostly heart and sin issues. I am expected to share the gospel and the love of Jesus Christ. How awesome is that! I interned at this place for a year and now I get to be apart of staff. It’s familiar but new, all at the same time. 

My old insecurities and my shy self has been creeping in, which I’m well aware that happens especially when I’m in a new job or new situation. It’s like my ‘old’ self was creeping back in and taking over. The timid and fearful girl I used to be.. 

The word timidity popped out at me with this scripture. There have been several situations this week where I’ve been more timid (like my old self). I don’t think I really realized it until mid week. At that point I started praying for God’s strength to not revert back but stand firm.He answers prayers. God answering my prayers showed me that He doesn’t give me a spirit of timidity but that’s something the devil tries to use against me. God gives me His power . 

Recently, i’ve been anxious again about going to sleep  again and it’s due to me not dealing with some issues in my life. God woke me up one morning at 2am to deal with this issue. Fear had entrapped me, again. As I cry out to God and write down everything I’m going through, His peace overwhelmed me and calmed the storm that was brewing in my soul.

My roommates and I do devotions every morning.. there was one this week that talked about worrying is infidelity because we are not trusting God fully with our lives. That hit me like a ton of bricks. All the anxiousness, worry, and adjustments I’ve been going through have been me not trusting God in the situations I’ve been in. ouch.

God is so good to teach me these lessons to learn to trust Him more in everything in life, not just the areas I pick and choose. He exposes the darkness in my life and fill me up with peace and joy that is unexplainable. He exposes the cause of fear and timidity and shows me how to live in His spirit of power, love, and self-discipline.