“Still, if you set your heart on God and reach out to Him, If you scrub your hands of sin and refuse to entertain evil in your home, You’ll be able to face the world unashamed and keep a firm grip on life, guiltless and fearless. You’ll forget your troubles; they’ll be like old, faded photographs. Your world will be washed in sunshine, every shadow dispersed by dayspring. Full of HOPE, you’ll relax, confident again; you’ll look around, sit back, and take it easy. Expansive, without a care in the world, you’ll be hunted out by many for your blessing.”
Job 11:13-19 MSG
The combined act of setting your heart on God, being cleaned of any committed sins, and turning your back on evil (Job 11:13) comes with quite the blessing package (Job 11:13-19), which I almost missed when reading through the book of Job.
I may not be alone in this, so let’s unpack this encouraging Word together.
SET YOUR HEART OF GOD, CLEANED OF SIN & TURN YOUR BACK ON EVIL?
- face the world without shame
- grounded in reality with no guilt or fear
- your troubles will fade into old photos, just snapshot parts of your history
- you will sense sunshine as His light shines like day against any shadows
- you will be FULL of HOPE
- you’ll be relaxed and confident, not reactive to what happens about you
- others will be drawn to the evidence of your faith and its blessings in your life, and want the same
When we draw near to God, our heart aligns with His. When we bring our faults and mistakes to Him, we find forgiveness. When we refuse to partner with evil, we are free from its snares and viewpoint in our lives. We are able to live out of Hope, and who we are in God as we make room for Him within us.
And when we live our lives like this? Others will want to know more about how they too can become more hopeful, and less fear, shame & guilt filled!
#66versesofHope #day3 #hopefortheharddays
KARLA LEES 