Christian Concepts in Real Life.
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The Dangers of Being Unadaptable
There’s a famous saying that goes: “If you want to make God laugh, tell God your plans.” As I’ve mentioned various times throughout this blog, on more than one occasion, whether consciously or unconsciously, I have tried to tell the Lord my plans. Consequently, just as many times, God has rerouted me.
Don’t Miss the Opportunity
Doors to opportunities can be subtle. The decision window can be so small and quick that we often don’t realize the opportunity or if we do, we don’t realize the magnitude of the situation. Regardless, the answer to these moments is what has the ability to shape our lives. These moments are what we come to regret or what we come to appreciate. However, if we take every decision to God and obey His instructions, we will be able to maximize every opportunity He affords us.
It’s All For you
A few years ago, I became obsessed with knowing my purpose. As I continued to read my Word and matured, I realized what I was really questioning was my calling? A calling is how God wants His people to use their gifts. The problem I encountered was the enemy had berated me so much that seeing and appreciating my gifts were hard. On top of that, it seemed the gifts people would praise me for – if I’m being honest – I didn’t necessarily want.
What is Ministry?
What is ministry? For years, I believed ministry was preaching either behind the pulpit or around the world. Although I had a love for God since a young age, I never saw myself as a minister. Ministry required a sacrifice I was not ready to commit to when I was living in the world. However, as I grew closer to God and allowed Him to do a work in me, I stepped into becoming a leader in my church. Even then, my outlook on ministry was limited. One night during a prayer meeting, my Apostle asked those of us in attendance, “Who wanted to quit their job and enter into ministry full time?” While everyone raised their hands, I kept mine down.
Self-control is self-love
“One of my hobbies (if you haven’t figured it out) is I like to read. I’m one of those readers that will stay up late to finish a book. However, one night, I knew I had to get up early the next day, but I decided to open a book for a few minutes. A few minutes led to a few hours. I became upset with myself because I knew I was going to be tired when it was time to get up. Conviction hit. I disregarded my health for pleasure – something I could have easily picked up the next day.”
Be Weary of Thoughts
“There has been an increasing acceptance of intrusive thoughts overtaking us. We laugh at them. We post them. We comment about them. However, 2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV) says: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” which means we must give our intrusive thoughts to the Lord, repent and replace wicked thoughts with the Word of God. We must allow God to cleanse us and purify us, including our thoughts.”
Can He do better?
“A few years ago, I started watching a television show and after a while, I started singing the chorus of the main song of the episode. As I imitated the singer and belted out, “You can’t do better,” I stopped and pondered the words I sung. I investigated the message of the song and it was about how a man couldn’t do better than the singer. It made me begin to think about the songs I would sing with conviction growing up, even when I was too young to have a boyfriend. The songs were about being the best or better girl for a man or songs that belittled a man’s current girlfriend because she wasn’t as great as her. In that moment, I realized the foundation of these songs was the spirit of comparison.”
Plan for the end
“Lately, I have become more intrigued with techniques of how to be productive, effective and so on. I started reading Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and in his book, one of the habits he lists is to begin with the end in mind. Coincidently, I was reading Colossians at the same time I was reading about the habit, beginning with the end in mind. Colossians 3:2-3 (NLT) says: “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT) says: ‘So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’”
God has boundaries
“Boundaries. It is a concept, as a society, we have fallen in love with. We urge others to set boundaries with family members, friends, coworkers, etc. Not only are we establishing boundaries, but we are establishing consequences if boundaries are crossed. (As we should.) However, I am puzzled with how we strongly affirm our boundaries, but we disregard God’s.”
“Get Over It”
The unfortunate truth about our world is that bad things sometimes happen. Another unfortunate truth is that people don’t always know how to handle when bad things happen. I can’t count how many times I have heard that someone needs to “just get over” whatever happened to them. If I’m being honest, before 2014, I would spew the same toxic rhetoric.
Light is Vital
Loving yourself means loving your mind, body, spirit and soul. To love your body, it means to pay attention to your body’s needs. Sometimes, those needs show up through pain, fatigue, irritation or more. God allows these effects to happen to help us take better care of ourselves. In this blog, I pray you are encouraged to pay more attention to your body and ultimately, love yourself better.
This Means War
The Word says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” That means he’s always plotting and scheming of ways to destroy our purpose, kill our dreams and incapacitate us. It isn’t always as noticeable as we like to think; sometimes, the attack is subtle. It comes as sickness, distractions from people and snide comments we may hear. We must stay on guard spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally because these are all areas the enemy attacks. That means we must care for our entire being.
What’s Feeding It?
The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. That includes our identity and our purpose. As a woman who has battled low self-esteem, depression, perfectionism and more, I have realized that these negative beliefs stemmed from a core negative one. For me, most of my traumas stemmed from not feeling loved. I overcompensated, people-pleased and more because of that belief. As you read this blog post, I ask: What’s feeding your trauma?
Forgive Yoself
We talk extensively about forgiving others, but what should we do when the person we need to forgive is ourselves? After doing a myriad of stupid things in college and reaping the consequences, I found it was hard to accept God’s love and forgiveness because I couldn’t forgive myself. God gave me the courage to choose to heal and accept His perfect love.
Speak Life
It’s common to negatively joke, downgrade or talk ill against situations or outcomes we want. However, the Bible tells us that there is power of life or death in the tongue, which means we should be cautious of how we speak about aspects or desired outcomes in our lives. In college, I thought speaking negatively would lead to the opposite result, but in fact, I was wrong. Let’s learn to speak life in every situation.
PrePare for the In Between
As Christians, we can be so focused on praying for an end result that we miss the beauty of the preparation to get there. We fuss, we complain and we gripe just like the Israelites did because we don’t think God will answer our prayers. In actuality, the test, the trial or the storm is indication that God did hear you. Through these obstacles, God is preparing you to handle, steward and manage what you’re praying for. So, instead of overlooking the middle part of your story, embrace it because that’s where you will see God’s hand the most!
Identity Crisis
The Bible tells us the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the enemy tried to steal my identity before I even knew what an identity was. The personality I adopted was orchestrated by the enemy to keep me down. I’m determined to fight back; however, this time around, instead of learning how I fit into the world, I’m asking God to raise me and to show me my place in His Kingdom.
It’s Ok to Pivot
When I was younger, I chose a career path that would please the people around me. When I got to college, I realized that career path was not my purpose. For the first time in my life, I pivoted. I was fearful and embarrassed. Fast-forward to now and I feel as though God is calling me to pivot again. However, this time I learned, it’s ok to pivot. What served you in one season may not serve you in the next and that is OK!
Your Flesh and the Enemy are Best Friends
Ever wonder why God instructs us to kill our flesh daily? It’s because your flesh and the enemy are best friends. Your flesh craves and desires a multitude of things that bring temporary pleasure in the moment but causes destruction in the end. Despite whatever sin, iniquity and/or transgression you are battling, my God is a BIG God and He can deliver you from it all. I pray after reading this post, it encourages you to be more conscientious in your relationship with the Lord and you become more fervent in severing your flesh’s relationship with the enemy.
Don’t Try To Make It Make Sense
Sometimes, God sends you on an alternate route from what you planned. If not careful, it can leave you feeling confused, frustrated and other negative emotions. However, if you allow, God can work in those moments and elevate you and your life like you never thought possible!