From "Your Captivating Heart" by Stasi Eldridge
Discover how God's true love can free a woman's soul. Do something kind for your heart. Read this book.
Your Heart Matters
Ps. 139:14-"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Your heart as a woman is the most important thing about you. What makes a woman come alive is for her to be romanced-(wooed and won, desired; delighted in; pursued and fought for; be a priority. A woman wants to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure to unveil beauty. Jer. 29:13-"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." God wants to be pursued and so do we. Women want to play an irreplaceable role in a man's life, in social settings, in their purpose; in their legacy. This is a powerful calling and fulfillment for a woman to feel essential, needed, irreplaceable; not just "useful". The difference between the world's acceptance is in her relationship with her Lord and not in her
possession of "things". God wants to be needed. He wants to play an irreplaceable role in a woman's/man's life. He wants to live in a shared adventure with us.
Women love adventures of all sorts. Dive ever more deeply into the heart of God. We long to be part of-an irreplaceable part of a shared adventure. Boys want to be the brave prince. Women want to be Snow White. Little girl's young hearts intuitively want to know they are lovely. Women want to be captivating in the depths of who they are. God didn't place these desires in a woman's heart to torment them. Jer. 31:3-" The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."
Let the soul find rest in the love of God. I allow myself to be keenly aware of my longing for God. I ache with the desire to play my irreplaceable role in a heroic, shared adventure where I offer my strength and my beauty for the goodness of all.
I want to know at all times that I am delighted in and I am. God has a beauty to unveil. God longs to share adventures with me. John 17:3 The whole story of the Bible is a love story between God and His people. God yearns for me. He cares. He has a tender heart. Jer. 24:7-"And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart." It is a comfort that God is tenderhearted. God longs for me, and longs to be loved by me. Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:36;37; Mark 12:29,30; Luke 10:42-"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:" "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." "But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
God is essential. I've been created with a vision to make the world a better place. I ask, "Do you delight in me?" Ps. 27:4-"One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple."
God wants to be seen and for us to be captivated by what we see. *****This is what beauty says: All will be well. I am not striving, struggling, confused, troubled. People enjoy being with me, are comfortable. I'm at rest.
Every woman has a beauty to unveil. women were created to display beauty spiritually. Beauty is an essence that is given to every woman at her creation. God intended us to carry His image to the world as women. God wants to restore a women's heart to her. It is in the heart that we bear His image and from our heart
that the life we were meant to live flows. Let your heart dance. God revives hope.
**How do people experience you? Gen.3:1-6- 1"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"
2"And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:"
3"But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die."
4"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:"
5"For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
6"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
(The woman was convinced). Eve was convinced that God was holding out on her. She was convinced that He did not have her best interest at heart. She was convinced that in order to have the best possible life, she must take matters in her own hands. Then paradise was lost. We lost the garden. We lost the beauty of the world. We lost an unblemished relationship with God with the first introduction of sin. We have been reaching ever since...trying to make our lives work out as best we can on our own terms. The lies the snake (devil)hissed to Eve in the garden are the very same lies the snake whispers to us in the middle of the night and in every vulnerable moment of our lives. we are tempted to believe that God does not have our best interests in mind, for if He did, then we wouldn't feel so alone, we wouldn't have the sorrows that we bear, we wouldn't still be waiting for our dreams to come true. In every fiber that makes up the fabric of our faith we are tempted to doubt God rather than believe that His heart is good, that His heart is for us. Because the sorrows are real. The loneliness and the heartbreak and the pain are all very real. What do women tend to do? When women are hurt, what is most deeply marred is her tender vulnerability-beauty that invites to life. **I don't refuse to be vulnerable. The enemy (devil) knows what I could be and fears me. What did some do with their wounds? They accepted a wrong view of themselves and that view influenced how they chose to relate to their world.
My plans must have everything to do with God. God sees it all. He sees my sin. He ses my wounds and the ways I have mishandled my heart. He sees my lack of trust in Him and my longing to trust Him more. God says, "Come to me. You are lovely. Do not hide your face from me. I love you. Let me heal you." There is hope. There is healing. There is life. Prov. 31:28-" Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her."
***My Heavenly Father has forever answered the question of whether or not I am worth pursuing. Am I loved? John 3:16-"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Did it cost him to love? It cost Him everything. And He says, I am worth it. I John 3:1-"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." Are you loved? Look at the cross. Look at the Father who sent his Son for you. For you.
I have the story of a Heavenly Father who is my true Father. He has adopted me into his family because like you, He had me in mind before the foundation of the earth. Eph. 1:4-"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:"
All of us need to know once and for all if we are loved now. your Father, your true Father wants you to know. We must ask Him. Receive His love.
In the classic-"A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett-
*Then he went with Sara into her little sitting room and they bade each other goodbye. Sara sat on his knee and held the lapels of his coat in her small hands,
and looked long and hard at his face. "Are you learning me by heart, little Sara?"
he said, stroking her hair. "No," she answered. "I know you by heart. You are
inside my heart."
Matt.6:9-"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." We were meant to know a father's love, be kept safe in it,
and blossom within it.
God invites you to go with Him into the deep places of your heart that are hidden
and wounded and bleeding. Places that you ordinarily don't want to go. Memories
that you do not want to revisit. Emotions that you do not want to feel. Say yes to
God, that you will travel there, because you know He will go with you. He will
hold your heart.
Your heart was made for His strong and tender love. That part is still there, still longing. Open it to Jesus and to your Father God. Ask him to come and love you there. Meet you there. We've all tried so hard to find the fulfillment of this love in other people, and it never, ever works. Let us give this treasure back to the One who can love us best.
Pray: Father, I need Your love. Come to the core of my heart. Come and bring Your
love for me. Help me to know You as the True Father You really are. Reveal Yourself to me. Reveal your love for me.Come and Father me.
Why He Came
It was because of His deep, unconditional love for you that god the Father sent His only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. You are the joy that was set before Him. Heb.12:2-"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Jesus endured death on a cross, scorning His shame.
Would a good father feel satisfied when his daughter is rescued from a car accident, but left in ICU? Doesn't He want her healed as well? In the same way, God has much more in mind for us.
Isaiah 61:1-3-"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;"
"To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;"
"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."
He is here to give you back your heart.
What if it were true? What if Jesus really could and would do this for your broken heart, your wounded soul? Ask Him, Jesus-is this true for me?
Who is this Prince? He comes to rescue you with strength and passion. He is strong. He is brave. He is relentless. Nothing will dissuade the Prince from freeing His love. He goes on the quest to save you. He is faithful and true. He is strong, kind, gentle and handsome. He is willing to die for the one He loves. His name is Jesus. He has come for us. He is your Hero.
Something rouses an inconsolable longing deep within our heart, wakening in us a yearning for intimacy, beauty, and adventure.
This longing is the most powerful part of any human personality. It fuels our search for meaning, for wholeness, for a sense of being truly alive. However
we may describe this deep desire, it is the most important thing about us, our heart of hearts, the passion of our life. and the voice that calls to us in this place is none other than the voice of God.
God has been wooing you ever since you were a little girl. Every story has a
villain. Every story also has a hero. what we need is for Him to open our eyes,
to open our ears that we might recognize His voice calling to us, see His hand wooing us in beauty that quickens our heart. We shut down our hearts in order to endure the pain of life. We must open our hearts again and keep them open. What is it that God wants from us? He wants the same things that you want. He wants to be loved. John 14:23-"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." you are meant to fill a place in the heart of God that noone and nothing else can fill. Song of Solomon 4:9-"Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck." Zeph. 3:17-"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing".
Against all odds, I hope in Him.
He is not interested in intimacy with the man/woman you think you are supposed to be. He wants intimacy with the real you. This love is not something I can earn. It is bestowed. He has bestowed it upon us. He has chosen us. And nothing can
separate us from His love. Rom. 8:39-"Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Not even we, ourselves. We are made for such a love.
Luke 10:38-42-"Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house."
"And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word."
"But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me."
"And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:"
"But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
Jesus is the only one worthy of our heart's devotion.-The source of all Life.
Love Incarnate. Matt. 22:37-"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.'
You can minister to the heart of God. You can impact Him. You matter. Jesus desires you to pour out your love on Him in extravagant worship that ministers to His heart. The only One who can offer unconditional love to you consistently
and deeply is Jesus. We need for God to be more tangible, more real in our lives.
The more we know God truly, as He is, the more we come to know ourselves truly,
become who He created us to be. *As God reveals His identity to us, He also reveals
our identity to us. He writes the true story of who we are on our hearts.
Matt. 25:34-"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:" Deut. 33:26,29-"There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky." "Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places." Psalm 121:1,2-"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help" "My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." Psalm 20:1,2-"The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;" "Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;"
You have a high and holy calling. Life is holy, every moment. It all matters. The world needs you. Everyone here needs you to awaken to God more fully. You are meant to grace the world with your dance, to follow the lead of Jesus wherever He
guides you. He needs you. we need you. Prov. 4:23-"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." What will you do? If you believed your heart was the treasure of the kingdom, you would protect it, wouldn't you?
You would nurture it. God wants you to. Your heart matters. So, what does
your heart need? Psalm 104:15-"And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart." We need silence and solitude-time alone with our heart-and often.
Jesus refused to be ruled by the expectations of others.
Here, we are just the opposite. Our entire lives are governed by other's expec-
tations, and when we live like that, our hearts are the first things to go. Then we wonder why we have nothing left to offer.
There is a rhythm to life. Everyday we wake, and every night we sleep. The heart beats, then rests. It beats, then rests. For every beat there is a rest.
Zeph. 3:17-"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."
In the great heart of God, there is room for us to lie down and rest.
God works with men in the form of challenge-arranging events that require them to rise up as men.
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