Electives – Section 4

… (Your name), listen to what you are saying. Let yourself believe, love, and be thankful for the truth!

…I embrace the truth that falling short of God’s glory results in emotional needs and feelings of not being enough. I need a place to hide when I am hurt and a way to soothe my emotional pain. I need a way to feel like I don’t fall short anymore. So, I turn away from trying to fill these needs with earthly and human addictions. I am directing my heart to fill these needs by enjoying the presence of God and His kingdom coming to me here. I am building my faith and am turning away from fear. I am learning to turn my thoughts toward the nearness of God and His coming to me so that I can intentionally enjoy and love His presence and kingdom around me as my security, protection, confidence, identity, and worth. Heart, God is my hiding place, and my hurts are soothed by what I intentionally believe about the greatness of His nearness. I praise the nearness of God for His being God to me in this way; I praise His holy name close to me here.

…Thank You, God, that I don’t have to satisfy my neediness with what I get from cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol! By childlike and playful faith, I can receive and boldly enjoy Your nearness as what satisfies me and as armor that protects me from demons that push me into temptation. I repent of thinking I need to deserve God’s presence before He will come to me. When my heart believes God will come to me by His grace, I can present the addiction before God and trust His holiness to burn it away from me. Heart, “…God is Light…” (1 John 1:5); and, “…if we walk in the Light…the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us…” (1 John 1:7); “…the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion…by the spirit of judgement and the spirit of burning” (Isa. 4:4); “…having our hearts sprinkled clean…and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:19, 22).

…I repent of being afraid of God because He “…has not despised…the afflicted; neither has He hidden His face from him…” (Ps. 22:24). Heart Training helps me tell my heart to believe the truth of God’s Word and to enjoy His presence coming to me as the reassurance I need. I can repent of depending on what I get emotionally from cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol. Heart, listen, and embrace the truth that when “…The Lord is my God.” (Zech. 13:9), I can intentionally think about the nearness of God with me and “satisfy” the thirst of my soul and yearning of my body with what I believe about the greatness of God’s power and glory on and around me here: God, “…You are my God…My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You…Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory…My soul is satisfied…” (Ps. 63:1-2, 5).

…I repent of thinking I should deserve God’s presence before He comes to me because abiding in the presence of God as a shield around me enables holy living. I need God’s presence upon and around me so that I can live a holy life! But I must believe He is coming to me freely because, “…we…receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:14). So, heart, believe, and be intentional to enjoy with bold faith that “…the Lord God is a sun and shield; / The Lord gives grace and glory…” and the nearness of His glory as a shield around me helps me to “live uprightly” (Ps. 84:11).

…I turn my heart away from wanting to use [ drugs, alcohol, cigarettes] in order to dull or kill my desire to be close to God. I repent and turn away from wanting to kill any hope I have of being free. Jesus died, and the Father glorified Him so that I could draw near to God and trust Him to cleanse my physical body (Heb. 10:19-22) by trusting Him to draw near to me here (James 4:8). I love that I can repent with joy and turn away from using sabotage as a way to destroy my closeness to God.

…Heart, when direct my heart into bold faith, I can let myself enjoy God’s glory coming upon and near me: “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; / The LORD gives grace and glory…” (Ps. 84:11). Because God wants to be my “shield” I can determine to enjoy Him that way instead of depending on addictions as a way to hide. Heart, when I hurt, the presence of God is the escape and soothing I need. God, I turn my heart to enjoy that “…You are my refuge in the day of disaster.” (Jer. 17:17).

…I can trust God to draw near and be God to me, because He doesn’t want me to feel compelled by my neediness to depend on other things. It is good for me that His holy presence burns away my filth (Isa. 4:4), and makes my physical body “acceptable” before Him (Rom. 12:1). Heart, “…we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus…draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:19, 22). So, when I apply active and childlike faith to these things, the sense of my “falling short” is greatly diminished (Rom. 3:23), and the pressure to fill my previously unmet need apart from God decreases dramatically.

…Thank You, God, that by receiving the kingdom of Heaven with gratitude and the faith of a child, I can punish the realm of evil trying to push me toward sin! I present my fear, hopelessness, and despair before God so that the holiness of God coming to me here can burn away any demons around that are pushing me to embrace what is bad for me. I love that by receiving the presence and kingdom of Heaven with the faith of a child, I can punish evil trying to hurt my closeness to God.

…Heart, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?” (Ps. 27:1). So, I present my fears, temptations, and anything evil pushing me into sin before the Lord so the coming of God’s holiness can burn them and the rock that is the mountain of God can crush the evil under my feet as the kingdom of Heaven comes down around me here. Thank You, God,, that You are holy and that it is good for me to love Your holiness. By faith, I set my fear, hopelessness, and doubt before You, God, so that You can burn these things off of me!

…Heart, by treasuring the truth that “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” (James 1:17), I can trust like a child that God’s heavenly kingdom is coming down upon and around me here, and is crushing evil pushing me back toward addiction and sin. By faith that God’s presence and kingdom are coming down upon and around me, I am putting on the glory of God as the “armor of Light” that makes “no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Rom. 13:12, 14).

…I turn my heart from loving the feeling that comes from [ drugs, alcohol, cigarettes]. I am turning my heart to love being addicted to God’s presence and kingdom being all around me and touching me here. The presence of God is my choice. Because Jesus lived a sinless life, died our behalf, rose from the dead, and was glorified, it is by faith (Gal. 3:14) that I can drink and receive the Spirit of glory (1 Pet. 4:14) that shines from God (John 7:37-39).

…It is good for me to turn to God! Rather than my having to stay in bondage to a twisted form of protection from my additions, the Bible tells me, “…put on the armor of light…put on the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Rom. 13:12 and 14); and when “…My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped…” (Ps. 28:7).

…I turn my heart away from wanting the feeling of power and control that comes from trying to hurt myself with [ drugs, alcohol, cigarettes]. Heart, it is right and good for me to be thrilled because of the closeness of God’s power all around and touching me. It is the power of God that I love, NOT the twisted and evil power of wanting to hurt myself. I turn my heart to believe and love the presence of God all around and touching me.

… Thank You, God, that by childlike faith I can take refuge in Your presence and kingdom around me here! The Word of God says, “he who takes refuge in Me…will possess My holy mountain” (Isa. 57:13); and, the mountain of God is what crushes evil kingdoms (Dan. 2:44-45). And heart, “…the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (Ps 36:7-9); “…Jesus said, ‘Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’” (Matt. 19:14); So, when by faith I drink from the radiance around God, He comes to me, and I can “take refuge” in the presence and kingdom of Heaven around me here.

…Heart, hear this and treasure it as truth. I don’t have to depend on the rebellious power I feel when hurting myself with addictions. I repent of that because the nearness of God’s power and glory satisfy me (Ps. 63:1-2, 5). When I declare in God’s hearing that “You are my King and my God…” (Ps. 44:4 NIV); and I treasure that “…My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped…” (Ps. 28:7), I can much more easily turn my heart away from wanting to fill my emotional needs from [ drugs, alcohol, cigarettes]. So, heart, I am presenting the addiction to these things before the Lord so that His holiness can come to me and burn away the “filth” of those things (Isa. 4:4).

…Heart, when I feel pressure to go back to my addictions, I will remind myself that the presence of God and His kingdom around me satisfies me better than my addictions. I then can open up to God, trusting with faith that I am receiving the holy mountain of God and the kingdom of Heaven coming down (James 1:17) upon and around me (Heb. 12:22-24, 28), and that by this, any evil near me gets crushed (Rom. 16:20) and burned (Isa. 4:4). Thank You, God, that I can present my fear before you and rest in Your presence while enjoying that the strength of Your holiness is purifying me and everything around me here.

…Thank You, God, that I can trade what I get from earthly addictions for an “abundance” of Your presence and kingdom: “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance.” (Isa. 55:1-2). Heart, treasure believing and enjoying that I can turn away from my addictions in trade for an “abundance” of God’s presence and kingdom coming to me as what soothes and comforts me instead of other things.

…I turn my heart from having to depend on drugs or alcohol for the escape and hiding place that I need. Heart, hear this and love the truth that the presence of God is a far better way for me to escape and relieve the stresses of earthly life. I set my heart on believing the presence of God is coming to me from the radiance around God, and I am enjoying God around me as the hiding place that I need.

…I repent of finding a twisted and damaging kind of reassurance and power from doing what is bad for me. I repent and cut off, reassuring myself with the sense of power I feel from demanding control and choosing additions that harm me. Heart, God is the addiction I need! I set my heart on enjoying God as my God and His presence with me as what soothes and comforts me; His closeness to me is my escape, power, and reassurance. The closeness of God touching me all around is the calm I love. I set my heart to love God in ways that fill these needs so that I don’t have to remain in bondage to worldly addictions. Heart, let yourself enjoy believing that God is drawing near to me so He can be God to me in ways that set me free from having to depend on other things or sin: “I have set the Lord continually before me…my heart is glad…My flesh also will dwell securely.” (Ps. 16:8-9).

…I repent of loving the control I feel from staying in bondage. The nearness of God and His sovereignty is what I love. Instead of depending on drugs or alcohol, I am telling my heart that it is far safer to depend on God! I am listening to myself as I make declarations like where it says, “…O Lord… ‘You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living’” (Ps. 142:5); “I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” (Ps. 91:2). When trusting God to come to me as my refuge I am also presenting my fear and despair before Him, so He can cleanse me of these things by the “Spirit of judgement and burning” (Isa. 4:4).

…Heart, hear this and love that I don’t have to keep myself away from God! God’s presence is good for me, and it is safe for me to draw near. I am intentionally finding delight in drawing near God by letting myself receive His presence being gushed onto me because He is a fountain and wants to be a strong refuge around me here (Ps. 36:7-9). I present my fear before God so that His kingdom coming down can crush it, and His holiness can burn the fear off me. (pause to let yourself feel confident and reassured by God’s presence!)

…I grab my soul and turn it away from depending on [ drugs, alcohol, cigarettes] as what soothes me and eases my pain. I rest into the place of loving and believing God for quenching my desperate need. Heart, believe these truths because by that I am making the Lord my God. I am saying to the Lord that “…You are my God…My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You…Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory…My soul is satisfied…” (Ps. 63:1,2,5). I delight that I can draw near God and receive His presence gushed on me because He is a fountain.

……I repent of trying to avoid hope about being able to change! I turn my heart away from wanting to use [ drugs, alcohol, cigarettes] in order to find the courage, confidence, and the boldness I need. Jesus said, “…If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke of the Spirit…[but] the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39). But in our day, Jesus has been glorified, and we now can drink from His radiant glory as what satisfies our neediness instead of from idols (Refuge: Deut. 32:37-39; Ps 36:7-9; Strength: Hab 1:11; Jer. 17:5-8; Glory: Jer. 2:11-13). I am turning my heart to love the closeness of the holy presence of God that burns the fear away and makes me bold, courageous, and confident. So heart, “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new. . .I will even make a roadway in the wilderness. . .and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people. (Isa 43:18-20).

…Heart, because God wants to be God to me instead of what I receive from myself or earthly sources, I can trust that because God’s beauty, power, and strength drawing near me are so great, I can rightly enjoy God’s presence with me as what soothes my hurts and fills my neediness. Lord, I love Your presence! Instead of drugs or alcohol, Lord, God’s presence with me here is my refuge of safety and my escape. Lord, I love that I can enjoy Your presence around me as what fills that need.

…Thank You, God, that You tell me, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). But, heart, “…he who comes to God must believe…that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6), so, I repent and turn away from fear because You are NOT a God who holds back from giving Your presence and kingdom freely. Heart, “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord.” (Ps. 31:24); I am saying to God, “…My soul clings to You…” (Ps. 63:8).

…Thank You that because You give the kingdom so freely I don’t have to walk in darkness and can abide in Your marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9); and, heart, “…the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power” (1Co 4:20). So, I thank You, God, that Your presence has power that makes demons of darkness flee. When the devil or witchcraft tries to tempt and torment me, I remind myself to trust by faith that the mountain of God and Your kingdom are coming down hard onto the demonic, that You are my strong refuge of protection, and that You are crushing them under my feet (Rom. 16:20), and are grinding them into dust (Luke 20:18).

…Heart, “… God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul” (Ps. 54:4). Listen and treasure believing that I don’t have to kill the pain of my unmet need for God by soothing myself with [ drugs, alcohol, cigarettes]. The truth is that I can draw near to God, and He will draw near to me. And the presence of God all around calms me far better. I turn my eyes to trust that I am looking at You before me and Your kingdom all around me, Lord. (pause to let yourself feel confident about the truth!)

…The truth is that I don’t have to use [ drugs, alcohol, cigarettes] because of being angry about life or because I feel I have to hate myself. I turn my heart from wanting to kill the pain from my desperate need for the close presence of God. I cut off and turn away from wanting hope to die. I present these things and any demons pushing me toward self-hate before God so He can punish them and crush them under my feet.

…Heart, I repent of wanting to run away from hope! The nearness of God quenches my thirst and soothes me better than anything in this life! I turn my heart to use my neediness as motivation for receiving the kingdom of Heaven as m refuge so I can drink from God (Ps. 36:7-9). Heart, “…God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (2Cor 6:16). So, right now, I stop to trust that my eyes are looking at the closeness of God all around me and I am thinking about the closeness of God soothing my hurts and easing my anger.