Let Be and Be Still

Let be and be still, 

and know (recognize and understand)

 that I am God.

 I will be exalted among the nations! 

I will be exalted in the earth!

The Lord of hosts is with us; 

the God of Jacob is our Refuge

 (our High Tower and Stronghold). 

Selah 

[pause, and calmly think of that]!

Psalm 46:10-11

This is what the Sovereign LORD, 

the Holy One of Israel, says: 

“Only in returning to me 

and resting in me will you be saved. 

In quietness and confidence is your strength. 

But you would have none of it.

Isaiah 30:15

Shhhh, be still.

I know that it is hard. 

I know you don't understand. 

Quiet now.

Remember what I have told you.

I have not left you on your own.

I am right here with you.

I will never leave you.

Come to Me.

Tell Me what is on your heart.

Lay your burden down at My feet. 

I hear you when you call to Me.

I am at work. 

Remember to thank Me.

Your thanks shows Me that you trust Me.

Thanksgiving keeps your focus on Me,

on what I am doing,

what I am going to do.

I hold your future.

I know the plans I have for you.

You only need to be still

and know

that I am God. 

Moving out of the shadows.

So letting your sinful nature 

control your mind

leads to death.

But letting the Spirit

control your mind 

leads to life and peace.

Romans 8:6

I can get so bogged down in my thoughts.

I can see only my inadequacies,

how unable I am.

I start comparing myself to others,

believing that if I try harder,

I can be like them.

•

"Instead of letting difficulties draw you into worrying, 

(or fretting or comparing or feeling inadequate)*

try to view them as setting the scene

for My glorious intervention. 

Keep your eyes and your mind open 

to all that I am doing in your life."

-- from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

*my addition

•

Listening to my sinful nature,

the thoughts that come that are not from You,

drags me down, holds me under,

leads to death.

Your voice is Truth.

Your voice is Light.

Your voice is Life and Peace.

You are my strength.

You are all I need.

It is not about me and what I cannot do.

It is all about You and what You can do.

•

Now all glory to God, 

Who is able, through His mighty power

at work within us,

to accomplish infinitely more 

than we might ask or think.

Ephesians 3:20

Dependence

The Cross by prozac1

Dependence

Victory can only come 

when I lay down control

when I stop striving and trying

when I see my neediness

when I lean hard and deep into You.

Weakness, struggle, failure

clear the air of the mists of self-reliance.

Through the lens of my neediness

I see how unable I am.

I whisper Your name

You are with me

warming me with Your smile

lifting me up onto Your shoulder.

You fight for me

when I come to You.

You don't want me

to do this on my own. 

•

The Lord hears His people 

when they call to Him for help.

He rescues them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;

He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

Psalm 34:17-18

Trust

Trust

Think about Who I am

Recall My Power and Glory

Ponder My deep and wide love for you.

I am always with you  —

always in control of all things.

Remember Who I am —

let go of fear's grip.

Trusting Me draws you close to Me.

So I have looked upon You 

in the sanctuary to see 

Your power and Your glory.

Psalm 63:2

Where could I go from Your Spirit? 

Or where could I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; 

if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), 

behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning or 

dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there shall Your hand lead me, 

and Your right hand shall hold me.

Psalm 139:7-10

Remember

Image Credit

Remember.

Take steps,

the way I show you,

to set up a touch stone

a visible reminder

of what I have done for you.

A memorial forever. 

•

Joshua called out the twelve men 

whom he selected from the People of Israel, 

one man from each tribe. 

Joshua directed them, 

"Cross to the middle of the Jordan 

and take your place in front of the Chest of God, your God. 

Each of you heft a stone to your shoulder,

 a stone for each of the tribes of the People of Israel, 

so you'll have something later to mark the occasion. 

When your children ask you, 

'What are these stones to you?' 

you'll say, 'The flow of the Jordan was stopped 

in front of the Chest of the Covenant of God as it crossed the Jordan—

stopped in its tracks. 

These stones are a permanent memorial for the People of Israel.

Joshua 4:4-7 msg

Available

"Consistently trusting in Me is vital to flourishing in My Presence."

-- from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

There is no peace apart from You.

I know this so well

because I wander so often.

Why I think I can do better,

why I think that You expect me

to do it all on my own,

I have no idea. 

I know that it is only by Your 

precious Grace 

that I am 

saved,

forgiven,

restored,

redeemed,

justified....

Why I think I can 

do anything apart from you,

I have no idea.

I try to be like You

but I can't.

Only You can be You

in me.

Teach me 

how to be available,

available 

to You

for You are all I need.

"The only limitation 

on what God can do 

in you and me 

is our 

availability.

Be available to Christ, 

and His divine dynamic

will be released."

"The Christian life is not about 

our own capacity and ability, 

but about God's; 

not about who we are, 

but who He is; 

not about what we have to offer, 

but what He offers, 

which is all of Himself,

 if only we are as available to Christ 

as Christ was available to His Father."

-- from The Indwelling Life of Christ by Major W. Ian Thomas

Blessed are you

who give yourselves over to God,

turn your backs on the world's "sure thing",

ignore what the world worships;

Psalm 40:4 msg

My help and glory are in God

—granite-strength and safe-harbor-God —

So trust Him absolutely, people;

lay your lives on the line for HIm.

God is a safe place to be.

Psalm 62:7-8 msg

Words to Live By

BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) 

is the man who walks and lives not 

in the counsel of the ungodly 

[following their advice, their plans and purposes], 

nor stands [submissive and inactive] 

in the path where sinners walk, 

nor sits down [to relax and rest] 

where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.

But his delight and desire are in the law 

of the Lord, and on His law 

(the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) 

he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) 

by day and by night.

And he shall be like a tree firmly planted 

[and tended] by the streams of water, 

ready to bring forth its fruit in its season;

 its leaf also shall not fade or wither; 

and everything he does shall prosper 

[and come to maturity].

Psalm 1:1-3

 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ?

Any comfort from his love? 

Any fellowship together in the Spirit? 

Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 

Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other,

 loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. 

Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 

Don’t look out only for your own interests, 

but take an interest in others, too.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Philippians 2:1-5

And so, dear brothers and sisters, 

I plead with you to give your bodies to God 

because of all he has done for you. 

Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—

the kind he will find acceptable. 

This is truly the way to worship him.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, 

but let God transform you into a new person 

by changing the way you think. 

Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, 

which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2