"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit." [Psalm 34:18, NASB]
Walk with Him and know that you are never alone.
Stephanie
Text: Psalm 34:18
Copyright 2010-2011 Stephanie Whitley All Rights Reserved
Friday, February 11, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Waiting- An Exercise in Faith
So, as I mentioned in the last entry, God’s been teaching me that “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” [Isaiah 40:31] And what a lesson it’s been. Here’s what I mean.
You ever watch one of those movies where right in the middle of the action scene, the cinematography slows down to super slow motion? Like Keanu Reeve’s trendsetting scene in the movie “The Matrix”? Or have you ever had one of those dreams in which you really need and want to run faster, yet the faster you try to go, the slower you seem to be moving? Very frustrating isn’t it? What’s even more frustrating is when this scene becomes your life.
When you’ve gone through deep emotional hurt or loss, and you begin to try and pick up the pieces of your life, it can seem like your life is moving in slow motion. The pain and baggage seem to be dragging you down everyday. All you really want is for things to be better, to move on with your life, but every move is belabored, every task takes extra effort to complete. Maybe you have legal processes to work through, decisions to make, or papers to sign. Maybe it’s just that the pain is always there, when you wake up in the morning or go to bed at night. Maybe you’ve had to put your life dreams on hold because of it, or your life dreams are now within reach, but they’re just not coming fast enough. You anxiously await the day your big change will come and feverishly work towards it, but nothing works it seems.
It certainly rang true for me. My life seemed to be going in slow motion. No matter how badly I wanted things to be better right away, the healing process dragged on one day at a time. (And still does). But you know what, I began to learn why the prophet Isaiah says- “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength...” It's because waiting is an exercise of faith. And the exercise of faith yields strength. You see, when you’re in the thick of your circumstances, waiting for God to come through for you, you find that time after time you come to the end of your own strength and have to call upon Him. And when you call upon Him for strength, he gives it. Isaiah 40:29, just a few lines before verse:31, says that “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” Even the Apostle Paul testifies of it in II Corinthians 12: 9, 10 when he says that “...when I am weak, I am strong,” (v10) for God’s “...strength is made perfect in weakness.” (v9). Many times on this journey, while waiting for things to get better, I have certainly come to the end of myself and have had to pray, “Lord, renew my strength.” And he does everytime. And each time I get stronger than I was the time before. It is His strength that makes us strong and we find His strength when we come to the end of ours.
Waiting is an exercise of faith. Everytime you wait and watch Him handle things that only He can handle your faith is strengthened until finally your faith is built up so strong that nothing can shake you, not even death itself. It is then that you soar upon wings as eagles, above your pain, problems and situations. It is then that you will run and not be weary, walk and not faint, because you know for sure that your Sovereign Lord will take care of you. That's not to say you'll never hurt again, no. But it is to say that you never have to be dismayed again. You can rise above in faith, because you know and trust in the Sovereign Lord.
Those that wait upon the Lord in patient surrender shall find the faithfulness of God to renew and increase their strength for their journey. They shall reach a point of trust in God that they will want to run on to see what the ends gonna be, knowing that the God who gives them a hope and a future will surely bring it to pass.
It doesn't mean you should sit around twittling your fingers doing nothing. No, follow God's leading everyday as He directs, just don't run ahead of God. The NIV puts it this way "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength..." [Isaiah 40:31, NIV]. The Amplified Bible as this- "But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power..." [Isaiah 40:31, Amplified bible] and I really encourage you to read the passage from verse 27-31 in The Message Bible, it will really encourage your heart!
So, like the Psalmist, I say- “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” [Psalm 27:14]
Texts: Isaiah 40:27-31; II Corinthians 12:9,10; Psalm 27:14
Songs: "Wait On The Lord" by, Donnie McClurkin and Karen Clark Sheard
"I Will Wait" by, Jason Upton
Copyright 2010-2011 Stephanie Whitley All Rights Reserved
You ever watch one of those movies where right in the middle of the action scene, the cinematography slows down to super slow motion? Like Keanu Reeve’s trendsetting scene in the movie “The Matrix”? Or have you ever had one of those dreams in which you really need and want to run faster, yet the faster you try to go, the slower you seem to be moving? Very frustrating isn’t it? What’s even more frustrating is when this scene becomes your life.
When you’ve gone through deep emotional hurt or loss, and you begin to try and pick up the pieces of your life, it can seem like your life is moving in slow motion. The pain and baggage seem to be dragging you down everyday. All you really want is for things to be better, to move on with your life, but every move is belabored, every task takes extra effort to complete. Maybe you have legal processes to work through, decisions to make, or papers to sign. Maybe it’s just that the pain is always there, when you wake up in the morning or go to bed at night. Maybe you’ve had to put your life dreams on hold because of it, or your life dreams are now within reach, but they’re just not coming fast enough. You anxiously await the day your big change will come and feverishly work towards it, but nothing works it seems.
It certainly rang true for me. My life seemed to be going in slow motion. No matter how badly I wanted things to be better right away, the healing process dragged on one day at a time. (And still does). But you know what, I began to learn why the prophet Isaiah says- “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength...” It's because waiting is an exercise of faith. And the exercise of faith yields strength. You see, when you’re in the thick of your circumstances, waiting for God to come through for you, you find that time after time you come to the end of your own strength and have to call upon Him. And when you call upon Him for strength, he gives it. Isaiah 40:29, just a few lines before verse:31, says that “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” Even the Apostle Paul testifies of it in II Corinthians 12: 9, 10 when he says that “...when I am weak, I am strong,” (v10) for God’s “...strength is made perfect in weakness.” (v9). Many times on this journey, while waiting for things to get better, I have certainly come to the end of myself and have had to pray, “Lord, renew my strength.” And he does everytime. And each time I get stronger than I was the time before. It is His strength that makes us strong and we find His strength when we come to the end of ours.
Waiting is an exercise of faith. Everytime you wait and watch Him handle things that only He can handle your faith is strengthened until finally your faith is built up so strong that nothing can shake you, not even death itself. It is then that you soar upon wings as eagles, above your pain, problems and situations. It is then that you will run and not be weary, walk and not faint, because you know for sure that your Sovereign Lord will take care of you. That's not to say you'll never hurt again, no. But it is to say that you never have to be dismayed again. You can rise above in faith, because you know and trust in the Sovereign Lord.
Those that wait upon the Lord in patient surrender shall find the faithfulness of God to renew and increase their strength for their journey. They shall reach a point of trust in God that they will want to run on to see what the ends gonna be, knowing that the God who gives them a hope and a future will surely bring it to pass.
It doesn't mean you should sit around twittling your fingers doing nothing. No, follow God's leading everyday as He directs, just don't run ahead of God. The NIV puts it this way "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength..." [Isaiah 40:31, NIV]. The Amplified Bible as this- "But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power..." [Isaiah 40:31, Amplified bible] and I really encourage you to read the passage from verse 27-31 in The Message Bible, it will really encourage your heart!
So, like the Psalmist, I say- “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” [Psalm 27:14]
Texts: Isaiah 40:27-31; II Corinthians 12:9,10; Psalm 27:14
Songs: "Wait On The Lord" by, Donnie McClurkin and Karen Clark Sheard
"I Will Wait" by, Jason Upton
Copyright 2010-2011 Stephanie Whitley All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Waiting
God is teaching me Isaiah 40:31 and so I Psalm 27:14.
I'll have to say more about that later, but, in the meantime, think on it!
Blessings,
Stephanie
Copyright 2010 Stephanie Whitley All Rights Reserved
Song- "I Will Wait" by, Jason Upton
Song- "I Don't Mind Waiting" by, Juanita Bynum & Jonathan Butler
I'll have to say more about that later, but, in the meantime, think on it!
Blessings,
Stephanie
Copyright 2010 Stephanie Whitley All Rights Reserved
Song- "I Will Wait" by, Jason Upton
Song- "I Don't Mind Waiting" by, Juanita Bynum & Jonathan Butler
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Fall Is In The Air
Fall is in the air, Sunlight turns
And Shadows rest on my face
Birds coo the morning, welcomes the sun
And embraces the warmth of the day
Autumn is in the wind, whispering its message foretold
Tells of orange and red and Marigolds
Lights the sky with hues of peace and
Spreads its peace all around
Settles the earth from activities past and
Colors the green of the ground
Fall is in the air, Soul's full of grace
Sunlight turns and Shadows rest on my face.
Copyright 2005-2010 Stephanie Whitley All Rights Reserved
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Rock Bottom
...is not the end, it’s the beginning of new things if you allow it to be. On this journey towards healing we all hit rock bottom at some point, in varying ways and to varying degrees. I remember when I felt I’d hit “rock bottom” in my situation. For me it wasn’t necessarily a sense of hopelessness but rather the acknowledgment of the intense pain of that final blow. You know how during painful circumstances painful blows just seem to keep coming until it runs its course, 'till there can be no more blows. Well, in this circumstance I took my final blow to the gut and it laid me out on the floor. I called my position there on the floor “rock bottom.” I couldn’t have been anymore hurt by or devastated about my situation than I was at that point. I was at rock bottom.
But, God helped me see that it wasn’t a position of defeat, rather it was the position from which I’d rise. It’s like that old saying, when you’re all the way down, there’s no where to go but up. Please, don’t get it twisted, it hurts to be down at rock bottom. I’m weary from all the blows and all the times I’ve had to find the strength to keep going despite them. It’s dirty and grungy down here, cluttered from all the painful memories and raw emotions. But I know I can’t go any lower than this and I recognize that this is my launching pad. And so, because I want to live a newer, healthier, happier life, because I want a new beginning, I get up, slowly. Feeling all of the aches and bruises from all the blows, with heavy limbs and hands I brush myself off. By God’s grace I bring myself to my feet, then sit myself down to rest recuperate, and nurse my wounds. I take slow deep breaths, come to terms with what has happened in my life, and think about how to move on.
Rock Bottom...it’s not the end, it’s the beginning if you allow it to be. And if you have God, hope, and will, it can be a pleasant, well, relatively pleasant, place to be, because when you know you’re down as far as you can go, then you know it’s time to start going up. It’s all a part of healing. If you can look up, you can get up. By faith in God- “rise, take up thy bed and walk.” (John 5:8) You’re well on your way to a brand new life.
Blessings,
Stephanie
Text- Jeremiah 29:11
Song- Still I Rise- Yolanda Adams
Copyright 2010 Stephanie Whitley unless otherwise sourced. All Rights Reserved
But, God helped me see that it wasn’t a position of defeat, rather it was the position from which I’d rise. It’s like that old saying, when you’re all the way down, there’s no where to go but up. Please, don’t get it twisted, it hurts to be down at rock bottom. I’m weary from all the blows and all the times I’ve had to find the strength to keep going despite them. It’s dirty and grungy down here, cluttered from all the painful memories and raw emotions. But I know I can’t go any lower than this and I recognize that this is my launching pad. And so, because I want to live a newer, healthier, happier life, because I want a new beginning, I get up, slowly. Feeling all of the aches and bruises from all the blows, with heavy limbs and hands I brush myself off. By God’s grace I bring myself to my feet, then sit myself down to rest recuperate, and nurse my wounds. I take slow deep breaths, come to terms with what has happened in my life, and think about how to move on.
Rock Bottom...it’s not the end, it’s the beginning if you allow it to be. And if you have God, hope, and will, it can be a pleasant, well, relatively pleasant, place to be, because when you know you’re down as far as you can go, then you know it’s time to start going up. It’s all a part of healing. If you can look up, you can get up. By faith in God- “rise, take up thy bed and walk.” (John 5:8) You’re well on your way to a brand new life.
Blessings,
Stephanie
Text- Jeremiah 29:11
Song- Still I Rise- Yolanda Adams
Copyright 2010 Stephanie Whitley unless otherwise sourced. All Rights Reserved
Friday, August 27, 2010
And I Smiled
"I'm hurting today Jesus" was all I could say. Then He picked me up, cradled me in His arms and carried me through my day. And I smiled.
Song- I Come to The Garden Alone
~Stephanie
Copyright 2010 Stephanie Whitley Unless otherwise sourced. All Rights Reserved
Friday, August 20, 2010
"Sneaked," "Snook," "Snuck?"
“Sneaked,” “Snook,” “Snuck?” Okay, really? Somebody please help me with the past tense of “Sneak!” Oh, wait a minute, Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary gave me some guidance. Looks like I actually have a couple options of the inflected forms of “Sneak.” According to them it can be “Sneaked,” or “Snuck.” I’ve always hated trying to say the past tense of “sneak.” Either way, it never sounds right to me. Anyhoo... a few days ago, something "sneaked" up on me and took me by surprise. It was that emotion called “hurt.” Isn’t it strange how it has a way of doing that? You can be having an otherwise really nice day, when BAM, out of nowhere it hits you like a ton of bricks and knocks you off your feet. Whether a thought, a painful memory, or just a momentary feeling of hopelessness, it can really wipe you out.
I was riding along in my car, on a peaceful day, running my errands, when a sad thought about my present circumstances invaded my brain before I had the chance to vet it. And before I knew it, my whole demeanor was changing, threatening to ruin my day. But, luckily I was participating in a Fast, the oddest kind of Fast I’ve ever been apart of. I’d heard about it on TV while flipping through the channels one evening. A tele-evangelist, whose name I cannot even remember now, was promoting a 40 Day Fast From Negative Thinking. What? I thought. My initial reaction was- “Oh, no, I can’t do that, my life is presently filled with too much pain for me to promise I wouldn’t entertain a negative thought.” I couldn’t promise that for the next few hours, let alone for the next 40 days.
But as I thought more about it, I recognized that this was something I needed to do, so I decided to give it a try. In fact, as the first few days went by I began to see how this exercise tied into a previous message God had given me. Loud and clear His message came to me- “in order for you to get beyond this place of pain to a life of joy and fulfillment, you will have to adopt a whole new way of thinking.” I was intimidated by it, but from that moment on I knew I would have to go from thoughts like “I’m defeated, my life is over,” to “I can live victoriously;” from “I’m unlovable,” to “I’m fully loved by God;” from “life will never be good again,” to “God has great plans for me,” from “I’m worthless” to “I’m valuable,” and they’d have to be more than just words. They’d have to be beliefs engrafted into my being.” Truly intimidated by the task, this Fast was the exercise I needed to help me change my thought patterns.
But wait, before I tell you how this fast helped me that day "hurt" sneaked up on me, let me tell you that when I started the Fast, I gave myself one specific rule. While I would choose to not entertain negative thoughts, I did not have to ignore reality. If my life was sad that day, it was sad. If it was painful, then it was painful, and I didn’t have to pretend that it wasn’t. But what I did have to do was determine to not let my reality bring me to a negative, defeated, state of mind. I could acknowledge the sadness, be with the sadness, feel the sadness, but then, make a decided effort to move on.
And so I did that day. When 'hurt" tapped me on the shoulder and darn near jumped in my lap to drive me anywhere he wanted to take me that day, I said “no!” Sure, I cried some and rode with him a little bit, acknowledging that this is my reality and that it hurts, but then, with what little strength I had, decided I would not stay there and let hurt lead me into negative, self-berating thoughts. I was taking the wheel back. I whispered a prayer, recognized a good thing about the day (primarily that I was still alive and in good health) and went on about my day.
Why do I tell you all of this? Because, life’s pain has a way of trying to bog us down and trap us in the mud, threatening to hold us in its grasp forever. But don’t let it. We all hurt at varying degrees and some of us hurt so badly that it seems like we’ll never be okay again. Trust me, I know the feeling. But what we’re going through doesn’t have to be the end of our story. We can move forward, and to do that, we have a role to play. We have to muster up whatever strength we have left and begin to think better thoughts. It’s not easy, I know, but we have to have a plan to deal with the waves of pain that come. It doesn’t have to be a 40 Day Fast From Negative thinking, but, do something. Acknowledge the pain, feel it, call it by name if you must, but don’t succumb to it, think a better thought. Try what Paul admonished the Phillipians- “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” [Phillipians 4:8, NIV]
Your life is not over yet. God still has plans for you. And in order for you to reach His plans you have to make it through this present situation. And in order for you to make it through this situation, you have to take the reins of your thoughts and with what little strength you have left, sneak up on "'hurt" and turn the tables. Turn those negative thoughts into positive ones... one thought at a time.
Love and Peace Always,
Stephanie
Text Phillipians 4:8
Songs- Waging War- CeCe Winans
Encourage Yourself- Donald Lawrence
Copyright 2010 Stephanie Whitley unless otherwise sourced. All Rights Reserved. Use allowed by express written permission only.
I was riding along in my car, on a peaceful day, running my errands, when a sad thought about my present circumstances invaded my brain before I had the chance to vet it. And before I knew it, my whole demeanor was changing, threatening to ruin my day. But, luckily I was participating in a Fast, the oddest kind of Fast I’ve ever been apart of. I’d heard about it on TV while flipping through the channels one evening. A tele-evangelist, whose name I cannot even remember now, was promoting a 40 Day Fast From Negative Thinking. What? I thought. My initial reaction was- “Oh, no, I can’t do that, my life is presently filled with too much pain for me to promise I wouldn’t entertain a negative thought.” I couldn’t promise that for the next few hours, let alone for the next 40 days.
But as I thought more about it, I recognized that this was something I needed to do, so I decided to give it a try. In fact, as the first few days went by I began to see how this exercise tied into a previous message God had given me. Loud and clear His message came to me- “in order for you to get beyond this place of pain to a life of joy and fulfillment, you will have to adopt a whole new way of thinking.” I was intimidated by it, but from that moment on I knew I would have to go from thoughts like “I’m defeated, my life is over,” to “I can live victoriously;” from “I’m unlovable,” to “I’m fully loved by God;” from “life will never be good again,” to “God has great plans for me,” from “I’m worthless” to “I’m valuable,” and they’d have to be more than just words. They’d have to be beliefs engrafted into my being.” Truly intimidated by the task, this Fast was the exercise I needed to help me change my thought patterns.
But wait, before I tell you how this fast helped me that day "hurt" sneaked up on me, let me tell you that when I started the Fast, I gave myself one specific rule. While I would choose to not entertain negative thoughts, I did not have to ignore reality. If my life was sad that day, it was sad. If it was painful, then it was painful, and I didn’t have to pretend that it wasn’t. But what I did have to do was determine to not let my reality bring me to a negative, defeated, state of mind. I could acknowledge the sadness, be with the sadness, feel the sadness, but then, make a decided effort to move on.
And so I did that day. When 'hurt" tapped me on the shoulder and darn near jumped in my lap to drive me anywhere he wanted to take me that day, I said “no!” Sure, I cried some and rode with him a little bit, acknowledging that this is my reality and that it hurts, but then, with what little strength I had, decided I would not stay there and let hurt lead me into negative, self-berating thoughts. I was taking the wheel back. I whispered a prayer, recognized a good thing about the day (primarily that I was still alive and in good health) and went on about my day.
Why do I tell you all of this? Because, life’s pain has a way of trying to bog us down and trap us in the mud, threatening to hold us in its grasp forever. But don’t let it. We all hurt at varying degrees and some of us hurt so badly that it seems like we’ll never be okay again. Trust me, I know the feeling. But what we’re going through doesn’t have to be the end of our story. We can move forward, and to do that, we have a role to play. We have to muster up whatever strength we have left and begin to think better thoughts. It’s not easy, I know, but we have to have a plan to deal with the waves of pain that come. It doesn’t have to be a 40 Day Fast From Negative thinking, but, do something. Acknowledge the pain, feel it, call it by name if you must, but don’t succumb to it, think a better thought. Try what Paul admonished the Phillipians- “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” [Phillipians 4:8, NIV]
Your life is not over yet. God still has plans for you. And in order for you to reach His plans you have to make it through this present situation. And in order for you to make it through this situation, you have to take the reins of your thoughts and with what little strength you have left, sneak up on "'hurt" and turn the tables. Turn those negative thoughts into positive ones... one thought at a time.
Love and Peace Always,
Stephanie
Text Phillipians 4:8
Songs- Waging War- CeCe Winans
Encourage Yourself- Donald Lawrence
Copyright 2010 Stephanie Whitley unless otherwise sourced. All Rights Reserved. Use allowed by express written permission only.
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