Walk in confidence.

Every day the Lord teaches me new things in my quiet time. Yes, it's convicting but exciting all at the same time! Lately Satan has really been trying to defeat me in discouragement and the thoughts that I can't succeed. Every time these thoughts cross my mind the Lord brings to mind all the verses I've been memorizing. Such as, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:4-6) And, "May the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace as your trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:8) Reciting God's word is one of the most powerful tools to resist Satan lies.


As most people know this semester I am now an R.A. at Carson-Newman and absolutely love it! God has definitely blessed me with this job. Last semester I began praying that I would receive this job for the Fall semester of 2011 and unexpectedly he gave it to me much sooner. I can't praise him enough. My heart's desire is to reach out to people and speak of God's incredible grace and mercy. That is one of the reasons I wanted this job so badly because I knew it could open that opportunity to speak about Him. That's when Satan came in. A part of being R.A. obviously means responsibility, work, and forming relationships which is great but can be overwhelming at times. I've never really had to do much except school work in the past and having to balance all of that and time with God is challenging. But, each day is a blessing and each time I struggle I grow a little bit stronger. 


A book I'm reading right now has been uplifting during those times of struggle and God has really spoken to me through the author. It's called, "How to reach your full potential for God" by Charles Stanley. I'll share with you a quote that I read tonight and lifted my spirits. 

 "Make a firm commitment to only listen to God about matters of identity. If something you hear about yourself doesn't reflect who you are in Christ, don't pay attention to it! If something you hear about God doesn't fit what you know about His true nature, don't buy into it! Don't repeat lies you have been told. Don't call yourself a failure when God says He made you a success. Don't call yourself weak when you know that the Holy Spirit makes you strong. Don't call yourself unworthy when God says you are worthy. Don't call yourself stupid when you know that the Father created you with an incredible capacity to learn and receive wisdom."

I hope you all have a blessed day and are encouraged as you seek God!