Uprooting the Weeds!

" Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43: 18-19 (NIV)

Happy Monday! I hope everyone is off to a good start. I know, I am. Over the weekend, I had a "rewind" episode, playing in my head. My mind took me back to some events that occurred last year. I recalled how the actions of one individual led to the demise of my job. It was not only hard to swallow at the time because of the financial troubles it created but I also found myself hating this particular individual with a passion. Soon my emotions of pain, hurt and betrayal yielded to more than I could bargain for .Slowly but surely, I was filling my mind, my heart and my soul with weeds. Those weeds were anger, bitterness, resentment, hatred and unforgiveness. Those were unattractive, undesirable and troublesome feelings that I allow to grow wild where they are not supposed to thrive: My heart. My heart should be a sanctuary for God, a temple for His Holy Spirit. It simply happened because I kept dwelling on the past. I could not let go of the painful memories because it became an unhealthy way of coping. I found myself quickly in the prison of my past and it was very difficult to enjoy my life. How could I have any hope for the future to get better if my present appeared bleak.
It was not long before I felt convicted by the Holy Spirit to shake myself loose of the past hurts, past pains and past betrayals because these weeds were killing me softly. It was indeed time to do what God said in
Colossians 3:8 (NRS)

"But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth." and Colossians 3:13 (NRS) "Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." 

You might be thinking to yourself that : "All of this is easily said than done". I completely agree with you but no matter how much you find it difficult, it is totally worth trying. By making the decision to forgive, you are also shedding pounds of unwanted burdens. You are not doing the person who offended you a favor. In fact, you are setting yourself free. Yes, like others have mentioned it before, Forgiveness is really for you.

If we are hurting now as the result of another person's actions, we can reclaim the power we unknowingly handed them by forgiving them. In addition, we should no longer rehearse our past but only use it as a testament of "lessons learned". Rather, we should embrace our present and move on. As we do that, God's healing process can take place and restore our broken hearts. However, we must first commit to uproot the weeds today and heed the words of St. Paul in Philippians 3:13 (NLT)

" No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead."

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we are tired of holding on to our past hurts. Forgive us our trespasses as we learn to forgive those who have offended us. As we promise to let go of our painful past, we believe that you will do a new thing in our lives. We thank you Lord for the promises of Peace, Healing, Deliverance and Restoration that are given to everyone who chooses to cast their anxiety on You because You care (1 peter 5:7). In Jesus' Name. Amen!

May your life be a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God !

Abi

An Attitude of Gratitude.

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5 :18 (NLT)

I am sure you previously heard the following cliche: "your attitude determines your altitude". Today, I am taking the liberty of modifying it a little bit by saying : "An attitude of gratitude will determine our altitude". Altitudes are the milestones we want to reach, the dreams we want to accomplish, the goals we want to achieve. Along the way, we are faced with the reality that such heights are not attained without overcoming obstacles. Many who are now able to stand at the summit of the mountain of Success and Achievement will tell you that they first needed to go through the valley of despair, disappointment and discouragement. Our perfect example is Our Lord Jesus Christ. He did not allow the pains of the Cross and Golgotha from preventing Him to grasp the Glory of the Resurrection. I not only admire Jesus' total obedience to our Heavenly Father but I am also learning other facets of His personality. Jesus' attitude did not stink! Let me correct it for the purists out there: Jesus' attitude was above reproach. He never complained about dying for ungrateful sinners or having to do it all by Himself. He did not have a " Why Me? " attitude. Rather, He remained in a posture of humility and wore a " Thank God" attitude. Jesus knew that because of His sacrifice, everyone who would accept Him and call upon His Name, would  be saved and receive eternal life. So, He was thankful.

You see, I can use few pointers myself from Jesus' life. I woke up this morning with a phone call  and some email that really upset me. The news were discouraging. All I wanted to do was to crawl in my bed and lament all day.However,something inside of me encouraged me to see the " glass half-full" rather than "half-empty". I believe that it is the Holy spirit who is constantly teaching me to renew my mind and change my attitude.  We must realize that our enemy ,satan ,will always send us some distractions in order for us to fail. Always remember that the devil can see where God is taking us. He knows that God has a great future and plans  for  us (Jeremiah 29: 11) and that is why he will do everything in his capacity to block or destroy our destiny. We can either fall for his tricks or change our attitude towards the problem we face. I don't know what has been troubling you lately? Maybe it does not seem as if you are making some progress. Maybe, you think that life has been unfair to you and you will never make it. Be comforted because God says in

Jeremiah 32: 27:

"I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" (NIV)

Absolutely NOT! God can transform our circumstances instantly according to his timing and Will. While, we are waiting,we should keep on pressing. We should  count our blessings and adopt an Attitude of Gratitude.

I started a " Gratitude journal" where I write 5 things that happened during the day and that I am grateful for. This simple but yet powerful exercise allows me to keep my attitude in check and to recognize that God is in control and the last time I checked Jesus is still seated on the Throne,at the right hand of the Father. So who cares what the world would bring tome today ? I am thankful that God woke me up this morning, that's enough for me to praise Him. Hallelujah! What are you grateful for today, every day? Write it down!

Prayer: Dear Holy Spirit, please teach and show us how to be thankful regardless if things are good or bad. Empower us to have the mind of Christ,which will allow us to conquer every situation we face no matter the difficulty. We thank God that He cares and sees us even in the midst of our struggles. He will not give us more than we can bear and will provide a way out for us when it becomes unbearable (1 Corinthians 10:13). Help us, Lord Jesus, to keep running for the prize of the higher calling that is found in you alone. In Jesus' Name. Amen!

May your life be a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God !

Abi

Arise!

"I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house." Mark 2:11 (ASV)

This was Jesus' command to a man who was paralyzed for many years. In fact, the paralytic man's friends lowered the mat he was laying on through the roof's opening of the house where Jesus was ministering since they could not go through the front door. The paralytic man's friends were committed to get him to Jesus. Thank God for compassionate and caring friends such as these. When he got there, one would think that Jesus would lay hands on him or even say a prayer. But no! Jesus, who saw the faith of his friends ,simply said a word: "Arise!"
At first, you might think that Jesus was being harsh towards the man. However, I am learning that Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is very intentional. Every word ,that proceeds out of His mouth, serves a purpose.
In the Webster dictionary, the verb " to arise" means:

"to come up from a lower to a higher position ; to come up from one's bed or place of repose; to act a part, to become operative."

This revelation blessed me tremendously because Jesus not only intended to heal the man but our Lord wanted him to become an active participant of the healing he was longing for. Hallelujah!
I don't know about you but I experienced a lot of trials in 2011 that left me paralyzed. I found myself in chains that bound my health, my finances, my mind and my soul. I also know that I am not alone. So many of us are battling incredible tribulations that are keeping us in spiritual bondage. Whatever our situation may be, Jesus is telling us today: "Arise!"
The same Jesus, who lives in us through his Holy Spirit is empowering to do two things:

1) To take up our mat: These are all the problems, tribulations and limitations that are preventing us from moving forward. Jesus is inviting us to leave "this mat" at the foot of  His cross and He will handle it.

2) To go to our house: We have to make a conscious decision to rise above our heartaches, depression, pity parties, failures, disappointments in order for us to reach a place where Victory is awaiting us. This is achieved by trusting in the power of the Great Healer and Divine Physician, Jesus. Nothing more, Nothing less.

I am a living witness that the things mentioned above are not easy to do but they are necessary if we want to overcome. Fortunately for us, we can cry out to our Heavenly Father and confess the Word of God  like the prophet Isaiah did:

"but Yahweh will arise on you, and his glory shall be seen on you." Isaiah 60: 2 (ASV)

Today, my dear sister or brother in Christ, I am asking you to touch and agree with me  and believe that God will arise over us despite of the difficulties we are facing right now.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are the King of Glory, strong and mighty. Nothing is too hard for you. We come before you today as your dear children in Christ Jesus. Father God, please Arise on our lives! Arise on our spiritual life! Arise on our prayer time! Arise on our health! Arise on our finances! Arise on our workplaces! Arise on our businesses! Arise on our family and loved ones! Arise on our relationships! Arise on everything which concerns us! May you restore us to a place of healing and Victory! In Jesus most powerful Name, we pray. Amen!

May your life be a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God !

Abi