Give Me Jesus

"You can have all this world, just give me Jesus."

The words to this popular Christian song have been ringing in my head. I've been singing it over and over. I was challenged by it though...what does it mean? How many times do we sing a song along with the radio and not give any thought to what we are saying. Whatever we sing and proclaim is what we come into agreement with, good or bad. Think about that. What are your kids listening to and proclaiming over themselves? It says in the Word that "Death and life are in the power of the tongue"( Proverbs 18:21). Notice that 'death' comes first. This is a big deal! What we say helps to create the atmosphere in which we live. Our thoughts that become words spoken out of our  mouths are building blocks for our future.

I am learning that I really like to have control. When I'm not in control I become anxious. I want to know the outcome and every detail that goes into it. I am also learning that that is not how God works. He is in ultimate control. I sing "just give me Jesus" but inside I am saying "give me Jesus and everything else that I need to be comfortable and maintain control". When situations arise where we release control (either willingly or unwillingly) we have to have total faith in God. Faith is defined as "complete trust or confidence in someone or something". Having faith is no easy task. It takes renewing of the mind and a lot of courage. I have found myself in a place of releasing control and putting total trust in God. I have a lot of questions and not many answers but I know that He is faithful. I am challenging myself to change the words that are coming out of my mouth. Instead of "How is this going to work, Lord?", I am starting to say "I know you are going to work this out, Lord.". I want you to join me. Put your faith in God and remember that He is never going to let you down.

Freedom

What does freedom look like to you? For me, it looks like liberation from bondage. In my case, bondage is defined as negative mindsets, fear, and unrealistic expectations. Sometimes I have a hard time trusting God (gasp!). It is flipping hard some days. Yes, God is good all the time and all the time God is good. The problem is not with Him, it's with me. It says in 2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom". What does that mean? I had a revelation recently and the Lord showed me that when we become born again we are given the Holy Spirit, he dwells INSIDE of us. That in turn, means that because the Spirit of the Lord is IN us, freedom is also IN us. Because, "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom"!!! That encouraged the heck out of me. We automatically have freedom, we just have to take hold of it. I've said it a hundred times and I'll say it again, faith is not about feelings. We have to push past the junk, the mindsets, the lies and walk in the freedom that is inside of us.

"So if the Son sets you free, you WILL be free indeed." John 8:36 NIV (emphasis mine)

He is good and we are liberated.

Keep Going

               Sometimes it's hard to keep going. Discouragement creeps up on me almost daily. I want to encourage you today that you are powerful! God has blessed you with certain attributes and skills because He knows that those are what you need to be successful! I have been blessed with the skill of writing. I love to write and I'm pretty good at it BUT I have let fear keep me from consistency and obedience in this certain calling. I have blog ideas frequently but I never post because I'm "too busy" or "too scared" or I don't feel worthy. I have let lies determine my future. Those lies have knocked me off course and broken me down. I pray that through this post, you can see that its ok to fall down....I've been down for about a year! Though we fall, we must look to God and have Him help us remember our "WHY". My WHY is freedom. Writing gives me an outlet to deal with the pain of my past while reaching toward an amazing future. It helps me to encourage myself and (hopefully) others. God needs you. He needs you to get up and keep going no matter how slow you move. When you are weak, He is strong. Draw from that strength and I encourage you to make one small move today in the direction of your calling!

Love,
Kennedy