Embrace the Within no. 102

"Let God’s promises shine on your problems. "

Corrie ten Boom

Sometimes one question changes everything. And sometimes it changes nothing. But God changes everything if you only allow Him.

And that is my faith walk these days. There are only so many things of which I have control to change. I used to want to change the world. I used to want to change the nation. I used to want to change my community. I used to want to change my family. But now I only want to change myself.

I have spent too many years trying to change others without looking at the person that truly needs to change. And that person is always me.

When I am facing problems at work, the person that needs to change is me. When I am facing problems with my family, the person that needs to change is me. When I am facing problems with the government, the person that needs to change is me. I used to waste a lot of prayer on changing other people when I should have been spending time praying about changing me.

I think it’s natural to think that the problems are with everyone else. It’s human nature or sin or whatever character flaw with which you want to attribute this poor mindset. But it’s prevalent and insidious and counter to God’s purpose. It does nothing to get us better with Christ. It does nothing to help our testimony or our walk. It only brings about more division among His people.

So, I am no longer praying for God to change other people. I am praying for God to change me because I need a lot of work. I am praying for God to work His will in the lives of my family, my community, my nation, and this world. I pray Jesus over all His creation. But I am no longer asking for anyone else to change BUT me.

I am praying that His promise shine through me. I am praying that His Way be evident in my life. I am praying that I am that beacon on the hill for Him in a world of darkness. I am praying that we all shine brighter for Him. And every day, I pray for Him to work on my heart, my being, and my strength. I pray that He keeps working on me because I am not done growing.

Grace and Shalom to your week. Shalom to your home. Bless your being. The reign of the Lord is now. Be a blessing to the Lord and others.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #NoKingButChrist #MyNepheshMyChoice #ChristsLifeMatters #EmbracetheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH #GodKnows

Embrace the Within no. 101

"The highest honor in the church is not government but service."

John Calvin

I can not testify enough about the importance of fasting. I think in all my years of attending services and talking with Christians, fasting is probably one of the most overlooked and understated actions a faithful servant to the Lord can undertake. We talk a lot about study and prayer and fellowship and how important those things are for our spiritual health, BUT fasting is important to both our spiritual and physical health.

When I started my journey nearly three years ago, it was because I knew my physical and mental health were off the rails. I didn’t walk around wearing my mess like a badge BUT it was still there. I was not in alignment with what I believed. And one of the things that helped me before I even came to God was intermittent fasting. I never really paid attention to the idea of fasting before that. Sure, I had always heard about exercise and diet shouted all over the place, however, very few people were talking about the importance of simply not eating. And in a society where food is constantly available, the simple act of not eating for a certain amount of time is radical yet still simple.

Then, while reading the Bible from cover to cover, I rediscovered the importance of fasting in the Word. So, as I have been moving forward in my walk with the Lord, I found that not just intermittent fasting for physical health BUT fasting for spiritual health was just as an important use of the practice. And I am working on keeping that practice of fasting as part of my weekly walk.

“Then Marie said, Behold the seruant of the Lord: be it vnto me according to thy woorde. So the Angel departed from her.”

Luke 1:38 GNV

I hear folks talk a lot about reading, study, prayer, and fellowship. I think those things are vitally important to discovering what we believe. I just want to add the importance of fasting especially in a society that is hyper-focused on consumption. One way to set ourselves in alignment with the Lord is to separate from what the world values and follow more of what the Word says.

I encourage you to read and study about fasting and its physical and spiritual benefits. And if you have a story about fasting you would like to share, then please feel at liberty to share here and with others. The more we celebrate the benefits of fasting, then I think the more we can normalize a practice that I feel is often marginalized in the church.

Grace and Shalom to your week. Shalom to your home. Bless your being. The reign of the Lord is now. Be a blessing to the Lord and others.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #NoKingButChrist #MyNepheshMyChoice #ChristsLifeMatters #EmbracetheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH #GodKnows