Author: cindygrasso

Cindy Grasso has been on a 22 year adventure of a lifetime as the wife of Bobby Grasso, the mom of two techy, smarty pants, amazing teen boys and is the Discipleship Pastor at Cape Christian in Cape Coral, Florida. She is an-early-morning-coffee drinker, whenever-the-moment presents-itself blog writer and an inspirational speaker who is passionate about equipping people to thrive in their God-given purposes.

Wait

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“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭37:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I don’t wait well if I’m tired. I don’t wait patiently if I’m empty. And just telling me to “be still” doesn’t help me be still.

To get to“be still” in Psalms 37:7, I have to start with“trust” in vs. 2.

Trust. Delight. Commit. Wait.

Start at trust– lean on the Lord.

Add delight– lean into the Lord.

Chose to commit– give it totally to the Lord.

Then be stillbefore the Lord.

Be still: The Hebrew word used here doesn’t mean for your body to not move, it means to be silent.

Silent your mind, quiet the overthinking and obsessive worrying.

Stop talking about it.

Stop thinking about it.

Clear your mind.

No words.

Create space in the silence.

Be in the quiet.

(Sabbath Rest: know you’re not God, celebrate, rest.)

Wait patiently:  I thought the meaning of this phrase would continue the thought of resting quietly but it actually means to move with energy.

It is the word “chuwl” and it means to twist, whirl, dance.

Trust. Delight. Commit. Wait.

And while you wait, dance like you have nothing to worry about.

While you rest inwardly, dance outwardly.

If you don’t identify as a dancer, identify as a worshipper. Listen to your favorite song or the song God is using in your life right now and get lost in it. Stop thinking about your situation and start worshipping your Savior.

Listen to your favorite worship song and get lost in it.

Stop thinking about your situation and start worshipping your Savior.

Trust. Delight. Commit. Wait.

Over the last 25 years, Those words have become like a Biblical mantra I go back to when I am walking through uncertain times and when I needed to stop looking at what everyone was doing and start focusing on what God wanted me to do.

Trust. Delight. Commit. Wait.

I love you and I am praying for you, my friend. Take some time to refill and center yourself on who you are in Christ.

 

Commit

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Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
Psalms 37:5  NKJV
Commit your way. 
To commit is an action, not a choice.
When I commit to a diet, I’m making a decision.
When I mail a letter, I’m taking action.
You can’t mail a letter if you hold onto to the edge of it. It will never get to where it needs to go and you are not trusting the Postman or woman to do their job.
To commit your way to the Lord is the same thing- you give it to him. You are putting the direction, the journey, the destination into His care. The word for commit here means to “roll away”. 
To the Lord.
Give your future to God.
Let God have it.
Pry your fingers off the fears you have for your future and give it to Jesus.
Lay down the cherished dreams of a perfect life and roll those over to Jesus as well. Your expectation of a perfect life without pain or heartache is not reality and doesn’t help you deal with it. Those expectations actually trip you up more than your fears do.
Let go and let God.
Trust also in Him. 
Focus on your relationship with Jesus and let Jesus focus on your future.
And He shall bring it to pass.
The phrase in English “He shall bring it to pass” is actually just one word in Hebrew, “asa“.  It means He shall assemble, accomplish, create, produce it. He shall attend to it, bring it about and ordain it. He will bring it to pass.
“And then finally, when you’ve gotten to the place where you can commit your life and the affairs of your life into God’s hands, then you have arrived at the place of that glorious resting in the Lord. “God, I’m just resting in You. Whatever comes, Lord. However. It’s in Your hands.”
Chuck Smith
It is only when I commit my journey (and re-commit it hourly) to the Lord and trust Him to bring it to pass in my life that I am truly free to rest. I am free to discover delight. I am free to focus on doing good where I am instead of carrying the weight of the uncertainty of the unseen future on my shoulders and give it all to God.
I roll it over to Jesus and say, “Here, this is yours. You can take care it.  I’m Yours and so is my future. Thank you that I don’t have to carry it, worry about it, fret and fight to make it happen. You already have a plan and a purpose for me.   I get to discover step by step with you.”
How do you deal with an uncertain future?
Trust. Delight. Commit.

Delight

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“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”‭‭        Psalm‬ ‭37:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Which side of the comma are you living in?

Take delight in the Lord,

or

And he will give you the desires of your heart?

Delight, desires.

This beautiful scripture reminds me to enjoy my relationship with God and where the focus of that relationship is to come from delight. When I am focusing my life on delighting (joy, great enjoyment, and pleasure) in the Lord, the world seems like a wide open space for me to experience with someone I love. When I focus on the desires of my heart, the world seems a small closed space in which I only see what I don’t have and experience envy at the perception of what everyone else seems to have.

I’ve learned that my desires are not good taskmasters and in fact, they make great idols.  They also don’t make a good foundation for a relationship, not with God or anyone else.

I’m not saying that your desires are bad, in fact, I believe that the Lord puts loads of good desires in your heart: the desire to love and be loved, to connect and be connected to,  to cherish and to be cherished.  I’m saying that if you focus your life on getting your desires met that you will be miserable and probably not even know why.

Living on the delight side of the comma means that your focus is on your relationship with God and being delighted in him, by him and with him. It is acknowledging that while you delight in him, he will fulfill the known and unknown desires of your heart.

 

Trust and Delight.

It’s a great way to live, don’t you think?

 

 

Trust

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“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

After yesterday’s command of “ Do Not Fret” comes the how: Trust in the LORD.

Trust means to lean on and be boldly confident in.

You can be boldly confident in the Lord because He knows what is happening even if you do not. He not only sees the short game – what will happen right now, but He also sees the long game – what will happen down the line.

Trust and do good.

While you trust in God, don’t be idle.  Be productive and creative right where you are.

Dwell in the land – focus your energy on being present today and fully committed to embracing the small moments of wonder and joy. This season will change and a new season will be upon you before you know it. Don’t be so focused on what you can’t see that you miss what you can. Someone within the reach of your grasp needs a hug, needs prayer, needs someone to encourage them. Be that someone. This is your land. Where you are today. Make the most of it. Invest in it. Decorate the walls and take pictures of it. Celebrate what God has given you.

‘In “the land” which floweth with milk and honey; the Canaan of the covenant. Thou shalt not wander in the wilderness of murmuring, but abide in the promised land of content and rest.” – Charles Spurgeon

The promised land of content and rest is fulfilled in Jesus. It means that you and I are no longer doomed to wander in a spiritual wilderness but that in Jesus we find a home.  A place to abide, to be content and rest. His work on the cross means our work is to trust, to rest, to settle down and rest in the luxurious love of the Father.

Enjoy safe pasture is a shepherding term. It means that your shepherd, the Good Shepherd, will lead you and watch over you.  He will lead you to a place where you can eat until you are full. I know you are worried about not having enough right now. Ask Jesus to open your eyes to the abundance he is providing for you, here, in this place.

Whatever your day may bring, my friend, I am going to ask you to move the focus of your energy from fretting to trusting. Trust that Jesus has taken care of your past. Trust that He has your present provided for. Trust that He has your future in the palm of His hand.

How are you leaning on Jesus today?

What do you need to be doing while you trust God?

What are you celebrating?

Do Not Fret

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“Do not fret”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭37:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬
It is easier said than done.
The original Hebrew word here for “fret“ is “charah”  and means to kindle oneself with a spark of anxiety or worry, whip it up into an inner frenzy and feed it facts or wonderings until it is a voracious fire in your soul that burns long and hot like the oil fires in the desert.  The picture is one who burns until they are charred. That is what fretting will do to you.
The King James Version says, “fret not thyself” which reminds that no one can get me to fret but me.  I do it to myself. It’s not God or others that do it  – I do it to myself.
It is a command, not a suggestion.
It doesn’t help your situation or your heart. It doesn’t halt, change or stop things from happening. Fretting and incessant worrying steals your focus, burns up your energy and leaves you with a crispy attitude.
It is not your job. 
The rest of the verse tells us that it’s God’s job to deal with what other people are doing. He is good at it.  He knows what is happening. He sees what is going on. Let the Lord worry about what others do or don’t do.
Let God be God.
You do you. 
What is the best thing to do when a spark of fear ignites a frenzy of anxiety?
Douse it with the Word, have your favorite verse handy to pour all over it.
One of mine favorites is simple but powerful in the face of a good fret:
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬
The word “affliction” essentially means “pressure”.
My friend, when the pressure is on, spend your energy pursuing hope. Don’t quit when things get hard.  If you must work on something, work on keeping your heart open and filled with the wonder and expanse of God’s love. 
Center yourself in Christ.
Focus on God’s goodness instead of other people’s choices.
Fix your eyes on Jesus and do what he has given you to do today.
Do. Not. Fret.

Aware

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If you are aware of anything today – be aware of God.

If you are afraid of anything – be afraid of getting so busy making a living that you miss making a life.

If you have to make a do to list – put living in the joy of the Lord #1.

“But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:11 MSG‬‬

Take care of what you need to take care of today but make room for God to interrupt, intervene and weave his perspective into each thing you must do.

Are you so busy that you are oblivious to God?

What does being aware of God’s presence mean to you?

How can you make that happen?

May the awareness of God supersede all else as you are embraced by a Savior who loves you unconditionally and completely.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Cared For

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I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.”
‭‭Jude‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Today you are invited to live in relationship with God Almighty as a trusting child to a faithful Father.
You are called.
You are loved.
You are cared for.
You don’t have to strive to take care of “number one” or stress to win the approval of others.
Jesus will walk with you, guide you and bring you back when you wander off.
Accept God’s invitation to live as a cherished child today.
Live loved right now.
Let Jesus take care of you.
May your relationship with Jesus be like the eye of the storm and the uncertainty of this season swirl around you as the peace of God which passes all understanding guards your heart.
How are you living in the invitation of God?
How are you receiving His love?
Are you living like you are cared for or like you have to take care of yourself?