Not Defined By Insecurity

by Charity Pence

This Week's Verse: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)

Insecurity is something I have struggled with most my life.  Part of me has always felt that I don't quite measure up.  I'm not pretty enough, not developed enough.  At times I've believed myself to be fat though I've never been considered over weight.  I get nervous and tend to trip over my words when speaking and fear I sound like a bumbling idiot.  When I walk through a room of strangers, I cannot shake the feeling that I am being judged.  And one of my biggest fears is being viewed as stupid. 

I was made fun of a lot when younger and was judged harshly for circumstances beyond my control, but I do not believe my negative experiences should determine who I am.  And you know what? I do not believe my Heavenly Father would think so either. 

If you struggle as I do with insecurities, allow me to share with you some mighty truths.

1. You were fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
2. You are precious and chosen by God. (1 Peter 2:4)
3. God did not give you a spirit of fear. (Romans 8:15)
4. God will enable you. (1 Peter 4:11)
5. You are made complete through Christ. (Colossians 2:10)
6. You were created beautiful by God. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
7. God cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
8. Nothing can separate you from God's love. (Romans 8:38-39)
9. God rejoices over you. (Zephaniah 3:17)
10. God has a plan for you. (Jeremiah 29:11)
11. You are instilled with the power of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
12. God will not forsake you. (2 Corinthians 4:9)

We are assured of so much more than what is listed above.  But I hope you will use this list to remind yourself of who you are.  Please do not let the world tell you any different.

Dear Heavenly Father, I have spent too much time worrying about what the world thinks of me.  Please forgive me for caring more for the opinion of others than I do about yours.  Your word assures me of who I am.  Help me to focus on that and focus on You, Your love, and Your grace.  For Your grace is sufficient, Lord.  Touch the hearts of those who need this list.  Show them who they truly are.  I love You, Lord.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Garden Growth

by Bethany Lashbrook

This week’s verse: Genesis 2:9, "The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." (NIV)

Devotion:

Clint and I have not been very successful with gardens at our home. Three years now, we have planted various flowers, plants, and gardens. All have had portions that have failed. I tend them, water them, weed them, nurture them, and love them. I rarely miss a day without taking care of them.

I love watching flowers grow. I love knowing that I have planted something and I can help it grow!

But, on the flip-side, it’s very discouraging to watch something fail. I often comment that it costs more to water these plants than it did to buy them.

I was mentioning to our neighbor the other day about how hard it is to keep anything alive on our property and she reminded me that our homes were built over a landfill (yep - back in the day). We have found whole bricks buried in our yard while planting. Rocks of all sizes are in our hard clay-like soil. This is discouraging, yet, I don’t give up.

Now, apply this to represent God and me (of course!). God is the nurturer, the lover, the gardener, and I am the garden. Sometimes I grow. Sometimes I flourish. Sometimes I am beautiful.

And then sometimes I fail. My heart is as hard as a brick. My mind becomes hard as stone. I fail to receive any of the nutrients the Lord is trying to feed me. Sometimes I am ugly. And, yet, He doesn’t give up.

I’m so glad that we have a Lord that continuously, relentlessly, knowingly, and forgivingly loves us. To him, we are always beautiful - even at our most ugly moments.

Dear Father, thank you for our chance at life. We know you have magnificently made us in your image. We anticipate the day we get to meet you and see what a perfect man is like. Thank you for your forgiveness when we just can’t get it straight. Thank you for your unending love when our hearts are ugly and filled with grit. Thank you, Father, for you Son Jesus. And it’s in his name that we pray, Amen.

Application: Pray this week that your heart is opened to what God is calling you to do, to say, or to act on. Be still and listen. And then take action. Be prepared for what He has sent your way. Know, ladies, that he would never call us to do anything that we couldn’t handle!

Power Verses:

Ezekiel 17:22-24, “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the forest will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.'" (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 3:11, "Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end." (NLT)