As I sit and reflect, I see how selfish I used to be (a tendency I suspect I will have to continue to fight). It was all about Anika. I must admit that I hit the panic button more than once. Why?
I feared that things would not work out the way I WANTED them to. I chose to worry and not trust.
Forgiveness was hard because it was all about how much they hurt ME. Roots of bitterness were established.
Consistent hospitality was a challenge because it meant that I would be inconvenienced. I became annoyed when you were in my space uninvited and stayed longer than I wanted.
Hearing “no” or “wait” to a prayer request was difficult because I didn’t like the idea of not getting MY WAY. I whined and complained and looked for ways to answer my own prayers.
In short my actions proved that I struggled with the ALL ABOUT ME syndrome.
So what has changed? I am now at a place of greater surrender. I am learning to get out of the way and not become my own God.
The scales continue to fall from my eyes. I see myself and realize that it is not always someone else’s fault. I am learning to admit my guilt and say sorry from a sincere heart. Pride is being replaced with humility.
I am learning to keep the doors of my heart and home open. There is so much beauty and joy in fellowship and vulnerability.
I am learning that WAIT is not a bad word. Much is learned in the process. I learn to worship from a pure heart. I see God in new ways and I fall deeper in love. Gratitude becomes the song of my heart. In the waiting I learn that He is enough. SIMPLY ENOUGH.
I am learning that real freedom comes when I imitate Christ, taking the focus off of myself, and making it all about God’s will. How about you, do you struggle with the all about me syndrome?
We may not like the idea but some of God’s promises are conditional.
He speaks but we must respond with obedience or there is no deal.
God cannot lie. So if He has made you a promise and it has not come to pass, it can mean a few things, two of which are below.
It’s amazing how we (myself included) are quick to rehearse the promises God made us but don’t follow through on the conditions of the promises. I was reading 1 King 2 which details David’s farewell speech to his son Solomon. David is on his death bed and tells the newly appointed king to keep the commands of the Lord so that the promises that God made will come to pass. David recognized that the promises of the Lord were not automatic. He imparts the keys for success to the newly appointed king. Many of us get excited when we hear the promises of God and rightfully so. However, I want to encourage you to put some feet to your excitement by walking in obedience. What has God promised you? What is He requiring of you for those promises to be fulfilled? Are you walking in obedience?
I am so honored to feature the writing of Donielle Robinson. Donielle has such a servant’s heart and has been a huge blessing to my family. She has willingly babysat my children, offered words of encouragement and read just about every post I have published from when I first started blogging. The Lord has done a great work in her and the process continues. I hope you are as blessed by this post as I was.
This weekend, my friend Jill decided to come and make my house cute which is a prayer answered. We were able to fix up a few things and make my house look cute. We did not finish everything, but we made some major improvements. My room now looks like a hotel. We worked on several projects including my dresser. She painted my dresser and found that some of the drawers needed additional screws and fixed them. I didn’t even know they were broken. This reminded me of how God works in our lives.
When we have a yes in our spirit, and embrace God’s will for our lives, He fixes areas we didn’t even know were broken. Like my dresser,we do not know it’s broken or we may get so used to living with a deficit that we don’t think things will change. This year has been a year of brokenness for me from my phone to my health (and other areas). I am thankful for the brokenness because God has delivered me from long standing issues, answered prayers and increases my faith. So as you wait for prayers to be answered,situations to change,etc embrace the process. Learn. Grow. Be challenged. Ask for help. Praise Him in Advance. Find your hope knowing God is in control.
Psalm 100:1-5 NIV
Shout for joy to the Lord , all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
As I previously wrote, I have been so excited about decluttering and getting my house in order. However I have noticed that once you have purged and organized your home, the maintenance is the most challenging part. It is so easy to slip and return to old housekeeping habits, naturally and spiritually. The devil is not happy that you surrendered to the process of being spiritually cleansed. He will return and try to pull you back into old habits and leave you a bigger mess than you were before. Read Mathew 12:43-45 to get more insight. However be encouraged that the word reminds us that God is able to keep us from falling. Yes it is true, God can keep you …if you want to be kept.
I have read numerous articles on maintaining a clean home and they emphasize having an established cleaning routine. Established routines help to keep the clutter away. Remember a house doesn’t stay clean without any effort, you have to be intentional about it. So the question I ask you is, are you intentional about spending time with the Lord in prayer and the study of His word to maintain the cleansing you have received? Are you connected to like-minded believers to help to encourage you in your walk with Christ? While I am talking about fellowshipping with like-minded believers I would like to extend an invite to attend my church’s annual women’s advance. Please click here for more information. I pray that you will continue do all that is necessary to maintain the victory!
Be blessed
Anika
With summer only a few weeks away, I realize I am a little late getting on the spring cleaning bandwagon. However, whatever the season, purging and cleaning is always in order. As I have been doing just that, the Lord has been ministering to my heart and showing me some spiritual correlations.
The first step for effective cleaning is facing the mess, acknowledging the need to clean. Admitting that I need to be cleaned (purified) requires humility. It can be painful to face the mess and quite honestly it can be extremely overwhelming, but God gives grace to the humble. Most cleaning experts say it is unrealistic to try to clean our house in a day. The same is true in the spiritual; purification is a process. God doesn’t expect you to get it all together in one day and He certainly doesn’t expect you to do the cleaning. You cannot fix yourself. However He requires us to surrender, allowing Him to begin the process.
Most of us are willing to acknowledge that we need to get things in order. We may say in vague terms, “Oh I know I am not perfect and there are things I need to work on,” but we stay stuck at just talking about it. We don’t begin the process of giving it to God, allowing Him to begin the process of purging and healing us. You may ask, where do I begin? I encourage you to spend some time in prayer and ask the Lord to show you the areas in which you need to be cleansed, the things that you may be holding on to; anger, resentment, unforgiveness, worldly mindsets…just to name a few. Be deliberate about pausing long enough to hear God’s response.
Scripture to meditate on
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God,And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Note: While this scripture was written by David after He was called out for His sins with Bathsheba, I believe that His earnest cry and repentant heart is applicable to those who desire to be cleansed from whatever is not like God.
Be blessed!
Anika
Hannah creating one of her artistic works.
God said. There was. And it was good. That pretty much sums up my God. The one who has the ability to speak something out of nothing. Create light out of darkness. I read Genesis chapter 1 through different lenses this morning because I read it thinking about some things that God has spoken to me. Things that if I look at it in the natural they seem impossible…nonexistent. But my God, the very God who created the heavens and the earth defies human logic and breaks through every boundary to bring into existence what He wants. He not only speaks and it happens, but when it happens it is good! As I read that very familiar passage of scripture I was encouraged. Encouraged to believe that if He created in Genesis 1, He can still create opportunities for me today. He can create openings in doors that are shut and even create a door that was not originally there. Encouraged to believe that it will be exactly as He has spoken as I grab a hold of it by faith. Encouraged to believe that as I pursue the purpose for which I am called, it will all work together for my good!
Reread Genesis 1 and reflect on the following questions
-What specific promises has he made to you that seems impossible?
-When you think about what God has spoken, do you see it as impossible because you are thinking about your own limitations? Is God asking you to do it in your own strength or His?
Be blessed!