I've slept two nights now in my new home and Des Moines is beginning to feel like home in ways I can't describe. As I lay on my bed the another night, I open up the scripture to Hebrews 1:5 'Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.' I then began to think, 'Hmm, I wonder what my Final Application was about for the book of Habakkuk (during my studying of the Bible in Taiwan this past year)..' So I open the Final Application, and my eyes began to fill with tears as I start reading what I had typed at the end of that book, realizing it was that book that Jesus had revealed to me the power of remembrance and it was that night, my first night in my new home in Des Moines that Jesus reminded me to remember.
(This was what I got from my parents for Christmas, because of what I'm about to share below this. My dad helped me put it up above my bed, so that I'd remember to remember Him at night.)
I felt like He wanted me to share this with you, whoever is reading this...because He wants this to become part of your thoughts, for it to become worship, a lifestyle of remembrance of who He is.
FINAL APPLICATION: Book of Habakkuk
Timeless Truths:
- God's power doesn't always come about when and how people expect. (Hab. 1:2,5)
- God knows best. (Hab. 1:2,5)
- God is sovereign over injustice, and what doesn't make sense. (Hab. 1:6)
- Only reliance on God gives life. (Hab. 2:4)
- Shifting focus to who God is changes the posture of one's heart. (Hab. 1:2; 3:17-19)
What am I to believe? I am to believe that God is constantly at work; that even though when it seems as though He is quiet, or when I am not hearing Him, or when nothing is 'hitting me super hard,' in the books that I am going through...God is still at work. I am to believe that remembering who God is, and who he has been, will change the posture of my heart and results of my day and even how I live life on this earth until He comes again. When I stop remembering of who God is, or who he has been, my heart will look for more at what is happening around me than it will look on who God is and it will change the end result of my day of where my heart is...and that affects everything and everyone.
'Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.' Ephesians 4 :26.
I am to believe that God is still at work in my heart even if I don't meet my own goals or others' goals. For example: Doing three builds a chart ( < this is school talk here..sorry.. :) )..I was determined to do it and I wasn't able to.
Are there attitudes or thought patterns that I need to change? I need to train my mind to remember. That when thoughts of condemnation creep in, that I remember, that I begin to speak out truth and remembrance of who God is, and who I am in Christ. Because it's in days like yesterday, where I am tired, I feel like anything tries to get at my heart and if I don't change my thought pattern of remembering like I did yesterday (being super encouraged by you (this was my 'checker' or teacher you could say that I was talking to, who was checking my work in the book of Habakkuk) to simplify my work, and to answer the questions, then I think, 'wow, Kort, you have been doing it wrong the whole 9 months..checker after checker tells me these same things and you can't GET IT.' Then moving my thinking to, 'wow I wonder how much more the Lord could have revealed to me..')
But it is not true. God has been at work in me and around me more than I know, and when any thought like that enters, I need to speak truth...to speak what God has been doing. Because it was a day like yesterday on my way home that when I spoke truth out, those false accusations/condemnation was silenced and I had a really enjoyable night. Thank you LORD for TRUTH and for checkers to spur me on!!
What can I learn about my relationship with God, with people? God is so sweet, so BIG, so powerful and he wants me to be dependent on him at ALL times. Not just in little things, not just in big things, ALL things. He wants my focus to be on Him at all times because He wants things to turn out for my good, He wants my heart to be filled with a knowing of who He is and that can't happen without thinking about Him and learning about Him in my heart and my mind. I'm learning that my relationship with God is maturing, it's maturing more so than I thought. As Lesley was teaching and talking about spiritual maturity, I began to realize that in these 9 months of SBS (School of Biblical Studies) of being even in YWAM this past year and a half, that I've been trusting God, I've been growing in it, it's noticeable when I think about it and remember where I was at and where I am now. I'm learning that my relationships with people are affected by my trusting the LORD because it allows me to be comfortable around people, which allows them to be comfortable around me. I'm learning this as I think and remember that I thought 'I'm becoming crazy as I become more in love with God,' and that 'I wasn't going to be funny anymore', that I didn't know how to act around people because God was and is changing my heart and it didn't necessarily match up with everyone around me back home. Such silly thoughts...but real thoughts.
Trusting in God affects everything, it affects his and I's relationship greatly and it has huge impact on others around me..this is such a humbling realization and is actually tying together what He was speaking to me on Sunday about 'being salt.' Salt has effectiveness...and I can only be the salt he wants me to be through reliance on HIM.
What is the Good News for me? The good news is that I serve a God who is unchanging, and always moving. HE is over all things and He desires me to remember what He is doing because it's in remembering that I am reminded of what He has done and is doing in my heart causing the results of my day and my outlook on things to be different because of remembrance of who He is.
In view of these truths, what changes should I make in my life? Be specific & practical. I need to do more remembering. Remembering when I'm down, when thoughts creep in that are not of the Lord, and even when things are going well. I will do this today by taking a sticky notes and place it on the railing of my bed, so that when I wake up and go to sleep I would see 'Remember' and do it.
How do I plan to carry out these changes? Be specific & practical. I plan to carry this out by asking my mom to be on the look out for a sign with REMEMBER on it because as I was typing earlier about not letting the sun go down when you are angry, I had this picture of 'REMEMBER' above the bed I will be sleeping in when I move to Des Moines to start working in the Hair Industry. I think it's greatly important for the beginning and ending of my days, but also for other reasons..this would be SO COOL! I'm going to text my mom right now.
(and now..here it is above my bed in Des Moines. Beautiful.)
Hope you are encouraged to read this and would come to see the importance of remembrance.
