True Power


So many people I know struggle with unforgiveness, bitterness, rejection and much more. In fact, I can bet that we have all struggled with those things at one point or another. The difference is, not all of us have held on to those feelings forever. Some of us have an easier time letting go. To some, they think holding on to those things gives them a sense of power. If they let go then they feel weak. True power is found in forgiveness. True power is found in vulnerability. How can you move on if there is still an obstacle in your way? It is like having a hill in front of you but you refuse to move pass it. Your decision to not move forward gives you a sense of control. But its actually the opposite. Many have gone far too long under the control of these demons. It is evident that childhood traumas can follow us into adulthood. If you want to keep the hardness in your heart, that decision is up to you. The only thing is, the giants you are unable to defeat today can easily become your children's Goliath tomorrow.
Jesus took it very seriously in the Gospel of Matthew to leave the altar if there was still "beef" between you and another. Remember, God weighs the hearts. So He sees it at a deeper level. Just because we aren't on "fighting terms" does not mean there isn't unresolved conflict within our souls. Jesus takes these matters so seriously that he instructed us to leave the altar (in the middle of worship) to fix our relationships. Yes its true, we must be wise as a serpent but gentle as a dove. But that does not mean we act nice to someone who we secretly hate or have an issue with. What it does mean is we should let our actions speak for us. We tend to use scripture as an excuse, even those of us that seem the most passionate about our biblical standards. I've seen it time and time again. Because of our brokenness, we sometimes don't even realize when we are twisting the word of God four our own gain, self-preservation or excuse not to move on. The fact still remains that we are all responsible and need to take ownership. We cannot continue living like orphans. We are children of the Most High God. We are supposed to be like a child in our faith and innocence, not to mention our ability to trust God (as a child trusts their parents). But we are supposed to mature from having a childish mentality.
 
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." (1 Corinthians 13:11)
 
Jesus raised the bar on the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5. If our righteousness doesn't even surpass the Pharisees, then we cannot enter the kingdom (paraphrased). Love goes much deeper than not punching someone in the face when you see them. It goes much deeper than not talking about them behind their backs. If you want to know what love looks like, look at Jesus. When we kept failing and disappointing him over and over, He died for us. God fights for us. Why does he fight for us? Well, its the same reason He sent His son for us. Its the ministry of reconciliation. He wants us reconciled to Him. He wants us restored, healed, delivered and whole. He doesn't want us full of brokenness. It is why Jesus' body was broken.. so that our lives can be made whole. If God fights for us, His family, to stay and remain as one with Him, then we must do the same for each other. 
 
"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)
 
True Power is in our willingness to lay it all down. It is in our willingness to follow God into places that are uncomfortable. We want to follow God when it looks good. When the preacher is telling us that God wants us to be rich. When we are being told about the great destiny on our lives. But what about when we have to face ourselves in the mirror? If you want to avoid any spiritual fall outs in the future. Start with the fall outs you've had in your past. Get healing, get restoration, fix what is broken. Clear everything and move on with no dead weight so that you can maneuver the way that God wants you to. Otherwise, you will struggle with navigating through certain seasons. Allow the Holy Spirit to work on your heart. Let your heart be open with no agendas, no conditions, NO FEAR and no resistance to God. A lot of the things we think make us strong is just self-preservation and defense mechanisms that we have managed to develop over the years. But God does not want us to live as "mere humans." We must rise up and not miss a moment. Each one is precious. When God speaks to you about what you need to do to move forward, do not shut the voice of wisdom down. Pursue it, face it and overcome all of the fear that is trying to hold you back!
 -Ryan Birk

 

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