Hello loves, I hope you're all doing wonderful by the perfect grace of God. The word of God says in Psalm 34 verse 8 that, "taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him". Many times, the enemy forces us to keep our eyes fixated on the troubles which seem to be barricading us in. When we "lack" financially, are worried and anxious, we soon begin to doubt in the ability of our Sovereign Lord. But wait, I challenge you today to TASTE of His goodness one more time. You may not want to worship or pray, but there's a renewal of might and joy when we remain humble long enough to TASTE of the Lord a second time. It's like drinking a cold glass of water after a long run, after only one sip, we find ourselves naturally desiring more. It's the same in God's presence. Also, I realize that it's the devil's goal to keep us from that very first sip, because he knows ALL we need is a taste of Jesus to begin seeking after more. Therefore, cast down self-pity and take refuge in Christ. In this blog post, I will be allowing you into my journey as a believer this month, as well as speaking on a few challenges that came my way. So sit back, read and be blessed!
So how many of us are seriously ready for the month of June to come to an end? I know I am, because this month has been one filled with nothing but depression, disobedience and heartbreak. It wasn't until I received the gift of salvation and was fully planted into a church, that I came to understand that the month of June is specifically set aside for spiritual warfare. In the beginning, I didn't quite understand the spiritual reasoning behind this; however, it is slowly becoming more and more apparent. I know some skeptics may say "it's not that deep", but according to 1 Corinthians 2 verse 14, "the person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit". According to the Bible, the number 6 symbolizes man and human weakness, the evils of Satan and the manifestation of sin (biblestudy.org). Therefore, anyone who was caught defenseless, idle or apathetic this month was susceptible to the schemes of the devil, if not for the mercies of God.
Think about it! June, the sixth month and also the half-way mark, has suffered many loses this year. From suicide deaths, to murders, car accidents, mass killings, natural disasters and many more we didn't hear of or see in the news; June has indeed been increasingly heartbreaking. Yet, there is hope for a believer in Christ. Truthfully speaking, my spiritual life hit rock bottom this month. Even before the month officially begun, my heart gradually became as stone as I found myself giving into my own fleshly desires. I went back to my old vomit secretly; my old ways. I chose to turn away from God's love and accepted sin and death (Romans 6:23). The thing is, when you give your life to Christ and your spirit man is awakened, you're given grace to recognize sin. Therefore, I knew I was in sin but had no desire to repent from it. My heart was slowing hardening, as I continued to spend no time in the word or in prayer. This went on to keep me in my sins because the devil knew the minute I sincerely repented, I would be met with God's mercy. I was weak this month and honestly, simply foolish.
Earlier this month I was hit with terrible news of the passing of a friend whom I saw just a few months prior. I was obviously saddened because she was so young, full of life and had a very bright future ahead of her; but in all, God knows best. This news came while I was still in disobedience, meaning I was in the mind-frame of living to please self (flesh). Yet, the minute I heard the news I began to think to myself, "what if I was in obedience and in communion with God? Would He have revealed this to me for me to pray against it? Is there anything I could have done as a child of God? I failed her!" These thoughts kept flooding in because I took it personal. I believe we as Christians are called by God to take the disasters we witness in this world personal, because the earth was made and given to us to take dominion of. I don't know about you but I believe through prayer, it's possible for God to use little ol' me to stop a hurricane if He wanted to. It's just the kind of faith He has given to me. Therefore, I believed my prayers could have done something, but again, God knows best. At times, the reason we continue to witness the casualties of this life is because many Christians are out of position. We're out of position on the battlefield, in church, at school, on the job and because of that the devil is making a ruckus on the earth. Still in my disobedience, I was scrolling through Instagram earlier today and suddenly felt sorrowful to the point of tears because of what I saw. The lifestyles, viewpoints, logic and recent deaths plastered all over social media brought down my spirit-man. I had no other desire than to quickly repent of my sinful ways. There's work that needs to be done and God desires partnership with man (you and I) to get it done.
In summary, I pray God continues to grace the body of Christ each day to desire a more intimate relationship with Him. If God is also drawing you closer, please don't fight it for it is a privilege to be selected for the Master's use. Unto us all, I pray our remaining months of this year be shielded by Christ as He reigns Lord over our lives. Lastly, in Hebrews 9 verse 27 it says, "and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment". Death has NO power over us because Christ conquered it on the cross, so we are NOT to fear death. However, death will meet each of us someday and our lifestyles on this earth will be the premise of our judgment before God in heaven. Therefore, I challenge us all to accept Jesus Christ, who will in return give us the grace and power to live each day worthy of Him. Amen!
Scriptures:
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8
"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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39