goodness – Amy Linnea

Remembered No More

Published on May 6, 2023April 5, 2023 by amylinnea2 Comments

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. Isaiah 65:17

As God’s beloved, He renews you.

Renews your mind.

Your thoughts.

Your new self covered under His salvation.

God wants you to live within His freedom from your previous ways of thinking.

The untruths you held dear.

The inadequacy that gripped you.

The fears that wouldn’t let go.

When a thought pops into your mind, do you immediately believe it?

If it tears you down feeling worthless, it’s not God.

God will gently bring you into freedom.

He only wants the best for you, so as you embrace His freedom, you’ll feel better and better.

Science shows us brain pathways can be retrained.

But you must cut the ties with your former ways of thinking.

Your former ways of thinking apart from God.

Cutting your connection with the untruth means you don’t think about it like you used to.

When an old nasty thought pops into your brain, you declare God’s truth instead.

If you’ve suffered from negativity, you begin to thank God for His goodness.

You look for it. Search for it, proclaiming He is good.

If you’ve suffered from fear, you thank God for His protection.

You remind yourself how perfectly safe you are under His wings.

If you’ve suffered from loneliness, thank God for His companionship.

You begin to list all the ways God sees you and knows you.

Start today.

As Isaiah reminds us, the former things will be remembered no more or even come to mind.

Declare the lies you previously believed gone.

The fear previously holding you gone.

Your mind is pure, covered in God’s truth.

Renewed.

Walk in the freedom God has already provided you.

You are a new creation, inside and out.

As you replace the old thoughts with God’s truth, your brain will remember them no more.

Photos by Mike Tinnion, Priscilla Du Preez, &Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

Living with Yourself

Published on April 29, 2023April 5, 2023 by amylinnea2 Comments

What would that be like?

Living with yourself?

Are you nice? Sweet? Generous? Loving?

Do you put others first before yourself?

Serve the other person the larger piece of cake?

Allow others into your life to bless them?

Or are you a bit mean? Angry? Standoffish?

Do you put yourself first, serving yourself the bigger dessert?

Keep to yourself, putting up a grumpy front so you aren’t bothered with others?

Are your moods up and down like the winds of the ocean?

Just wondered.

Sometimes we wish those we love acted differently. We wish they would think of us for a change.

But do you think of them?

Do you put them first?

Matthew 7:12 reminds us Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Sounds like we should treat others how we would like to be treated.

Didn’t we all learn that in Sunday School? You bet.

Take a minute and try living with yourself.

Would you want to live with you?

I’d answer honestly absolutely and heck no. Depends on the moment if you want to know the truth.

Lord, help us to be as wonderful to live with as we think we are.

Live through us, helping us to deliver your goodness to all around us.

Photos by Sage Friedman, Milan Popovic, David Marcu, & freestocks on Unsplash

Too Familiar

Published on November 19, 2022November 18, 2022 by amylinnea2 Comments

Are you used to Him? to God?

Meaning, the very fact that He is literally right with you does not bring you to your knees in awe?

I am, I’ll admit it. Too familiar.

I take for granted my daily devotions.

My worship time at church and home.

My multitudinous Bibles.

My job, which allows me to speak of His goodness whenever I wish.

I’m not saying that’s all a bad thing.

We should be used to God.

We should be so clothed with His presence and likeness others see Him not us.

We should be familiar with His word, His ways, and how He wants us to conduct ourselves.

But we must remain in awe.

In awe of His goodness.

In awe of His salvation.

In awe of Him.

May we pause to bow before Him, acknowledging our weakness made perfect only in Him.

May we humbly bring our requests only after thanking Him for all He does for us.

May we remember who we are in comparison to God, who created us and all things.

And may we recognize how much we continually need Him.

Thank you, Lord, for closing the separation from You to us through your son, Jesus.

May we remain always humble, recognizing our desperate need from our Savior each and every day.

Photos by Aliane Schwartzhaupt, Joshua Earle, & Alicia Quan on Unsplash

God’s No

Published on April 13, 2019June 9, 2023 by amylinneaLeave a comment

You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. Proverbs 19:21

Is God’s no His mercy towards you?

Is His answer of no an extension of His grace?

When we pray, we do not always get what we wish.

Our heart’s desires are not always given.

But isn’t that the mercy of God?

Doesn’t He know best?

Sometimes an answer to prayer is no.

No doesn’t mean God has forgotten you.

That He doesn’t love you.

Sometimes His great love is shown to you through an answer you do not want.

Through His no.

So the next time His answer to you is no, remember His goodness.

His knowledge of time from the beginning to the end.

His desire to give you every good thing.

When Jesus prayed in the Garden for His suffering to be avoided, God said no.

It was no because God had greater things in store.

Jesus asked, but He also prayed for God’s will to be done.

God’s will done in your life might also mean no.

No for certain things.

But yes for others.

Pray for your heart to align with God’s.

So when His no arrives, you still expect nothing less then goodness from the heart of God.

Beautiful Life

Published on February 3, 2018June 8, 2023 by amylinnea2 Comments

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19

God is waiting to walk you into your beautiful life.

Already there?

That’s awesome.

Truly a gift.

Some of us aren’t.

We want to, but we can’t.

Why?

Because we are holding onto remnants of the past.

Ashes.

Broken pieces we cannot seem to drop.

These burdens from the past beg us to cling to our old ways of thinking, of acting.

We cling because they are familiar.

Painful, but familiar.

Why is that comforting?

Because it’s the known vs the unknown.

Do you trust me?

God is asking that of us this day.

Do you really trust me?

Because if you do, you’ll give Him those ashes.

The deepest darkest places in your heart.

You’ll grab every last drop of darkness and pour it out into God’s open hands.

He wants your sadness.

He wants your burdens.

He wants your cares.

But do you trust Him?

Does He really have your back?

Has He planned the best for your future?

Yes.

Don’t believe me?

That’s ok.

Look to your details- your blessings in your life.

God is there, was there, and is here yet today.

Oh, and He’s in your future.

Whether it’s job loss, broken relationships, yearnings of your heart, recovery from surgery or anything else, God is waiting to take the worry from you.

He can see far beyond your vision.

Place it all into His hands.

Lean back, and trust Him.

And allow your precious smile to brighten your stunning face.

Welcome to your beautiful life.