Letting Go

FORGIVENESS

Mark 11:25 – “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins.”

Forgiveness can be hard sometimes. Minor slights we often can easily absolve, but the wounds that cut deeply, particularly those inflicted by the people closest to us—who we thought we could trust with our hearts, our confidence, a portion of our lives—are often the hardest to excuse.

I’ve actually been dealing with this issue for a while now—trying to come to terms with a wound caused by individuals that I considered to be like family. The slight occurred years ago, and it is not something that I think of often (we no longer communicate); however, it surprises me, when the situation does come to mind, that I’m still hurt and offended when I think about it. I want so badly to forgive and forget; but my flesh, and this part of me that places undue importance on “understanding why,” has made that key part of the healing process somewhat elusive. And so, in this respect, I am still very much a work in progress.

The Bible shows us that God takes forgiveness very seriously. Before we pray (Mark 11:25) or even present our offerings (Matthew 5:23-24), we are to come with a clear heart, having resolved all conflicts and absolved all slights against us (both seeking and granting forgiveness when necessary). Oftentimes, as in my case, this process is not something that we can do in our own power, and we must look to God for the guidance and the strength to show grace to someone who has not earned it in any way—much like God shows us such grace each and every day.

Mark 11:25, Luke 6:37, Colossians 3:13 are three of the many scriptures that draw the correlation between God’s forgiveness of our sins and our forgiveness of those who sin against us. While God’s promise of forgiveness should not be the motivating factor for our decisions to dole out absolution, it should serve as a model, an aim to strive for as we seek to be more like Christ and to love our neighbors as Christ loves us—with love, with grace, with patience, and with forgiveness.

Shine Your Light!

Thoughts, reactions, or testimonies? Leave a comment below! I look forward to hearing from you!

Additional Scriptures:

Luke 6:37 – “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Colossians 3:13 – “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Be Free

Galatians 5:1 – “It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

I have such mixed emotions when I read this passage! It warms my heart ❤ when I think of all Christ has done to set me free! It’s a shame, though, that I don’t always embrace that freedom. Christ died on the cross to loose the spiritual shackles that kept me bound—He made the ultimate sacrifice for me. As a result, freedom is mine if I want it! But despite this truth, I often find myself slipping back into old habits that don’t serve me or making decisions that move me backwards into metaphorical bondage instead of forward into freedom.

In Galatians 5:1, Paul reminds us that Christ set us free for a reason, and that we are now to walk confidently in that freedom, never again allowing ourselves to be “burdened by a yoke of slavery.” This verse has served as a reminder for me on countless occasions that God has a path for me and a purpose for my life, and that I cannot fulfill that purpose when I fall back into old habits and behaviors that kept me bound in the past. I WANT to be FREE! I want to be unhindered and embrace the freedom that Christ bought for me with His sacrifice; and I want to use that liberty to fulfill God’s purpose for my life. But in the end, it’s all up to me. And so, I must stand firm and make the decision (sometimes multiple times a day) that I am not going backwards. I am moving forward. I will not be bound. I. Am. FREE.

Has God delivered you from something to which your flesh keeps pulling you back? Determine today that you are FREE and that you will not go backwards. Be free! Fulfill your purpose. BE. FREE.

John 8:32 – “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

Song: Israel Houghton – Moving Forward

Thoughts, reactions, or testimonies? Leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Shine Your Light!

Tied up in Knots

SURRENDER (Part 3)

I just read a devotional from Joyce Meyer in “Promises for Your Everyday Life” that equated the problems in our lives to a series of knots in numerous shoestrings. She pointed out that just as it took a length of time for us to get all tangled up in our knotted mess, it will take time to get to a place where we unravel those knots and are free from the tangle. Thankfully, God is hard at work helping us to break free, and he unravels each knot with his infinite patience…never giving up, never making the situation worse…in His perfect timing, He slowly works to make us whole again.

I thought of a similar analogy involving my bi-weekly massages and these incessant knots that my therapist always finds in my shoulders (that’s where I hold my stress). They’ve been there for years, and many a therapist have gone about trying to break them up and relieve my pain…but I always refuse to let them! Why? Because it HURTS! I have spent YEARS growing those knots through my stress and worry and poor self-care, and they do NOT want to go away easily. They’ve become a part of me, and I’ve grown accustomed to them. Besides, it’s easier to deal with the occasional discomfort and limitations of the knots than the painful process of working them out.

It’s the same way with God, when he tries to relieve us of our “knots.” The process can sometimes be long and painful…and those knots might even feel like a part of us now, because we’re so used to them. But if we can endure the painful process and get to the other side…allowing God to do His work in us, then we are so much better off for it! In the end, we are freer, able to bend and stretch and grow in so many more directions…stronger because now our (spiritual) muscles can bear more, and we are better prepared (without those incessant knots restricting us) to go about the business of fulfilling the calling that God has placed upon our lives.

Is God trying to loose a few knots in your life? Are you resisting the process or opening yourself up to endure the discomfort so that God can take you to a better place in Him? Don’t stay tied up in knots! Surrender to the process, and let God do the work in you to set you free from the tangled mess!

Philippians 1:6 – “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

2 Corinthians 2:8 – “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Jeremiah 18:3-4 – “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.”

Psalm 66:10 – “For You, O God, have proved us; You have tried us as silver is tried, refined, and purified.”

Song: Potter’s House by Vashawn Mitchell

Song: Refine Me by Ayiesha Woods

Thoughts, reactions, or testimonies? Leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Shine Your Light!

Wonderful images taken from

1. http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=48861
2. http://www.robertcorneliusphotography.com/blog/but-i-didnt-push-the-button

Moving Forward…

So, today marks a new day for me, and this blog entry is the first since the completion of my 40-day fast that began in January. As I move forward into this new year, I am excited about what God is doing in my life, and anxious to see where He leads me. I’m expecting big things in the coming weeks and months!

Though the 40 days are over, I believe that I am going to continue journaling and blogging for as long as the Spirit moves me. These reflections have been as cathartic and instructive for me as I hope they have been for others, and I hope that you will continue with me along this journey for the next 325 days…(Note the new blog title! 🙂 )

RELEASE

Philippians 3:13-14 –“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Reflections: I know a lot of people who, like me, are hoping that God will move them forward into bigger and better things in 2014. In this new year, so many individuals are hoping for renewal and restoration, to put the old things behind them and press on towards the mark…the goal(s) that God has put before them.

So often we petition God to help us move forward to a new level in our lives, but how often do we inhibit the process by getting in the way? We hold on to the old things that keep us bound and stuck in the same old place, and wonder why God hasn’t stepped in and lifted us to a higher level. We have to do the work, first, and we have to let go of those people, behaviors, or beliefs that did not serve us in 2013. Are you holding onto habits or relationships that continue to hold you back? What about old grudges or people you have yet to forgive? Whatever is keeping you from moving forward in 2014, now is the time to make a choice to release these past things and press forward to those things which are ahead. Experience the freedom of letting go, and clear the way for God to do a new thing in your life!

Let Go and Let God…

Shine bright!

Thoughts, reactions, or testimonies? Leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Song: Moving Forward by Israel Houghton

Falling into Freedom

FREEDOM

Galatians 5:1 ­ – “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Reflections: Freedom. Christ’s gift to us, through salvation, is freedom. We can be freed from sin, from strongholds, from unhealthy behaviors, situations, and relationships, IF we choose to accept this gift. But how many of us cling to the habits, people, and circumstances that keep us bound instead of releasing it all and falling into freedom? I know I am guilty. Even though my heart truly desires to be free in every area of my life; on occasion, I will look up and find myself making the same old mistakes. It’s actually really frustrating, and I tend to be pretty hard on myself when it happens.

But I have a close friend who always encourages me to look back and see how far I’ve come. He reminds me to be encouraged by my progress and helps me remember that God knows my heart. As I continue to seek Him, and the freedom that He promises, I WILL find Him…And I will find His peace.

So, the next time that you turn around and find yourself slipping back into old habits, don’t beat yourself up. Acknowledge and learn from the mistake, then pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep pushing toward the mark—the goal of total freedom in Christ Jesus. It’s yours for the taking! Just keep pursuing Him with all of your heart, and one day, you’ll look up, and you will be free of that yoke forever.

Thoughts or reactions? Leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!