"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. -Ephesians 1:18-19, NASB
I tend to be a rather fearful, timid person. I am definitely lacking in the self-confidence area. These verses are for people like me. People who need to be reminded about who we are and who we belong to.
I find it interesting that Paul prays for the enlightenment of our hearts. Not our minds, but our hearts. It makes me think of that verse, "for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks," or as the NASB says, "for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart." (Luke 6:45b) I think that with our minds we store knowledge but it is in our hearts that wisdom grows. It is in my heart where fear starts to grip me. When I let that fear have reign, when I let it drive my decisions, I make choices that keep me from being the woman God wants me to be. Imagine how different my heart would look if instead of all those fears and doubts it was flooded with an understanding of the greatness of God's power. Imagine what a different course my life could take if I met each day confident of who I was in Christ rather than feeling like I have little worth.
This is a work that must be done from the inside out. It is exciting to think about. It might even lead a very shy, insecure person like me to step out and lead a Bible study. (And that is exactly what I have done.)
Be blessed,
Deb
I tend to be a rather fearful, timid person. I am definitely lacking in the self-confidence area. These verses are for people like me. People who need to be reminded about who we are and who we belong to.
I find it interesting that Paul prays for the enlightenment of our hearts. Not our minds, but our hearts. It makes me think of that verse, "for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks," or as the NASB says, "for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart." (Luke 6:45b) I think that with our minds we store knowledge but it is in our hearts that wisdom grows. It is in my heart where fear starts to grip me. When I let that fear have reign, when I let it drive my decisions, I make choices that keep me from being the woman God wants me to be. Imagine how different my heart would look if instead of all those fears and doubts it was flooded with an understanding of the greatness of God's power. Imagine what a different course my life could take if I met each day confident of who I was in Christ rather than feeling like I have little worth.
This is a work that must be done from the inside out. It is exciting to think about. It might even lead a very shy, insecure person like me to step out and lead a Bible study. (And that is exactly what I have done.)
Be blessed,
Deb
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