I’m all about words. I love the pictures words paint in my mind, the feelings evoked by words, and the sounds made by words. When someone speaks to me, or I’m reading, pictures with sound are moving in my mind (most of the time cartoons, but that’s another story for another day).
For instance, read these words out loud: “pink,” “angel,” “kitty,” “puppy,” and “sunny.” Now, don’t you feel a little less tightly-wound? (If you’re not wound tightly enough, say the words “weight gain” or “Internet service not available” out loud.)
The word “snorkel” always makes me laugh. I don’t know why—it’s just a funny word. What exactly is the origin of a “snorkel?” It’s like a sound someone makes while laughing and drinking water simultaneously. So, not only does snorkel sound funny, it creates a funny image. “Pop” and “bump” make sounds. “Pain” is felt.
I can never say the word “behold” without doing so dramatically-- standing on my tip toes, sweeping my arms open wide and gazing toward the heavens to the sound (in my head) of a harp. In my small world of words, without drama, “behold” just doesn’t carry a whole lot of weight.
But the word “Commitment” --now that’s a word with some heft. Commitment requires a capital letter (it’s important). Commitment stops me in my tracks (it’s physical). I pay attention. I honor the word. Commitment isn’t a soft, calm-feeling word. Commitment has angles and edges. Commitment doesn’t amuse us—it’s a very solemn word. In fact, Commitment frightens a lot of us. Commitment has the sound of strength. The word Commitment creates pictures of steadfastness: a tired and wounded soldier on the battlefield, a couple pledging devotion and faithfulness before God, the witnessed signature of a binding legal document …these are all life-changing, imposing acts of allegiance. Commitments.
Why do we make a “commitment?” For love? For status? Do we make commitments simply because of entitlement and reward? I believe that we were created with a profound desire for commitment to God. Our deep-rooted yearning for connection with the Lord is reflected by our commitment to His service, and by living lives that are exemplary of the lifestyle, mind set, and emotional maturity He commands of us. After all, He made a commitment to us, first; and then as proof of His commitment, offered His only Son as a living sacrifice, so we would know the level of His love and commitment to us. Commitment to our church, our choir, our Sunday School class are not obligations, but invitations to connect with God through His Son, Jesus. How small are our struggles in comparison. How trivial are our pops, bumps, and pain. How amazing is His love and grace.
How do we keep our commitment to Him? By living in His Word. His Word is felt. His Word creates an image. His Word comforts and strengthens us for our earthly journey. The apostle Paul has a word for us:
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for me, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23, 24
I just love God’s Word. Don’t you?
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. *
*Phillip P. Bliss, 1838-1876
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Thursday, July 29, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Loving the Unlovable
"Human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and can't really get rid of it." The Case for Christianity, C.S. Lewis
I don’t know where I first heard the term “The Unlovable”.
Beth Moore refers to “The Unloveable” as The Testy’s. We all have at least one. I respect the anonymity of my Testy, but to tell you the truth, any dealings with this person drives me to so much distraction, I must quickly find, then consume, copious amounts of Bryers® ice cream, doesn’t matter what flavor, slathered in rich, dark, sweet Hershey’s® chocolate syrup.
Okay, so I have more than one Testy. Different Testy’s, different distraction, all food related.
Sigh.
Anyway, my pastor is a gifted, anointed, holds-no-punches, directly-from-the-Word-of-God man, and purposed us last Sunday, to love one another without judgment; The Testy’s, The Unlovable, brothers and sisters in Christ, family members…everyone. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.
This made me wonder …what exactly makes a person an “Unlovable” or a “Testy?” Why is it so difficult for us to love some folks?
I have come to the belief that my Testy and Unlovable are difficult to love because they do things differently from how I feel they should. In other words; I judge!
Is it just me? Aren’t we all carrying around some smugness, because, as Christians, we don’t judge or attempt to correct the irritable cashier, or the young man with gravity-defying pants without a belt, or those that seem pleased with themselves? Hmm, how many judgments did I just pass in that last sentence?
We convince ourselves we’re not judging…but we are! We’d like that cashier to be a little happier; for that young man to pull up his pants, and we’d really like to humble that self-congratulatory social climber. They steal our joy! How insensitive of them! We need to feel our God all of the time, and they are guilty of stealin’ the feelin’!
If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. Matthew 5:46, The Message.
We all do it. We are all guilty of judging and not loving. Jesus told us it wouldn’t be easy. It isn’t. Sometimes, when we’re around our Testy or our Unlovable, we just don’t “feel” God.
Think about your immediate family and your family in Christ for a moment. Do you love them all without judgment? Our families are full of those we have judged mercilessly and deemed as Testy or Unlovable, because they behave differently than we feel they should; but really, who are we to judge? Maybe they are secretly harboring shame, grudges, pain. Perhaps they are branded very publicly by divorce, an abusive spouse, an addiction, or contaminated by a disease they never wanted. Are we able to overlook sins and love them as Jesus commanded?
Why do we think we are the expert, the evaluator? We base our judgment on our individually warped perspectives; a view through our personally-built walls of defense mechanisms. We’ve harnessed away our own painful circumstances and built up towers of denial and bravado. Instead of looking at others through the eyes of Jesus, we are peering over a huge wall of Self. So, how can we know, for sure, who is behaving badly?
I believe that instead of focusing on changing others, I must always pray to change myself.
It’s fairly simple, really. Love is found within a person; and if that love begins with the love of God, then it becomes easy to love The Testy, the Unlovable. God is love and, unless we have God in us, we are incapable of loving the unlovable.
Look, problematic people don’t perturb the Eternal One. Hard hearts don’t faze the Father! There are hearts in our world that we cannot change. But Jesus can! So we must pray for change, especially within ourselves!
The next time those thoughts of judgment intrude your peace, or your Testy and Unlovable makes you doubt the presence of God, take a look around.
Is God in you? Are you avoiding His presence?
Romans 12: 9, 10 Your love must be real. Hate what is evil, and hold on to what is good. Love each other like brothers and sisters. Give each other more honor than you want for yourselves. 12 Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times. Share with God’s people who need help. Bring strangers in need into your homes. Wish good for those who harm you; wish them well and do not curse them. Be happy with those who are happy, and be sad with those who are sad. 16 Live in peace with each other. Do not be proud, but make friends with those who seem unimportant.
Ephesians 4:2 Always be humble, gentle, and patient, accepting each other in love.
I don’t know where I first heard the term “The Unlovable”.
Beth Moore refers to “The Unloveable” as The Testy’s. We all have at least one. I respect the anonymity of my Testy, but to tell you the truth, any dealings with this person drives me to so much distraction, I must quickly find, then consume, copious amounts of Bryers® ice cream, doesn’t matter what flavor, slathered in rich, dark, sweet Hershey’s® chocolate syrup.
Okay, so I have more than one Testy. Different Testy’s, different distraction, all food related.
Sigh.
Anyway, my pastor is a gifted, anointed, holds-no-punches, directly-from-the-Word-of-God man, and purposed us last Sunday, to love one another without judgment; The Testy’s, The Unlovable, brothers and sisters in Christ, family members…everyone. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.
This made me wonder …what exactly makes a person an “Unlovable” or a “Testy?” Why is it so difficult for us to love some folks?
I have come to the belief that my Testy and Unlovable are difficult to love because they do things differently from how I feel they should. In other words; I judge!
Is it just me? Aren’t we all carrying around some smugness, because, as Christians, we don’t judge or attempt to correct the irritable cashier, or the young man with gravity-defying pants without a belt, or those that seem pleased with themselves? Hmm, how many judgments did I just pass in that last sentence?
We convince ourselves we’re not judging…but we are! We’d like that cashier to be a little happier; for that young man to pull up his pants, and we’d really like to humble that self-congratulatory social climber. They steal our joy! How insensitive of them! We need to feel our God all of the time, and they are guilty of stealin’ the feelin’!
If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. Matthew 5:46, The Message.
We all do it. We are all guilty of judging and not loving. Jesus told us it wouldn’t be easy. It isn’t. Sometimes, when we’re around our Testy or our Unlovable, we just don’t “feel” God.
Think about your immediate family and your family in Christ for a moment. Do you love them all without judgment? Our families are full of those we have judged mercilessly and deemed as Testy or Unlovable, because they behave differently than we feel they should; but really, who are we to judge? Maybe they are secretly harboring shame, grudges, pain. Perhaps they are branded very publicly by divorce, an abusive spouse, an addiction, or contaminated by a disease they never wanted. Are we able to overlook sins and love them as Jesus commanded?
Why do we think we are the expert, the evaluator? We base our judgment on our individually warped perspectives; a view through our personally-built walls of defense mechanisms. We’ve harnessed away our own painful circumstances and built up towers of denial and bravado. Instead of looking at others through the eyes of Jesus, we are peering over a huge wall of Self. So, how can we know, for sure, who is behaving badly?
I believe that instead of focusing on changing others, I must always pray to change myself.
It’s fairly simple, really. Love is found within a person; and if that love begins with the love of God, then it becomes easy to love The Testy, the Unlovable. God is love and, unless we have God in us, we are incapable of loving the unlovable.
Look, problematic people don’t perturb the Eternal One. Hard hearts don’t faze the Father! There are hearts in our world that we cannot change. But Jesus can! So we must pray for change, especially within ourselves!
The next time those thoughts of judgment intrude your peace, or your Testy and Unlovable makes you doubt the presence of God, take a look around.
Is God in you? Are you avoiding His presence?
Romans 12: 9, 10 Your love must be real. Hate what is evil, and hold on to what is good. Love each other like brothers and sisters. Give each other more honor than you want for yourselves. 12 Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times. Share with God’s people who need help. Bring strangers in need into your homes. Wish good for those who harm you; wish them well and do not curse them. Be happy with those who are happy, and be sad with those who are sad. 16 Live in peace with each other. Do not be proud, but make friends with those who seem unimportant.
Ephesians 4:2 Always be humble, gentle, and patient, accepting each other in love.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Celebrate Recovery Lesson 14: READY
Wow! We’ve been busy! In lessons 1 through 13, we’ve:
1. Admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, and admitted that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity
3. We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
But now is not the time to stop, settle down, and get lazy! In fact, our recovery is not inert. Our recovery involves constant motion, constant activity.
Lesson 14: Ready, is a compilation of Principle 5: Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires.” Matthew 5:6.
And Step 6: We were entirely ready to have God remove all those defects of character. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. “ James 4:10.
A lot of the Celebrate Recovery material refers to this Lesson as where the children separate from the adults, because up until this point, we’ve done a lot of admitting to ourselves and before God, of our wrongs.
But now? We must give up, and let go, of some of our very own personality traits that make up our character. Even though we are very willing to have certain character defects go away, some are hard for us to give up, and after all, involve CHANGE…which is one of our biggest fears.
And some of our character defects are hard to give up, because we don’t see them as defects. For instance, as a victim of abuse, PRIDE, I felt, helped me stand up for myself, take action, not be a doormat.
GREED made me protective of my income, my home, my job, but also isolated me my own prison of solitude—the very thing I was afraid of!
LYING, I thought, helped me reassure family and close Christian friends that I did not have any addictions.
There was that time in my life, my moment of clarity, when I wanted to die, and instead reached out to God…but was I ready to stop lying? Ready to stop being greedy, ready to HUMBLE myself?
We’ve all spent a lot of time indulging our character defects, whatever they may be. In fact, that is why we’re attending Celebrate Recovery! It’s all an effort to remove these character defects, so that God’s glory shines through.
Now, however is not the time to indulge those defects. Now is the time to humble ourselves and admit to ourselves PRIDE, GREED, LIES, whatever your defect ARE INDEED defects, and they are stifling and disabling our healing, and our efforts to lead purposeful, God-filled lives.
So we’ve done a lot of work, and have come to this principle, lesson, and step.
You and God, together, are going after those defects. ALL of them.
I am a word person, I love words, semantics…so the first word that popped into my mind about lesson 14 was: Humility. So tonight, let’s try to remember: Humility is not a character defect!
When you think of the world humility, what person comes to mind? I don’t know about you, but I always think of Jesus, and I live to be more like Jesus, so I must be humble.
Let’s put this thought in our hearts and minds: Father, I am nothing, without Jesus, who is everything.
And with that in our hearts…let’s go to the first letter of Ready.
R: RELEASE control. I call this The Codependents NIGHTMARE.
In Principle 5, you must be willing to let God into every area of your life. He can’t come in and clean up an area until you are ready and willing to ask Him.
In much of the CR material, I found the following quote. It’s never referenced, so I don’t know where it was generated, but it’s a good analogy.
“Willingness is the key that goes into the lock and opens the door that allows God to begin to remove your character defects. “
Listen to what David says in Psalm 143:10: “Help me to do your will, for you are my God. Lead me in good paths, for your Spirit is good.”
God is a gentleman. He doesn’t force His will on us. He waits for us to invite Him in.
RELEASE control. Let go and Let God.
E: Easy Does It! This would probably be the prideful person’s nightmare!
These wonderful principles and steps are not quick fixes. We must learn to apply them day by day, or in my case, minute by minute, thought by thought. God needs time to work in our lives. And we’re not just stopping our bad behaviors and habits, our sins.
Our sin is a symptom of the character defect.
Let’s think about that for a moment: our sin, is our addiction, be it alcohol, drugs, sexual integrity. Imagine your “sin” as a weed in a garden. How do you get rid of weeds? You don’t just address the surface and make it temporarily disappear. You must pull it out by the roots.
The roots are the actual defects of character that cause the sin. In my case, the major sin in my life was alcohol. That was the act, the sin. The defect of character that caused the sin was lack of a positive self image, and mainly FEAR that cause me to sin by abusing alcohol.
It takes time to dig beneath the surface of our sin, to uncover the character defects that cause us to sin. And it’s more difficult to let go of these character defects, especially since we’ve given up the sins…but giving up the sins is only half the battle! If we don’t let go of the character defects, we will continue to sin.
So go easy, but do go forward. Allow God time to work. He will do it. He promised! Again, who better than David knew this:
Psalm 37:5 says “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it, and HE will.”
A: ACCEPT the Change
Yes, I said ACCEPT. Change is tough…we think we’ve mastered our sin when we see the need for change, but that is simply not so.
Seeing the need for change and allowing the change to occur are two different things.
The space between recognition and willingness can be, most assuredly will be filled with fear. And, FEAR triggers our old dependency on self. Right?
Again, remember humility. This principle will not work if we are still trapped by our self will. We need to be ready to accept God’s help throughout the transition.
1 Peter 1:13-14 says: “So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant.”
Ultimate surrender.
James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
All we need is the willingness to let God lead us on our road to recovery.
D: DO Replace Your Character Defects
Again, we’ve spent a lot of time with our old hang-ups, compulsions, obsessions, and bad habits…we’re comfortable with them. So when God in His mercy and grace removes one, we need to replace it with something positive, such as church activities and volunteering.
If you don’t, you open yourself up for a negative character defect to return.
After living in more than one domestic abuse environment with a psychopath, and seeing craziness and disorder occur in front of my own eyes, and directed toward me…I can only speak for myself, but I can tell you that I developed hypersensitivity to nuances, temperatures, and auras circulating.
I’ve expressed to many of you, that, since I have been in recovery, I’ve become very aware of being in a situation, be it conversation, or environment, that was not Godly, in fact, that may be ‘bad” for me.
So…I got cold chills when I read Matthew 12:43-45: “When an evil spirit goes out of a person, it travels over dry country looking for a place to rest. If it can’t find one, it says to itself, “I will go back to my house.” So it goes back and finds the house empty,…then it goes out and brings along seven other spirits even worse that itself, and they come to live there.”
Since we are in recovery for sins that took up a lot of our time, it’s important to fill that new time on our hands with positive, healthy, Godly things, that bring us closer to him. I was fortunate to have married a Godly man, who I enjoy spending time with, and finding a church where God is definitely in da house!
Giving up my pride and my fear, has put me in the presence of more Godly people and environment…I will be forever grateful and humbled by His work in my life.
Y: YIELD to the Growth.
Speaking of being sensitive to nuances, feelings, you are at war with yourself.
The Holy Spirit is working in you.
But, Self is telling you that you’re not worthy of progress. Low self image will tell you that you are the ugliest of uglies, the dirtiest of dirties.
So, you think your sins are too big for God? How prideful is that?! Don’t listen! When has your low self esteem ever been right about ANYTHING?!
Stop being a whipping post, instead listen to the Holy Spirit who will tell you: “The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning, because now God’s life is in him; so he can’t keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him—he has been born again” 1 John 3:9.
Give in, yield to God, and embrace the changes He is making in your life.
Wrap it up: the question is, Are you entirely ready to voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in your life?”
Are you humble enough?
Are you ready for the powerful work God can do?
If you are, then pray this prayer with me:
Dear God, thank You for taking me this far in my recovery journey. Now I pray for Your help in making me be entirely ready to change all my shortcomings. Give me the strength to deal with all of my character defects that I have turned over to You. Allow me to accept all the changes that you want to make in me. Help me be the person that You want me to be. In the name of Jesus, your Son, I pray, Amen.
1. Admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, and admitted that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity
3. We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
But now is not the time to stop, settle down, and get lazy! In fact, our recovery is not inert. Our recovery involves constant motion, constant activity.
Lesson 14: Ready, is a compilation of Principle 5: Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires.” Matthew 5:6.
And Step 6: We were entirely ready to have God remove all those defects of character. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. “ James 4:10.
A lot of the Celebrate Recovery material refers to this Lesson as where the children separate from the adults, because up until this point, we’ve done a lot of admitting to ourselves and before God, of our wrongs.
But now? We must give up, and let go, of some of our very own personality traits that make up our character. Even though we are very willing to have certain character defects go away, some are hard for us to give up, and after all, involve CHANGE…which is one of our biggest fears.
And some of our character defects are hard to give up, because we don’t see them as defects. For instance, as a victim of abuse, PRIDE, I felt, helped me stand up for myself, take action, not be a doormat.
GREED made me protective of my income, my home, my job, but also isolated me my own prison of solitude—the very thing I was afraid of!
LYING, I thought, helped me reassure family and close Christian friends that I did not have any addictions.
There was that time in my life, my moment of clarity, when I wanted to die, and instead reached out to God…but was I ready to stop lying? Ready to stop being greedy, ready to HUMBLE myself?
We’ve all spent a lot of time indulging our character defects, whatever they may be. In fact, that is why we’re attending Celebrate Recovery! It’s all an effort to remove these character defects, so that God’s glory shines through.
Now, however is not the time to indulge those defects. Now is the time to humble ourselves and admit to ourselves PRIDE, GREED, LIES, whatever your defect ARE INDEED defects, and they are stifling and disabling our healing, and our efforts to lead purposeful, God-filled lives.
So we’ve done a lot of work, and have come to this principle, lesson, and step.
You and God, together, are going after those defects. ALL of them.
I am a word person, I love words, semantics…so the first word that popped into my mind about lesson 14 was: Humility. So tonight, let’s try to remember: Humility is not a character defect!
When you think of the world humility, what person comes to mind? I don’t know about you, but I always think of Jesus, and I live to be more like Jesus, so I must be humble.
Let’s put this thought in our hearts and minds: Father, I am nothing, without Jesus, who is everything.
And with that in our hearts…let’s go to the first letter of Ready.
R: RELEASE control. I call this The Codependents NIGHTMARE.
In Principle 5, you must be willing to let God into every area of your life. He can’t come in and clean up an area until you are ready and willing to ask Him.
In much of the CR material, I found the following quote. It’s never referenced, so I don’t know where it was generated, but it’s a good analogy.
“Willingness is the key that goes into the lock and opens the door that allows God to begin to remove your character defects. “
Listen to what David says in Psalm 143:10: “Help me to do your will, for you are my God. Lead me in good paths, for your Spirit is good.”
God is a gentleman. He doesn’t force His will on us. He waits for us to invite Him in.
RELEASE control. Let go and Let God.
E: Easy Does It! This would probably be the prideful person’s nightmare!
These wonderful principles and steps are not quick fixes. We must learn to apply them day by day, or in my case, minute by minute, thought by thought. God needs time to work in our lives. And we’re not just stopping our bad behaviors and habits, our sins.
Our sin is a symptom of the character defect.
Let’s think about that for a moment: our sin, is our addiction, be it alcohol, drugs, sexual integrity. Imagine your “sin” as a weed in a garden. How do you get rid of weeds? You don’t just address the surface and make it temporarily disappear. You must pull it out by the roots.
The roots are the actual defects of character that cause the sin. In my case, the major sin in my life was alcohol. That was the act, the sin. The defect of character that caused the sin was lack of a positive self image, and mainly FEAR that cause me to sin by abusing alcohol.
It takes time to dig beneath the surface of our sin, to uncover the character defects that cause us to sin. And it’s more difficult to let go of these character defects, especially since we’ve given up the sins…but giving up the sins is only half the battle! If we don’t let go of the character defects, we will continue to sin.
So go easy, but do go forward. Allow God time to work. He will do it. He promised! Again, who better than David knew this:
Psalm 37:5 says “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it, and HE will.”
A: ACCEPT the Change
Yes, I said ACCEPT. Change is tough…we think we’ve mastered our sin when we see the need for change, but that is simply not so.
Seeing the need for change and allowing the change to occur are two different things.
The space between recognition and willingness can be, most assuredly will be filled with fear. And, FEAR triggers our old dependency on self. Right?
Again, remember humility. This principle will not work if we are still trapped by our self will. We need to be ready to accept God’s help throughout the transition.
1 Peter 1:13-14 says: “So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant.”
Ultimate surrender.
James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
All we need is the willingness to let God lead us on our road to recovery.
D: DO Replace Your Character Defects
Again, we’ve spent a lot of time with our old hang-ups, compulsions, obsessions, and bad habits…we’re comfortable with them. So when God in His mercy and grace removes one, we need to replace it with something positive, such as church activities and volunteering.
If you don’t, you open yourself up for a negative character defect to return.
After living in more than one domestic abuse environment with a psychopath, and seeing craziness and disorder occur in front of my own eyes, and directed toward me…I can only speak for myself, but I can tell you that I developed hypersensitivity to nuances, temperatures, and auras circulating.
I’ve expressed to many of you, that, since I have been in recovery, I’ve become very aware of being in a situation, be it conversation, or environment, that was not Godly, in fact, that may be ‘bad” for me.
So…I got cold chills when I read Matthew 12:43-45: “When an evil spirit goes out of a person, it travels over dry country looking for a place to rest. If it can’t find one, it says to itself, “I will go back to my house.” So it goes back and finds the house empty,…then it goes out and brings along seven other spirits even worse that itself, and they come to live there.”
Since we are in recovery for sins that took up a lot of our time, it’s important to fill that new time on our hands with positive, healthy, Godly things, that bring us closer to him. I was fortunate to have married a Godly man, who I enjoy spending time with, and finding a church where God is definitely in da house!
Giving up my pride and my fear, has put me in the presence of more Godly people and environment…I will be forever grateful and humbled by His work in my life.
Y: YIELD to the Growth.
Speaking of being sensitive to nuances, feelings, you are at war with yourself.
The Holy Spirit is working in you.
But, Self is telling you that you’re not worthy of progress. Low self image will tell you that you are the ugliest of uglies, the dirtiest of dirties.
So, you think your sins are too big for God? How prideful is that?! Don’t listen! When has your low self esteem ever been right about ANYTHING?!
Stop being a whipping post, instead listen to the Holy Spirit who will tell you: “The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning, because now God’s life is in him; so he can’t keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him—he has been born again” 1 John 3:9.
Give in, yield to God, and embrace the changes He is making in your life.
Wrap it up: the question is, Are you entirely ready to voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in your life?”
Are you humble enough?
Are you ready for the powerful work God can do?
If you are, then pray this prayer with me:
Dear God, thank You for taking me this far in my recovery journey. Now I pray for Your help in making me be entirely ready to change all my shortcomings. Give me the strength to deal with all of my character defects that I have turned over to You. Allow me to accept all the changes that you want to make in me. Help me be the person that You want me to be. In the name of Jesus, your Son, I pray, Amen.
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