It's Time to Change Course
This entire week has been a week where I’ve been stretched beyond anything that I could ever imagine. Beginning with Sunday, I have to say, the word that I received from the Lord was for me. However, the one thing that I did know, just didn’t expect it to manifest so quickly, was the testing of the word. It’s one thing to hear a word from the Lord, but it’s another to receive it. It’s like receiving a gift that you physically have to take home and open up. Once you open up the gift, you have to figure out how the gift will become part of the makeup of the home, or how it will be added to your wardrobe, etc.
Well that’s what happened on Sunday. I received a word from the Lord that I needed to adhere to. This is the difficult part for me because I’m such a giving person. I give until it hurts because I want to see people blessed, well, at least I thought that I was blessing, but, in actuality, I came to see that I was enabling a lot of people from really finding Christ! I don’t know if it is a self-esteem issue I have or if it’s my heart that feels for those who didn’t have what I had growing up, but I have allowed myself to be used by people time and time again. Now I see that I have to change course and shift how I operate. I can’t give every time someone calls for a handout. This is difficult because sometimes in life, the necessary has to occur. If it doesn’t then the person that I’m trying to help may never get themselves together because they’ll always think that I’m going to be there as a rug to walk on!
NO MORE! As hard as it is, it’s a matter of survival. I have to cut people off who have been sucking the very life out of me. It’s a matter of survival. I’ve got greatness ahead of me, but if I continue to stay in the shallow with people who don’t want to go anywhere, then I’ll forsake my destiny and remain in agony!
In time, they’ll understand and I believe they’ll appreciate me the more for my stance, but in the interim, I’ll be praying for them. It’s a matter of survival. I can’t go around constantly worrying about people. I’ve learned a valuable lesson over the past few months and I don’t need any more lessons regarding this. I have to learn how to say NO. I’ve got to learn how to say it and then I also have to understand that it’s okay for people to be upset with me. They’ll learn through their frustration that they need to change course! If not, they’ll just sit on the sidelines and watch others walk in what they should have been walking in themselves.
It all boils down to the question of whether I really trust God to save this generation. It kind of makes you think sometimes…we say a lot but our actions speak louder. I am walking away from this experience, not bitter, but better! I still have a desire to serve and I’ll always have love, but my motto for the year is “think smarter, don’t work harder!”
It’s time I started practicing this motto in my daily life! What about you?
Well that’s what happened on Sunday. I received a word from the Lord that I needed to adhere to. This is the difficult part for me because I’m such a giving person. I give until it hurts because I want to see people blessed, well, at least I thought that I was blessing, but, in actuality, I came to see that I was enabling a lot of people from really finding Christ! I don’t know if it is a self-esteem issue I have or if it’s my heart that feels for those who didn’t have what I had growing up, but I have allowed myself to be used by people time and time again. Now I see that I have to change course and shift how I operate. I can’t give every time someone calls for a handout. This is difficult because sometimes in life, the necessary has to occur. If it doesn’t then the person that I’m trying to help may never get themselves together because they’ll always think that I’m going to be there as a rug to walk on!
NO MORE! As hard as it is, it’s a matter of survival. I have to cut people off who have been sucking the very life out of me. It’s a matter of survival. I’ve got greatness ahead of me, but if I continue to stay in the shallow with people who don’t want to go anywhere, then I’ll forsake my destiny and remain in agony!
In time, they’ll understand and I believe they’ll appreciate me the more for my stance, but in the interim, I’ll be praying for them. It’s a matter of survival. I can’t go around constantly worrying about people. I’ve learned a valuable lesson over the past few months and I don’t need any more lessons regarding this. I have to learn how to say NO. I’ve got to learn how to say it and then I also have to understand that it’s okay for people to be upset with me. They’ll learn through their frustration that they need to change course! If not, they’ll just sit on the sidelines and watch others walk in what they should have been walking in themselves.
It all boils down to the question of whether I really trust God to save this generation. It kind of makes you think sometimes…we say a lot but our actions speak louder. I am walking away from this experience, not bitter, but better! I still have a desire to serve and I’ll always have love, but my motto for the year is “think smarter, don’t work harder!”
It’s time I started practicing this motto in my daily life! What about you?
posted by Pastor Rich at 5:30 PM
4 Comments:
I feel you on this Pastor Rich. Some things that we don't expect - really do come right back to how much do we trust God. When we minister and evangelize to individuals we've got to remember that it is God who saves, gives the increase, does the deliverance - it is in His power and not our own. We have none, outside of Him.
Why do we get so wrapped up? I believe that sometimes it's because we genuinely care so much and start to try to work things in our own self-deception – it is soooo easy to fall out of His will into our pride. Our pride often comes in forms that we don’t even recognize at first. Thank God that He reminds us of who we are in HIM. So we trust Him.
So then we grow … and we pray. Then get the next lesson - pray. Then we grow some more. Pray some more and call on the saints to pray some more. Trust Him more!
Love,
Tiger
I understand you. I was just saying to one of my friends this week that we have problem with saying "no" and that I feel most of the time that it has to do with something inside of us that we need to fulfil in ourselves, but it's burning us out. It's time for us to use our discernment instead of doing all of this busy work. We are spending less time with Jesus and more time trying to satisfiy our need to feel needed. This was a confirmation for me and I will share this with my friend.
Thank you both Tiger and Tbaby for your comments...they are very much appreciated!
Who said walking this walk would be easy! I have found that the longer I'm in this race, the more I have to lose of myself in it, and this is not easy. All I can say to encourage you is to keep on pressing toward the mark, keep on fighting the fight to complete your course. God knows all about your struggles, he knows your heart, he knows your mind, and he knows how much you care about this generation that he has put you in leadership over.
Just remember to trust God in all of this, trust him no matter what. Your mind will try to tell you something different, your emotions will try to lead you down a different path. Your mind and your emotions are what is being changed, conformed to the image of the SON, and the mind and the will does not want to change. And this my friend is where the real battles is!
Much love to you on your journey, and know that the prayers of the saints for you are ever before God.
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