It's been a while since I have posted here on Encourage Yourself. I have been in self-examination mode where I allowed myself to become naked before God and then took a look at my nakedness through the eyes of the Word of God. I must confess with you that it wasn't a good look. But by taking a look at myself through the eyes of the Word I have come to see myself and love myself in the way God intended. Which has brought me back to one of my first loves - writing.
My Pastor said something in teacher's meeting tonight that just stuck with me. The lesson was taken from the 23rd chapter of Exodus. When you get second go take a moment and read the first nine verses. My belief is that God gives us the Word and then we are to take it and apply it to our everyday lives. Verse 8 says 'And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous'. I have never been a lover of the thee's and thou's in the King James version of the Bible. So I was glad when Pastor Douglas broke it down in regular talk. Let me share with you what he said. "Don't sell yourself short". And then in Bible Study over King David and Psalm 51 he went on to say that 'we all have our own sphere of influence'. You might wonder that these two statements have to do with each other. I wasn't even sure until I was driving home and the Holy Spirit began to speak to me. So let's take a look at these two statements a little closer.
What is selling yourself short? Anytime you compromise your convictions and values. As a Christian we are held to a higher standard than the world and anytime we compromise those values for any reasons we are not living up to what God has called us to be. Now this is not a blog post where I talk about what's right and what's wrong. I will leave that up to you to read the Word for yourself and allow God to speak to your heart in that area. What I can share with you are some areas where I know that I sold myself short. I can recall times where I wanted to be accepted by others and because of that allowed myself to get caught up in gossip, backbiting, mistreating others, disliking someone just because someone else did. All the pettiness that women participate in to mask their own insecurities and ultimately was not being true to me. I completely forgot about those times when I was ostracized because I was different or didn't having what someone else had. At that time I didn't have the confidence to stand up to those who were doing the very things to others that I had went home many days crying about, sometimes even from church. But thank God for the Word that convicted my heart to show me that I was not being the person God called me to be. Even if sometimes it meant doing what was unpopular. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:2, 'Be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind'. What does this say to me? It says that it's not okay to sell yourself short in the name of acceptance. Stand true to the Word of God and the change that God has made and is continuing to make in your life.
Why? Because you never know who's watching. At church every Sunday, quoting scriptures on Facebook and Twitter. Walking around with that holier than thou attitude in your Sunday best, totally oblivious to the fact that people are watching you. Which brings me to my second statement -
Everybody has a sphere of influence. The question that I have for you is are you using that influence in a positive or negative way? Now you might come back and say that you aren't concerned with what other people think. My response to that is "Are you concerned with what God thinks?" What is the purpose of continuing to go to church Sunday after Sunday but not allowing the Word to have any changing effect in your life? Why do you think you can sit in church while great singing and preaching are going on and all you do is talk about the other members sitting in the pews? When do you finally make the decision that life as you have known it just isn't good enough. When will you submit completely to God and allow Him to change your life? My excuse for years was my fear of being alone. It was not until God placed me in a situation where all I had was Him that I learned that He was truly all I needed. And as I allowed Him to transform my life, He began to remove those people from me who I, at one time, thought I needed. All the while making room for some true, lasting friendships with women who spend more time encouraging one another than tearing each other down. Isn't that what it's all about?
My desire for those of you reading this post today is that I have given you something to think about. All of us are in need of the mercy of God. I don't even want to think about where I would be without it. A true desire to change your lives should be your response to the overwhelming outpouring of God's grace. Realizing that you will never be perfect but that you are in the process of being perfected. I will never forget a quote from a Tyler Perry movie where Madea says, 'Sometimes we are trying to hold on to the very things that God is trying to remove from our lives'. Maybe you have become comfortable with your fake friendships, being the life of the party, always having the latest gossip and not being afraid to share it. Here you are attending church out of habit, not participating in any real ministry, receiving your microwave fix but not allowing the Word to marinate in your spirit throughout the week. My response to you is 'Don't sell yourself short'. Allow the Word of God to change your life.
Most Gracious Heavenly Father,
Thank you for being a forgiving God and a merciful God. As I take a look at my life I realize there are some thing that I have allowed that have compromised my walk with you. Today I want to make a change. I want Your Word to have a changing effect in my life. I pray for the spirit of discernment for all of the relationships in my life. Give me the desire to want to spend more time in Your Word so that it changes my heart. Make me aware of those I have influence over and help me to be a Godly example in their lives. In Jesus' Precious Name I pray Amen.
Life Application:
1. What relationships do I currently have that I have compromised my belief in God to hold on to?
2. In what areas have I sold myself short in the name of acceptance?
3. What steps am I willing to take today in order to be the person that God would have me to be in order to perform the work that He has for me?
