Yโall, we have made it to the end of our Deliverance Series and this week, weโre wrapping it up with guarding our hearts!
The Bible consistently talks about the importance of our hearts and how much the content of our hearts matters to God, because โman looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.โ (1 Samuel 16:7)
Guarding our hearts helps us to maintain freedom in Jesus byโฆ
Protecting our devotion to God and the purity of our relationship with Him,
Allowing the Holy Spirit to produce fresh, thriving fruit within us vs. bitter, rotten fruit, and
Ensuring that what flows from us aligns with what has flowed into us, which should be the things of God.
Watch todayโs video and grab the notes below for some practical steps for keeping your heart with all diligence.
I pray that this series has blessed and enriched your walk with Jesus. The series may be ending, but the journey of obtaining & maintaining freedom continues.
May God bless you as you go forth!
I love you bunches!
Have a healthy & wholesome weekend, sisters ๐
Scriptures
Proverbs 4:23
Matthew 12:34b
Matthew 12:35
Matthew 6:21
Mark 12:30
Video Notes
Practical Steps for Guarding your Heart
Guard your ear and eye gates
Fill up on things of the Spirit on a regular basis
Cultivate space to walk by the Spirit
Resist Offense
No matter how โjustifiedโ it may be / seem
Choose not to take things personally
Avoid or avert situations that you see are trying to pull you into an โoffenseโ trap
If you do find yourself offended, bust out of it ASAP โ Forgive & let it go!
Resist Temptation
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2
This week, we continue our โPractical Steps for Deliveranceโ Series and weโre focusing on Running Our Race of Faith.
Watch this weekโs video, and grab the scriptures and practical steps below.
May God bless you along your journey to deliverance and in navigating your freedom in Christ Jesus!
Have a healthy & wholesome weekend,
Love you bunches ๐
Reference Scriptures
Matthew 11:28-30
Romans 5:3-5
Philippians 1:6
Video Notes
First things First โ Decide that Jesus is #1
Submit to Him and make a decision that He is Lord over your life and your #1 priority
Ready to make that commitment? Read the following aloud:
Jesus, I thank You for dying on the cross for my sins and being raised again on the third day so that I may have life more abundantly. I submit my life to You today and ask You to be my Lord and to guide me by Your Holy Spirit. You are my #1 priority and my relationship with You is of utmost importance. In Jesusโ name!
Practical Steps for Enduring in Faith โ A Quick Snapshot
Run your race of faith
The one God laid out for you specifically
Throw off any and everything that hinders or slows down your faith or interrupts your focus on Jesus
Resist the urge to approach this process from a place of religion & tradition, legalism, asceticism, or carnality
Allow the Holy Spirit to guide and empower you in this process on an ongoing basis
Remember, your โweightsโ may not be the same as someone elseโs
As you go from glory to glory, the โweightsโ may be different, so be flexible and willing to move with the Holy Spirit
Watch the Video
Whoever chooses to be the bigger person usually grows to be the bigger person!
Iโma let yโall get a glimpse into one of my journal entries from this past week, no edits, no filter.
Can you say perspective shift?!
I was just thinking about the many times Iโve humbled myself and taken the brunt of responsibility and/or initiative for situations I really shouldnโt have had to. I wasnโt coming at it from a victim perspective, but just reflecting on some of the ways the enemy has used the same tactics over and over again against me, and how Iโve often responded to the person being used by being the peacemaker and examining myself, even when Iโve done absolutely nothing wrongโฆ
Anyway, I realize though, that the quote above is true. The person on the other side who refuses to acknowledge their behavior, the part they played, or even their feelings and why they feel that way misses out on the growth that comes with stepping up in that way. The Bible says the humble will be exalted, so in a way, by not being willing to come off the high horse to approach the person they have a conflict with (in these cases that person been me), they miss out on the opportunity to humble themselves, which would have positioned them to be exalted.
Nevertheless, I thank God that He works all things out for my good, because I love Him and am called according to His purpose! I see how these situations have helped me to grow and even allowed me to be an example of His love in situations where I very well had the โrightโ to be ugly! I say โrightโ in quotations, because it still wouldnโt have been right in Godโs sight, so thank you Jesus for the grace to respond gracefully & graciously!
To the person reading thisโฆ
Being the bigger person really does give you an opportunity to actually be a bigger person. I know all too well how it can feel like a hit to your ego to humble yourself and initiate conversations or reconciliation in certain situations, especially when you feel the other person really should be coming to you first, but ultimately, in doing so, you push yourself to grow and to become more Christ-like. As much as I love saying, โIf itโs not directed, itโs not respected,โ when it comes to initiating hard conversations, it very much does not reflect my actual approach. Why? Well, first of all, itโs not biblical. Jesus says in Matthew 5:23-24,
โThis is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God. Or say youโre out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Donโt lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, youโre likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. If that happens, you wonโt get out without a stiff fine.โ
I donโt always reference The Message version, but it doesnโt get anymore clearer than that right there! Not only is making the first move Godโs standard for living (again, even if the other person is the one with the problem), but also, making the first move puts you at an advantage in many ways. One, you get to set the tone of the conversation, and ideally steer it in the direction of peace, while also minimizing room for (more) assumptions to be made. Two, as much as it may feel like youโre shrinking when you have to go โbreak the iceโ, you actually get the opportunity to grow in character and in Godliness. The thing about it is, the other person, in being stubborn, fearful, or just simply unwilling to come to you first about the issue, misses out on a valuable opportunity to not only (hopefully) save the friendship/relationship, but also, to truly become a bigger person than they were before.
Before writing the journal entry above, I was tempted to kinda whine to God about how I feel like I always have to be the โbigger person,โ and I felt Him check me and impart this truth to me: โYou donโt have to be the bigger person, you get to be!โ There are certain postures and attitudes that donโt lend themselves to growth. Some people may feel like theyโre too good to make the first move, but in reality, we should feel that we are โtoo goodโ not to. Being Christ-like and having solid character means that we donโt โmatch energy.โ We donโt wait for someone else to set the tone for how we will navigate conflicts. Instead, we stand tall and move with integrity. We set the standardโฆ or really we honor the standard Jesus already set! Like I said, I understand how that initial moment of initiating a conversation or a peace treaty can make you feel small in the moment, but refusing to do so ultimately keeps you small. Choosing to be the bigger person ultimately makes you a bigger and better person. You can choose to be petty Patty or you can be like Jesus. The choice is yours, but as for me, Iโll continue to choose to go low, (ie. humble myself and make the first move), so I can actually fly high, constantly growing in character, integrity, and the likeness of Jesus!
What choice are you making, sis?