Author: charmikabrown

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DISTRACTIONS: Fix Your Focus

charmikabrown

Matthew 14:28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw [a]that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (NKJV)

In life, it’s inevitable that we’re going to go through trials and tribulations (storms) of many kind…

[1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”-NKJV]

[James 1:2-3 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience]

When we read and think about the physical storm Peter, and the other disciples, were in, we have to also remember who was there with them. As it was brought to my remembrance that: the very same storm they were in when Jesus calmed the sea was the very same storm that was taking place when Peter decided to take a leap of faith and walk on water. He heard the voice of Jesus comand him to “come” and he felt that it was safe to step outside of “the boat” and literally walk on water.(metaphorically, the boat could represent our comfort zones) With as great of faith as that, Peter trusted The Lord BUT, he began to get distracted by the conditions of the storm. He took his eyes and attention off of Jesus and fear began to grip Peter, causing him to sink.

How many times have we received a word from the Lord to launch out into the deep and out of shallow places but, allowed fear to grip us; hindering us from making further steps into where we were commanded to go? How many times have we allowed fear to take the place of faith in our lives because of what we’re hearing, seeing and feeling within the storm; causing us to take our attention off of The Problem Solver and onto the problem? Have we forgotten His Word(s) because we’re blinded mentally and spiritually by fear, doubt, anxiety, depression, oppression and everything else that hinders us from staying afloat and focused? (refer to Hebrews 12:1). Have we forgotten about what God has done and what He’s capable of doing?

God has already spoken The Word on several occasions to TRUST HIM and yet many of us allow things we experience and see, in the midst of a storm, to blind and distract us from His Truth. He told us these things will be so that we can prepare. His Word says that we’re being pruned and molded. So these things we’re experiencing in life, particularly during this pandemic, aren’t only DISTRACTIONS to keep us from clearly discerning and hearing God but, they’re illusions as well. What some of us think is happening isn’t happening. Many of our discernment has been tampered with by The Accuser (the one who deceives). He has come as a false witness/prophet to the ones who were once strong in the faith & are now gradually beginning to doubt and question God saying, “Lord, if this is really you, then…”. THE LORD has never changed on us but, many times we get into situations and all of a sudden we’re questioning if God is actually there in the midst of it to deliver us out.

We don’t have to panic or lose our focus in any storm IF we trust God and stand firmly on His Word and His promises. No matter how strong the winds may blow: [no matter what you see/hear in the media, no matter how much pain you may feel right now, physically and/or emotionally, no matter how many times you’ve heard what “they” had to say, no matter what your relationship status looks like right now] or how hard the rain may fall, STAY FOCUSED!! STAY AFLOAT!! We can think we’re so strong in our faith walk until we’re hit with a test or challenge that reveals just how strong we truly are. Many of us, as believers, are being exposed during this 2020/2021 pandemic. So many has put their faith and confidence in what man has said instead of us putting our weight & confidence on what God has already said, long before any world crisis began.

FEAR was the very thing that distracted Peter from walking all the way to Jesus. Yes, he stepped out on faith but, he didn’t remain confident. God remains faithful even when we don’t. Yes, He’ll come through and deliver us but, He expects us to never waiver in our faith because without it, it’s impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6; also refer to Romans 5:1-5).

[2Tim. 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”]

This message is also a reminder for me to go the distance in my faith walk and never waiver. We can talk the talk but, are we totally walking the walk…all the way? Are we practicing what we’re preaching when it comes to FAITH IN GOD? You don’t have to answer out loud but, many of us are already being exposed either way. NOW is the time to redirect your attention and spiritual eyes BACK towards God and walk confidently with Him. He knew we would face obstacles and He has already provided a way for us to escape and conquer them, when we’re faced with them. Don’t allow any emotions, that you may currently be feeling, separate you (or continue to keep a wedge/distance) away from God and all He has to offer. Yes, He’s always ready to deliver us if and/or when we fall but, we don’t have to if we put less faith in people, places and things and more faith in The Almighty God, who is able to keep us from falling (Jude 24).

Romans 8:35-39 (NKJV) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulations, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.]

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Spiritual Detoxification

charmikabrown

First, let’s define what it means to detox, the benefits detoxification has on our body and how/why it’s just as crucial to our physical health as it is our spiritual health.

Detoxification, through regimen or treatment, is purification of intoxicating or addictive substances from our body.

Simply put, to detox is to become clean and pure of waste and toxins that could destroy and kill us from the inside out. There are several different ways to detox and cleanse our body of these toxins. What we eat and intake could cause our body to become full of impurities and/or backed up with waste so, eating better & healthier is a great place to start in the detoxication process. I’ve learned that purification on the inside also causes our skin to become healthier as well. So the cleansing within manifests outwardly; including in the way we further live our lives; becoming more confident and consciously aware about what we’re putting in our bodies.

Now, how does all of this relate to me spiritually, you might ask? In our day to day, we spiritually eat (intake) certain things that are poisonous or toxic to our spiritual being. Words we regularly allow to enter our gateways are sometimes detrimental to our spiritual growth/health; we wear the environment(s) we’re regularly in and gradually become a product of that environment. If the environments are filled with impurities, our soul feeds on that; just as it would a positive, clean environment. What are spiritually impure? Let’s refer to The Word of God:

Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. (NIV)

Galatians 5: 19 The result of sin’s control in our lives is clear. It includes sexual immorality, impurity and wild living, 20 worshiping false gods, doing witchcraft, hating, making trouble, being jealous, being angry, being selfish, making people angry with each other, causing divisions among people, 21 having envy, being drunk, having wild and wasteful parties, and doing other things like this. I warn you now as I warned you before: Those who do these things will not be in God’s kingdom. (ICB)

These that are listed, according to God, are impure. They may feel good to us physically. Some of us may even indulge heavily in a number of these and get a great bit of pleasure in fulfilling these but, spiritually they lead to our eternal death. If you believe in Heaven and Hell & God and Satan, then you already know that if scripture says impurities aren’t welcome in God’s kingdom, it’s welcomed in Satan’s. Simple. There comes a time in our life that if we want better, we have to choose to do and become better. Not just better in our eyes (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25) but, in the eyes of God if we want access in His Kingdom. The First thing we must do is go through the purification process by confessing ALL our sins to God (1 John 1:9)…REPENTANCE!

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 3For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4that each of you know how to [d]possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;

[Also refer to 2 Corinthians 7:1 and Proverbs 51:7-10]

Then, once we become cleansed and pure, we must STAY pure! We become spiritually backed up with waste when we hold on to bitterness and hate, when we become unforgiven and confrontational, easily offended by The Truth, envious and vengeful. We also become filled with toxins by returning back to toxic situations and/or relationships and environments. The easy part maybe to confess and believe we’re free (FAITH) but, the sanctification process is THE WORK we must put in in order to continue living a life that’s God-pleasing. In order to maintain toxin free, we have to stay away from toxins. Simple as that. The same discipline we have for our physical body to detox and refrain from impurities, we need that same discipline for our spiritual body. We can’t do that though without God coaching and teaching us. Self control is a fruit of the spirit that we grow by doing our part, morally and spiritually. Aren’t fruits a healthy part of our physical body as well?

THINK ABOUT IT: Everything we do here on Earth is parallel to the spirit realm. Life on Earth (our physical body) however is temporary but, our spiritual body is eternal. Take care of it.

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The Power is in Your Mouth!

charmikabrown

#ThePowerOfTheTongue #VoiceCommand

What we speak and believe, we cause to activate in our life. When we hear & speak something enough, we begin to believe it; We become it by ACTING upon it. You can call it “The Law of Attraction” or FAITH.

There’s a realm higher than the Earth that is sensitive to our voice (even our voice in our mind). Things activate in those realms (in high places) by what we command here on Earth. For example: just like Alexa, Google Home or any other voice activated device. They don’t work until we SPEAK THE WORD(S).

We have more power than many of us know! “Not our will but, Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven” is not just something we’re commanded to pray just bcuz it sounds good. Those words activates Heaven & causes things to happen in our life that’s in alignment with the will of God.

May I encourage you to be more intentional and aware about what you’re speaking into and over your life? Be more mindful about who and what you believe (words spoken in the mind/heart) that opens up certain portals & causes certain commands to become active over your life. WORDS HAVE POWER!!! Not just the words we speak out into the atmosphere but, also the words we speak within has just as much power to destroy us from the inside out. #Guardyourgateways

Eph6:10-18

2Corinthians10:3-6

Philippians4:4-9

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Asking “Hard” Questions: The TRUTH Will Make You Free

charmikabrown

👉🏾DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK “HARD” QUESTIONS👈🏾
(I’m referring to relationships of any kind); Especially if we wanna grow. We have to challenge ourselves at becoming a better partner, parent and an overall better person, in general by asking questions that may make us a bit uncomfortable to hear but, nurturing for our spiritual growth. 💧🌱🌳🍏

Some ppl shy away or refrain from asking certain questions because they are afraid and/or not mentally/emotionally mature enough to handle the response. 9x out of 10, the fear of asking comes from us already knowing the answer to the question(s) at hand. (THE TRUTH)
Some ppl just think not acknowledging reality keeps them “safe” & secure in their comfortable, false sense of reality. It’s an illusion, y’all…springing up from the seed of DELUSION!! #2Cor10:4-5 #2Thess2:9-12

👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

True safety and freedom comes from becoming #transparent and honest. The safest place, ever, is in THE WILL OF GOD! He wants to uncover (expose) us from the blanket of sin (guilt, shame, darkness) & clothe/cover us with His love, Truth & light. Once we begin to #confess some things with our mouth, we break free from it’s bondage/stronghold(s). It’s one thing to speak within but, {as I shared before} certain commands opens certain portals into the spirit realm once we open up our mouth and speak the words. #1John1:9

We live what we believe but, are we living lies or are we living THE TRUTH?

👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾
FYI: not our truth bcuz our truth is often what we, flawed individuals, thought up ourselves

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Compassion. Patience. Forgiveness. Faith.

charmikabrown
 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. -1 Corinthians 13:4-8

#Compassion #Patience #Forgiveness #Faith Words that God keeps ministering to me about. As believers and followers of Christ, & I’m not talking about just a religious follower (Christianity), there are going to be A LOT of things we have to force ourselves (flesh) to forgive through, press through, love through and have compassion for. It’s a “force” because the flesh wars against the the spirit of God and -truth be told, we’re not ALWAYS in the spirit . Sometimes we get to a place in God and forget we too had to grow to where we are and somebody was patient with us & had compassion towards us. Though God is very much able to keep us from all hurt, harm and danger, He’s also able to keep us from falling. So don’t get comfortable with the idea of falling. However, God already knows He has children not as strong in the faith as others and we all are going to “fall” short, in one area or another. YET HIS LOVE LIFTS US, STRENGTHENS US, COMFORTS US, & FIGHTS FOR US❤️😭🙌🏾🙏🏾 I’m not saying we have to agree with everything people say and do but, remember also where we used to be. #SantificationIsAProcess. It takes some longer than others to get there but, GET THERE! We all have to WORK towards becoming better than yesterday; pressing towards the mark of a higher calling in CHRIST JESUS. Don’t become stagnant/complacent. Don’t expect to fall from grace; don’t expect to fall into the traps that was set by the enemy when God already provided a way for us to escape (1 Cor. 10:13). Serve God with THE FAITH/BELIEF THAT YOU’RE GOING TO CONQUER & WIN💪🏾 PERIOD!!! Many people choose not to fully surrender to God thinking, “I seen others fall & play with God & I don’t wanna be like them”. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE LIKE THEM BECAUSE YOU AREN’T THEM! Just BE who & what God called YOU to be! With that being said, everyone who fell, myself included, didn’t stay down, btw. As a matter of fact, I fight that much harder to #standandLive. I refuse to be bullied and defeated and you all don’t have to be either. I’m learning though, thanks to some good friends reminding me, that I extend more grace to people than I do myself but, in my defense, it’s just my way of self discipling 🤷🏾‍♀️😊 However, I received the message: Forgiveness is for ourselves just as much as God expects us to extend it to others. ❤️💙❤️

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Boomerang

charmikabrown

It’s something about #Real Love. Lust and/or infatuation doesn’t even come close to this type of feeling I’m talking about & once you recognize it & get a taste of it, you’re no longer interested in the knockoffs and watered down imitations. #RealLove will have you trying to find some way to stay connected to people who have hurt you; not because you’re being a fool but because of grace and #compassion💜 You see beyond the person and the situation & the love of Christ covers a multitude of their fault (1Peter4:8). However, it’s not until the pruning process begins that the disconnection✂️ takes place. There are a lot of things we dislike about our loved ones but, yet that love we have for them remains intact. I recently seen a Facebook post from one of my spiritual sisters that said, “Seek God’s truth & don’t be afraid of what you may find” & that really stuck out to me because – sometimes we refrain from praying 🙏🏾 certain prayers or searching for certain things due to “fear” of learning #thetruth. #PerfectLove removes ALL FEAR (1John4:18) & some would rather live a lie (in darkness) than to learn the truth about themselves and the people around/connected to them. There’s a time and season for everything under the Sun (Ecc.3) where the wheat and tare grows together until GOD does the separating (Matt.13:24-30). He knows, for a lot of us, we can’t pull away from some people on our own when its time to outgrow them and our environments & that’s when He steps in ✂️ to eliminate the weeds. Don’t be afraid to #LOVE, frfr! Don’t be afraid of THE TRUTH, even if that includes being uncomfortable for a while. Don’t continue walking and stumbling in darkness (blind, confused, restless, without peace). Don’t be afraid to grow up and grow away from certain ppl/places/things. The saying is, “If you love someone, let ’em go…” because REAL LOVE does not bound in anyway, shape or form and it gives freedom to error, learn, and evolve. #SeekLove#SeekTruth#SeekGrowth#SeekWisdom#SeekCompassion#SeekPatience#SeekForgiveness#AndYouShallFind👀🙏🏾🤲🏾❤ OAN: Don’t forget to also #LOVEYOURSELF‼

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The Reveal

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Reveal is defined, to make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others but, what about when we’re personally being revealed to ourselves? There are things hidden in us at times that we’re not always aware of. Let’s think about this in the physical for a moment. We sometimes get regular check-ups (sometimes we don’t) but, there maybe something present within our body that we didn’t even have knowledge of. Once we find out in time and catch the issue early on, we could have a much better chance a survival. Not only that, by early detecting the issue, we’re now able to get a head start on battling and conquering the problem. Rather it may be something major or minor.

Hebrew 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.“

Spiritually, there are hidden sins in us at times that aren’t always known to us until a certain situation occurs. We may have the wrong perception about a person and prejudge them based on an assumption. We could still be holding on to a painful situation, planting a “bitterness seed” & giving birth to unforgiveness; and the emotions doesn’t rise until that person enters your presence. There are times where we could be holding on to weights, unknowingly but, when we’re fervently praying and asking God to create in us a clean heart and renew the RIGHT spirit within us; when we seek Him diligently & sincerely asking to help us to become more like Him, He HAS to expose and reveal those things hidden in darkness (that isn’t pleasing to Him) to the light.

Scenario: You’re in a relationship with someone (could be friendship, partnership, or only business related) and whom you thought they were, you’re beginning to see characteristics within them and patterns that tells you they can no longer be trusted. Their behavior has caused you to clearly see the wolf in sheep’s clothing. They betrayed your trust by saying and/or doing something dishonest and hurtful and you’re angry! How do you handle yourself and the situation? How do you respond (either physically or verbally)?

See, sometimes we think just because the truth about someone is revealed, now they’re character is exposed. However, we don’t just find out about their secret place, our response to hurt, anger, and betrayal will also expose OUR secret place as well. Luke 8:17 “For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known or come to light.” Our strength and weaknesses are often times revealed when we experience a test; some we pass and some test we fail. I heard someone say, “When life presses you, what comes out?” We go throughout the day prayerfully but, not always watchful; not always paying attention to what we’re allowing into our gateways (refer to previous blog topic “Keeping Our Gateways Holy”) & eventually contaminating our heart and body with impurities and soon comes out of our mouth and actions.

Tribulations are test to show us, more than God because He already knows what’s imbedded on the inside of us (Psalm 139), where we are in our faith walk and where God wants to elevate us to. There are some things within us God wants to uproot, demolish, tear down & reconstruct just so we look more like a reflection of Him; So that we develop more Christ-like characteristics. James 1:2-3 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” God gives revelation [1)an act of revealing or communicating divine truth; 2)something that is revealed by God to humans; making known; an enlightening or astonishing disclosure] to us in many ways and each obstacle we encounter is God’s way of revealing more and more to us the things that’s been hidden in secret around us and within us. (Daniel 2:22)

Sanctification is most definitely a journey and over a course of time, we gradually, or we’re suppose to, grow into who and what Our Heavenly Father wants us to become. Which means, we’ll have to do a self inventory (a spiritual check-up) to see what needs healing, repairing & uprooting. With that being said, exposure isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We may not always like how it happens but, the outcome of exposure could lead to deliverance of bondage, weights and sin. 1 Cor. 4:5 “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.” When we genuiely want to be more Christ-like, we embrace exposure & revelation because we’re willing to put in the work to transform and grow.

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Keeping Our Gateways HOLY

charmikabrown

During this 2020 pandemic, there has been a lot of talk about keeping our gateways cover from COVID-19 so that we’re not exposed to the virus but, what about keeping our gateways covered under the blood of Jesus from all negative influences?

Many of us (as a society and generation) are so quick to expose ourselves to: the wrong conversation(s) and words; things that enters the gateway of our ears. We watch the wrong things (including but not limited to: the lust of the eyes; the media) that enters the gateways of our eyes. We freely expose ourselves to these toxicities through our gateways-infecting our mind, body and soul. (Acts 28:26-27; Jeremiah 5:21)

Through perilous times such as these, we must keep our eyes and ears sanctified and holy (Romans 12:-1-2) so that we can hear what the spirit has to say to our “personal” church, clearly (Matt. 11:15; John 8:47; John 10:27; Isaiah 30:21/55:3 ; Psalm 85:8;) and so that we’re abled to see clearly; the things that Satan wants hidden and disguised by putting scales over our eyes. Things that God wants to be revealed and known unto us. (Acts 26:18; Ephesians 1:18/5:11; John 3:19-21). Negative exposure through our eyes and ears infects our heart and our mind and soon spreads through out; poisoning our body (soul). That’s why the bible says in Proverbs 4:23 to “Keep (guard) your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Philippians 4:6-7; Luke 6:45).  

We all deal with issues in our life, and this pandemic is one them for all of us. So much of what we’re seeing and hearing in the media could damage and contaminate our entire soul (fear and doubt) if we’re not covered under the blood of Jesus, if we’re not trusting His Word(s), and if we’re not guarding our gateways from toxicities in the spirit realm (negative energy). 

Our enemy, Satan, has manage to infiltrate the body of Christ and he’s seeking to destroy The Body through our gateways…our eyes and ears (refer to the book of Jude). The church is apart of The Body of Christ and aren’t we also “the church”? So the enemy has seeped through areas that we have left open by exposing ourselves to negativity, UNCOVERED! God wants us to separate ourselves from darkness in order to follow Him into the light and into the ark of safety (1 John 1:1-10; John 8:12; Isaiah 60:1-22). God wants us to fill our gateways with things that are pure so that we don’t have any room for anything opposite. (Philippians 4:6-9). The less room we make for God, the more space the enemy has to roam and fill; speaking into our subconscious thoughts and telling us the things that are contrary to The Word of God. The less we expose our gateways (eyes/ears) to the things that are holy and God-pleasing, the more we leave ourselves opened and exposed to the enemy…putting ourselves at risk for a spiritual & eternal death where many are in eternal and constant agony (Matt. 25:41-46; Revelation 20:10; 21:8; Romans 6:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; James 1:15; Daniel 12:2). 

Before it’s too late, we have time NOW, to give The Father all of us! He’s merciful to warn us and give us an opportunity to make room for Him in our hearts. He’s a great big god so he needs more than a small part of us; more than a small portion of our heart. He needs every inch of us. TOTALLY! He came that we may have life abundantly but, if we fail to surrender all to Him and submit our ways to HIS AUTHORITY, we can not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt.7:21; 25:31-34)

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STAND STILL: Let the Dirt Do the Work

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It’s too uncomfortable where you are & you gotta get away. Out of sight. Out of Mind. That makes it easier to get over hurt from specific things and people, right? You don’t have to see them or be in their presence because it’s a consistent reminder of what happened & now you’re healed and over it, right? But, what if you’re forced to stay there in the midst of that hurt? What if God allowed things to happen around you and in your life that forced you to remain right there in the very place that’s painful & uncomfortable…to face the individual(s) that caused your pain…to face what always causes you to run/move away from?

THE ALMIGHTY GOD WANTS GROWTH OUT OF US. He wants us to be strong in the faith & strong in the mind. He wants us to gain spiritual muscle through our experiences and pain (James 2). It’s easy to walk away but, it takes strength to fight. It’s not a fight of the fist but, a fight in the spirit (Ephesians 6:12), in prayer, to submit our ways & our thoughts (2Cor.10:5; Philp.2:5) to God in order to get through what we’re going through & to OVERCOME those familiar patterns. With that being said, sometimes God will instruct us to STAND STILL (Exodus 14:13-14, Psalm 37:7, 46:10-14). We allow our emotions, our frustrations and anger to move us prematurely and react without talking to God and WAITING on His response. We make decisions based on how we feel in the moment. LOGICALLY: We’re human & we do things any human would do, right? The thing about that is, it doesn’t work for God; THE HOLY SPIRIT. He knows more than anybody that we’re human and he knows exactly what all of us can and cannot handle. In addition, if we’re going through it [whatever “it” is], HE KNOWS that we can handle it (1 Cor. 10:13) and already have a way out of it for us. We just have to apply HIS word to our flesh/pain. SPEAK LIFE OVER A DEAD SITUATION and sometimes we have to do it while remaining in the eye of the storm.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT OUR PERSONALITY, CHARACTER AND OUR ENTIRE BEING, SUBMITS TO THE WILL OF GOD (Romans 8) because, if not, we end up making moves and decisions that we suffer the consequences for later. It takes faith to wait, be patient, and STAND STILL just as it does to move. Especially when we’re uncomfortable. We say, “God, this doesn’t feel good & I don’t like it here. I’m leaving!” but, did he give you that command/instruction? The best way to get through life and any foggy ordeal, is to be led by God. HIS LIGHT. (Psalm 23, 119:105). We can not see our way without His light guiding us. And we know, when we’re going through pain, that’s usually our darkest hour/season. I encourage you to allow your faith in God to guide you, totally! I have no idea where my current test is going to lead me but, I TRUST that if I allow God to continue to guide me, I won’t error. I won’t stumble or fall. He sees beyond what we can see. He sees our finish line and already provided the door for us to walk through. We just have to TRUST that in the midst of Him instructing us to STAND STILL, He’s moving things/ppl out of the way, He’s working on that husband, on that child, on that co-worker/supervisor, HE’S WORKING ON US & HE’S MOVING ON OUR BEHALF. THINGS ARE WORKING IN OUR FAVOR for HIS PURPOSE. All he wants us to do is get out of His Way, remain in His Will & OBEY HIS INSTRUCTIONS.

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GROWING PAINS

charmikabrown

Once we become adults, at some point we have to learn to take responsibilities for our own actions. That’s apart of maturity & growth. Just because you were raised in a household where alcohol and/or drug abuse were the norm or maybe you never had people around you to show you how to be faithful or a real man/woman. Some behaviors are learned but, that’s no excuse.

Once you grow up & mature, you gain wisdom (Prov. 3:7, 14:16, 19:20; Eph. 5:15-17; James 3:17). The bad behavior you were so used to seeing in your childhood doesn’t have to control your adulthood. That painful past doesn’t have to determine & dictate your future. A so called “generational curse” only continues through generations until someone makes up in their mind that they’re gonna be different & break that chain.

Don’t get comfortable in your past. Don’t stay there. MOVE FORWARD! Sometimes we can get so comfortable & content because we’ve become accustom to the familiar. (Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”) We have to change our thought process (mind-set) in order to change self & once we change us, we can change our surroundings and our situation. When we’re going through hard times, we don’t have to make excuses for them or complain about them but, use them as guidelines for future tests. In other words, learn from the things you’ve encountered in life so you gain enough information from that particular situation so you won’t have to repeat it. And if it be so that a similar test presents itself to you, you’ll had already gain the knowledge/wisdom necessary to be able to pass that test (James 1:2-4; Prov. 19:20) .

God’s plan for us is that we prosper in life (Jeremiah 29:11). He allows us to go through difficult situations to mature us; emotionally, mentally, and spiritually (John 16:33) . Don’t stay stuck in your pass, in your pain but grow through it! Through all of my trials/tribulations I had to learn that what God wanted me to do most was pray/talk to him…that much more. It was in doing so that I gained strength to get through. I gained knowledge on how to handle the next trial. Sometimes we wanna tell this person & that person so much of what we’re going through with & yet remain weak; spiritually & emotionally. Why? Because we’re talking too much to the wrong person. Whom you’re confiding in may be telling all the things you wanna hear instead of what you NEED to hear. It’s good to vent to a person we trust to give us the truth but, the main one we need to be talking to about our issues is God. He’s the only one who has the power to bring us out. He says to cast ALL of our cares on HIM (1 Peter 5:7).

I encourage you to not just go through the pain but, GROW THROUGH THE PAIN. Allow yourself to, not only focus on the pass/pain to bask in it & have a pity-party but, allow yourself to focus on it enough to learn and see the patterns. You may not have had the best childhood but, you can CHOOSE to have a better future/adulthood. That’s the GROWTH part of the pain. You didn’t stay there (stagnate) but, you allowed yourself to move forward & ahead out of that situation. Don’t be ashamed of what WAS in your life because there’s also purpose behind that pain. A PROSPEROUS FUTURE!