I remember when my kids were young, they would have nightmares. Wake up from a sound sleep and cry. We would rush into their room, hold them and remind them of truth. You are not alone. You will be okay. This is just a dream. You will forget this terror by morning. Then my kiddo would rest in my arms and drift back to sleep.
This weekend my friend taught me this declaration from Jon Acuff’s book Soundtracks. “Everything will work out for me, my life is dope.” It made me laugh and yet, there is a whole lot of truth right there. I get bombarded with the dailies of life. Pain, worries, exhaustion all tend to overwhelm me. However, we can remember this:
“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28 HCSB
https://bible.com/bible/72/rom.8.28.HCSB
Yes, I totally cherry picked a verse. We misinterpret this verse to say that IF our life isn’t going well, God is not happy with us. Or, what good? Who has this promise and why is my life so hard? All things working together for good…this is a long term promise for your life. Today, you love God and trust him in the dark times, and set up declarations. I am called. He has a purpose for my life. “Everything will work out for me. AND my life IS dope.” Makes me smile every time.
These verse I am about to share are another set of declarations.
“I have written to you, children, because you have come to know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have come to know the One who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, God’s word remains in you, and you have had victory over the evil one. Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle — is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.”
1 John 2:14-17 HCSB
https://bible.com/bible/72/1jn.2.14-17.HCSB
What do you know? What can you declare? John tells us, as we come to know the Father, we are strengthened. We are upheld. When we declare truth to ourselves, Scriptural, God’s word is IN us. We have victory. We have hope. Even in the dark times, we know God is for us. God is with us. And he will NEVER leave us.
How I spend my time is a good indicator of what I value. I don’t want my love for God is be drowned out by watching videos, scanning social media, and not engaging with those around me. This world has nothing for me. Flesh, eyes, and pride all are indications. I make decisions all day long on how I will spend my physical life as well as my thought life. I want to hold onto to the Eternal One, not on this world that is slipping away. I want to do God’s will for my life.
Which brings me back to how I started. “Everything will work out for me, my life is dope.” Draws me to the truth. Helps me to remember to pause and think. Where am I right now? Where is the will of God for me?
I’m not going to always get that perfectly, but declaring the truth is a good way to start.
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