Let’s talk about dealing with the urge to live for Jesus but finding other negative things very attractive and hence very hard to let go off. What are you holding unto that you don’t want to let go off yet you know beyond doubt that it’s affecting your relationship with Jesus, negatively?
Do you feel God is just giving us so many reasons not to enjoy life? Do you feel that letting go of something will make you hate God for it, because it feels like God is trying to make you fit into a box that wasn’t built for you?
Well, first things first…
God doesn’t want to make you live a life that you hate. God doesn’t want you to be in a place that you hate and despise. God doesn’t want to steal away fun and the colours of life from you. It is the devil that wants to take fun and everything beautiful away from you. It is the devil that wants you to fit into a box that doesn’t fit your personality. It is the devil that wants you to believe that God is doing the dirty job.
John 10:10 makes it very clear to us…the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. It is Jesus that came with life. He didn’t just bring life; He wants us to enjoy life to the FULL. So the next time the devil tries to make you see, think and believe that his ways are way better than that of Jesus, remind the devil about the truth that lies in John 10:10.
It will most times not feel like it, but you have to understand and believe that whatsoever God asks you to let go off isn’t worth holding unto
The reason it will most times not feel like it is because, our flesh and the devil works hand-in-hand against God’s will. That is why we have to understand and believe that God’s ways are best, no matter what. We have to learn to trust God beyond what we feel, perceive, see, and hear. We have to trust God against the odds in the physical realm. If God says to let go of it, start renewing your mind immediately (Romans 12:1), start telling your mind that it is for your good to do what God wants you to do. Thoughts will come to make you feel and think otherwise, but refuse to comprise the truth of God…because Jesus is our safe place.
The ultimate goal is to keep becoming like Jesus
At the end of the day, above everything else, as Christians, the ultimate goal is to keep becoming like Jesus. Jesus is our standard (Hebrews 12:1-2). We have to love like Him. We have to talk like Him. We have to act like Him. We have to be like Him…in every way. And there’s no end to it, because there’s always a deeper, wider and higher level to go no matter the level we are currently in our faith walk.
So, how much like Jesus are you? How well do you love like Jesus? How well can you speak like Him? How well can you act like Him? Way beyond anything you’re doing or achieving currently, how much of Jesus do you have in you?
But becoming like Jesus isn’t a call to start making rules upon rules upon rules…because you feel guilty
God doesn’t send guilt to us; God gets to us through His love (Romans 5:8, Romans 8:1). He doesn’t want us to do things to and for Him because of guilt; God wants us to do things with Him, for Him and to Him…because we see and understand that He loves us and we have, therefore, fallen in love with Him also (1 John 4:19). God doesn’t want to hijack your entire days on earth and make you do a bunch of things you don’t enjoy in other to please and worship Him, NO! God wants a true love relationship with us. Any other thing outside a true love relationship isn’t what God wants and expects from us (John 14:15).
Have you ever being in love? Or have you ever had a crush? How would you really love someone to be in love with you? It might sound kind of funny, but you really have to understand that God wants you to fall in love with Him. The feeling we want and desire when it comes to love was given to us by God. So, He’s like us…or to say it right…we’re like Him. We are created in His image, after His likeness.
When we start seeing God from this perceptive, it becomes easier to have a relationship with God. It becomes easier to just have a chat with Jesus. It becomes easier to have a long gist with the Holy Spirit. And you’ll discover that it isn’t a burden or a hard labour to be FILLED and FLOODED with the presence of God (Matthew 11:28-30, 1 John 5:3).
What are you full of?
Why aren’t you filled with and of God? Why do you find it hard to study the Bible, pray and just enjoy your Christian walk? Answer: because more often than none, our idea of what it takes to be filled with His presence is wrong.
I remember the Holy Spirit saying to me recently “I just want to be involved in your entire day. Do what you normally do, but just get me involve. Being filled with Me is having me involve in all you do. You don’t need to try and impress me, just do what you would normally do, but just involve Me…”
It sounded strange, because I was like, “what if I want to do something wrong?” but I got an assurance; WHEN WE INVOLVE GOD IT WOULDN’T GO WRONG, because when we get Him involved we recognize and surrender to Him, and He’ll naturally control our decisions and choices. When we involve Jesus, He takes the wheel .
But we try it the other way. We try to not go wrong and then bring our efforts to God. We try to make God look like a supervisor that is trying to rate our services and delivery. We try to put up a show for Him to see. So funny, for before we conceive a thought He knew we would.
As Christians, Jesus calls us friends (John 15:15). He is our friend and a fellow heir of God (Romans 8:17). Jesus wants to be our most trusted buddy. If gossip is your flaw, try gossiping with Jesus, you shouldn’t trust others any way…they’ll one day sell you out. If cursing is your thing, tell Jesus all the curses you have and what you want to say to someone. If complaining is your best way of venting…go on…complain to Jesus. If you want to do wrong, tell Jesus. Let’s just learn to be free and real with Jesus, and just enjoy His Company.
When we become open and free like this, when we surrender our flaws to Jesus…Jesus will speak to our hearts and our hearts will be receptive. We’ll get instructions on what to do and we’ll have the ability to do it. God through the Holy Spirit will keep doing the work of transformation in our lives. We’ll keep making progress in our faith walk. We wouldn’t see it as a burden anymore, because we now enjoy it. It will now make sense, and we can’t imagine doing life without this relationship we have with Jesus. We’ll now love Him because of our beautiful experiences and memories of Him. We’ll wake up each day with great anticipation of what we’ll do with Him, for Him and to Him. Now, this is how to have His presence fill up every single space in our lives…every single day in our lives.
And it’s from our FULLNESS that we pour out into our world
We can’t give what we don’t have. It is only when we have the fullness of God’s presence in our lives that we can truly achieve more for the kingdom (John 15:5). When we enjoy our relationship with Jesus, we’ll want to do the heartbeat of the Father, which is reconciling men to Him. It’s from a healthy relationship with Jesus that we pour into our communities; it is from a healthy relationship with Jesus that we embrace and really pursue purpose with confidence. It is from this healthy relationship that we become and do ALL we’re created to be and do.
Again, what are you FULL of?
Faith or fear? Love or hate? Boldness or timidity? Joy or pain? Hope or despair? Peace or anxiety? Fruit of the Spirit or fruits of the flesh?
And what is stopping you from being filled with and of God?
Is it the lies that say, “God doesn’t want you to enjoy life?” or is it because you’re trying to impress Jesus in the place where you’re supposed to build a love relationship with Him?
My prayer for you:
I pray you experience God’s love like never before, and may your experience bring you to a place where you get to fall in love with Jesus like never before.
May your experience of Jesus bring you to a place of true love relationship with Jesus, and may you see and experience the FULLNESS of the Holy Spirit like never before.
Amen.
Do get in the gym and do
Stay Spiritually Fit.
