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January 12 - January 15, 2018
Everybody has spiders. It’s just nobody does anything about it until they come out of hiding.”
You know what you need to do. You need to trust the process God has laid in front of you. Go to God and acknowledge your sin. Give it to Him, and let Him be the strength in you to defeat the baby spiders.
To be clear: a spider is an agreement with a lie you believe. A cobweb is any medicator that brings false comfort to that lie.
Sometimes, on some issues, we operate in grey areas, but the majority of us have no trouble discerning the difference between right and wrong.
Romans 7:15–17 (CSB): For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me.
Gaze at God. Glance at life. That’s it.
Here is where you ask Jesus, What is this? Why am I reacting this way? Stay with me, Jesus. Show me why.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
Sometimes we are so introspective that we forget that our eyes and ears are for more than just consuming Netflix episodes.
“I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 CSB).
My spider could be [Your Notes].
Then he said something that would change my life forever: “Carlos, you aren’t having a heart attack. I think you’re having a panic attack.”
We can sabotage ourselves where our spiders are concerned. We are often the ones who let them in and allow them to start spinning their webs of deceit and destruction.
I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. PSALM 139:23–24 NLT
In order to get at the crux of this question, I had to ask myself one, simple question: If I believe in the God of the impossible, then why do I not believe in the God of the possible?
Dear Lord, I come to You to be renewed in You right now. I know this isn’t magic. But I know this is true. That You are absolutely listening to me at this moment. I’m coming to You with some unbelief right now. I pray that You take my unbelief and change it. I ask You simply, could You show me something today that tells me how much I mean to You? Will You show me today something that declares Your love to me? And when You show me, will You open my eyes that I may see and receive it? I will walk with You today and keep my eyes open. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
Whether you are almost to your spider, have killed your spider, or are galaxies away from your spider, keep pressing on. Keep seeking God.
How many times do we lose heart after God has promised us the land of milk and honey? People in our lives may even be trying to help you out of your despair.
When you are utterly in despair, here are some truths: Truth #1: God has not abandoned you. If anything, you are now at a place where you will hear Him louder than ever if you slow down, stop talking, and listen. Know that He is there.
Truth #2: As you excavate your days, hold on to God’s truths and discard Satan’s lies. It will be easy to believe the lies in these moments. Shame, guilt, and self-reproach convince you that you’re a screw-up, an idiot. You deserve this. You are alone. Things will never change. You are unlovable.
How can you make time in your day, every day, to stop long enough for God to penetrate all the other noise and tell you what you need to hear?
Dear Jesus, this must be how You look at us on the daily. This must be how You feel as You are offering us Disney World and all we want is the bounce house.
God has so much for us, but sometimes we simply have no clue, or we don’t want to do the work (take the risk, extend the trust) that it takes to get to Disney World.
Jeremiah 29:11
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
God was there. All along.
Jesus, I come to You now to be made whole with You again. I come to You now, asking to be restored and renewed in You this day. I come to You to claim the grace and mercy You have waiting for me. I now surrender every aspect of who I am, who I have been, and who I will be totally to You, Lord.
