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Michelle DeRusha

Every Day Faith. Faith Every Day.

January 16, 2016 By Michelle

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

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Triple Type A, “make it happen” (my dad’s favorite mantra) striver and achiever (I’m a 3 on the Enneagram, which tells you everything you need to know), but these days my striving looks more like sitting in silence on a park bench, my dog at my feet, as I slowly learn to let go of the false selves that have formed my identity for decades and lean toward uncovering who God created me to be.

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