Jesus and The Introverted Thought Life (a personal commentary)

This post is for all the introverts (like myself) though technically I would consider myself an "ambivert" because there are times I do gain energy when I'm around people, but other times it is draining for me. But, if push came to shove, I do prefer to be by myself to recharge, which technically puts me firmly in the introvert camp. 

We introverts are a funny and peculiar lot. 

I can relate to this saying. There are days that I just feel like being away from people. Sometimes, even when I go out I will purposefully go out of my way to minimize my interactions with people. Now, if you are an introvert reading this I know you can relate and have probably done the same. But, I would ask that you would try and hold off any assumptions, judgments and conclusions about this and me. 

Something that I've come to realize and I know that I may offend some people in saying this: "We introverts (yes I include myself) are really good at judging people and casting them in a suspicious and negative light." The reasoning behind this (in my humble opinion) is because safety is a top priority (if not the highest priority) for an introvert. In many ways, we would like the outer world to reflect our inner world. And when it doesn't we tend to think through the many different scenarios (sometimes over and over again) until we come to an acceptable outcome. Why we do this is because we are making sure we are prepared (which helps us feel safe) or have some sort of escape route or plan just in case things don't go the way we'd like them to go. 

I can tell you from my own personal experience, that this has been true for me and I believe I am not the only introvert who feels this way. Introverts are always thinking. I appreciate this cartoon's depiction "He's got the whole world in his head." It's true. One of the hardest things for an introvert to do is to get out of their head. 

Now to the point of this blog post. 

Something God has been challenging me on is my inner thought life. More specifically on my thought life towards others. You see, I've been praying (for over a year now) asking Jesus to help me live firmly in a place of grace and goodness towards others. And since I've started praying this, God has been answering by challenging me on my introverted judgmental thought life. 

I mean how can I extend grace and goodness to others if I am having suspicious and negative thoughts about them? Thinking they have ulterior motives which at times may be true, but not always. Now I do think it is perfectly fine to make notes and observations about the things happening around us. I mean collecting data and growing in our understanding of human nature and the world around us is a good thing. But, when suspicion and negativity become the filter in which we discern the world around us, I think this is a problem. 

I mean, why can't we think better of people by giving them the "benefit of the doubt" when it comes to why they are doing what they are doing. Or better yet, wouldn't it be better to hold off all judgments until we've actually engaged with the person? Now before you start making conclusions like I'm being naive and foolish (too late?), I would further add that our thought life will always color the way we interact with people.

So, if I have already concluded some negative or suspicious things about someone even before I've engaged with them, my non-verbal language will show this in my facial expressions, body language, spacial distancing, even my vocal tone, speed or hesitancy will make these known.

Now, on the other hand, if I have withheld any suspicious or negative judgments and assumptions, I am free to see each person before me with minimal bias and be able to speak and engage with them from a place of grace and goodness. Isn't that how we see Jesus engaging with people in the Gospels? I mean He already knew things about people which was 100% accurate, unlike us who at best could be maybe averaging a 50% accuracy rate, but regardless of what He knew, Jesus still treated them with from a place of grace and goodness.

So, to all my fellow introverts, I dare you to pray this prayer: "God, help me to live firmly in the place of grace and goodness towards others." And when you do, be ready to come face to face with all your judgmental junk.

If I could share a little wisdom I've learned along the way is that God is interested in bring a lasting inward transformation to you. This means He's not really focused on your behavior, but on the condition and shape of your heart. Something I've come to realize is that the older we get, the better we are at masking our disingenuousness.

So I urge you to resist trying to hide and mask your junk but to actually invite Holy Spirit into it. And if you find yourself arguing within yourself, know that maybe you're actually arguing with Holy Spirit. In these moments, pause, take a breath, and tell Him you're sorry for trying to justify your thoughts and ways and begin listening and letting go.

I'm not going to try and sugar coat this in anyway, this is a rough and hard road to walk because it means allowing God to touch and shape the deepest parts of who we are. But, as I have been actively engaging in this for a little while now, I can tell you it is worth it. There is so much peace and freedom here that is life giving and releasing. 

Soaking Prayer: Leaning into and Resting in God's Presence

The end of the year can be a very busy season which is why it is also a perfect time to intentionally and actively lean into and rest in God's presence. Something that I have practiced over the years has been soaking prayer. Soaking prayer falls into the category of Christian mysticism and focuses on the manifest experience of union with Christ. Soaking prayer is simply positioning oneself to behold the beauty and majesty of Christ and be loved by Him. It is not uncommon for a person to receive visions & revelations and encounters & breakthroughs while soaking in God's presence. Soaking prayer makes room for God to move and bring deeper transformation to us. 

"Because God's presence is always with us, He is the answer to the spiritual warfare we face. The peace of having Him overshadow our lives gives us a powerful weapon. Many times in Israel's history, God told the people to do unconventional things: sing, march, shout, wait. "you don't need to fight," He whispered to them "because this isn't about you, it's about Me. I'm not asking you to strive and pull down things, I'm asking you to make room for Me too act." (Graham Cooke, "Beholding and Becoming" p.16). 

Soaking prayer also involves actively embracing the rest Jesus offers to a person. "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV). 

• Resting is the act of quietly and confidently allowing yourself to be in the presence of God. Resting is the absence of work, worry, fear, even performance. Resting empowers us to learn from Jesus in how to be with God. Rest is a gift from Jesus to us.

• Soaking in God's presence is one way we can learn to entering into God's rest. When we soak in God's presence we learn to switch off our souls and allow our spirit to be attentive to God. Resting helps us become more aware of His love, care and purposes for us. 

• When we learn to rest in God, we learn how to receive and respond to who God is for us. Resting removes both the inward and outward pressures we feel and opens us up to the person of Jesus. In a place of rest our heart, our inner man, becomes accessible to God. It is in rest that we receive ministry from the Holy Spirit. 

• Rest is a form of freedom from work, from human striving and acquisitiveness and from worldly preoccupations. It is the relinquishing of human self-assertion and an embracing of greater trust in God. The willingness to rest is a sign of peace and faith in God because rest is a form of letting go of human control. 

Hebrews 4:9-11 (NLT) " So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall."

• This means we must make the time to actively enter into the rest God has already allocated to us. The best image I can think of in terms of soaking prayer is that of laying on the sandy shores of an ocean and letting the waves continually and consistently wash over you again and again. So when soaking, it is best to physically lay down while listening to various worship songs and allowing the love and presence of God to wash over you like ocean waves. 

• This can mean meditating on the Word of God and allowing the biblical truths about God Himself and His Kingdom shape and define us in deep and significant ways. This can include listening to the names of God being recited over and over again, letting them wash over you until the truths about who God is sink into and shape your heart and mind towards God.

• This can mean listening to worship music that focuses on the love and peace of God over and over again, allowing the Spirit of God to manifest and release His rest upon your heart and soul until you open up wide to receive the flow of God's love and peace into the deepest parts of your being.

• This can mean listening to prophetic words and songs that help to position your soul to receive the ministry of the Holy Spirit in searching out any dark and lonely places that need the light and gentle touch of God's presence.

If you have never experienced soaking prayer, give yourself time to learn to rest and receive from the Lord. Oftentimes, it takes time for us to learn to slow down from the busyness of life and allow the Spirit of God to declutter our minds and unburden our hearts. Here are a few links to some songs that I myself enjoy during my times of soaking prayer and that also help me to lean into and rest in the presence of God. 

waiting on You again: Casey Corum (Vineyard Worship)

Have you ever had to wait on God? I am currently in a season of waiting. Waiting for God break in and release His healing. Now my waiting is not passive, but active. In my waiting for God I am still actively praying and fasting. Sometimes, I wonder to myself, "Am I doing enough?" But, then the Holy Spirit eases my anxiety and worry with this Scripture. 

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV): "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Something that I am in need of right now in my waiting on God is His peace. 

• The peace that reassures me that God hears my prayers.
• The peace that reassures me that God is faithfully with me. 
• The peace that reassures me  that God will break in as my Deliverer. 
• The peace that reassures me that God is my Healer. 

If you are also currently waiting on God at the moment. I pray that you would be active in your waiting through prayer and fasting. What I have found is that prayer and fasting helps to activate our faith as we wait. And it is in this activation of faith that keeps the worry and anxious thoughts and feelings at bay. 

Mobile Prayer Station: DAY 28

Overall, today was quiet. I stood underneath a tree in the shade for most of my time on the street enjoying the peacefulness of the day. The whole area was uncharacteristically subdued. Not many people were out and the people whom I normally see were nowhere to be found. Even the children's playground was quiet with only a few children at play. Normally, I would have been eager to get going hoping God would bring people to pray with, but the day felt different. Instead of eagerness, I felt a peacefulness wash over me, so I enjoyed the day just being friendly with people as they walked by. while still praying for some of them in my heart as they walked by as well as praying for revival for the area.  


Today was like a day of rest while still laboring in the fields. To be honest, it was a welcomed relief as God has been continually stretching and challenging me over these past weeks to have my security fully in Him while embracing more deeply my dependency on Him. God's peace felt great, like standing in the shade on a hot summer day with a slight breeze blowing. It was refreshing and life giving. Sure, I was ready to pray with anyone if they came up, but that was almost secondary to enjoying God's presence and peace in the moment. Today was a good reminder that our service should always come from a place of presence and peace with God and in this way we will make the deepest and most lasting impact on the earth for His Kingdom. I truly believe that we can experience the peace that the bible talks about: "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, [that] will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7 NIV), even while we labor for God's Kingdom. It happened to me today.

The Franz Family: peace of mind

Though I am not an active listener of country music, this song just pulls at my heart strings because I long for more of God's peace to break into the broken areas of my life. I long for "a miracle for this broken soul." More and more I am realizing just how the fallenness of this world only encourages worry and striving, rather than peace and rest.

Over the past few weeks, the Holy Spirit has been reminding me of Jesus' words: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV). I don't know about you, but I want this promise to become more of a reality in how I live my life. Don't you?

So, this is my prayer for us: Holy Spirit, we pray that You would do what You love to do and make the things of Jesus ours, more specifically, we pray that You would help us to receive this promise of peace and rest into our lives. We submit our schedules, even our lifestyles to You and ask that You do what needs to be done. Help us to take off the yokes we've placed upon ourselves and take up Jesus' yoke which is easy and His burden which is light. In His Name we ask, Amen.

My Beloved Prodigal Son

The struggle portrayed in this video is all too familiar. Judging and condemning thoughts are ever present in my life and if I'm not careful they will consume me. But, thankfully God has shown me mercy. The devil, the world, even our own thoughts will try to continually condemn us by refusing to let us be free of our past, but Jesus offers us forgiveness and redemption from our past. When we come to Him, He wipes the slate clean and we get a second, third, fourth, fifth, etc. chance. He will hit the delete button everyday if need be. His forgiveness is total and complete. There are no conditions to His forgiveness, we just need to recognize that we need it and then ask for it.

The Bible says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Next time, when you are in the thick of battle with raging thoughts filling your mind, pause for a moment and invite God into the foray and let His peace descend upon you like a dove. Remember Jesus has already overcome the devil and the world. He will even overcome us and our judging and condemning thoughts if we let Him!

Finger Eleven: One Thing

Whenever I hear this song, it always draws me in. I haven't ever really thought about why until now. If you listen to the lyrics, the singer is musing about trying to understanding the one thing that he would trade it all in for. In essence, it's like he's asking himself this question: "Is there one thing worth giving it all up for?" To be fair, he seems to be asking this question in relation to his desire for a woman. On a deeper level, it sounds to me like the singer's restlessness is rooted to something greater than just his desire for a woman, but to the desire for greater peace and significance for his life.

Maybe that's why this song draws me in because I am drawn to the singer's heart's cry as he searches for this peace and greater significance. The evangelist in me would say to the singer: "Yes, there is one thing worth trading it all in for and that's Jesus. He is the significance that you are searching for and the peace that your soul is craving. The kind of peace that will give rest to not only your musings, but your very soul."