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
Calling God up like...
Last week, we talked about the importance of embracing the new you and your new season and being transformed by the renewing of your mind. These are both keys to receiving and walking in the freedom Jesus sacrificed for us to have so that we would be able to serve Him and the Kingdom of God fully. Though we touched on some of these topics a bit last week, I wanted to share the unique experience that often occurs after deliverance (& salvation) specifically, because I recognize that it is similar, but different from the normal process of growth.
Being set free from sin and demonic oppression literally lifts burdens off of you that were never meant to be there, but may have settled in as โnormalโ over time. As such, being set free will uncover parts of you that were hidden or suppressed, and God will restore parts of you that were cut off or blocked from blooming. As we are delivered, we will likely need to get to know ourselves all over again. This does not mean that weโre starting from scratch, but rather that we will likely need to go through a process with Jesus and ourselves to relearn who we truly are.
Once weโve been set free, we must come to Jesus and ask Him, who am I, really? What parts of me were really me? What parts werenโt? Some things will naturally go away because they were literally tied to the demonic influence you were under, but there are also nuanced parts of what youโve thought to be your personality that may not actually be a part of who you are.
In addition to learning your true identity in freedom, there may be a re-creation or reshaping of your interests, likes, dislikes, etc. What does this new you like now that sheโs free? How does she spend her time outside of her time with God or working on assignments? How does she dress? You donโt have to attack all of this by just sitting down one time and mapping it out. Instead, allow yourself the freedom to curiously and adventurously find out!
You will most likely find that your destiny changes. To be clear, from Godโs perspective, itโs always been the same, but now, your eyes will be opened to see it with more clarity. What you thought you were supposed to be doing with your life may not actually be aligned with Godโs true, perfect plan for your life. His plan is likely bigger and definitely better, hence why you needed to be FREE to see, pursue, and walk in it. This may mean dramatic changes if you were far off course before, or could be minor track changes if you just wandered off the path a little. Either way, allow the Holy Spirit to redirect you and be willing to let go of anything He shows you isnโt a part of your destiny. Also, be willing to embrace what He shows you IS a part of Godโs plan for your life!
Finally, (though Iโm sure thereโs more that could be said), you may realize that the relationships you were in only made sense with the you that was in bondage. It doesnโt mean that everyone is bad or you are better, but similar to what we talked about last week, if you chose most of your friends, acquaintances, and even romantic relationship while you were under the influence or oppression of a demonic spirit, it very well may be that the true you, who is now free, has little to nothing in common with those you chose before you were set free. Again, this is not one of those, โIโm moving up in life and leaving yโall behindโ points, but rather to say that you may not relate to them anymore, but also, they may not relate to you, the true you, and that is okay. Youโre literally a new person, so you may not even be their cup of tea anymore or vice versa, and thatโs okay, too. And even if you are being tolerated for historyโs sake, thereโs a strong possibility that true acceptance and deep connection may not be there anymore, and thatโs okay.
This is not a post where Iโm here to give you the steps for how to navigate these changes, because tbh, Iโm still navigating some of it myself. However, I just want to let someone know that what you are experiencing right now post deliverance, the learning who you are all over again and the reshaping of your life and interests, the shifting of your relationshipsโฆ itโs normal. Spend time with Jesus and let Him relay to you who you are and also, spend time exploring the new you.
Love you bunches! ๐
P.S. You may also see that you have โnewโ spiritual gifts. They may have been there all along, but have only had a chance to surface now that the oppression has been lifted. This is another area to discuss and explore with the Holy Spirit and seek His Will for how He wants you to use them! ๐