Anything Sick or Secret

"Who may worship in Your sanctuary, Lord?

 Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill?

Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,

speaking the truth from sincere hearts.

Those who refuse to gossip

or harm their neighbors

or speak evil of their friends.

Those who despise flagrant sinners,

and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, 

and keep their promises even when it hurts.

Those who lend money without charging interest,

and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.

Such people will stand firm forever."

-Psalm 15

The closer we move to a mirror, the more clearly we see our flaws.  And the more we draw near to God and His Word, the more His light reveals messy things we need to change.  Looking at ourselves honestly in the mirror of His Word is crucial, and staying close to God empowers us to transform and make those changes, one by one (James 1:23-25)!

It can be tempting to skim over God's Word, prioritizing our plans and comfort while ignoring our flaws.  But by doing so, we miss out on the tangible presence and anointing of God...

In Psalm 15 (above), God outlines ten qualities for entering His holy presence, at least three of which are challenging for me. My focus right now is on Psalm 15:4, keeping my promises even when it's costly and difficult. God is calling me to honor my word, to rebuild self-trust, and to align my actions with my Christian identity and values. That means setting aside my love of comfort and my fear of people's rejection for my love of Jesus and deeper intimacy with God!!

In preparing for my surgery last year, I wrote briefly about Annie's video asking God to remove "anything sick or secret" from her life (HERE).  Her words made an impression on me and became a repeated prayer, aligning with what God put on my heart the month before.  Over the past 9-10 months, God has been very faithful in answering that prayer!

"It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible - and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”  ~Ephesians 5:13-14

I am grateful that God sees through our pretending, and that He has been reaching out to me with love and grace for a while now.  So I am staying close to Him and stepping into real and lasting freedom!

EDIT:  I shared a vulnerable part of my story here earlier, something I am still walking out with God and hope to share in a future post and/or book someday... but after praying about it and talking with a trusted friend, there are valid reasons to wait and continue healing and growing for now.

My strong desire is that God will use everything the enemy intended for evil in my story to rescue and empower others and bring them closer to Jesus!  For now, prayers are appreciated for surrender and perseverance... for me to stay close to Jesus, be quick to confess sin, embrace humility and wisdom, and live in the light of God's presence and anointing -- I want more of it!!  Also praying for God to continually reveal and remove anything sick or secret in my life moving forward... “Search me, O God, and know my heart...” 

Okay then.  Happy Friday, friends and family, and thank you for "listening" today. ❤  Remember that our spiritual enemy is lying to you and targeting your weaknesses... and remember that God loves you today, and He knows your full potential and cares enough to fight for your heart!  There is no condemnation in Christ, and there is lasting healing and real victory available to us through Him!!  Get close to Jesus, and stay close!

"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  
-Hebrews 4:16

With Determined Hope & Full Confidence in Christ,

❤ Lindsey Claire Muecke