When Head Knowledge Becomes Heart Knowledge

"If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you."John 8:32

One of the things I have always loved about God is exactly how tender he is in revealing truth. He knows when and where our hearts are ready to hear it. The Lord who invented time itself, and therefore can manipulate it at his will, so carefully and intimately knows just the right moments to speak into our hearts. It's not about when he is willing to handle the matter, but rather when he knows that we can. I am so captivated by the only one who's love sets you free.
This season of my life God is working on my fears and insecurities. Talk about timing! I think we would all like to know that attacking your fears will be handled with some delicacy . You see my fears all stem back to a moment in time in my childhood and hinge on the notion of making me feel rejected. Not just rejected...insignificant. Like I didn't matter at all. I think most people would agree, there is nothing worse than apathy. From that moment on, my enemy worked hard to keep me in stuck in "orphan thinking." He did not want me to know my significance nor the magnitude of God's love for me. Stuck in my rejection mindset I would never be able to achieve all that God had planned over my life (No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived was God has prepared for those who love him.1st Corin 2:9) Your enemy knows your potential in Christ...he will do anything he can to keep your head knowledge about God from becoming heart knowledge.
Faith is belief put into action. Knowledge is understanding through experience. The only way to know God is to experience him. How? It's easy. Seek him. God says, come close to me and I will come close to you. Then you and I, "together with all the saints, (will be able) to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God" -Eph 3:18
How did my God show me his love for me this week? First he prepared me by teaching me about dignity. Insecurity (fear of _____) is about losing our God-given dignity. Our enemy loves that; when placed in situations where we are devalued, our enemy hopes we will react to a sudden rush of insecurity by acting foolish which will ultimately make us feel more insecure. God told me I can start breaking this cycle by not losing my dignity; I may still feel insecure, but I can make a very deliberate choice not to act on that feeling. And that is just what I did. Placed in a situation all too familiar to the one that began the whole cycle, I put on a cloak of dignity. "She is clothed with dignity and strength." Proverbs 31 It was at that moment I realized what I could be capable of if I really grasped God's love for me. (That would be HEART knowledge, girlfriend!!)
Next God has told me over and over this week through his word that he loves me. But more than that he stressed one verse in particular that I've heard several times...on the radio, in my bible study, and again this morning in church. "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." This is something I always knew the scripture said; I know God tells us he won't leave us and that is always there when we call upon him. But this week the word that stood out was "forsake". I looked it up; it means "to leave". But it means so much more than that; it means to reject or defect from because of inferiority (just couldn't measure up) and leave alone. It's volitional; forsake means "I chose to leave you." How sweet my God is that this week of all he wanted me to know He will NEVER forsake me. Better yet, He chose me first. "We love because he first loved us." 1John4:19 When you fear rejection, God wants you to KNOW he chose you and better yet he will never leave you because 'you don't measure up'. The only standard God uses is Jesus...and well, that means we all don't measure up. And yet he was willing to send his Son to die for you. The only time God forsake anyone was for our sakes. (Matt 27:46) That's the kind of love I don't mind looking foolish for.