Great sermon today....

Today I wasn't planning on going to church becasue I woke up so tired, but God had a different plan. I had this crazy dream after I hit my alarm and ended up convicted about not going. So I got up and threw on some clothes and made my way down to church and I am glad to say that it was well worth it.

I really prayed during my worship time that I would really beable to connect to God. Like not just sing the words, and lift my hands, but really feel God's heart and praise Him for who He is despite the fact that I don't always like the way He works. I had a hard time entering in but through this 15 year old boy in the church God really spoke to me. He got up in front of the church, so scared, but he said He had a word from God. We went on to talk about lifting up our heads to focus on the Lord because it is finished. He talked about how we dont have to come into His presence ashamed because of what we have done because Jesus died for that shame. We can come boldly and confidently to the throne room of our Lord. That really ministered to my heart because it is a concept I have heard over and over, but never realized just how much it affects my walk with God.

It is like as soon as I do something wrong, or fall into the same sin over and over, I just feel so ashamed and like God would never want me in His presence. So I don't go there. But I really felt like what that young lad was saying was for me. God has really been showing me a lot about who He is. He is a God of grace, and compassion, and love. He is a jealous God and all He wants is for His children to come home.

The pastor went on to give a great sermon on confidence and how if we truly want to be confident people we need to be confident in God. He talked from Psalm 27. His main points were basically that our confidence needs to be:

1) Based on the Living God
2) Based on a finished work
3) and Based on a future Glory

He then went on to pick apart every problem we face, depression, fear, rejection, trouble, stress, anxiety...etc. Every single problem or trouble we face has been taken care of. It is finished work because of what Jesus has done for us. If we put our confidence in the Lord than nothing can shake us.

It was great and exactly what I needed to hear. All I have to do is lift up my head because that is where my help comes from. It is finished and I no longer have to be condemed or ashamed, not because of who I am but because of who my God is. I am pretty stoked about this massive, yet simple, foundational revelation.

I may be rejected, forsaken, depressed, anxious, worried and ashamed. But my God is my light, my salvation, my stronghold, my beauty, my safety, my covering, my encouragement and my mercy. AND because of all that I am free. Yay!