I reflect daily on what God has brought me through because it's so much; big and small! I literally hit a praise dance, stomp, yell (lol) AT LEAST once a day. The fact that I'm saved and still alive in my right mind.... cause I've had a wrong mind lol! I have a recovering wrong mind lol! I think sometimes we as humans rate our life circumstances and say that some people can't have a testimony because of their circumstances being better than others, but that sounds stupid lol. I was raised in a Christian home, but that didn't get me a "Get out of jail free" card with sin. I still was a slave to sex, cussing, drinking, clubbing, emotional instability, lack of self worth, runaway thought life, etc. etc. and I had to get out of that.
You can say that some people just "grow out of it", which may be true, BUT, I think that COMING OUT OF IT is a purposeful choice, but more on that later...
The Lord wrecked my heart about a month ago. Like, 2am and I have to be at work in 4 hours and I was sitting up feeling convicted. He impressed on my heart that I went through a lot in my teen and adult life and none of it was in vain. He didn't bring me out for me to keep it to myself and contain it. The Bible says in Matthew 5: 14 and 15, "14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house."
One of the verses I'm learning this week says, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost." (2 Corinthians 4:3). Because of ALL that God has done and is continuing to do, I can't afford to hide it. I have no idea why God didn't allow me to stay enslaved to all of my sins, why I didn't end up pregnant out of wedlock, or with some incurable sexually transmitted disease, but He did. That's enough! For that reason alone, I ought to be testifying and sharing what He's done in my life with others. I CANNOT afford not to!
So that night, a month ago, God opened my eyes to 1) what He's brought me through but 2) how the issues that He brought me from are areas that just about most teenagers and young adults struggle through and that many don't come out of. My experiences give me a greater responsibility to reach out to others and tell them that they don't have to do what I did... they don't have to search for what I searched for. The Bible also says (I sound like a broken record lol), "28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 God can take your MESS and turn it into a MESSAGE- I'm a WITNESS!
Things happen. Circumstances stink at times. I would've never wished what I've gone through on any one because it was such a low time for me that I willfully put myself through because of my own spiritual immaturity, BUT, it's taught me that I can't afford to stay down and wallow in what's going on (especially if I willingly took myself to it) because someone out there needs to know that I was "DELIVERT!" and know how to be delivered too.
Think about your testimony. If God has saved you, it gives you a testimony. How can you take your testimony and use it as a platform to help someone else? Think back to the Woman at the Well. Her testimony of how Jesus changed her life spurred others to salvation.
Don't stay down! Someone needs you to be delivered! The Great Commission illustrates how we need to take the free gift of salvation that we've received and share it so that it spreads to the world. Someone somewhere is relying on you!
I wish I could just post a small clip of this video, BUT I don't know how lol. I LOVE Sarah Jakes Roberts. Her book, "Lost and Found'... YES! Go read it. She's married to the Pastor of One Church LA, and I watch their services sometimes. Fast forward this video to 41:00. PS the man on the right side worshippin... YES! lol
The short versions of it is, " You see, as long as the enemy can make you think your trial is about you, he can isolate you... but there's victory on the other side. As long as our minds are limited in thinking that I have to survive, and I have to make it or this is about me, then we don't see the generation of people on the other side who need us to persevere, who need us to push, who need us to make it through our trials and tribulations... On the other side of your worship is my liberation. You could liberate an entire people if you would dare to open your mouth and worship..." WHEW! I've listened that like 10 times in the last 24 hours lol.
Signed. Sealed. Delivered.
Wow. Can I just say that my phone is playing all of my songs on random and these are the 2 songs that have played while I'm writing this:
Blessin' In Your Lesson- Isaac Caree ft. Leandria Leandria's testimony and praise break... YES!
That's God, not a coincidence. Both of these things bless me repeatedly. I mean, I will go into a hardcore shout and praise in my car with these 2 LOL!
Dear God, I love you! You are just so amazing! I will never know why you love me so much; I'm so undeserving of all that you do for me. I pray for anyone reading this, Lord. Help them to know that in Your eyes, they are never too far gone for you to bring them back. I pray that everyone reading this acknowledges they have a testimony that can be used to further your gospel and deliver someone else from whatever strongholds they may be experiencing. Help them to know that in You is repentance of any and all sins, and new life from free all of it is within reach. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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Thank you for this post!
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