I was enlightened when I read Jeremiah 16:12. It can be a great clue to many things in our lives. One way is not being able to hear the Lord. It says, “…each one follows the dictates of his own heart, so that no one listens to Me.”

The Hebrew word for dictates means stubbornness, hardness, and firmness. 1 Samuel 15:23 says, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…” Hebrews 3:13 says that our heart becomes hard through the deceitfulness of sin.

We cannot hear the Lord when we are pursuing our own way. Period. That path of deceitfulness makes His voice impermeable. Here is a C. S. Lewis quote. “We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

I love to visit Job 26:14 says, “…how small a whisper we hear of Him!…” Elijah watched God’s power displayed right before his eyes. 1 Kings 19:11-12 says, “…a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces…an earthquake…a fire….” 

What caught Elijah’s attention? Verse 12 ended with, “…a still small voice.” Do we miss what the Lord is doing in our lives because we are distracted by everything that is going on around us? It is His whispered words that bring clear direction and instructions for our next assignment.

Jeremiah 16:13 caught my eye. It says of those following the dictates of their heart, “…and there you shall serve other gods day and night, where I will not show you favor.” No favor! God’s favor is our protection!

Psalm 5:12 says, “For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.” We cannot afford to be without God’s favor. Walking in our own pursuits is a destructive pathway. 

Following the dictates of our heart leads to obeying the lure of our flesh. Unless we resist, we will give in and fall into disobedience which displeases the Lord. Our flesh profits nothing. There is no redeeming factor. It is vain and worthless.

God spoke to Abram in Genesis 15:1. He told him, “…Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Then He took Abram out to count the stars. Verse 6 says, “And he believed in the Lord and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

How can we believe what the Lord is speaking to us unless we first hear? It is time that we put away our own way and embrace God’s way. Psalm 18:30 says, “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

We know from 2 Timothy 1:7 that fear is a spirit. The verse says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” What is a sound mind? It is measured by peace which brings ordered thoughts. Fear brings disorder not only in our mind but in our bodies. We are created with a fight or flight reaction.

The Lord built that into our whole body’s system. When we face real danger, our fight or flight mechanism kicks into high gear. Our adrenals pump adrenaline into our muscles. Our heart rate and breathing increase. Other functions, such as digestion decrease or stop. Our body returns to normal function when the danger has passed.

What happens when we are anxious, yet there is no real danger? The same fight or flight mechanism is engaged. Chronic anxiety and fear deplete our immune system. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”  

What does the next verse say? Verse 7 says, “And the PEACE of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Fear and peace affect our hearts. There is such great instruction for us in Isaiah 26:3. It says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” 

When I think of the word ‘stayed’ I remember back to when I was called into the ER. A friend  of mine was flown from her small town to a larger one via helicopter. Her heart had stopped while enroute. I got there as they were putting a port into her chest. There was a lot of commotion and noise from the machinery. Her eyes were open and fixed. The Lord spoke into my heart: this is what I mean to fix your eyes on Me.

Hebrews 12:1 was written about our walk with the Lord. It was illustrated as a race. Verse 2 says, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The word ‘looking’ in the Strongs means: undivided attention, looking away from all distractions in order to fix one’s gaze on one object.”

Anxiety that is rooted in fear that divides our thoughts. We become disordered in our mind, because it is casting something in front of us that is not there. It is perceived through our thought patterns, but we are not facing real danger. Think of panic attacks. They come out of seemingly nowhere. In truth, they are a fiery dart lobbed by the enemy to distract us.

The cardiologist that I listened to said that the number one enhancement to our health is enlightenment. The second is peace. Peace is a gift that is irrevocable. We never lose peace, we just cover it over with stress, fear, anxiety, and worry. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” The key word is let. That is up to us. His peace abides forever. Let us remember the truth of the gift within and not allow anything to usurp its place for our health and well being.

We were set in an eternal foundation of acceptance at salvation. Ephesians 1:4 says that we were chosen before the foundation of the world. Verse 6 says, “To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Do you remember the hymn, “In The Beloved” that declares our acceptance? It asks the question, ‘Who can condemn me?’

Shame causes us to shrink back. Acceptance empowers us to be bold, to have courage, and to be an encourager. The lying spirit of shame whispers lies in our ear that bring doubt. Our acceptance in the Beloved infuses confidence. Remember how Paul started out Romans 8:38? He said, “I am persuaded…” Here is another of his confident statements.

1 Timothy 1:15 says, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” The Greek word for acceptance means appreciation and approbation which means worthy of praise. Do you praise the Lord because you are accepted? It doesn’t matter if others reject us. We stand in His eternal foundation of acceptance!

Our acceptance has nothing to do with what has happened to us, neither what we have done or not done. Our past is passed. Our walk with the Lord is present. is not quantitative. We exemplify the Lord in all that we say and do through being in His Presence. Here is part of a new song that really spoke to my heart when the Holy Spirit gave it to me.

I stand O Lord in Your presence unashamed. All guilt is washed away. All condemnation is cleansed. Through the blood. Through the shed blood of Jesus. With joy I lift my heart in song. A song that flows through me like a river. A song that cascades and rushes to be expressed. In pure worship knowing Your joy as You behold me.

Do you truly believe in your heart that the Lord beholds you with joy? If you believe the lies of shame then you might shrink back in unbelief from such words. Nevertheless, they are true. James 4:5 says, “Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously?” The Greek word for yearns is to dote upon, i.e. intensely crave possession.

Believing, receiving, and living in our acceptance takes faith. We embrace God’s words as truth that will set us free. It doesn’t matter if we ‘feel’ accepted, because we keep looking back to shame. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

We stand in what we know to be true of God. Shame brings the inner dialogue of condemnation. Since shame is a lie, the way to uproot that stronghold is through setting free truth. I encourage you to renounce the lies of shame, and affirm the truth that you are absolutely accepted in His yearning love for you.

Then walk in this affirmation. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” An inner dialogue of shame feeds your flesh. An inner dialogue of your acceptance feeds your spirit.

Triumphing Over Shame ebook is FREE today, Sunday, and Monday on Amazon

I heard this from a noted cardiologist that treats the whole person. He said that shame is the most destructive emotion of all. It destroys health and saps our energy. What emotion is the most beneficial? Enlightenment.

Enlightenment illuminates our heart. Think of Ephesians 1:17-18 which says, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His might power.”

Psalm 119:130 says, “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 18:28 says, “For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.”

Shame creates inner darkness. It blocks the light of truth. Though this verse says ‘youth’ it can apply to anytime in our lives when we were shamed. It could be through our own sin, or a sin done against us. Read these life-giving words.

Isaiah 54:4 says, “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth…” Does fear and shame work together?

What happened in the garden? Adam and Eve sinned. They hid. Then they covered themselves with fig leaves. Pardon me but fig leaves itch! What was their response when God called out to them? Genesis 3:10 says, “So he said, I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

I love Hebrews 4:13 in the Amplified. It says, “And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.”

Your shame is not hidden from the Lord. I lived in lies when I was young. I was raised in a very busy city. This is what I used to do when I was a young adult. Instead of walking in the crosswalk, I would go to the middle of the street, just before where the cars had to stop. When no cars were coming I would race across to the other side. Why? I didn’t want the person in the stopped car to watch me cross in front of them.

Shame is a taskmaster. It enslaves our thoughts which become our actions. It robs us of the freedom to be who we are designed to be. It impacts our heart beliefs. It destroys our health from within. Every cell in our body is affected by hidden shame. 

Shame is a lying spirit. The truth? The Lord Jesus bore our shame on the cross. He hung naked in front of everyone. Hebrews 12:2 says that He despised the shame. He endured it for us. Isaiah 50:6 says, “I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.”

Since the Lord bore our shame, we are free from it. We only carry it in our mind. It is a mindset. God’s word is the power to pull down this stronghold. Romans 6:22 says, “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

When we spend time in intimate communion with the Lord, we dwell in His holiness. No darkness can dwell in His Presence. He is the Dispeller of Darkness. As we gaze upon Him, according to 2 Corinthians 3:18, we are transformed in our inner man. Our heart is freed of negative emotional trappings through receiving His barnacle love.

Jeremiah 31:3 says, “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Jesus laid down his life for us while we were His enemies. Ephesians 2:15 says, “Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,

and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” Verse 12 says that we were aliens and strangers. We had no hope. Ephesians 4:18 says, “…being alienated from the life of God…”

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 John 4:9 says, “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” 

Let’s go to the ‘love chapter’ in 1 Corinthians 13. Here is the recap which perfectly describes God’s love for us: love suffers long and is kind, does not envy, does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in sin, rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Verse 8 says, “Love never fails.”

Hebrews 12:2 says, “…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Verse 3 bids us to consider Him. I’m focusing on considering His love for us in this post.

There is no love like His love. It cannot be described in our human terms. There is no relationship on this earth that can compare to it. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…” To understand the word ‘knew’ we need to go to John 8:32.

It says of Jesus’ disciples, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The Greek word for ‘know’ is the knowledge that has an inception, a progression, and an attainment. It is experiential knowledge.

The Lord formed us as He first designed us in His mind. Our seed of conception contained all that we would be from the beginning to the end of our lives. Psalm 119:73 says, “Your hands have made me and fashioned me…”

Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” You, my reader, were lovingly fashioned by your Creator’s hand. You are made in His image for an eternal relationship. It starts on this earth, but it will never end. You are bound in His love forever in barnacle love. 

Paul aptly wrote on how secure God’s love is to us. Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The apostle John wrote the gospel of John but he never gave reference to himself through his name. He was ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ Here is an intimate communion scene.

It was at the Last Supper. John 13:23 says, “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.” Peter asked John to find out who Jesus was talking about when He said that one of them would betray Him.

Verse 24 says, “Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, Lord, who is it?” John was leaning on Jesus, and I imagine that he just tipped his head back. Is that like our relationship with the Lord?

That scene came into my mind as I was reading Jeremiah 13. The Lord gave His prophet specific instructions. Jeremiah was obedient though he didn’t understand the ‘why’ or purpose.

He told him to go and buy a sash, wrap it around his waist, then bury it in a hole in a rock by the Euphrates River. Then he was to go back and retrieve it. It was ruined. Here are the Lord’s words. 

Jeremiah 13:11 says, “…I have caused the whole house of Israel and the house of Judah to cling to Me, says the Lord, that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.”

Verse 7 says, “…there was the sash, ruined. It was profitable for nothing.” Verse 9 says, “…In this manner I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.”

What was that pride? Verse 10 says, “This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who follow the dictates of their hearts…” As I read this I thought back to John 6:63 that says our flesh profits nothing.

1 Peter 2:9 says of all believers, “…you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Our relationship with the Lord can be likened to the sash. We are tied, as it were, to Jesus. As He moves, we move with Him. As He walks, we walk. It is a great word picture of abiding. John 15:5 says, “…for without Me you can do nothing.”

Our flesh loves to ‘work’ for approval. It is a man pleaser. Ephesians 1:4 says that we were chosen before the foundation of the world. What was the reason? “…that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”

Psalm 63:8 in the Amplified says, “My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.” As a sash wrapped around Jesus’ waist, we would cling closely to Him. We would sense His Presence in each breath, in every movement, and we would catch every whispered word.

Our standing never changes. The moment we accept Jesus as our Savior, we step into an eternal relationship. Ephesians 1:13 says, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”

We were placed in a foundation that will never be shaken. 2 Timothy 2:19 says, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: The Lord knows those who are His, and, Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

This is where our state meets our standing. Does our state of mind change? Yes. It changes myriad times. We can go from happy to sad in one moment of time. Yet when we are facing an impossibility, it is our standing that gives us stability.

Hebrews 6:18 says, “That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” This verse speaks of our standing.

Many of the words in the Psalms go from despair (state) to hope (standing). Our hope is an anchor in the midst of the storms of life. It is through these storm-trials that the Lord develops our character. His purpose is that we will exemplify Him.

The enemy does everything in his power to lead us astray. Psalm 119:28 says, “My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word.” Our soul melts (state) but it is strengthened through the word which will never be altered or changed (standing).

Psalm 119:89 says, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.” Isaiah 55:11 says that God’s word will never return to Him void. Titus 1:2 says, “In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.”

When we face temptations or impossible circumstances (state) we can immediately stand in truth. Mark 11:22 says, “…Have faith in God.” We error when we put our faith in what we HOPE God will do.

David wrote Psalm 62:5. It says, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.” I want to recap a time in David’s life where he went from a tumultuous state of mind to peace and clear direction.

He and his men were emotionally exhausted. They even spoke of stoning him. What did he do? 1 Samuel 30:6 says, “…But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” In verse 8 he inquired of the Lord and received specific direction.

In Psalm 61:2, David’s heart was overwhelmed. He cried out to the Lord. In verse 3 he stood in the midst of his state of being overwhelmed. It says, “For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.” Let us copy his example the next time we face an impossibility. When our state of mind says, ‘I can’t,’ we stand in what we know to be true. That is the journey of progressive sanctification.

No matter what hard trial we are in, the Lord uses it all. He never puts us on a shelf! Even in our deepest pain, He redeems it all. Nothing you have gone through or are going through is in vain.

I remember reading Joni Eareckson’s first book: Joni. It has a picture of her with a brush between her teeth. She wrote, ‘I want my thoughts to praise the Lord.’ That came to mind one night when I went into lock down paralysis from my fall into the ravine.

I was quoting Psalm 145:1-3 in my mind to keep from panicking. As my mind began to slow down, I asked the Lord, ‘Please help my last thoughts to be of praise to You.’ Joni’s life was and is a tremendous encouragement to me and countless others.

She speaks and writes from her crucible trial. Even though she could not move on her own, she praised the Lord through her thoughts. He never put her on a shelf. Remember from Psalm 22:3 that God inhabits our praises.

Think of Nick Vujicic. He was born without arms or legs. The Lord has used him in a unique ministry that touches folks in ways no other way can. I’ve watched his videos, and I’ve read several of his books.

Amy Carmichael (1867-1951) had a vibrant ministry. She was a missionary in India that rescued little babies and young girls from temple prostitution. One night she stepped into an old abandoned well and shattered her ankle. That stopped her in her tracks. Did that finish her ministry? No, it expanded and enhanced it in many ways to reach more people in their present pain.

She never left her bed after that fall. Yet, wrote countless books, and still was the overseer for the orphanage in Donhavur. Her book “Rose From Brier” helped me through a difficult time of physical pain. She lived in pain and wrote from her crucible of pain.

It does not matter what has happened to us. What matters is how we process it to acceptance. In Jeremiah 18, the Lord told His prophet to go to the house of the potter. Verse 4 says, “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.”

Our hard trials cause marring, and we are never the same. Yet our Merciful, Compassionate Potter uses everything in our lives to conform us to His image. That is His purpose. Romans 8:29 says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…”

We can take heart in Philippians 1:6. It says, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” No matter what situation we are in, we can gaze upon the Lord. It is through our intimate communion with Him that He sustains us and empowers us to be all that He has called us to be ~ in each and every circumstance of our lives.

Ephesians 1:7-8 in the Amplified says, “In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and generosity of His gracious favor, 

which He lavished upon us in every kind of wisdom and understanding (practical insight and prudence).” Lavish means extravagant. Romans 5:5 is in reference to the progressional benefits of our trials that end in hope. 

It says, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Poured out and overflowing love, filling every nook, cranny, and crevice in our hearts.

Have you ever looked back and wished that you had not acted like you did, said the words that spewed out of your mouth, or lived in regret? That is the devil’s trick. His lies are meant to control and bring us into destruction.

Redemption is always a forward motion. Elisha is a great example for us. Elijah threw his mantle on Elisha. What did Elisha do? 1 Kings 19:21 says that he, “…took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people…Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.”

Elisha burned his bridges. His means of livelihood were destroyed and he never turned back. Luke 9:62 were Jesus’ words to those who offered excuses. It says, “…No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The word ‘fit’ in the Greek means useful, well-placed, appropriate. We lose out on ministry opportunities when we keep looking back to our past. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that at salvation we became new creations. The verse says, “…old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Your past is passed. It is gone and forgiven. Don’t look back to something that the Lord has redeemed for His purposes. Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Your hard trials have equipped you to speak fit, well-placed, and appropriate words that will encourage and strengthen another in their trial.

Isaiah 50:4 was written about the Lord, but we can apply it to ourselves. It says, “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.”

The words that the Lord spoke to us in our trial, those crucible words are timeless. In our season of trouble they were our strength. As we speak to one who is weary in their trial, they will be strengthened in their inner man. They are words of redemption that will lift their heart, and hold up their hands that hang down.