Tag: resolution

Resolution or Revolution

Published on by livinginhisgraceLeave a comment

Whether you have experienced the best Christmas and New Years ever or struggled through every single moment since Thanksgiving; I want to bring you some encouragement! New Years brings a lot of pressure to many of us. We are challenged to make life changing resolutions. Buck up, loose that weight, eat healthier and get those lab numbers down; give your work everything you’ve got…you know that promotion is coming available; fix that broken relationship, or maybe even work on having the mind and character of Christ.

We see the beginning of a year as a chance for a new beginning; a time when we have a fresh start. Then the pressures begin. Sometimes from others, but most often we exert the most pressure! Have you ever noticed that many times we can be our worst enemies? Have you ever suffered from unrealistic expectations that you have placed on yourself? Boy have I!

The problem with resolutions is life often gets in the way, and we often give up quickly because it seems almost impossible. The truth of the matter is what we are facing is called predictable resistance. If you are addicted to soda, whether regular or diet; have you ever tried to give it up? The predictable opposition is that if you’re like most, you will almost immediately begin to have cravings for what is missing. Same goes for sugar or other addictive or habitual activities. These are the things that are the enemies of our success. Maybe you are trying to find resolution in a relationship, but the other person isn’t ready to cooperate. No matter the situation, predictable resistance is always willing to meet you as you battle to accomplish your objectives.

I hear you, so how is that encouragement? That’s pretty discouraging. The first step in overcoming and being successful is knowing where the battle is and how to fight it. Now if you’re new to the blog, let me begin by explaining that I am a believer in God, Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. You may or may not agree, and that’s just fine. However, I would just like to encourage you that there is power to reach your goals, be successful in your resolutions, and for me, I am seeking a revolution in my thinking in 2017.

Too many times I have let the enemy and others steal my resolve. The truth of the thing is, we don’t battle people-it is a deception of the enemy of our souls that people are our problem.

Ephesians 6:12-13 tells us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand firm.”

     We have an arsenal of weapons and depending on who you ask; anywhere between 3000 and 8000 promises available to stand on in the Word of God! That’s pretty powerful! The thing is, are we aware they exist? Are we motivated to see if any pertain to our situation? Do we have the faith to believe they are available even to us? These are all questions I wrestled over in the past and let’s face it sometimes I still do! We all have times of weakness when we feel beaten down and just want it to be easy. We also have an enemy who does not want us to realize who we are in Christ. He doesn’t want us to understand God’s love for us or how much is available to us if only we believe!

So here is the thing: the enemy has tried to stall my writing, my study time and placed objects in the way of my thinking. Is it his fault? Not really, he can’t accomplish it without my cooperation! It is time this stops. If satan wants a revolution, it is time that I picked up that arsenal again and defended these things I know the Lord desires to see in my life knowing that God will be right there giving wisdom, inspiration, and hope along the way! Hopefully, I will be able to share with you the steps He shows me along the path and share some of the wonderful promises available to those who believe!

For those currently struggling, I would like to leave you with these thoughts from King David:

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom should I be afraid?
2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh,
my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army deploys against me,
my heart is not afraid;
though a war breaks out against me,
still I am confident.
4 I have asked one thing from the Lord;
it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
gazing on the beauty of the Lord
and seeking Him in His temple.
5 For He will conceal me in His shelter
in the day of adversity;
He will hide me under the cover of His tent;
He will set me high on a rock.
6 Then my head will be high
above my enemies around me;
I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy.
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
7 Lord, hear my voice when I call;
be gracious to me and answer me.
8 My heart says this about You,
“You are to seek My face.”
Lord, I will seek Your face.
9 Do not hide Your face from me;
do not turn Your servant away in anger.
You have been my helper;
do not leave me or abandon me,
God of my salvation.
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord cares for me.
11 Because of my adversaries,
show me Your way, Lord,
and lead me on a level path.
12 Do not give me over to the will of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing violence.
13 I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and courageous.
Wait for the Lord.
HCSB

Revisiting, Yet Still Relevant

Published on by livinginhisgraceLeave a comment

Today, as I scrolled through old drafts deleting them, I ran across a two year old draft that caught my attention. It stands as a reminder that some struggles just circle back around again and make you wonder…

Amazing how when God is trying to teach me something new in my life or reinforce a truth, He causes it to recur in many different and unique ways, at unusual times,  and from the most surprising sources!! This seems to also happen when I slip into an old behavior that should have been put to death but rises up because of some trigger from the past that is a catalyst for an old fear or insecurity. This morning I ran across a virtual leadership conference and listened in. The first session was on Living in Freedom and began with the scripture from Deuteronomy 2:31b- “Begin to possess it, that you may inherit his land.’  The first speaker noted that one of the biggest hindrances to living in freedom is fear of man; the opinions of other humans. Other freedom topics included others expectations, and personal struggles.  We are all at one time or another subjected to differences of opinion, to the expectation of another person, or to a personal struggle we don’t care to have to face.   I began to think of a recent conversation I had with a loved one struggling because of another’s expectation and the pain it was causing. The following questions arose:  Why is it difficult to live in the freedom that has been given us? Do we allow our insecurities and our fears to affect us too deeply? How is it that some people  feel so free to cross boundary lines and cause havoc within another’s property lines? Could it be the gradual decline in moral absolutes over the years that has caused us to think we don’t need anyone else? Why do some demand that we see life through their lenses but are not willing to try to see through ours?

After thinking about this, I have some ideas and thoughts. Bare in mind that these are merely my musings and I am quite sure that there are as many opinions on each of these as there are people on our planet. When our Creator created man, He desired relationship. Thien He created woman, because it was not good for man to be alone. Humans were created in the image of God and to be relational beings. The serpent  came along as a tool of Satan whose sole goal was dividing and conquering; seeking to destroy the relationship between God and man, and between man and his wife. This is where fear of punishment and bl.aming others entered. Eve blamed the serpent and Adam blamed Eve initially but ultimately blamed God because He had given Eve to  Adam. From then to now there has been blame shifting, denial, and decrease in personal responsibility when faced with the fear of facing the consequences of our mistakes or our rebellion. Perchance, could it result from the tunnel vision we sometimes get as we deal with life’s injustices and inequities and the pain and brokenness we suffer at our own hands and at the hands of others?

As I revisited the draft today, it brought back some of those old circumstances to mind-some resolved and some not. The truth is many times in the busyness of our lives we do not give healing a proper chance.   Instead of seeking resolution, restoration and wholeness In our times of brokenness and pain. sometimes we toss a small bandaid over the gaping wound. We try as best we can to move on and to forget about it. Usually some reminder comes up and when it does, the bandaid is ripped off exposing a wound that is un-healed and many times infected. When this happens, we can become so wrapped up in our freshly exposed pain that we can become the one who crosses those boundary lines and tramples on others. Our best option is to deal quickly and thoroughly with distructive issues and to keep short accounts so that as much as it depends on us we can walk in heath, wholeness, and peace.

Grace and peace to you!