Let's Get Unstuck! (Part 1)
Since the things i want to share are rather long, then this is gonna be series of blog posts.
Firstly, i ask that you would pray. Take that moment for prayer and ask God what He wants to show you through this blog post. He has put so so much on my heart lately and i am excited to share that with you!
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General idea of these blog posts are about us as Christians being stuck in old things. Old habits, thoughts, even illness and other things that we CAN be free of. If that doesn’t make you excited, i don’t know what will!
For couple of weeks now God has been stirring my heart. He’s been bringing me out of the haze and into the truth and light. Let me share with you what has my Heavenly Daddy put on my heart, which i journal about (PS! If you don’t journal yet, i highly recommend you start now. It’s a great way to slow yourself down and write down prayers, Bible verses, thoughts and answers to prayers.)
God started with small things. Well i thought it was small, but it’s not. This is so important!
Journal entry:
“I was shown how to be faithful in the little. (Luke 16:10 If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.) What He gives me, is mine and i MUST take care of it right. God gives me 24 hours every single day. What i do with my time is so important. Do i put my time on pointless entertainment, which doesn’t really give me much (tv-series, movies, netflix)? OR do i TAKE time and read His Word, listen to sermons, worship, study?
I have time to cook, to keep the home clean and tidy, to write. I want to be a better woman, better friend and partner to my husband. I can NOT take him for granted or that he is the one who keeps serving me. He serves me, helps me, even though i am the one with more time on my hands. Lord help me to overcome this! "
I am the one who is unemployed and just wasn’t doing much with my life. I was literally having time with God for maybe 10-15 minutes, not even focusing much and then automatically getting into Netflix to numb my brain and just entertain my way through the day. That day, couple weeks ago, i had to say sorry to my husband. My humble, serving husband, who has put up with lazy and selfish me. I apologized, tears in my eyes, for i realized how much i had put on him. Making myself weak, pathetic even. Often telling him excuses why he should make me lunch, dinner, breakfast, coffee, bring me snacks and so on. And he works full time! Regardless of the fact that he works from home, i was not a good wife, helper or a friend.
I have repented. And i am working every day to battle laziness and selfish behaviors. That is not easy, but with God it IS possible to change your behavior.
Every single day, God gives each of us a gift. Gift of a new day, new 24 hours. How much of it are you using to it’s full potential? Can you be more productive? Listen to sermons? Study His Word more deeply? Look after your husband and family? Take care of things for other people? How can you be a blessing today for others?
That was not easy for me to share, because naturally we’d love to hide our faults, our sins, our wrongdoings, but as the Bible says in Ephesians 5:11-14 to bring things to light. Not to mention the fact that God sees all and knows all. The enemy wants us to keep things hidden and it is very hard to confess things, because the longer you hold things to yourself, the longer the enemy can keep feeding you lies like “oh this sin isn’t nothing”; or “I can deal with this myself”; or “i don’t need to tell anyone, because i asked God’s forgiveness already”. And so many more different lies that enemy can feed you. Do the opposite! Confess your sin to a friend, pastor or anyone you trust. Let them pray with you and help you along the way. We are meant to work together. And the more exposed and open you are, the less the enemy has to hold you down!
That brings me to lies. Oh the lies of the enemy. Not just lies, but things that you think are true and don’t even pay attention to. It is SO SO SO SOOOOO! important to think about what you are thinking about! We were created so that our thinking determines our feelings. In order to make that easier, here’s a little video to explain that from Joyce Meyer.
It is your CHOICE what you think. You can right now feel very uncomfortable or even angry at this video or these things i am saying. I KNOW! I was like that too. You either like Joyce Meyer or not. At least that’s what i thought. I was also ANGRY! WAS! Meaning i just yesterday realized that this has passed. I was like that, like Joyce in the video. Being mean to people. Being upset about random things. And why? Why? I have no idea, there’s no point.
We choose what we think. Our thinking determines our feelings. When you wake up and first thing you think is how tired you are, how you have to get up and all the tasks during the day already are overwhelming you before you even leave your bed. Guess how your day is gonna be? Really awful and horrible. Why? Because didn’t you just DETERMINE that, you decide in your head that it’s gonna be like that.
BUT, what if you wake up and first things you say are prayers to God. “Thank you for yet another day, Lord, that i put in your hands! I trust that you will help me through this day, for i can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. This is the day the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it!”. Simple as that. Choose what you put in your head. Catch those lies before they get to feelings. Lord has given you tools for that. You have a whole book with answers to all situations. It’s your Bible! But to know what to say when the enemy wants to lie to you, you NEED to read the Word! Yes, it is a need. Yes it may sound harsh. Or you may think of excuses like “i don’t have time” and “i don’t usually hear from God” and all that. Wait wait! You DO have time. Stand on the truth that God, the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and of earth, the MASTER of TIME, gave you just another 24 hours. You’ve got time. It’s a matter of prioritizing things that are important.
Or the excuse that you don’t hear from God. Well… here’s more Joyce Meyer video about that.
God has already given you answers there too. You have the Holy Spirit living in you. You have the full instructions for life in the form of a Bible. God’s Word is true and important to read. It is not boring, it is not outdated. It is so real. As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that God’s Word is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training, so that you would be equipped.
So when you get to the point where you think, but how to have that time with God? How to read His Word?
First, make time for it. I prefer first thing in the morning. If i don’t first see God in the morning, i am not a nice person. I am often snappy, grumpy person. Wake up early, when it’s nice and quiet. Take your Bible (and coffee for those who need/love that), journal and a pen. That’s all you need. Even journal is an optional. AND leave your phone away from you. And your laptop. Turn them off, or just put the phone on silent or something. Choose a comfortable spot to sit in and start with prayer. I like to write my prayers, otherwise my head is odd and likes to go wondering. But that helps me to be focused. I write my prayers, say hi to God. Start with praise. EVEN when you don’t FEEL like it! Thank God for another day, for chair, clothes, coffee, food, whatever comes to mind. Just praise Him for ALL He has already done. Say sorry for yesterdays mistakes, sins, bad behaviors and ask His help to start again. And you can also ask what He wants you to do today. What you should read today? Unless you have a devotional already. I sometimes read devotional, sometimes asking God what i should read. And i write down scripture that clicks with me. Then i look at different Bible versions if i have them. Then i write that verse into a prayer. Or how it would be relevant today. Is there a promise God has made, is there something that you can correct in your life? What can you take with you. And pray about that. This IS God speaking to you. His Word is Him speaking to you. Make sure you listen.
You might get distracted. More than likely you will be. Because the enemy doesn’t like you to know the Truth/His Word. If you find your mind wondering, bring it back. Often that happens to me either during prayer or when i read the Bible. Then i just go back to where i remember i was and read again. Until i get it. Sometimes several times. Sometimes if i am super distracted, i read out loud! Because it helps. Not to mention you are then speaking out the truth! And it is so powerful. And I highly recommend also praying out loud. Sometimes i even walk around in our room when doing that.
So that’s a good way to start your day. I’ll pop one more video here but i think that’s a good start for what God has put on my heart. I hope to soon write the next part, because there’s so so much more to tell you! Be blessed my dear readers!