Point Of Hope - Issue26 - February 2016 February 2016 | Page 4

WRITTENBY: REV. MELISSAD.PEARCE M ELISSA'S H EART WHAT CAUSED SUCH UTTER PEACE WITHIN MY BEING? For the last couple of months, I have been on a sabbatical? a season God designed especially to draw me closer to Him. I relinquished my responsibilities and set aside this time to be with God. It was critical for my well-being; I also understood it to be mandatory for the welfare of the ministry. To be honest, what surprised me most was my initial response. I was not fearful of losing the momentum we had within the ministry. Nor was I insecure about relinquishing my responsibilities. I had such utter peace over my whole being. Why? What caused such utter peace within my being? I believe it was because I was rooted and grounded in LOVE. become all I designed you to be. A season of relinquishing your greatest fears and truly becoming dependent upon Me.? Wit hhol ding In Fear? What does every heart l ong f or? How many times has God asked something of you, but you withheld because of fear? How many times has God asked you to go in a different direction, but you ceased to move in that direction because of your insecurities? As I pen these words, I hear the LORD say, ?Stop relying on your own understanding. Stop striving. Stop trying to maintain. This is a new season I have designed specifically for you ? a season that requires you to abide in Me and to completely understand the love I have toward you. A season where you blossom and LOVE! A heart longs to experience love and know it is for who she (or he) is ? without any pretensions or conditions. Yet, so many of us guard our hearts for fear of rejection and abandonment. Yet, when we position our hearts bare before God, we expose ourselves completely to Him. Webster?s Dictionary defines 'bare' as "lacking a natural, usual, or appropriate covering or open to view:exposed." 4 February 2016 Point of Hope Magazine I want to encourage you! Be bold! Ask God these questions: ?Will You, Father God, show me the length, width, height and depth of Your love?? ?God, will You remove every barrier keeping me from experiencing Your love in the way You intend for me?? These are not casual questions but promote the heart to open itself up in the very Presence of God. It will cause the heart to become completely bare. The irony of this situation is the very thing you desire will be the very thing you will try to shield and protect. What is hidden deeply within your heart that God is