It is nice to be home from the men’s retreat and especially nice to sleep in one’s own bed.  I’ve never been too fussy about the bed in which I sleep, but that wasn’t the case this weekend.  However, I don’t think that connects too well to any journey–just a fact of life.

I was journaling this morning about what I’d taken from the weekend.  The list contained several items, all of which I needed to confront something or have a talk with someone.  It was troubling over the weekend because I’ve never been one to back away from a confrontation when needed, but I’ve always wanted to confront something in a Christ-like way rather than just man’s temper or emotions.  As I was taking this to God this morning I felt Him confirming in me to trust my heart.  He lives there.  This reality is being awakened in me and that I can trust it.  In fact, I wrote in my journal to trust my heart and not my mind.  This was a brand new statement.  I’ve always trusted my mind.  However, in the past weeks I’ve truly begun to learn that it is in my mind that I am tempted, it is not in my heart.  My mind responds to my heart, not the other way around.  I’ve always thought my heart was the home of my emotions.  Now I’m realizing more fully that, yes, emotions play a big part with my heart, but they also play a big part with my mind.  The new reality is that my heart knows how to work with them while my mind wants to separate itself from them.  There’s much more to experience along this line, but this is the most current for me.

The other thing from the weekend that is being strengthened is the truth about each of us needing to work with a team.  This team must be one we can be fully transparent with.  We do need God’s Team on this, but the human element of the team is critical.  Being fully open and honest with God and someone we trust (James 5:16) is a must for living in freedom from one day to the next.

God’s faithfulness is my closing paragraph.  I am continuously amazed as I live in my new self.  There is just nothing about God that resembles the old fears I had.  The Jesus Christ we love, respect and cherish–The Holy Spirit given as our gift are not to replace the love of our Father, they are the love of our Father.  God our Father is the very One who gave them to us so we could better know and understand Him.  How much I want to grow in all of this.