So here are a couple of spiritual lessons that dropped into my life during the month of February.
1. Courage
There is something about Courage that February bought to my attention. Specifically that Courage is the opposite of being discouraged and if you have been with me for a while you will recognise that I go through ups and downs with being totally focused one day to being completely discouraged and sidetracked the next.
Courage seems to pack up her bags and leave the room when any thoughts of doubt about my purpose and calling pop into my mind.
February highlighted the need to foster and look after Courage and shield her from those destroying doubts.
How about you? does certain train of thoughts derail you from your purpose or calling? It might not be doubt and discouragement thoughts, it could be fear and worry that chase Love and Peace from your life. Or shame and anger that suppresses your true personality. Or negative depressive thoughts and emotions that strip away Joy and Laughter. Let’s identify these thieves and ask God to deal with them in the March.
2. New Identity Involves Murder
If I want a new identity, one that chases after everything God has for me to do and be, I need to kill the old identity. This is harder than it sounds. Sometimes I am not aware of the old identity that needs to die. Sometimes I am fully aware and I want to hold on to my old ways and not let go.
It’s the cross all over again. Dying to self. Living for Him.
There is a saying in my home, ” Don’t put your head in the sand” in relation to facing issues and dealing with them. Well, my head has been truly in the sand and it has felt quite comfortable there. But there is no light and it is getting hard to breathe.
Not sure what I am talking about? I will give you a little, seemingly insignificant example from February. TV shows. There is one TV show that is probably not good to watch but boy, has it taken my attention. It highlights the human condition in our society. It is educational on different personality types (my defence to keep watching). But does God want me to watch it? Is it fulfilling my calling and purpose? Does it foster more Love, Peace, Joy and Courage in my life? If I am honest, the answer is, of course, no. Are we to give Him everything? Even our recreation down time?
“And he (Jesus) said to all, ” If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me”” Luke 9:23 ESV
“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”. Mark 8:35 ESV
How about you? are there things, people, activities, thought processes in your life that need to die so that you can fully embrace the God Life in you? It may seem small but God is pointing to something that you need to give up and let die in your life. Listen to the still small voice and follow it’s calling. Don’t be deceived into thinking that this baby step isn’t important. If we don’t…something else would die – your faith.
3. Pilgrimage
We are all on our own spiritual pilgrimage towards the heart of God. It may take us to different geographical locations where we discover more of God but more often than not it is a path of discovering areas in my soul that need more of Jesus. The longer I am a Believer the more I discover those holes in my soul that need the grace and fullness of God.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day” Proverbs 4:18 ESV
I have a sense that this year, 2019 is a special pilgrimage. It leads to my half a century celebration of being alive on this planet. There will be little decisions along the way, forks in the road that will lead me closer to God’s best designed plan or further away.
I believe that as we move closer and closer to the end of time when Jesus returns as the King of Glory that believers will drift away and grow cold. I see it happening around me. Believers dropping out of meeting with other believers. The Bible becoming a book that stays on the shelf or an unopened app on the phone. Working and earning money to spend on things and experiences and not for helping people and the spread of God’s message. The message is… Don’t drift away from the path. It’s those little decisions of how we use our time, what we read, what we watch and what we spend time thinking about that can either derail us from our pilgrimage or set us on the right light filled path towards the Father.
“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” Hebrews 2:1 ESV
How about you? are you on a pilgrimage towards the heart of God? What obstacles are in your way that need to be removed? Do you need to move geographically? Have you taken the wrong fork in the road in February – allow March to bring you back to the road of light.
Please check out the resource below – things I have read, podcasts I have listened to, that have left an impact this week.
Feedback: Please take the time to comment below if it has been of help to you. Which of these 2 spiritual lessons resonates with you? What has February taught you?
Keep Leaning into God
Rachel Larkin
This Week’s Resources:
VIDEO – Are you ready for the end? by Francis Chan powerful honest message about our destination – heaven. Are you ready?
BOOK – “Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim’s Tale” by Ian Morgan Cron This is a fiction story of a megachurch pastor who had a faith crisis and was told to have time off to sort out his life. He ends up living with Franciscan friars in Italy and discovers Jesus through the eyes of Francis of Assisi. My thoughts: We can’t all go to Italy to have a spiritual pilgrimage and God doesn’t need location to change us from the inside out – we just have to be willing to allow Him to lead us into a deeper connection with Him. It may include changing locations, jobs, activities etc and it definitely involves changing our mindsets. This book was available at my public library.
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