Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Prying Off The Monster


Perfectionism.  One simple brush and it latches on like a weed, making your path all the more difficult to travel.  If I'm seeking the Lord first, and His glory, shouldn't He be making each of my steps beautiful, each turn graceful, each word from my pen or stroke from my brush burst with creative flair?  Maybe I'm not cut out for this "arty" stuff.  


WRONG!

In Him we live, and move, and have our being.  (Acts 17: 28)


The enemy knows how powerful God is, and what we are capable of when we submit to His leadership in our lives.  He also knows just what tactics we as humans are most susceptible to, and employs them at just the right times when our confidence in approaching the Lord is wavering.  Namely, when we are stepping outside of our comfort zone in order to offer a sacrifice of praise.  There is almost always an element of doubt during times where we are doing something we are unfamiliar with, or when it comes to doing it within the public's eye.  Why?  I think it's because we are on the path to experiencing a breakthrough of God's anointing in our lives (and as a result, into the lives of others), and that goes against the enemy's plans to steal, kill, and destroy us.  So, there's struggle- warfare, if you will.  The doubt comes bubbling to the surface, and we start feeling like we aren't good enough.

I don't know about you, but it makes me MAD when I think about this kind of bondage God's people are under, and I want to do everything I can to pry off the monster and restore freedom to the body, to worship Christ unashamedly, with all that He's given me.

God may put a desire in your heart and give you complete and total ability in that area instantly.  There are times when it is necessary for this to be the case, for whatever reason, and God knows what is best.  Then there are other cases (which I believe are far more likely), when His gifting will come to us gradually, as we pursue Him and give Him our efforts, our time,...you name it.   It is a growing into Him.

Each of us should strive toward excellence, but not in the way that requires a flawless routine, word sequence or color scheme.   If you don't remember anything else from this post, remember this one thing:  Our excellence is already complete through Jesus and the sacrifice that He made for us.   All we need to do is keep Him at the center of all that we do, and gradually, He will refine us and make us the instruments of His glory that He sees fit.

Let us then approach the throne with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4: 16


Don't underestimate the spiritual battle that goes on each time we make the decision of when and how we will make ourselves available to the Lord.  Take every thought captive, and meditate on the truth of who we are instead of making yourself a target for the enemy's attacks.  When you feel them coming on, as the popular slogan goes, "Just Say NO!"  Tell that nasty devil you won't be listening to his lies anymore and shake him off in Jesus name.  Even my 3 year old daughter will tell you, "When you say Jesus' name, the devil runs and hides like a little tiny cat" (ok, so she got a bit mixed up with the "scaredy-cat" thing, but you get the point!)

As Christmas quickly approaches, it is the perfect opportunity to focus on the great gift that Jesus truly is.  His name alone is power!  Call on Him and know that He will answer.  Our willingness to come to Him is excellent to Him, and He will bless it, for sure.

One more thing..I have a special guest post from Barbie in store for you this Friday, so be sure to grab a warm beverage and stop back.  I promise, it's good!