Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus… Song writers from begone years still have so much much to teach us. Do we ever learn?
The thing about spiritual things is that each of us are on our own journey, together. God has no grandkids. We can’t download our experience and knowledge. We can share our experience and knowledge in videos and podcasts and blogs and books. Holy Spirit can take the loaves and fishes we offer and multiply them to feed the multitudes. I want my ceiling to be my kids floor, but while that works on some levels, we’re all on our own journey together.
Why am I going on about this? Because if I could teach anyone, anything it would be to trust in the Trustable One. It’s made the difference in my life.
I sang about trusting Jesus well before I really had to. I didn’t know I could be offended at Him and hold back my trust in Him. I’d complain I didn’t have the peace and hope and joy I once had but it took YEARS to put those together.
If I could download how I learned that to anyone, I’d download it to everyone. Everyone needs to know they trust in the trustable one. May this Negativity Fast Reflection - I Trust The Trustable One help you do that.
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I trust the Trustable One. I trust Him with all of my heart and have peace and joy and hope at all times and in every situation. I give up my right to understand, so I can have the peace that passes understanding. He keeps me in perfect peace because I trust in Him.
Have I had peace and joy and hope lately?
Next Steps
Live LIGHT Above the Negativity Course - Move from being easily regularly frustrated, usually feeling busy, often afraid or easily angered to having peace at all times and in every situation. https://revtrev.link/bless
Live LIGHT Tips and Tools to fast from Negativity - Are you looking to make a difference in the attitudes and actions in your everyday world? Get these Tips and Tools to help you Fast from Negativity https://revtrev.link/tips
Live LIGHT Negativity Fast - Move from toxic negativity to life-giving positivity with 47 days of reflections and Devotional and Community. https://revtrev.link/fast
I think the thing I have taught on the most the last several years is trust—how to trust God when life doesn’t make sense and how to be a trustable person.
The work I do is all about building and stewarding trust with people who would probably never—on their own—be in any church I’d belong to. Trust is build consistency over time and accelerated with compassion in tragedy and companionship in teamwork. There are other ways trust can be built, but those are the low-hanging ones we try to do well.
Trust also gets built from testimonies. It can easily be lost by the same. Trust is so important in so much in life and we are starting to realize it as it gets eroded by less trust in companies, political systems and players, churches that have hurt instead of healed, parents who have wounded us or gotten divorced…the list goes on and on.
But never forget that even if your family forsakes you, your God never will. Even if it feels like God has left you, know that—while there is emotional truth in those feelings—it’s not the reality of the situation.
You can trust your good, good Father may this Negativity Fast Reflection - I Trust My Good Father remind you of that truth today.
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I trust my good Father to be good and do good and work all things together for the good of those he has called. I will not give him credit for the works of the one who comes to steal, kill and destroy. I see his love in everything he gives and everything he withholds. I know I trust him because he keeps me in perfect peace.
Have I been feeling perfect peace lately?
Next Steps
Live LIGHT Above the Negativity Course - Move from being easily regularly frustrated, usually feeling busy, often afraid or easily angered to having peace at all times and in every situation. https://revtrev.link/bless
Live LIGHT Tips and Tools to fast from Negativity - Are you looking to make a difference in the attitudes and actions in your everyday world? Get these Tips and Tools to help you Fast from Negativity https://revtrev.link/tips
Live LIGHT Negativity Fast - Move from toxic negativity to life-giving positivity with 47 days of reflections and Devotional and Community. https://revtrev.link/fast
Do you know the secret to get the full benefit of remembering the good? It's not ignoring the brutal reality you may have faced or still deal with. The message "Why everyone needs to practice the rhythm of remembering" explores the biblical mandate for believers to consciously remember the acts of God in their lives and in history. It underscores the importance of memory in sustaining faith, fostering gratitude, and guiding future actions in accordance with God's will.
TL/DL/DW read the notes on Why everyone needs and practice the rhythm of remembering
When was the last time you caught yourself smiling at a memory? Memories have this ineffable quality of transporting us back to moments that are etched in the corridors of our consciousness.
They come upon us, often unexpectedly, as whispers from the past, carried on a scent, sound, emotion or sentiment of days gone by.
I hope you can think of a time recently that a smile came to face thinking about something you really appreciate. If you can’t, my prayer is this message will prompt you to make it part of the rhythm of your day to day of everyday.
The Problem with memories
The problem is we may have memories that aren’t the best. Sometimes we can remember times we were held up for ridicule and it’s harder to remember the times we’ve been encouraged. Maybe we remember the pain stronger than we remember the healing. We may remember the loss and forget to remember the blessing that God ultimately made of it.
Jeremiah knew that all too well. Let’s look at his lament. It’s powerful.
Lamentations 3:1-24 (NIV) I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the LORD’s wrath. He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead. He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains. Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. He has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked. Like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding, he dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help. He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows. He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver. I became the laughingstock of all my people; they mock me in song all day long. He has filled me with bitter herbs and sated me with gall. He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust. I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD.” I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father There is no shadow of turning with Thee Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be
Great is Thy faithfulness Great is Thy faithfulness Morning by morning new mercies I see All I have needed Thy hand hath provided Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me
They were starved out for 9 months and battles were fought and in September 2023; 100,000 Armenians were forced out of homes they had lived for generations. And grave yards and churches are being ploughed under. Armenian writing is chipped off of monuments. The Azerbaijan are attempting to rewrite history to say the area had never been Christian.
Remembering is so important in life. It passes what was before to what is yet to come. We are what we remember. Testimony is that critical.
We need to remember the goodness of God. Remembering the goodness of God is essential for maintaining a strong faith, experiencing true peace, and living a life of thanksgiving. It is through remembering God's past faithfulness that we can find strength and hope for the present and future.
It’s not about putting on rose-coloured glasses and ignoring the reality-however brutal-that we find ourselves in. It’s about encouraging ourselves and encouraging each other that we have seen God’s goodness in the past so we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. It’s about healed and whole memories; life-giving testimony; and the pathway of gratitude that leads us there.
The rhythm of remembering is the dance of a thankful heart.
Can I pray?
You have rhythms to help you remember…
…at Christmas we remember God came.
…every time we take communion we remember Christ’s sacrifice.
…whenever we celebrate Easter, we remember His death and resurrection
…when we give thanks for our food we remember His provision for our lives.
…when we practice a sabbath we remember that God rested and enjoyed his good creation so we need rest and enjoy his blessings.
These can become religious relics or be commercial wastelands if we don’t remember the reasons… and remember them with gratitude.
The rhythm of remembering is the dance of a thankful heart.
Tell the story in Joshua 3:1 - 5:1
After the children of Israel had wondered in the desert until everyone except Joshua and Caleb, who knew life a slave in Egypt had died. It was time to enter the promised land.
Moses had just died (Deut. 31:1-4). Joshua was the new leader and even though he would have been in his 70’s or early 80’s he was told to be strong and courageous. He was to carefully study the book of instructions that Moses had left and to meditate on it day and night so he might obey it so that he could be prosperous and successful in whatever he did.
But what stood between the people and the land that their ancestor Abraham had been promised, was the Jordon River.
And it was during the rainy season.
And it was overflowing.
In the quiet stillness of the morning, as the first rays of sunlight began to touch the earth, Joshua and the children of Israel stood poised on the edge of destiny. Before them lay the Jordan River, its waters an emblem of the final barrier between them and the Promised Land. The air was thick with anticipation, for the moment they had longed for, through years of wandering and dreaming, was at hand.
Joshua, a leader molded in the crucible of faith and obedience, received divine instruction that would chart the course of history. He had his officers go though the camp and give these instructions to the people, “When you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, carried by the Levitical priests, you are to move out from your positions and follow it, because you’ve never been this way before.” The Ark, a sacred chest signifying God’s presence, would lead them through this uncertain path. "However, keep a distance of about half a mile (2000 cubits) between you and the Ark; do not go near it,"
On the third day, Joshua spoke to the people with a voice that carried the weight of impending change. "Consecrate yourselves," he declared, "for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." The heart of every man, woman, and child was stirred; they prepared themselves, not just in body but in spirit, for they knew that they were on the cusp of witnessing the power of their God.
As dawn broke on the following day, the priests took up the Ark of the Covenant and stepped into the overflowing waters of the Jordan. Yet, as the soles of the priests' feet touched the water's edge, the waters from upstream stopped flowing; they rose in a heap, creating a path that could be crossed. The people crossed over opposite Jericho, their hearts pounding with awe and their eyes wide with wonder at the power of their God.
And when the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and the Canaanite kings who lived along the coast heard that God had dried up the Jordan so the people of Israel could cross, they lost heart and were paralyzed with fear.
After everyone got across, Joshua commanded one man from each of the twelve tribes to take a stone from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests stood. These stones would serve as a memorial to the generations yet unborn—a testament to when their faith in the Lord had paved a way through impossible waters.
What are your remembrance stones?
If you’ve walked along with God for any length of time, you have been through deep waters and He has been with you. You have gone through rivers of difficulty and He has not let you drown. You have walked through the fires of oppression and have not been burned up the flames have not consumed you.
You have seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. He has worked all things together for the good of making you and others more and more like Jesus.
And if you don’t think you have or He did, that’s what we need to deal with.
You need a rhythm of remembering.
The rhythm of remembering is the dance of a thankful heart.
What If….
What if you could look back at times that have been so tough to get through with more excitement and expectation than you could even imagine? What if doubts and fears for the future melted away because you couldn’t wipe the smile off you face when you thinking about how good God has been to you in past?
Imagine…
What would happen if you could more easily remember God's faithfulness. As we trust in Him your heart would be filled with peace that surpasses understanding, your mind would be anchored in hope, and your actions would reflect the love and grace you have received. There is power in remembering healed and whole memories. There is grace in giving and receiving life-giving testimony. The pathway of gratitude that leads us to both.
How do you do that?
That’s a great question, I’m so glad you asked.
Rhythm of Remembering Tool - RECALL
RECALL
R - Remember the good things God has done Revelation 12:11
E - Expect God to do it again Revelation 19:10
C - Challenge the narrative of the enemy John 10:10
A - Agree to give thanks 1 Thessalonians 5:18
L - Lean into gratitude Colossians 3:16
L - Level up appreciation Psalm 107:1–2
R - Remember the good things God has done
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Revelation 12:11 NLT
Testimony come from historical acts of God. These can be in the Bible. They can come from what others experience. They need to also come from our own experience.
What are your remembrance stones?
If you can’t think of any
1. Learn to celebrate what God has done and is doing
2. Start setting up remembrance stones Set up remembrance stones - locations, emotions, smells, scripture - write in the margins in your Bible. Journal.
3. Ask Holy Spirit to reveal times God has shown you He is good. Write them in the back of your Bible. Make your own family heirloom.
What are some of my remembrance stones?
E - Expect God to do it again
Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow slave with you and your brothers who have the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10 HCSB
When we talk about Jesus and what He has done, we are inviting Him to do this again. When miracles break out, they happen to many. When baptisms start there is always more on the way. When salvation are celebrated, there are more coming. The Homogenous Unit Principle is “Like attracts like.” It’s my experience that it happens in the spiritual as well.
If you need a breakthrough in an area, start collecting testimonies of people who have had breakthrough in those areas. If God did it before, He can do it again. If He did it for them, He’ll do it for me. What do you talk about when you gather on Sunday? We should talk about what God has done and is doing. We should be laughing with those who laugh and cry with those who cry…all the time we talk about the good things of God. Face to face is so much better than YouTube…but if you have a specific breakthrough you need and no one around has that testimony to share, chances are you’ll find a testimony or two on YouTube.
God will turn your test into a testimony. Are you needing a rise in expectation?
Am I believing God will do it again?
C - Challenge the narrative of the enemy
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 NIV
It’s easy to agree with the enemy when we look at what we lack or what we’ve loss. You can go to Holy Spirit and ask Him to reveal the lie you’re believing.
This is how you can remember healed and whole memories.
Tear Down Strongholds Tool - PAUSE
Ask Holy Spirit to reveal the truth.
Ponder
How does that make me feel right now? What comes to mind as I focus on what I’m feeling? What memory comes to mind?
Ask
How does the memory make me feel?
Why do I feel that way?
Why does believing _____ make me feel ______?
Does another memory come to mind with that emotion? If NOT, this is the stronghold Holy Spirit wants to work on.
Understand
Not that it’s true, but it feel true that _________ Do I sense any resistance or hesitancy at the thought of doing the opposite behaviour? What do I believe would happen if I did what I’m resisting? What’s the reason for my behaviour?
Seek
Lord, what do you want me to know about this memory? Allow Holy Spirit to tell you the truth about the memory. Ask Him if he wants you to release the person you’re angry with.
Remember to ask Him to replace the lie with the truth. Your test becomes your testimony when He does.
Evaluate
Do I still feel that _______ is true?
What’s the truth you want to reveal?
A - Agree to give thanks
Decide to give thanks.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT
You need to be specific. “I’m thankful for my dog who licked my hand when I was sad” rather than just being thankful for “my dog”.
What three things can I choose to give thanks for today?
L - Lean into gratitude
Feel Gratitude.
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Colossians 3:16 NIVUK
You need to FEEL thankfulness from the memory. This is key. It’s more than just choosing to say, “I’m thankful for my kids.” In the moment embrace the feeling of being thankful for your kids. It doesn’t have to be long. It does need to be sincere.
Can I feel gratitude for the three things I choose to give thanks for?
L - Level upappreciation
Show appreciation.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. Psalm 107:1–2 NLT
Finally put an action to the feeling of thankfulness. This could be hugging the person if they are near. It may mean keeping a gratitude journal writing out what you’re feeling.
How can I show God and others my appreciation?
A gratitude journal is what leads to being 10% happier. That’s what been tested . Scientists have found a gratitude journal for 28 days where what was written was felt and appreciated leads to a 10% higher feeling of happiness.
10% more happiness is the same amount of happiness you’d feel if your income doubled in the next 28 days.
In that time you’ll change your wiring and be 10% more grateful.
All you need to do is remember ALL -
A - Agree to give thanks
L - Lean into gratitude
L - Level Up Appreciation
Decide - Feel - Show
Give thanks with your whole heart.
I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1 NIV
When you decide to give thanks, feel gratitude and show appreciation, you are giving thanks with your whole heart.
The rhythm of remembering is the dance of a thankful heart.
You can remember the bitterness and the gall…Yet remember and call this to mind: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning so great is His faithfulness.
Teach your self to remember the truth God reveals to you. Learn how to give thanks with your whole heart. Never forget the power and necessity of testimony.
The rhythm of remembering is to RECALL -
R - Remember the good things God has done
E - Expect God to do it again
C - Challenge the narrative of the enemy
A - Agree to give thanks
L - Lean into gratitude
L - Level up appreciation
The Challenge for the Rhythm of Remembering
Will you remember the good things God has done in history and in others lives and your life? Can you expect, since He’s done it before to do it again? Will you challenge the narrative of the enemy and with Holy Spirit’s help replace the lies you’re believing with the truth He reveals? Will you agree to give thanks always, feel gratitude and show appreciation so give thanks with your whole heart?
Lord, it’s hard to be humble, when you perfect in every way…
My experience has taught me to humble myself or be humbled by others and that you never want to be humbled by God. God opposed the proud and gives grace to the humble.
Is there anything more counter-cultural in our world right now? Most of us are offended to hear that pride goes destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall (You thought it was “pride goes before a fall” didn’t you?). Look it up and you’ll see I’m more right than you.
Wait… was that pride on my part? He writes with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.
We all need more of God’s grace in our lives. We’re told do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility we are to consider each other ahead of ourselves and look out for each others’ interests ahead of our own.
May this Negativity Fast Reflection - I Humble Myself Towards Others help you humble yourself enough to ask forgiveness when you need to.
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I humble myself towards others when I sin against them. It can be a sin of omission or a sin of commission. It can be a mistake or it may be intentional. Hurt people hurt people and I’ve been hurt by people and do hurt people. I don’t excuse the pain I cause, I repent and make amends. I label what I’ve done or failed to do as wrong and acknowledge the hurt it has caused.
Is there anyone I need to ask forgiveness from?
Next Steps
Live LIGHT Above the Negativity Course - Move from being easily regularly frustrated, usually feeling busy, often afraid or easily angered to having peace at all times and in every situation. https://revtrev.link/bless
Live LIGHT Tips and Tools to fast from Negativity - Are you looking to make a difference in the attitudes and actions in your everyday world? Get these Tips and Tools to help you Fast from Negativity https://revtrev.link/tips
Live LIGHT Negativity Fast - Move from toxic negativity to life-giving positivity with 47 days of reflections and Devotional and Community. https://revtrev.link/fast
The Live LIGHT LOOP celebrates all things Live LIGHT. This includes the books, and courses, and resources, and community and coaching that can be found on https://livelight.ca/
You were created to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day. Sin came into the world and you bore the consequences. Jesus came and reversed the curse and took your place and invited you to take His yoke that is easy and burden that is light. You are a child of God creation longs to be revealed. You are a living light. Don’t conform but be transformed, so you can have peace and joy and hope at all times and in every situation.
How Can I HELP?
Live LIGHT Academy has books and courses and resources and community and coaching to help you not conform but be transformed so you can have peace and hope and joy at all times and in every situation. What I create always needs to HELP - Honour, Empower, be Life-giving and Pleasing to God
Who am I?
I am a wisdom loving, knowledge sharing, God marvelling, life celebrating, kingdom living, soul healing, Lord seeking, gift imparting, Spirit flowing, grace knowing, irenic follower of the Way. I hold you capable and Holy Spirit trustable to finish the good work He's started in you.
What Am I working on?
Daily Live Casts on Negativity Fast Reflections and working on Live LIGHT with your Whole Heart Course.
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It’s tough sometimes to forgive with your whole heart, , but it’s life-giving to learn that you can and how to do it.
Our whole heart—according to ancient Hebrews—is making the decision, showing action inline with that decision and feeling the emotion tied to that decision. So when we forgive, we decide to forgive, we do something to bless the one who cursed us and we feel like we’ve forgiven.
But what if you don’t feel like you’ve forgiven. That has little to do with the size of the offence and everything to do with the lie we are believing. When we allow Holy Spirit to show us the lie we’re believing and agree with the Father that it is sin and replace the lie with the truth He reveals, we will always feel like we’ve forgiven. That’s what happens when we forgive with our whole heart.
See, I told you it’s tough to forgive with our whole heart. Will you believe me that’s it’s life-giving once we learn to?
Perhaps this Negativity Fast Reflection - I Forgive With My Whole Heart will help you to search out what lie you’re believing. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.
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I forgive with my whole heart. I decide to forgive. It’s a decision of my will. I act like I’ve forgiven and bless those who have cursed me. I feel like I’ve forgiven and expose lies I believe to the truth he reveals when I don’t. I know the freedom of forgiveness when I forgive with my whole heart.
Is there anyone I don’t feel like I’ve forgiven?
Next Steps
Live LIGHT Above the Negativity Course - Move from being easily regularly frustrated, usually feeling busy, often afraid or easily angered to having peace at all times and in every situation. https://revtrev.link/bless
Live LIGHT Tips and Tools to fast from Negativity - Are you looking to make a difference in the attitudes and actions in your everyday world? Get these Tips and Tools to help you Fast from Negativity https://revtrev.link/tips
Live LIGHT Negativity Fast - Move from toxic negativity to life-giving positivity with 47 days of reflections and Devotional and Community. https://revtrev.link/fast
Forgiveness is always a great idea…until we’re the ones who need to ask for forgiveness or need to forgive. It’s easy to give mental ascent to forgiveness, it’s tough to work it out in the day-to-day of our everyday.
It is so awesome to remember that while I was yet a sinner and still an enemy of God, He forgave me and made a way for us to be friends again. He named me and called me His own.
What He did for me, He did for you. The hero died for His enemy. How amazing is that?
May this Negativity Fast Reflection - I Forgive As God Forgave Me inspire you to learn to forgive completely and totally.
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I forgive as God forgave me. Before I deserved it, he made the way for me to friends again with him. I didn’t have to change before I could be changed. I forgive others for my sake and not just their sake. I forgive freely, and allow trust to be re-earned. I’ve been forgiven so much, I have to forgive with my whole heart. Holy Spirit enables me to do this, even when I’ve been hurt.
Have I been holding on to unforgiveness lately?
Next Steps
Live LIGHT Above the Negativity Course - Move from being easily regularly frustrated, usually feeling busy, often afraid or easily angered to having peace at all times and in every situation. https://revtrev.link/bless
Live LIGHT Tips and Tools to fast from Negativity - Are you looking to make a difference in the attitudes and actions in your everyday world? Get these Tips and Tools to help you Fast from Negativity https://revtrev.link/tips
Live LIGHT Negativity Fast - Move from toxic negativity to life-giving positivity with 47 days of reflections and Devotional and Community. https://revtrev.link/fast
