The View From Over Here

A question that I once asked, that I am still asking, and that I have been asked is, “what is next after I say yes to God?” The truth is that every day has to continue to be yes. The thing that irritated me most about asking the above question was that people would always tell me to pray. I felt like I was dying and all they had to say to me was pray!!!!! Looking back, that was the best answer that they could have given me because I was in fact dying. You will go through a phase where God has to burn up all your old ideals and introduce His way of thinking and living to you. I’m still going through this phase.

Like a fine car, you have to continue to maintain the lessons and delivery that God wants to and is going to give you. You have to listen to the Holy Spirit. This can be hard because even as a born again believer, the world and its ways are still attractive. Every day I am challenged to change my response to life’s situations, my mind set, and the things I like because they are still fleshly in many ways. You have to be able to recognize the areas in your life that you need to die in. You have to know what God is telling you to do for your deliverance. You may not be able to handle the same environment that another Christian that you may know can handle. What is God saying to you?

Be the example despite opposition. There will be times when you don’t feel like praying and there will be times when you just want to throw in the towel and be like everyone else, but you must remember that you were created to be different. You must know how to stand your ground in Christ even when you are uncomfortable and disliked for it. Every day I’m challenged to love me and everything that makes me unique. I recommend the story of Daniel for those that feel the pressure of opposition. Have the wisdom to know when to fight and when to pray.

I’m still learning to be ok with my process. You have to do the same. God’s plan for your life may not match where He is taking another person, so stop questioning God about what He is and what He is not doing. I’m still learning that God does not have to do anything for me. This lesson humbles me because I like to remain in the place of who am I that God should even think of me. My desire is God above all things. Yes I want the same things that any woman would want, but my desire is that God will be pleased with what man does not see in my life.

Don’t beat yourself up because of your imperfections. You are not and will never be perfect, if you were, what would you need God for? Allow repentance and confession to be your best friend. It’s ok to be real with God. He is your dad and He already knows what you are going through and feeling anyway. I had to learn how to see and receive God as my father. This lesson will help you to receive His love. Yes, God really does love you and yes, out of 7 billion people on earth, He really does know your name.

You have a destiny and a purpose with your name on it. The process will bring you closer to it. I have to constantly remind myself to be content with what God is doing in my life. The process can be painful, but it is necessary. God will never allow you to go through something without gaining both a lesson and a testimony. Your perspective of the process is what will make it bearable. Who is God training you to be?

Along the way you will lose friends and you will seemingly lose yourself in the process. Everything that I thought I wanted was changed through Christ. I thought that my life would go a certain way or rather, I thought that my life should be going in a certain direction, but God has more for me.

One thing that I have to tell myself to do almost every second is remember to live. Don’t allow life or worries to keep you from God’s best. One thing I don’t want to do is wake up and wonder what I have done with my life. Never cease to pray. Life in Christ is beautiful, but it’s all about the window of life that you are choosing to look out of.

I’m writing this blog from a place of being an incomplete vessel who God is still working on. I’m imperfect and I still fall short, but I desire to be teachable and able to share what I have learned and what I am still learning with others.

Recommended Reading:

“For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6).

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JaNina B.

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