Today, I woke up and could feel the enemy fighting me once again. I prayed that God help me to put on my God glasses. When I see with God's eyes, the world around me is beautiful. There is clarity. There is wonder, splendor, hope, and love. There is peace and purpose. Sometimes the enemy comes along and blind us.
Today I was recalling my old life in Baton Rouge. A large part of my time in Baton Rouge was spent in utter and complete darkness. My life was dominated by sin that I didn't really know how to deal with or get rid of. I felt trapped in it and the enemy let me believe the lie that I would never get out of it all alive.
I remember in the midst of it all, I would sometimes pray. During those moments of prayer, even though I was far from God, I felt Him there. I felt close to Him. It was a beautiful feeling. I remember feeling such peace and joy in those moments, almost like all was right with the world. God was with me. He heard me and He was there each and every time I called for Him. I never had to look hard, He was there.
But as soon as I would fall back into sin, the darkness, the confusion, the depression would return. Finally, I quit calling on God altogether because I felt as if I was just using Him for moments of peace, and rest, and solitude.
The truth is that I was trapped in my own darkness and I didn't realize that God would help me out of it.
Later in life, I fell harder that I have ever fell and I realized how a life of sin had literally ruined my life in many ways. I decided that I was tired of struggling with it and was finally ready to hand over everything to God.
I remember the first time tempation to sin struck. Instead of giving in to it, I prayed. I asked God for His help and His guidance and refused to entertain my mind with certain thoughts. I simply asked God to take it away from me. The beautiful thing is that, after making the choice to rid myself of it, God helped me.
I no longer struggle with the same things. They are a thing of the past. If you are struggling with sin, get rid of it..make the choice..It will only destroy your life. It is the source of death and confusion. It is disease and God wants you to be a new creation.
You are meant to be more than what you are.
God is big enough and large enough and wonderful enough to help you. Ask and it shall be given..seek and you will find..
Today, I really felt as if I needed some encouragement..but God put someone in my path that needed encouraging. and would you guess what happened then?
My spirit lifted in a way that only God could've done.
By being the encourager, God encouraged me.. He works in wonderful ways like that..
Today, He gave me an analogy.
My three year old has one of those motorized four wheelers. We were at my mom's house and were going to walk across the yard to my little abode. My dad is working on the building me a new porch and my mom wanted us to walk across the grass to go and see what he had done. I haven't seen it in a few days because I've been at work.
So we treked across the yard. The grass had grown some due to the rain. Little Brendan followed us on his little motorized four wheeler. For those who don't know, those little four wheelers don't fare so well in tall grass. In any grass, really.. But he followed us for the trek across the yard. We arrived at the house, little Bear took his little four wheeler for a spin down the pavement for a short ride..we marveled at my dad's handiwork on the porch, and then we decided to head back home..to mom's house.. We are still staying there until the house is finished.. On the way back, little bear's four wheeler started to give out. My mom began to push him across the yard. She got really tired so I took over.. I pushed him for a while...when I got tired, my mom took over again... Finally, we made it... We were safely home..
As Christians, life is like this journey. The truth is that we all get tired. Today, I was tired. But it is so important to continue to encourage one another. We are a body of believers and we need one another. We need encouragement and we need to encourage. To give encouragement to others is a command in God's Word..
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing," 1 Thessalonians 5:11
There are many verses that tell us to encourage, but in what capacity are we doing it? Are we doers of the word or hearers only, decieving ourselves?
Encourage one another.. I am writing this as more of a reminder for myself ....
When we encourage one another..it is like we are pushing one another through the tall grass. We all get tired. Our batteries start running out..but when we follow the will of God and help each other out...We all get safely home.
God Bless
Today I was recalling my old life in Baton Rouge. A large part of my time in Baton Rouge was spent in utter and complete darkness. My life was dominated by sin that I didn't really know how to deal with or get rid of. I felt trapped in it and the enemy let me believe the lie that I would never get out of it all alive.
I remember in the midst of it all, I would sometimes pray. During those moments of prayer, even though I was far from God, I felt Him there. I felt close to Him. It was a beautiful feeling. I remember feeling such peace and joy in those moments, almost like all was right with the world. God was with me. He heard me and He was there each and every time I called for Him. I never had to look hard, He was there.
But as soon as I would fall back into sin, the darkness, the confusion, the depression would return. Finally, I quit calling on God altogether because I felt as if I was just using Him for moments of peace, and rest, and solitude.
The truth is that I was trapped in my own darkness and I didn't realize that God would help me out of it.
Later in life, I fell harder that I have ever fell and I realized how a life of sin had literally ruined my life in many ways. I decided that I was tired of struggling with it and was finally ready to hand over everything to God.
I remember the first time tempation to sin struck. Instead of giving in to it, I prayed. I asked God for His help and His guidance and refused to entertain my mind with certain thoughts. I simply asked God to take it away from me. The beautiful thing is that, after making the choice to rid myself of it, God helped me.
I no longer struggle with the same things. They are a thing of the past. If you are struggling with sin, get rid of it..make the choice..It will only destroy your life. It is the source of death and confusion. It is disease and God wants you to be a new creation.
You are meant to be more than what you are.
God is big enough and large enough and wonderful enough to help you. Ask and it shall be given..seek and you will find..
Today, I really felt as if I needed some encouragement..but God put someone in my path that needed encouraging. and would you guess what happened then?
My spirit lifted in a way that only God could've done.
By being the encourager, God encouraged me.. He works in wonderful ways like that..
Today, He gave me an analogy.
My three year old has one of those motorized four wheelers. We were at my mom's house and were going to walk across the yard to my little abode. My dad is working on the building me a new porch and my mom wanted us to walk across the grass to go and see what he had done. I haven't seen it in a few days because I've been at work.
So we treked across the yard. The grass had grown some due to the rain. Little Brendan followed us on his little motorized four wheeler. For those who don't know, those little four wheelers don't fare so well in tall grass. In any grass, really.. But he followed us for the trek across the yard. We arrived at the house, little Bear took his little four wheeler for a spin down the pavement for a short ride..we marveled at my dad's handiwork on the porch, and then we decided to head back home..to mom's house.. We are still staying there until the house is finished.. On the way back, little bear's four wheeler started to give out. My mom began to push him across the yard. She got really tired so I took over.. I pushed him for a while...when I got tired, my mom took over again... Finally, we made it... We were safely home..
As Christians, life is like this journey. The truth is that we all get tired. Today, I was tired. But it is so important to continue to encourage one another. We are a body of believers and we need one another. We need encouragement and we need to encourage. To give encouragement to others is a command in God's Word..
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing," 1 Thessalonians 5:11
There are many verses that tell us to encourage, but in what capacity are we doing it? Are we doers of the word or hearers only, decieving ourselves?
Encourage one another.. I am writing this as more of a reminder for myself ....
When we encourage one another..it is like we are pushing one another through the tall grass. We all get tired. Our batteries start running out..but when we follow the will of God and help each other out...We all get safely home.
God Bless
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