Fully surrendering to the Lord!
What has this meant to me, for me, and what did the Lord teach me?
How has the past week helped me?
Growing closer to God
Praying more
Took time and genuinely call upon the Lord when temptation rises and rebuke the enemy when he is trying to infiltrate my mind and my heart. Taking captive and learning to take captive every single thought.
'For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ' – II Corinthians 10:3-5
Reading more
By making it an emphasis to read often, I have grown to love hearing the voice of Jesus through his words. By reading through the book of Matthew first, it has helped me be reminded of who Jesus is and what he has truly done for us. The teachings he has left us. The lessons I am to learn from him. And the example I am to follow.
Posting more
Creativity is a gift from the Lord himself. Being off social media has allowed me to cultivate my time and energy into trying something new. Out of this past weekend came out 3 videos, including this one, and a new blog with 2 posts already on it. Truthfully, God is using me to speak life into others.
Less socializing with outside relations
This has allowed me to focus on the relationships that matter to me most, which are those who are desiring to genuinely get to know me and those who have a direct impact on me and my heart. I have been able to be intentional about meeting with individuals and hearing them out on what the Lord has been doing in their lives.
Here is a synopsis of how the Lord speaks on sin and how we are called to HATE and ABSTAIN from it!
Chapter 18
Recently, in my messed-up nature of flesh, the Lord revealed to me that I was under the influence of my ego and operating as an adult in the spiritual realm. Operating in a role that does not exist. Which is why I felt so lost. I struggled and failed to fight my sins, and I failed to call upon the Lord and mean it. It got to a point where I used the words to describe my issues, saying, “My flesh does not fear God.”
The thought of me even saying that shook me to my core and had me in a tough position for a while, where I had to reflect on what I said and why I said it. But most importantly, where it came from. Because it did not feel like me.
A huge part of me was in confusion because I know the greatness of the Lord because he has revealed himself to me time and time again, but I fail to LOVE and OBEY him… why? Later on, in reflection and through conversations that were ordained by the Lord, the Lord revealed to me that it was all due to the fact that I was no longer seeing myself as his child, and the enemy took advantage of that. Similarly to how no matter how old you become, you'll always be your parents' children, never an equal.
It was revealed to me, using this exact passage, that I was no longer living as a child of God and saw myself as an equal to some degree as the Father… as if I knew better for my life…
'And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. ' – Matthew 18:3-5 → WE ARE ALL CHILDREN BEFORE THE LORD. There is not a single person in the bible who is referenced as an adult in the spiritual sense. Children of the Lord.
I become responsible for my life and walk, and need to be diligently active in the elimination of the sinful triggers in my life. Not only for myself but for anyone else whom I have a direct influence on. For the blood of my counterparts and people under my influence is my own. → 'When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. ' – Ezekiel 3:18-19 | We are responsible for sharing the good news and leading people to Christ. In failing to do so, we become liable for the fault that we do, and responsible for the lives we cause to stumble and or let go and suffer by living and dying for their sins.
' “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. ' – Matthew 18:6-9
For those who spectate or recognize sin in one another, we are called to be a support system. Call out the sin, but become willing and the forefront of their restoration following the guidance left by Jesus. Privately → Third Party → Before the Church → Ostracize them (essentially)
' “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.' – Matthew 18:15-17
If a brother or sister in Christ sins against you, FORGIVE them every time just as the Lord has forgiven you.
'Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. ' – Matthew 18:21-22
' “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”' – Matthew 18:35
My life over the previous couple of months has consisted of me falling short over and over and in greater ways than I would've ever expected myself to in my entire life, even before I gave my life to Christ, but especially after the fact. It has broken me how much sin has impacted me and those around me. The Lord revealed to me that the root was the lack of hatred of ALL the sin in my life, even the small things like the small thoughts that never really become more than that, because they accumulate in the mind. Even the large things like the fact that I did not trust God to truly heal me because it felt like he didn’t want to for whatever reason. And that is torture, which MY GOD DOES NOT DO.
I had to be honest with myself and the Lord about it all and work on changing my mindset to become wiser. I seek to ask myself before every decision, and by every action, “Is it wise?” and this has been the correction and change of perspective I needed.
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