M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 30

Friday, March 30, 2012
M.O.M. CHALLENGE DAY 30

Almost there... we have come a long way in our challenge this month. I love one verse in particular from today's reading that sounds like a promise to me... Proverbs 30:5 "Every Word of GOD proves true. He is a shield to all who come to HIM for protection." RELAX ON THAT PROMISE AND MARINATE IN THAT WORD FOR A LIL' BIT!

All month long now we have been reminded of the wise words of GOD given to Solomon for our personal edification. Makes me wanna shout, "Thank you, GOD!" I know that just knowing the wise choice does not always insure that I will choose the wise choice, though... & that is what I am really asking GOD to help me work on now. I realize that even though I don't want to admit it, I am sometimes rebellious. Ultimately though, I don't want to be that way...because GOD does not want me to be that way. I love GOD and I do want to obey HIM. I know that sometimes obeying HIM means not doing what I want to do, or not thinking I have the ability to do what HE wants me to do. I know that I am also weak sometimes.

I know that I talked a lot about fear of man yesterday...and that really got me thinking most of the day and well into the night...what do I fear? Who do I fear? I confessed a lot of my thoughts and fears yesterday, but I did not mention that I do fear GOD, not in the sense that I think that HE is out to get me, but it is more like I know that I do not please HIM, and it makes me fearful sometimes. When I get to this point in my thinking I can only focus on one thing... JESUS ALWAYS PLEASES GOD, AND JESUS IS MY ADVOCATE, HE IS ON MY SIDE.  Just re-reading that last sentence made me think that I am implying that GOD is not on my side...well duh... that can't be true because GOD SENT HIS SON JESUS TO BE MY ADVOCATE...GOD knew I would be unfaithful, and HE loved me anyway...man, if you could see me now...my eyes are welling up with tears and my whole body just got washed with liquid love... because what I just wrote is THE TRUTH...GOD LOVES ME (AND YOU) SO MUCH that HE set up a way for us to be saved from ourselves, from our enemies and from death.There is NO REASON for anyone to live eternally away from GOD, unless you do not love HIM and obey HIM...to obey HIS WORD is to believe that there is only one way to be with HIM eternally in HEAVEN, HIS WORD says that that one way is through the GATE of JESUS CHRIST. OH thank YOU GOD that it is not up to me. Thank YOU, JESUS that you made the way for me and that you are my SAVIOUR.

Proverbs 30:11-12 reads: "Some people curse their father and do not thank their mother. They are pure in their own eyes, but they are filthy and unwashed." I know that I am clean, washed in the BLOOD OF JESUS... how about you? I did not ask if you were perfect, and I did not say that I was...but I know that I am clean...my spirit is clean. One of the ways to get clean is to wash, but there is no soap potent enough to clean my ugliness when I am thinking particularly hateful thoughts that come from unforgiveness. When there is unforgiveness in my heart or mind, could Ivory soap scrub that clean? Nope! Only Holy Spirit can bring my heart to the place of repentence, forgiveness and love... and HE does that when I submit myself to HIM.

Let's face it... it is easier to blame others for our problems than it is to admit them, right?. But when was the last time that worked out well for you? Have you ever won playing the blame game? No of course not!

Many of our problems do have their roots in the failures of others...I know mine do, and I am thinkin' yours probably do too...think about that for a minute... what problems are you facing right now, today? Did you cause those problems entirely on your own, or did you have a little help from a friend? When you have any type of relationship, you will have many opportunities to grow from problems that may come up...Isn't that interesting? No man is an island, ya know? Alhtough, there are people who become so broken and shattered by others that they try to build walls around themselves for protection, but in the end bitterness leaves a bad taste in their mouths. Who wants to be alone with bad breath! Life requires recovery from what ails us.

Maybe your parents failed to love and discipline you as they should have. But guess what? These problems have been compounded by bad decisions on your part... are you ready and willing to admit that? Are we ready to admit the mistakes that we have made? Sure things happen to us that are unjust, we have been hurt either by accident or on purpose by someone else's actions... but how we respond to those actions is totally our responsibility. HINT: FORGIVENESS MOVES YOU FORWARD, UNFORGIVENESS KEEPS YOU FROZEN.

Ask GOD right now if you are responding to  your life the way HE wants you to...go on... I dare ya'! That is what GOD is going to be looking at...how you respond to what is happening around you or what has happened to you. You can bank on the fact that HE will deal with the ones who  have hurt you, because remember...HE is jealous for you...YOU are HIS own.... so  KEEP CALM AND TRUST GOD!

Our sufferings are usually caused by a combination of factors, including the sins of others and our own sins.  Unforgiveness is rooted in pride, ask GOD if you don't believe me.

Pride says, "I am strong; I don't need anyone's help." Pride blinds us to our weaknesses and prevents us from seeking the people and the help we need... while humility says, "I need improvement; could you help me?" (Try asking that of GOD every morning as you are waking up and just watch your life change for the better!) Those of us who maintain a humble perspective, realizing that we are weak and vulnerable, will look for the help and support we need for a successful recovery. Humility will protect us from the devastation of the fall that comes from pride.

We cannot change the failures of others, now can we? But then we cannot blame our mother or father or anyone else for our wrong choices. Blame does nothing to speed up our recovery process. We can, however, change our own attitudes and actions that have perpetuated our suffering. Maturity comes as we take responsibility for our problems by forgiving those who have wronged us and by seeking forgiveness for our own sins.

By the way...You can forgive and forget. By saying. "I can forgive ____, but I will never forget what they did to me," is just another way of holding a grudge... (psst...it is not true forgiveness)... although it totally makes sense at the time you are still hurt to say that ("I can forgive, but I will never forget") to yourself or outloud, but really...guess what? It is NOT true forgivness. Can you see that?

When GOD forgives, HE wipes the slate clean...pure...done & over with...on the bottom of the ocean floor...never to be brought up again... If you have ever been betrayed, that may seem impossible, but I am here to tell you that with GOD all things are possible. LET IT GO. Don't hold on to the sharp, painful memories... be willing to forget... just forget about it and let it go. YOU will be free and GOD will be pleased. I have learned that forgiveness says, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to love GOD by obeying HIM and forgiving you." It does not say, "It's o'kay (what you did)."

As I type this I am walking out the pure & loving act of forgiveness...I am not just letting go of or ignoring someone's bad behaviour, but willfully acknowledging that it happened. Telling them that I am hurt and that I know that they made a wrong choice (a very, very, very wrong choice) that I in turn choose to forgive and let go of it, by turning it over to GOD....it is a process, like grief, it takes a lil' while to get through it... and to get it right. Ha, maybe that is why I have had so many opportunities to forgive...so many "do-overs" and tests!

Anyway, I can tell you that forgiveness will be impossible without GOD...so if you are trying, trying, trying to forgive someone or yourself, keep taking it back to GOD, be persistant in asking HIM how to do it... HE will show you, and one day, just like that (snaps fingers!) you will finally be free. True forgiveness takes strength, not weakness... true forgiveness takes a close and intimate relationship with GOD.

Blessings,
Shawnie