I have a confession to make; I’m a perfectionist who is a dreamer and an over-achiever. I live with an “all-or-nothing” mindset and I often take on more than I can handle. As a perfectionist, I’m not at all perfect. I live every day trying to bite my tongue and remember who I am in Christ. I’m often hard on myself and impatient while trying to make changes to better my character, thoughts, and actions. I live with worries, doing my best to entrust them to God in prayer, while at times I contradict my faith wavering in doubt. Thankfully, God knows my heart, intentions, and motives, and He gently reels me back into Him, reminding me that I am a work in progress.
After a rough meeting at work the other day, I was worrying about something rude that slipped from my mouth. I found it ironic I was simultaneously condemning myself over what I said, and also trying to make myself feel better by singing, "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus". In one aspect I was loathing in guilt, and the other part of me was singing away; “I am covered and forgiven by the blood of Jesus.” When I realized the struggle in my mind, I had to stop and choose my moment. Would I stay in conflict listening to condemnation and guilt; or accept forgiveness and live in freedom? I decided to accept forgiveness, admit I’m not perfect and move on, praying and planning to do better. In my time of prayer, God encouraged me by reminding me I can live in constant freedom and forgiveness. His ways and thoughts are higher than mine, His love is deep and eternal, His favor is great, His mercies can’t be measured, His kindness is genuine and His strength is beyond comprehension. God reassured me that I am loved, adored, precious, created on purpose and with a purpose. I can shut out shame, lay down my pain, admit my sins and trust in Him. I don’t have to work excessively, over-exerting myself to prove anything to anyone. I already have the approval I need. “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10) And now my spirit can sing and freely worship God without condemnation. Oh precious is the blood. "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow, No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Sometimes all we need is a little encouragement to lift up our head, keep our focus on what matters, and increase our faith in God. Grace is the answer to overcoming perfectionism. But he said to me; "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) 
I'm a Survivor of kidnapping & abuse. I've published my story, "Raised by Strangers" to help you learn how to seek God for all your needs and grow in faith.
Discover forbidden secrets, how God turned my tragedy into triumph; and saved my life. Discover your purpose and regain new hope & freedom! Get your copy now on Amazon.com or Barnes & Nobles.com in paperback or digital format!
0 Comments
This one thing has haunted me, making me angry, desolate, sad, hateful, and insecure. It's called grief.
I've never lost a loved one to a physical death. Therefore, I haven't considered myself ever needing to "grieve the loss" of anyone. But after a dream I had last night, God is speaking to my heart ; revealing truth to me. The truth is, I lost my father and I have never taken time to grieve. When you read my book, Raised by Strangers, you will understand the whole story. I've had to sever any contact with my dad to protect myself from him. So, I buried him in my mind and I speak of him as dead. But truth be told, he is very much alive. Not only physically alive; but in my mind, visions, dreams and memories. My heart hurts right now for the dad I never had. For the man who should have loved me but abandoned me. My soul and my being wants my dad to love and approve of me, but I honestly accept that will never happen. I had a vivid dream about my dad last night. He was helping me with my kids and being a "real" dad. He was kind and not condescending; he was helpful and protective; not obnoxious and selfish. Yes, it certainly was a dream; a made up story in my imagination of something I only wish would have happened for real. However, that relationship, that time, that father; he is gone, lost and broken. He is distant, cold, harsh, and not a "real father". It's time to face the truth. It's time to grieve. It's time to stop being hurt, angry, frustrated and trying to change things. I didn't know it until this morning. But truth is refreshing and my spirit is overwhelmed by God's goodness and faithfulness. I choose to accept I need to grieve. I choose to move forward. I know it will be a slow process because for some reason it is the most painful event and experience in my life. Even after my own mother abandoned me; my father who is loveless, hurts more. In the bible Jesus heals the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda. He says to the man, "Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6)............ Sometimes the answer is in the question. Do you want to get well? What if our healing was dependent on us wanting to get well and receive it? What if the only thing keeping us from healing was ourselves? My answer is, " yes Lord, I want to get well." What is your answer? Let us pray: Dear Heavenly Father, You are the Great I Am. You are King of Kings and Mighty God. You are our Healer and everything we need. We come before You and surrender our whole beings to You. You are our Creator and know us better than we know ourselves. We say, "yes." We want healing. We want to know the truth because your word says the truth will set us free. In our darkest moments and in our worst pain, you are with us and will never leave us nor forsake us. It is your desire for us to be healthy and full of your joy unspeakable. Draw us close to you. Help us to forgive, release all hurt, pain, anger, and bitterness to You. Remind us that You are all we need. You know our hearts and exactly what we have gone through. Please start working in us at this very moment and shine your light upon us. Embrace us with Your love and fill us with your peace that surpasses all understanding. We are expecting great things from You. Thank you. Amen
I get aggravated when someone tells me what to do but doesn’t teach me how. Things work better when we know what we are doing and how to do it.
You are about to embark on a better and more enjoyable journey into prayer time with God. You will gain insight and tips; helping you in your daily relationship with God. Our prayers have eternal value. If we could truly grasp the awesome power and effectiveness of prayer, we would pray more. We don’t want to be a person who only prays when life is tough or when we need a miracle. We benefit from staying constant in prayer and having an intimate relationship with Jesus. We can come to Him with anything at anytime. He already knows our heart and we can’t hide anything from Him. What God says about Prayer: “Prayer is Powerful and Effective” (James 5:16) “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (1 John 5:14) “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” (Colossians 4:2) “Never stop praying.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Spending time with God is essential in your relationship with Him. Think about how hard it is to have a close and intimate relationship with anyone we don’t devote our energy, time and attention to. God wants us to pray without ceasing, pray with expectation and pray about everything. ** There is nothing in your lives that God considers unimportant. Open your hearts and minds and just pray. How to Pray? Prayer is simply talking to God. You can talk out loud or quietly to Him in your mind. God hears us even when our words are unspoken. You creatively pray by typing a letter to Him or keeping a journal. You can pray alone, with someone or in a group. My personal preference is journaling my prayers in a notebook. This helps me stay focused and I also love looking back to see all the amazing prayers God has answered. There is no one specific right way to pray. Be creative and mix it up daily. When Can We Pray? We can pray anytime. God does not sleep or take a lunch break, and he is never too busy to listen. Where Can We Pray? We can pray anywhere! We do not have to pray in a Church or in a certain position. We can walk, sit, stand, kneel or lie down. We can pray in our car, in our bed, in the kitchen, in the grocery store and while at work or school. God is omnipresent which means that he is everywhere at all times. Now that you have some tips on better prayer, get some time with Jesus! Stay on the lookout for Part 2 of this article; coming soon. And make sure you get your copy of my newly released book,"Raised by Strangers". It's available on Amazon.com or at Barnes & Nobles.com in Digital Format or Paperback! 
I was kidnapped, abused and "Raised by Strangers" ....... I'm telling it all to help others. I invite you to learn my true life story of kidnapping, abuse, destructive relationships, eating disorders and how God turned my tragedy into triumph. You will find a renewed hope, discover your purpose and learn there is freedom in forgiveness! -Brooke Lynn
We are working and striving too hard, chasing after things that don’t matter. We can look around our home and find MANY things we can simply live without. Think about how hard and long we've worked, and what we've sacrificed to get all of it. Our bank statements prove exactly what we consider important. Yes, yes, of course some don’t fall in this category, but many do. If it’s our goal or ambition in life to only have the nicest, finest, biggest things, we may be lacking in upholding our true responsibilities. If we're never satisfied with what we have, maybe we aren’t lacking in provision, but selfishly discontent.
Trust me, I’m not judging. I'm speaking from my own past experiences. The truth is, we don’t have time to waste on chasing “things” to fill temporary voids. What we need that will fill our desires for more; are relationships. Our relationship with God must always come first. He wants the best of us, all of us and not the left over’s. He wants us seeking His heart in prayer, reading His word, and our worship. The bible says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33) How about our family, friends and loved ones? Is our spouse crying out for our attention? We can look closer for subtle hints they may be leaving or saying. We tend to miss what we don’t want to really see. Think about our kids? Are we missing games, recitals, appointments, or evenings at home? We can't get this time back. They grow fast and no one can replace us as a parent. Nothing can buy back a moment in time. Nothing is worth lost time with God or people. Not the house, the boat, the new car, the Coach bag, name brand stuff, or things we feel we deserve or need to be happy. What can we do less of, to create more time for in our relationships? "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24) 
I write from my heart. I write what I think, feel, and what I believe. I write about life and the lessons I learn. I want to help others see life for what it truly is; It’s a gift we've all been given. Something we didn’t choose, something given to us freely to enjoy. We are called and made to have a relationship with Jesus. Without this relationship, we can do nothing that will make an eternal difference. We are here today and gone tomorrow. Living this life is about leaving a legacy to make a difference in what we stand for. For me, this is Jesus! Without Jesus, in the light of reality, I have nothing. He is all I need. Without Jesus, there is no purpose or meaning to life except to live selfishly.
This will be hard for MANY in the world to swallow or read. They will argue or disagree with my words. But to me, it is truth! I believe the Bible, it has power, and it’s the true and living word of God. I don’t understand everything about God and none of us ever will. He is infinite in wisdom and supernatural in all His ways! What I do understand is what He has done for me and in me. I want to share my enthusiasm, excitement, journey, life lessons, feelings, thoughts, expectations, and everything within me with everyone. But I am learning not everyone wants to hear or cares about what I have to say. I see life differently than some; I take it all in. I see behind the scenes and have the gift of discernment. Psychology is intriguing and I love digging deep into it. The human mind is full of what makes us unique and creative individuals. It’s an adventure digging deep into the person we are, and discovering our calling, gifts, talents, passions and who we are in our inner utmost core. We have roots inside us that go down deep! Roots attached to our past that trigger our thoughts, words and actions. It’s important to discover who we really are, accept ourselves, and live that life! People are miserable and unhappy living a life others want them to have, being something or someone, they are not; while inside they are screaming and yearning to be set free; to be themselves. People need to ask themselves; who am I? What do I like or dislike? Do I love my career, and do I perform well? We need to seek God in prayer and ask Him to open our eyes, mind and heart to His response in helping us establish our true selves. This is a process, a journey for the rest of our lives. I love to help people believe in themselves, giving them a confidence to keep going in life and knowing they are truly loved, approved, and cared for by God. -ENCOURAGEMENT- Even if you have nothing; when you have God; you have EVERYTHING! Life is hard and messy. But when we dig deep into the trenches, there are many treasures waiting to be discovered. It’s time to discover who you really are and for what you really stand!~ Ask God who you are, and who He has made you to be! He is with you right now and He will answer you! |
AuthorPassionately leading you closer to Jesus Christ. Helping you break through insecurity and doubt, encouraging you to live a life of freedom and healing. Motivating you to a deeper level of faith in Jesus Christ. 
Archives
October 2019
Categories |
RSS Feed