As a man or woman of God there are certain changes that need to take place in you. There is a Christian rapper by the name of Da T.R.U.T.H who talks about how he dies everyday. Now to the “normal” person that sounds kind of weird. To a man or woman of God we know that our flesh must die daily in order for us to become closer to God. In order to be pleasing to God we must live by the spirit. Galatians 2:19, 20 says, “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Now…
Let’s talk about our funeral...
On second thought, let me talk about my funeral.
I found that when the flesh dies it hurts like heck. Through reading the word of God and different books, I discovered that we die only to live forever. That’s deep, right?
The pain that you feel when you’re going through your trials and overcoming your old ways is the dying part. The reward after the storm is the living.
Me, personally, right from the start I did not know that there were things that I would have to give up immediately in order to get this thing right with Christ. I got saved on June 6, 2006 and I thought that was where the buck stopped. I listened to the same music, watched the same movies, dealt with same people, used the same language because I figured “okay I’m saved” *patting myself on the back*
Needless to say, in just a few months time, I wasn’t even thinking about church anymore. But I thank God for his Holy Spirit that is in me because even though I wasn’t thinking about church, the Spirit wasn’t going to let me forget about it. My life got to the point where I just wasn’t satisfied with anything and I just didn’t know why, so I went back, and I haven’t left since.
When I went back the second time, I realized that things needed to be different this time around. So…I threw away compromising movies, all R&B and rap CDs that did not glorify God (which was all of them), let go of those guy “friends”, distanced myself from as much negativity as I could, grabbed onto anything that had to do with the Lord and refused to let go. I remember some family and friends thought that it was just a phase I was going through. They couldn’t believe that the week before I was cursing and laying someone out, and now this week I’m all “holyfied” as one person in particular put it. Their reactions made me so glad that God is gracious and merciful. He took me just as I was. I left Him, but He never left me. He welcomed me back with open arms, and never once mentioned the things I was doing the week before. GOD IS SO GOOD!!
Another thing I want to touch on about dying to things of the flesh is making sure that we’re not sending out the wrong signals. I have a perfect example of this:
Yesterday I went to pick my kids up from the sitter’s house. As I was walking in, her son was walking out and he said, “Dag girl, you look like you on your way to the club…” I laughed it off because the way that he said it was funny, but his comment stuck with me for the rest of the day (conviction from the Holy Spirit). I hadn’t realized that the outfit that I was wearing (a gold tank top, jean capris, a big brown and gold belt, and a pair of 4 inch gold stilettos) gave off that impression, but then again I have to admit that when I looked in the mirror I didn’t feel completely at ease. I just wanted to look cute for a change. Even though I haven’t gone to a club in years, and not even entertaining the thought, but what I was wearing gave off that impression. It made me realize that we must be mindful of even small things like our clothing. What I had on wasn’t revealing, but the way it was put together made me look like I was about to bust through the club doors.
By the time I got to bible study that evening, I had traded in my gold stilettos for a pair of gold flip-flops, removed my belt, and added a brown jacket overtop my gold tank-top. I did not want to give off the impression that I was living a certain way when in fact I wasn’t. Like I stated in a previous blog, when you are a Christian people will put you under a magnifying glass to examine you for any flaw you may have, even other Christians. So why bring on unnecessary scrutiny if I didn’t have to?
If we are to draw attention to ourselves, let it be because someone is recognizing the Spirit of God in us. We should always strive to become less and let the Lord become greater (John 3:30) so that He is the one receiving the glory.
Don’t think that I’m not going to touch on the fellas’ wardrobe. Fellas, you also have to be mindful of the clothing you wear. Yes I know you love the Lord, but you’re walking around with a bang bang shoot ‘em up Scarface shirt on. Huh? *scratching my head* You see where I’m going with this? It’s nice to be able to look nice, but just make sure what you wear isn’t going against the very thing you stand for.
For anyone who’s fighting with their flesh and you feel like you’re losing, keep pressing on in all the things of the Lord. I know it may seem hard. You see people going out to clubs, getting their “drink on”, listening to whatever they want, talking however they want, reacting however they want, but please know that if we stick it out that our reward in Heaven will be much greater than anything that they could ever experience here on this earth. 1 Samuel 26:23 states that, “The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness”. So keep up the good work, and know that you are not in this walk alone. I encourage everyone to fellowship with the body of Christ so when your hard times come, you have someone to pray for you and encourage you. Continue to have faith in the Lord. “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”. (Hebrews 11:6)
Let me close out in prayer:
“Heavenly Father, I come before you Lord just saying thank you Father. You have been so gracious and merciful, Lord. You took us as we were, Lord. You asked no questions. You picked us up and dusted us off when we fell. Thank you Lord for ordering our footsteps. Father, I thank you for allowing me to create these blog entries, and I also pray that it will not only serve as a form of therapy for me, but a blessing for someone else. Father I pray that in every entry that I decrease and you increase, Lord. I pray for everyone who may be struggling with the flesh, including myself. I pray that you help us stand firm and go through the trials and not turn away from them. I understand that pruning must take place, Father, so I thank you in advance for the outcome. Thank you for everything that you have done, everything that you are doing, and everything that is to come. In Jesus name I pray. Amen”
Feel free to comment or leave topics to discuss or prayer requests. I appreciate any feedback.
You can also hit me up on MySpace: www.myspace.com/soflyyohmygod
Be Blessed!!!
Until next time…
Let me close out in prayer:
“Heavenly Father, I come before you Lord just saying thank you, Father. Feel free to comment or leave topics to discuss. I appreciate any feedback.
You can also hit me up on MySpace: www.myspace.com/soflyyohmygod
Be Blessed!!!
Until next time…
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