Zephaniah 3:17 -” The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Thank you to all of you who have been so gracious to pray for me this weekend as I concentrate on my book.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your notes and calls and texts.  Your prayers are needed and are being answered…

As I sat down to write today, I felt overwhelmed.  And not in a good way.  Anxious thoughts consumed me.  I felt distracted, unfocused and defeated.  I felt that everything that I was able to write yesterday on the book lost its momentum this morning.  Insights that I received in the middle of the night were numerous, too numerous to put down on paper.  Basically, when I sat here in the hotel room by myself this morning, I didn’t know where to start.

I knew that this wasn’t from God.  Over and over again He has offered encouragement and motivation and inspiration in the most profound and sometimes bizarre ways.  I know that this project is His idea.  Over and over again I have asked Him to not let me run ahead, and have been very content with just taking the words and sharing them as He brings them and not before.  So I knew that it was not just my own frustration or sense of writer’s block.

No, this was a spiritual attack, through and through.  It took me a little while to figure it out (I can be a little slow), but as it brought me to my knees in tears, I knew what it was.  Jesus and I had a good cry and talk and I just sat with Him for a little while.  He “quieted me with His love”.  And I think I heard Him quietly singing over me.  And as that happened, fear was no longer welcome here and left immediately.  Anxious thoughts and stomach were calmed by the knowledge of His presence with me and  His partnership on this book. Words came.  Scripture sprang to life.  Thoughts flowed again.

As I am delving into the concept of deepening our intimacy with God, I am overwhelmed by the verses He is showing me of His great, great love for us.  It is thoroughly inspirational….and the more I dig, the more I find….and the more I find, the more I fall in love with Him…

And it is this “perfect love” that today has “cast out fear” in my life.  And it is your prayers, sweet friends of mine, that are giving me endurance and strength on this journey 🙂