I'm so convinced that He is Good

There was once nothing. But there was no lack. The Father set with the Son and Spirit, communing and daily being the delight of one another. It was only the Godhead, three in one, glorifying and loving another, yet in the same, still one. There was a unanimous move on the heart of God, among the three of them that is. A fleeting desire. A passion to love. Love so undefined, so untouchable. Love that was complete. Out of the burning desire there came forth words, "Let there be light." And there was light. The desire of the heart of the Lord became manifest as He painted, crafted, and established what we now know as the universe. Hanging the stars in the heavens, but not overlooking one flower of the field. It was good in His sight. He must have thought, "This is a suitable and right environment to place the desire of my heart in the midst." So from the dust, from something He already created, the dirt of the earth, He created once more and brought forth His image bearer. He brought forth the one He desired. "This one will rule with me. This one I will enjoy and be enjoyed by." Man was the desire of the creators heart made manifest. What does love look like? A creator who desired, therefore out of the overflow of His heart fashioned something perfect so He could love them. But giving the free will of man to choose for themselves to love Him in return. Would they be voluntary lovers? Would man know that He loved them? By looking around them at all of creation would their hearts see all of the works of His fingers and know that more than all of these things that they were the overflow of the Creators heart? Would there be doubt in man's heart about how their creator felt about them? Oh, but how could they doubt His love when observing all His many demonstrations of love!

Think on the story of creation from His perspective. He desired, therefore He created. You and I weren't some random life that dropped out of nowhere onto the earth. He knew You and I in our mother's womb. He fashioned and formed each one of us perfectly, exactly the way He wanted us. To call something about ourselves ugly, or unattractive is actually to disagree with His creative expression. He doesn't mess up on people when He creates. He fashions them just the way He wants them. How could we ever doubt His love for us?! I am confident that my Father in heaven who fashioned and formed me is for me. He really does like me. All the accusations of the enemy that would say otherwise, I bring into the light of truth, He desired me, therefore He created me. He didn't with hold anything from me when He formed me. He gave me the right amount of gift mix, the right amount of physical ability, He gave me a creative expression. The whole package He gave me, He gave me specifically to cause me to Love Him more in every circumstance of life. I'm so convinced that He is good!

I Remember.

As of lately I've been journalling more and more. Writing down prayers, thoughts, or different revelations that the Lord has revealed to my heart lately. But mostly, I find that my journalling is mostly talking to the Lord about His heart for me. This has been one of the most beneficially things that I've taken time to do over the past couple weeks. As I'm talking to the Lord, my kind Father, I'm asking Him questions, making declarations from His Word what He says about me. I still haven't fully comprehended (nor do I think I ever will) the ability of the human mind to so easily forget about all of the Lord's goodness in my life. My forgetfulness is about as faithful as the morning sunrise. Each morning as I start my day, it's like I have to jumpstart my heart to remember. I have to declare His loving kindness over myself daily, otherwise my thoughts and beliefs about Him become skewed so very quickly. I think thats why David seems so repetitive in the Psalms, because as He was making declarations to the Lord about His character, but he was also making a declaration over his own soul, body, and mind. "Look at Him! In all of His glory! Look at Him in all of His splendor! Look at Him in the way He deals with me mercifully everytime! Look at Him O my soul, and know His kindness! He is good to those who love Him. He is slow to anger, full of mercy, abounding in love! There is none like Him! O glorify Him my spirit, soul, and mind! For He alone is deserving of all my affections! Praise Him in His excellent wisdom, exalt Him for His perfect leadership. Truly the boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places! Father You have given me all I need for life and godliness." Even in my times of journalling each day I've picked up on David's habit of making declarations and prayers to the Lord, but also that they would be ever over me and upon me as a reminder of the Lord's great Faithfulness in past seasons. He is faithful everytime. He is gracious everytime. He is so committed to the process of seeing our hearts through the journey of maturing. Even more than we are =] That is encouraging to my heart. That as devoted as I am to seeing His righteousness perfected in me, that He has even more zeal about it, and knows exactly the process it will take to get me there. Good and Good.

Blessings,

Isaac

A Challenge

It's funny how us as people can so easily get stuck in a routine of life of just going through the motions. Do the same weekly agenda's and mundane business, and feel as if we are being stretched and grown. Not to say that the Lord doesn't use the routine things of life to teach us valuable lessons. But it is just amusing to me how we get so used to our schedule, and if someone interrupts it how easy we are to get upset and be thrown off. Entering this fall semester at IHOPU I knew what I was signing up for, but I don't know how ready I was to give myself fully to the requirements when they changed outside of my expectations. We often times as people have a set mindset of what we think something is going to look like, and if somehow that expectation doesn't line up we so quickly disengage our heart and look for the easy way out. (Well, I know that is a response my heart so often gives). As of lately through the midst of all the business in my schedule, and the last minute changes, and the unexpected extra 5 requirements, and the scheduling conflicts, the Lord has been charging my heart to grow. Just whispering, "Use this uncomfort to let the issues of your heart come up, deal with them, and then grow in love." It's like He's actually using people's weakness to get under my skin to bring up the darkness of my own. He's that good. It's an invitation into walking out the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle. To prefer others above myself. I want to be better at this. Just a thought I've been having lately. I want to use even the odd things of life to learn from. I want a teachable heart.