when the apple has been eaten

If you have ‘eaten’ of the apple that has been given to you from the enemy, then please do not bolt and bail.

When we have compromised ourselves and feel utterly foolish and like we shouldn’t show our dirty faces to God; this is when we need Him the most.

How can we think that we are able to come into Him presence when we are “doing great”?! When our best is like filthy rags to Him?! He knows us completely and desires that we come to Him during these times of need and has said that we can approach Him with boldness and confidence! This is so counter-cultural to our humanity that wants to shrink back in shame during these times of need, but God has given us access to Him through Jesus. How amazing is this powerful grace and position?!

Let us pray that we have friends (and are friends to others) who will remind each other of this amazing truth.

Don’t run!

Stay, even when it feels uncomfortable and dishonest. It will not be ‘more honest’ to be away from God. He wants all of us- our good, our bad, and our ugly. He is more than aware of the reality of who we are, our situation, and our heart. Do not run from the only One who is so for you, and the only One who can help you.

isolated and withdrawn

Jesus withdrew after a guy He healed went and told of the miracle of healing he had received.. after being told not to.

When we think we are “promoting” Jesus, if He has told us not to mention Him then we are actually not loving Him. We have decided for ourselves what is best, or have taken excited steps to express our emotional amazement of Him, outside of His will and our honour of him.

I don’t understand why Jesus didn’t want to be known for this healing, but maybe it’s because He knew He would have to withdraw.. 

When we are asked to do something outside of our emotional excitement and Christian life of “spreading the news” we must gather ourselves in and remember that when we share what we’ve been asked not to, it can lead to people being withdrawn and isolated. They have trusted in someone that has not been able to keep their word which creates a sense of unsafety in a relationship. 

Let us be people who can be trusted to speak and also be silent, and to discern God’s leading and direction for both. And not to be taken in by the desire to people-please or ‘people-impress’ with our ‘knowledge’ or ‘experience’, or ‘understanding’. If God has told us to not do something that makes no sense to us whatsoever, we submit to Him– not to our own understanding of the ‘helpfulness’ of our wisdom and how we can “help” Him.

We need emotional maturity so that we can obey God; over our excitement, disappointment, confusion, eagerness- and any other emotion. 

We have emotion. Emotion does not have us.

learn, don’t try

A lot of us will say “I’ll try to do that” and it kind of gives us a sense of possible expected failure or get out clause to the commitment of completion or
arrangement.

However, if we are to change “try” for “learn” then this gives a totally different opportunity- to give ourselves permission to grow into something new and not set
out expecting that it will not actually happen.