Embrace the Within no. 189

“Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Simple BUT never easy. That is one of my ongoing motto these days. The Word is always simple BUT rarely easy. A lot of the complications come from me making it complicated. I mean there are plenty of things I can blame for making life more complicated BUT ultimately I choose to make life complicated. I choose to adapt to this world a lot more than I should. I choose to be a lot more comfortable than I need. I choose to be a lot more settled than I should. And comfortability leads to a rut and then things get really easy. Then I get settled in my sin and evil and I give it all the power to conquer me.

And that is one reason I started with a routine that sets me up for success daily. Every morning I pour a glass of water. Every morning I take my supplements. Every morning I physically work out. Every morning I spiritually work out by reading The Word and praying. Every morning I mentally work out when I sit here and tap out some thoughts about what I have been reading. Daily routine of goodness to lay the foundation of success.

It wasn’t always like this. I used to wake up to coffee and nicotine. I used to wake up feeling worn down and turned out. I used to wake up already defeated. And those days were a battle to be successful. Setting the tone in the morning has been a crucial part of changing for the better. And I feel that a lot of us don’t give ourselves a fighting chance. I can get so caught up in making myself a physical, mental, and spiritual mess just because a lot of people are a mess too. And misery does love its company. If you don’t believe that, then look at how many folks gather for a fight or to complain and how few are gathered in prayer.

BUT, courage is choosing to change. I need to make a daily decision to work out my faith by choosing to be faithful. I need to daily choose where my faith remains. And I make those choices by my actions. I may not be able to control every thought that forms in my brain, however, I can choose how I act on those thoughts. I am my choices. And I need to choose goodness and righteousness and grace and mercy and peace. My life should be an example of all the fruits of the Ruach HaKodesh, “'. . . love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23 AMP).

I pray that I choose goodness daily. I pray that I set a routine that leads me to be successful in denying myself, taking up His cross, and following obediently. I pray that I make better choices in my actions so that those actions portray the reflection of His Way. I pray that my daily decisions make me a better Ambassador of His Kingdom.

Grace and Shalom to your home.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH

Embrace the Within no. 188

“But now, independently of the law, the righteousness of God is tangible and brought to light through Jesus, the Anointed One. This is the righteousness that the Scriptures prophesied would come. It is God’s righteousness made visible through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And now all who believe in him receive that gift. For there is really no difference between us, for we all have sinned and are in need of the glory of God. Yet through his powerful declaration of acquittal, God freely gives away his righteousness. His gift of love and favor now cascades over us, all because Jesus, the Anointed One, has liberated us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin!

Jesus’ God-given destiny was to be the sacrifice to take away sins, and now he is our mercy seat because of his death on the cross. We come to him for mercy, for God has made a provision for us to be forgiven by faith in the sacred blood of Jesus. This is the perfect demonstration of God’s justice, because until now, he had been so patient—holding back his justice out of his tolerance for us. So he covered over the sins of those who lived prior to Jesus’ sacrifice. And when the season of tolerance came to an end, there was only one possible way for God to give away his righteousness and still be true to both his justice and his mercy—to offer up his own Son. So now, because we stand on the faithfulness of Jesus, God declares us righteous in his eyes” (Romans 3:21-26 TPT)!

Two paragraphs to sum up all that Jesus has done for us in righteousness. The faithfulness of Christ even in death is the example that gives everyone the ability to receive His gift freely. Again, Paul repeats that there is no difference in any of us because we are all sinners and in need of God’s glory. And there is nothing within my power to change any of that. God’s power is the only thing that can change that. God’s power is the only thing that can liberate me.

I need to have faith in God. I need to have faith in Jesus. I need to have faith in the Spirit. Just as Jesus was faithful to Him, I need to be faithful to Him. Faith is an action. Faith isn’t passive. Faith isn’t just saying something. Faith is lived.

So, I didn’t ever get sucked into the whole debate about faith and works because being faithful is a decision that only means anything if that faith is acted upon. Faith without works is not only dead, it’s hypocrisy. You can’t have faith and trust in something and not act live a life that reveals that. You can’t have hidden faith. You can’t have secret faith. It can’t be some idea you wear on the weekend like church clothes and then put back in the closet until next week. Faith is lived daily.

Faith is the action of living my philosophy. I can think all manner of things about what I truly believe. I can talk and read and put on a show about my beliefs BUT, when the rubber meets the road, my actions will show my faith. And that is a big issue for a lot of people because there is a lot of hypocrisy in people.

Hypocrisy is a huge issue for me. I was quite the hypocrite. And what bugged me about other people was their hypocrisy as well. I couldn’t stand all the hypocrites of all different faiths. BUT, as I began to focus on my own hypocrisy and aligning my idealized faith with my faithful actions, I found there was a lot more forgiveness. I was not really good about being faithful to what I thought I believed. It takes a lot of work to be faithful.

And three years ago, I started that journey of fourteen days to becoming faithful. And being faithful took a lot of change. If I was going to live aligned to what I thought was important, then it was going to take a transformation. And change is not easy. Courage is choosing to change. It takes a lot to start getting healthy. It takes a lot to start making better choices. It takes a lot to stand outside the system. It takes a lot to become liberated. It took the death and resurrection of Jesus and He was God. How much more is it going to take for a dirt creature like me?

Luckily, I don’t have to worry about that because God covered it all.

Grace and Shalom to your home.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH