We often believe more for others than we do for ourselves.
GOD WANTS YOU TO BELIEVE HIM FOR YOU.
As I was thinking about this today about myself, Holy Spirit gently whispered into my ear. “You know what this is, right? It’s a trust issue.”
Sometimes words like that make me wince. But you know what? The reason I winced is because deep down inside, I know it’s true. Hey, did you know that Holy Spirit is a “pot stirrer?” Many of us know people who are pot stirrers, but that is in a negative sense, those people try to stir pots into people lives to then sit back and watch the havoc that occurs. (By the way – that’s similar to witch craft…) I’m pretty sure I don’t have to tell you – that THAT is NOT of God.
That’s not what I mean when I call Holy Spirit a “pot stirrer.” Holy Spirit’s job is to stir up the pot of you and come to the realization of things that need to be brought to the surface so that you can experience healing, relief or spiritual growth due to what He brings up to the surface. And sometimes it stings…
Kind of like when a child gets a boo-boo and their mother has to gently clean the wound out in order for it to heal and not get infected. It stings! And as a mom I can tell you that when one of my three children hurt themselves, just the mere fact that they were hurt was enough to make my heart cringe. But being the mom, I had to be the mature person and even though I knew they were going to cry and maybe kick or scream, I had to do what is best for my child(ren). I had to look beyond the moment of pain to the wellness of their being.
Holy Spirit is the same. Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, Jesus said in John 14:26
“… But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
Holy Spirit is doing His job. He is our guide, our teacher and if we allow Him to do His work within us, we will grow in ways we can’t imagine and enter into a deeper walk with the Lord.
When Holy Spirit helps me to see things within myself I need to examine once I get over the initial cringe, I HAVE TO GO DEEPER within myself. Trusting others for God to answer and be there for them and then questioning whether He will be there for me IS a sensitive trust issue. And once I am aware of an area I need to work on – I need to work on it. Usually if you wince at something Holy Spirit tells you, it’s because you feel a confirmation and a conviction of what that is!
Here is the good news! HE DOES NOT LEAVE YOU TO FIGURE IT OUT ON YOUR OWN.
So my next question to Him (after the smarting simmered down) was, “Okay, Ouch…. Forgive me Father for my lack of trusting You. I WANT to trust you more. Please help me to trust You.”
It makes me think about who the Bible calls, “Doubting Thomas…” Remember him? He can be found in John 20:24-29:
“Now Thomas (also known as Didymus) one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
And Thomas said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.”
When we doubt or believe for others more than we believe for ourselves – we become “doubting Thomas’” And I don’t know about you but I FULLY want God to know – I WANT TO TRUST HIM MORE.
So then we need to dig deeper to find out what needs healing within us to bring those things Holy Spirit brings to our awareness that keep us from going deeper. And then we need to call them out in prayer, ask God for His forgiveness and also for His guidance and help in developing a stronger trust in Him. And He will. We can TRUST that He will. He doesn’t bring things to our attention to leave us hanging in the mix of it all and He certainly doesn’t expect us to deal with it on our own.
Self-Awareness does not mean you work on it by yourself. Allow Holy Spirit to walk with you, instruct you, direct you and guide you through the process. He’s THERE to TEACH YOU. Let Him. Part of letting Him is part of the learning to trust God process. We are ALL works in progress and as long as we have breathe in our bodies – so will be the case. He moves us from lesson to lesson, but in moving us He moves WITH us. We are NOT alone.
“Father God, thank You for sending Holy Spirit to dwell inside of me… I know that He has my best interest at heart and those interests include fostering a deeper relationship with You. It’s hard for me to accept the fact that I have trust issues – I can see this is an area in my life that I need to work on. Please forgive me for the times I haven’t trusted You fully… Please heal any people-wounds within me that has resulted into distrust. I don’t want to be a “doubting Thomas.” You’ve not given me any reasons NOT to trust You, so I pray You would remove whatever it is that is keeping me from trusting You in the same manner that I trust You will answer the prayers that I believe for others, for myself. I know You are no respecter of persons. You do not have favorites. Father, I choose to TRUST You today. Please bring to mind or help me to find scriptures within Your Living Word, the Bible to aid me. I love You SO much Father. Thank You Holy Spirit for walking with me through this process. In Jesus name I pray. AMEN.”
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