BEYOND MEASURE

"OUR DEEPEST IS NOT THAT WE ARE INADEQUATE.

OUR DEEPEST FEAR IS THAT WE ARE POWERFUL BEYOND MEASURE. IT IS OUR LIGHT, NOT OUR DARKNESS, THAT MOST FRIGHTENS US.

WE ASK OURSELVES: WHO AM I TO BE BRILLIANT, GORGEOUS, TALENTED, FABULOUS? ACTUALLY, WHO ARE YOU NOT TO BE?
YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD. YOUR PLAYING SMALL DOES NOT SERVE THE WORLD.

THERE IS NOTHING ENLIGHTENED ABOUT SHRINKING SO THAT OTHER PEOPLE WON'T FEEL INSECURE AROUND YOU. WE ARE ALL MEANT TO SHINE, AS CHILDREN DO.

WE WERE BORN TO MAKE MANIFEST THE GLORY OF GOD IN US. IT'S NOT JUST SOME OF US. IT'S IN EVERYONE.
AND AS WE LET OUR LIGHT SHINE, WE UNCONSCIOUSLY GIVE OTHER PEOPLE PERMISSION TO DO THE SAME. AS WE ARE LIBERATED FROM OUR OWN FEAR, OUR PRESENCE AUTOMATICALLY LIBERATES OTHERS"




(Marianne Williamson - and quoted by Nelson Mandela 1994 at his inauguration!


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Face like a flint (Isaiah 50:7)

Isaiah 50:7 (New International Version) 7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
I was reminded of this verse yesterday. God gave it to me years ago when I was an intern in Oregon.Yesterday as I was praying, I was thinking of this verse again. You know, the first time that I came across this piece of Scripture was actually in my first weeks of being a Christian. I did not know the Bible really then. But I knew that I needed to persevere. All hell had broken lose after I declared Jesus the Lord of my life. One thing in particular was my relationship to my fiance back then.I was bombarded with really evil stuff. Especially my mind was a battle ground of its own.I knew I had to hold on to Jesus - that was all that made sense to me. The friend that had brought me to Christ, prayed for me that Jesus might set my mind like a flint. I really liked that prayer for that is what I so so needed. I could actually picture it and made it my daily prayer to Jesus:
Please make my mind like flint!
That is when I first got to know the verse. Later as I learned more and more to read the Bible, I studied this vese, this passage. Having a mind like flint is all about an attitude just like Jesus had on the cross (Phil 2). He set his mind like flint when the darkness came and HE for -the first time- felt the loneliness and seperation from HIS Father...He felt all our sin and shame...HE needed that mind to be set like a flint!
So here I am and I say: Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
My mind is hard now against all the lies ot the enemy..... and my heart knows that I won't be put to shame because I trust in Jesus and Jesus alone!

4 comments:

Alexis said...

I remember thinking that was a confusing verse. But it's so cool that scripture evolves with us as we grow up in Christ. Way to go Kerstin!

Kerstin Sunshine said...

I always loved taht Scripture from the first moment I saw it 9 years and 8 months ago. I realized more and more over the years and when God gave it to me for our first intern year, I felt so deeply about that verse and understood it..it is quite amazing- can only be the Holy Spirit :) Today , this verse cariie dme through!

Kerstin Sunshine said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Christine said...

That is so interesting... I don't remember praying that with you, and yet I am so happy that it STUCK! Interestingly... a month ago I was the reader at Mass, and the Old Testament scripture reading was that passage. I felt it to be incredibly encouraging to me as I set my face for Rwanda. Today was a hard day with hurtful opposition, and I knew that I needed to get focused again and not be pushed down. How neat that we are both encouraged by this passage this fall...

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