Trueworth with Anastasya Lea

[New Channel] Here’s a quick video about the heart behind a new venture on my YouTube channel coming soon! Looking forward to sharing it with you all. :)

Being led ... My apologies for my scarcity on here. I am experiencing an unexpected pause on my writing and blogging which is leading me into deeper reflection as we start the year. For me, this time last year everything changed dramatically in ways I could not have foreseen. I became painfully aware that there was a lot I was not in control of. I’m sure that resonates with you in some way as well with our worlds situation brought on by COVID. ... Control is ... well... control. It feels strong and secure. Being out of control is messy and vulnerable. The illusion of control serves to temporarily relieve us of the necessity for trust. Why is trust so hard for us? Most of us have learned by now that trust is fragile and that few people or situations are worthy of it. But trust is necessary to grow in life. It is the doorway to good things and a prerequisite of real love and deep connection. The role of trust is paramount for those of us being brought back into relationship with God. An overlooked revelation about trusting God is found in Jesus’ words in the bible. In Matthew chapter ten Jesus points to the value and worth God our Father has for us as a reason to put our trust in Him. In another story in the bible the disciples of Christ put words to our basic struggle with trusting God when they find him sleeping in the boat as a life threatening storm arises. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" Mark 4:38 They asked Jesus then the same question our hearts ask Him now in situations where trust is being called for... Do you really care for me? Even this morning I felt Him asking me to take His hand and go deeper with Him in something and my heart hesitated slightly. I no longer condemn myself for this because He doesn’t condemn us. The answer, He knows, is to become more deeply acquainted with His love and value for us. Once we are convinced that someone’s heart is good and cares for us, we trust them. Let’s open our hearts a little more today and let Him show us how trustworthy He is.

This verse has taken on a whole new dimension for me lately as I have considered the context of it more deeply. This encouraging promise emerges during the conclusion the writer, the apostle Paul, is making on the surety of Gods love for us. Even more incredible than that is the fact that the greater discussion of this passage is actually about the surety of Gods love for us in the context of our brokenness and failure. In Romans chapter 7, Paul reveals his struggle with si...n and brokenness - one that we all can relate to... Truly, deep within my true identity I love to do what pleases God. But I discern another power operating in my humanity, waging a war ... (v22-23) He calls this other power the unwelcome intruder of sin. A clear distinction is made between his true identity and the work of brokenness in him. With that, an astounding revelation of Gods love is revealed in these two chapters. Paul lands on a declaration that his hope is found in Gods gift of Christ and offer of life in Him. From there he shifts gears to focus on the empowering work of Gods Spirit within us which enables us to overcome our brokenness and receive His life ... It’s within this context our main verse lies. A picture is beautifully painted in these passages of scripture. God is not condemning us. There is no condemnation in Him (8:1) ... God is standing with us against the sin that is trying to destroy us. Moments later Paul concludes, How could he possibly condemn us since he is continually praying for our triumph? (8:34) Isn’t that incredible? He is praying for us to overcome... He is with us in it. As some translations say He is for us If we let all that sink in to our hearts it will dramatically change the way we believe about God in our brokenness and failure. I know my perception is being changed today meditating on this! Gods love truly is our victory over everything that hinders us.

All of us encounter shame in some way. It is an underlying antagonist to the life we really want to live. Why is shame so abusive? It’s the original not good enough... It blinds us to who we really are which is a simultaneous blinding to who God is. He is a Father who loves and values us deeply. When we are listening to shame we cannot see that. As we talked about in a previous blog, this is clearly depicted in the response of Adam and Eve to their shame over deciding to eat the fruit. They felt fear for the first time and hid from God. He was no longer the One they felt they could openly meet with. The truth is God honours us. Honour is the opposite of shame. He values us which means we are of value just as we are. And that truth is totally antithetical to the lies of shame. When we are blinded to our true worth we seek to try to manufacture it through other means. A cycle begins in us and shame is there to criticize and belittle the whole way. Shame will try to convince us that God thinks the same of us as it does ... That we are worthless and unworthy of love ... But shame is a liar! The way to combat shame is not through condemnation but through the revelation of our trueworth as sons and daughters who are dearly loved by God as our Father. Only the truth can set us free! It’s our pursuit here at true worth to know the Truth and to believe the One that is truth! Truth will set us free! Truth Meditation: I am loved by God which means I am valued by Him. Since I am valued by Him I am valuable. Make no mistake you and I are beautiful to God. I have loved You with an everlasting love Jer.31:3 ___________ Ask Father to make this more real to you in your heart today.

For nothing is impossible with God Luke 1:37 During the Christmas season I was reading the Bible passage known as the Christmas Story and this particular verse caught my attention. Then, while reading 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 a statement that Paul made leaped out with me today in conjunction with the verse above. ... Paul boldly states that he and his co-workers in the faith were always full of courage. Just moments later he reveals why, for we live by faith not by what we see with our eyes. 2020 had us looking at what we could see before us: * COVID cases rising * lockdowns and cancelled events Let’s be real most of us spent more time glued to our phones and computer screens between zoom calls, information overload and boredom. It was a year of loss, disorientation and uncertainty. Today I could feel inside that I needed to be reminded of the truth these verses hold. I needed to be reminded that nothing is impossible with God... What happened in 2020 forever changed my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined as I’m sure many of you have experienced as well. This new year is permission to dream again. Is COVID gone yet - no. Are we out of lockdown yet - no. But there is hope beyond what our eyes can see! As Paul reminds us, knowing and believing God is the freedom from fear we are all looking for. The waterfall in this photo captures what I feel like when I’m under the flood of Fathers love and hope in my soul. And His love and hope is what we all need going forward this year. :) I’m so looking forward to the journey ahead with you here at Trueworth! Thanks for following and connecting so far. May you be deeply encouraged here and strengthened in your relationship with God, yourself and others. Happy New Year!

[New Blog] Today on the blog I’ve posted some thoughts on how the significance of the incarnation has changed for me. A very personal encounter with God led me to see the incarnation and Jesus coming in a whole new light! Scripture records the veil in the temple being torn at Jesus’ death. The veil signified a separation between Gods presence and humanity and limited access to Him. In the incarnation the very being of God came right into the intimacy of a family unit. A very... human and broken family at that... I believe there’s a healing revelation in the incarnation our hearts need to tap into. This revelation has the power to lead us into deeper intimacy with God, each other and ourselves. Click the link below to read more: https://trueworth.ca/the-incarnation/ I hope His immense love for you is seen and felt in your day today.