• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
    • True You
    • Katharina and Martin Luther
    • 50 Women Every Christian Should Know
    • Spiritual Misfit
  • Blog
  • On My Bookshelves
  • Contact
  • Privacy & Disclosure Policy

Michelle DeRusha

Every Day Faith. Faith Every Day.

January 16, 2016 By Michelle 2 Comments

Weekend One Word: Wholehearted

Wholeheartedly

I’ve been thinking about this verse a lot lately, wondering what it looks like to have “a different spirit” and to follow God “wholeheartedly.” I love the idea, but I suspect I haven’t quite gotten there yet.

I tend to hedge my bets with God. For example, I notice when I pray for people who are very ill, I typically ask for vague things like “peace,” “strength,” and “courage.” There’s nothing wrong with praying for these qualities, of course, but what I rarely do is ask God outright for miraculous healing. I stop short of the big ask, because while I know that God can heal, I’m afraid he won’t heal. I don’t want to be disappointed, so I don’t ask.

Not exactly “wholehearted” faith, is it?

I keep reminding myself of that verse in 2 Timothy, where Paul says, “The Lord has not given you a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” I think this might be the “different spirit” God is referring to when he talks about Caleb. Caleb acted not out of fear and timidity, but out of power, love and self-discipline — qualities that flowed from his deep trust in God.

And that’s the key to all of this, don’t you think? TRUST.

Power, love and self-discipline flow out of trust. Wholehearted faith flows out of trust. A different spirit is born out of trust.

We trust that God leads us in the right direction. We trust that he has our best interests in mind. We trust that he loves us, always and forever.

Amen.

When God Says Stay
Weekend One Word: Stay

Filed Under: Old Testament, One Word, trust Tagged With: One Word, trusting God

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jean Wise says

    January 16, 2016 at 7:29 am

    Trusting God is leading both of us to grow more wholeheartedly. My desire too

    Reply
  2. Kathy says

    January 16, 2016 at 1:43 pm

    I do feel the word “wholehearted” is one that can bring our trust factor into high gear. I have chosen the word “steadfast” for my word in 2016 and it basically is the same as wholehearted. The verse in
    I Cor.15:58 further expounds the word. “”Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmoveable, always always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Connect with me on social media

Living out faith in the everyday is no joke. If you’re anything like me, some days you feel full of confidence and hope, eager to proclaim God’s goodness and love to the world. Other days…not so much.

Let me say straight up: I wrestle with my faith. Most days I feel a little bit like Jacob, wrangling his blessing out of God. And most days I’m okay with that. I believe God made me a questioner and a wrestler for a reason, and I believe one of those reasons is so that I can connect more authentically with others.

Read Full Bio

Sign Up for The Back Patio, My Monthly Newsletter

Order My Latest Book!

Blog Post Archives

Footer

Copyright © 2021 Michelle DeRusha · Site by The Willingham Enterprise· Log in

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy