Hey y’all! “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path.” Most of us know this scripture by heart, but lately it has new meaning to me. The past year there has been many ups and downs for a lot of us and it can be hard to make sense of it. I feel like 2 Timothy 1:7 meshes so well with Proverbs 3:5-6.
2 Timothy 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Disclaimer- I am NOT a professional life coach, therapist, or ordained minister. These are simply suggestions that have helped me and my family. If you are looking for professional help please quit reading now. But if you are looking for helpful tips please read on!
trust the Lord, especially during the chaos
Between the COVID-19 pandemic to the recent election, plus everything in between, life has been chaotic. The devil will do anything to create confusion in our hearts and minds. The devil will convince us that our lives have always been insignificant. I have dealt with this personally. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and we went on lockdown, my life and daily routine didn’t change that much. The devil started planting his little lies that my life obviously held no meaning. How could something so tragic happen to the world, yet my life remained completely normal? I knew that I should be thankful that we weren’t affected by it in a big way. But I let the devil control my thoughts, which then created a fearful heart. I was good at hiding it to save face, but the Lord knew otherwise.
How to trust when all hope seems lost?
As we read in 2 Timothy a spirit of fear is not what the Lord wants for us. He is there to take all of that chaos in your hearts and minds away. We simply need to focus on what David wrote in Proverbs. However, sometimes that simply isn’t so simple.
Letting go of our own understanding is never easy. We think we know it all. Our opinions always make the most sense. And life would be less chaotic is people saw things our way. (I am guilty of these insane ideas as well.)But the truth is the only opinion that makes sense and matters is God’s. The only one that can control the chaos inside and outside of our bodies is God. So why do we insist on trying to control the impossible?
Once I made that decision to “let go and let God” I was able to breathe freely again. The confusion and fear started melting away. However, it doesn’t just disappear because you have an epiphany one night. No, the real test is when the devils plants another seed of fear. What will you do? Will you water it? Or will you dig it up and throw it out? The turmoil that the devil has put inside our hearts and minds will only disappear when we take action against him. When we make that decision, in the moment, to fully trust in the Lord will we find peace!
TRUST IN THE LORD AND HE WILL DIRECT YOUR PATH
When our minds are confused, our heart follows suit. Which then causes us to question everything we’ve ever known. And ultimately leads our conscience in the wrong direction.
This is definitely not the power, love, and sound mind that the Lord has in store for us. (2 Timothy 1:7) When we let go of the reins and give full control over to God you will see your life through new eyes- how God sees you. Beautifully and wonderfully made, with a purpose that is far greater than our understanding. Our issues and problems today, may be a life changing influence to someone 20 years from now! EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON. Our job is not to understand but to trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding! (Proverbs 3:5-6)
I hope this devotional resinated with you as much as it did me, even as I was writing it. It never hurts to be reminded to fully trust in the Lord!
For more insight on trusting the Lord please read my devotional- I Will Lift Up My Eyes. And if you need proof of God’s love please read my devotional on the ultimate love story- For God So Loved.
If you are looking for a Bible that has an updated version that’s easy to read, yet still has a bit of the original mixed in I recommend the New King James Version. I have read this version since I was a child!