Organizing the Inside 365 Days
Empowering Christian Women To Get Organized and Discover God's Plan for Their LivesArchive for Freedom
Organizing the Inside – Day 349 Trading In Stress For Godly Freedom
28Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
Sometimes as women we become obsessed with trying to please others. Too often you’re willing to spend extra hours, and invest extra resources because you’re driven to please another human being. Some of us are giving more consideration to what someone else thinks, before considering God. When this person is happy life seems good, but when they are unhappy, perhaps because of something that you failed to do, then things go downhill fast.
This is an unfair and horribly stressful way to live. People pleasers are prone to depression and anxiety because that’s not how God intended for anyone to live. God did however give us an internal desire to please Him. Certainly we know, “The unmarried woman cares for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married cares for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.” 1 Corinthians 7:34 (KJV) So does this mean that the married woman has to end up stressed and pressed on every side, because she’s trying to please her husband? Being concerned, and carrying an unrealistic burden (that God never intended) are two different issues. Although the married woman is concerned with how she may please her husband, an unbalanced approach will lead to an unbalanced lifestyle.
Let go of any unhealthy preoccupation with pleasing anyone other than the Lord. If the godly woman’s life pleases the Lord, I sincerely believe she will in turn please her husband (whether he is saved or not). God will show you how to please your husband without compromising your relationship with Christ. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30 (NIV) For the unmarried and married alike, it could be a boss or someone else in your life you’ve been worried about pleasing. You can ultimately learn to give, care and love others out of the wonderful freedom and joy that comes from pleasing God first.
God’s perspective brings relief for the people-pleaser. When you take your concerns to God in prayer He will give you insightful solutions to help change your stressful circumstances. Be sure to keep this matter in prayer. Release the tension, that accompanies those deep feelings of inadequacy, and experience the peace of God, by first pleasing Him. This is what it all comes down to. Are you willing to trust the Holy Spirit to make your life pleasing to God first? If you are, then the burden of trying to please others will soon be a thing of the past.
Related articles that I thought you might find helpful.
- 3 Tips to have a Godly Marriage (johnathanhines.wordpress.com)
- When My Spouse is Wrong (peacefulwife.com)
Organizing the Inside – Day 330 God’s Forgiveness Liberates
1Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
2Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
Psalm 32:1, 2, 5 (NIV)
Is it possible to live a life free of guilt? While we all have made mistakes, considered and even carried out poor choices at one time or another; who can actually be found blameless?
You and I can because of Christ’s finished work at Calvary. Knowing God’s forgiveness and experiencing the cleansing power of His blood is not a license to sin. On the contrary, knowing God and His love for us in spite of our past mistakes and sins gives us liberty and allows us to serve Him freely.
5Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Let us therefore celebrate the liberty which is ours through Jesus Christ and live a life of thanksgiving which honors and glorifies Him. 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. Romans 12:1 (NLT)
Organizing the Inside – Day 327 An Invite To Worship God Freely
1Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. 3For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 4He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. 5The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too. 6Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, 7for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. Psalm 95:1-7 (NLT)
Freedom to worship.
This particular Psalm seems to show a stark contrast between those who openly and freely praised God and those who were set on doing things their own way. When your heart is open to the loving will of God, worship comes easily. When you have been freed from the fear of punishment resulting from your rejection of God’s plan, you can lift your hands without hesitation. This signals to God that your true heart’s desire is toward Him. We’ve all seen children drop their most prized toy when Dad walks in the room as they abandon self interests; desiring more intimacy and closeness with him their hands naturally go up. As a child lifts her hands toward her Dad wanting him to lift her up, so worshippers everywhere whose heart safely trust God lift their hands in a spontaneous expression of love and desire toward their heavenly Father.
Is your heart free to worship?
If the answer is no, there could be many reasons why your praise is hindered. God will reveal the truth. In the last verses of Psalm 95 we read about how God wouldn’t allow the Israelites to enter the promise land because of the hardness of their hearts. If someone keeps rejecting God’s will and continuously decides to ignore His ways, eventually that person’s heart becomes so hard that it is useless. Whether it’s anger or fear or a mere unwillingness to trust God, these feelings are normal. Normal, but unacceptable just the same, because they hold you back and keep your heart from the freedom to worship and serve God. If you’re thinking you’ve told God “not yet” or “no” far too many times (if you’re reading this) there is still time to get it right. There’s always time to change. If you are still breathing, you can trade in all of those past mistakes and bad choices for the bright future God wants to give.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for worship. Please look at our hearts. Remove anything that would cause us to turn from you. May we find the peace that true obedience brings. May we abandon ourselves in exchange for a deeper and more meaningful relationship with you. Teach us to not allow our own selfish desires to interfere with our worship, because you alone are worthy of all praise, honor and glory. Forgive us Lord, and lift us up to where you are. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Organizing the Inside – Day 296 Completely Free!
12Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:12-16 (NIV) 17 (KJV)
Realize all that you are and have received in Him.
We are free to live and serve God according to His will for our lives. You have been made free from bondage of any kind. Bondage is anything in your life that you allow to keep you from being all that God has called you to be. Whether you have experienced mental, spiritual or emotional bondage if you are in Christ, you have been made free. The point is this: when Jesus died the veil in the temple was torn in two. Not only giving you access to the glory of God, but giving you complete freedom from ignorance and blindness. That same Spirit that connects us, frees us and grants us power through His grace. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)
You have received the power to know and do the will of the Father. But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 1:12 (KJV) For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 (NIV) Neither man nor demon can hinder you from serving God and fulfilling the call that is upon your life. If fear or memories of past struggles have you in bondage, you must recognize that the chains are gone. You are not in bondage! Everything that once held you back is no longer an issue, because you’ve been granted total liberty through Christ Jesus. When your will is in line with God’s will there is absolutely nothing that supersedes the power of God at work in your life. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1 (KJV)
19And so, dear brothers and sisters we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Hebrews 10:19-24 (NLT)
Organizing the Inside 365 Days 