If you've known me for any length of time, you've heard me say this:
God is loyal first to your heart.
Not your dreams, desires, or reputation. Your heart.
I was thinking back on two of the hardest years of my life as I read through the words, “Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you” in Deuteronomy 3:22 this morning.
Those years were hard because I felt like God wasn’t fighting for me. It stunk extra bad because I was the cranky and bitter other half of a full-time ministry team (me and my husband, Colston). It felt like God was holding me back and ignoring my cries for help and relief.
But, as I held on through the anger, I realized that something else was happening; God was not fighting for my relief, He was fighting for my heart.
He was doing this because the condition of my heart directly impacts my effectiveness for the Kingdom. God is loyal to the well-being of my soul before the well-being of my life.
Does it sound cold and insensitive? Maybe initially, yes. But God knows that we default to comfort and control, and He also knows that those two things can take us far away from Him. There is no one else who will fight for you heart the way that God can, because no one knows your heart better than the One who created it and set its rhythm for your life.
God was fighting for my character and was teaching me what it looked like to live with integrity and trust. He was changing the darkest parts of the hidden me. He was bringing those things to the surface so that they could be wiped away and replaced with the desire to look more like Jesus.
God has always been fighting for me. Every minute. He is fighting for my heart; the most important part of me. And, He’s doing the same for you.
Maybe our prayers need to change? Maybe it’s time that we stop secretly blaming God for holding us back and begin thanking Him for working on the part of us that matters more than our success or reputation ever could.
Change your perspective today because He hasn't slowed the construction of your life or unveiling of His light through you. He is so good. So faithful. So loyal to your heart.
With Love,
Em
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