Chapter 4
Determined
Don't let feelings dictate your day. Choose to follow through despite how you feel. Her experience of being hurt [the eye/contact story] and the husbands reaction towards the situation (hurting her even more) is very much like the time I burnt my hand and R. made it worse by HIS non-care attitude in front of Bob.. I felt shamed, demeaned and embarrassed and it clicks that it is these kind of things that I react to by shutting down.She said, she had a choice. Let her feelings dictate her day or follow through despite all that had happened. I have a choice too, shut down..by living for R. or other people or don't shut down and live for GOD!
But I knew in my e-mail in-box there were urgent e-mails that needed a response, I had a virtual meeting to run with my team, and I had assignments with deadlines. And darn, I was trying to be this woman other people could count on. I had a choice. Let my feelings dictate my day or follow through despite all that had happened.
I like Nicki have a calling on my life that is not after the dictates of mans approval: the love God has given me for writing leads me to post on different social media's and to keep a journal.. I share as God leads.. PEOPLE who need me to be a light in their world [salt of the earth] even when others think it's a waste of time and talent writing for free. But, for me it's all about bringing words of encouragement, Truth, and sharing for free.. there should be NO price tag on the gospel of Christ! Also I pray for these people.. if I keep letting people shut me down, then I'm not doing what I've been called to do!
Second habit: She follows through with her commitments despite how she feels.
Nicki had to continually pause and ask God for strength to push through. I need to do the same! My friend H. and I have been talking about following through on the things I know to do.. I need to do MORE than know the truth, I need to SPEAK it over myself! I need to push through!!!
With God I can follow through with the commitments I’ve made, despite how I feel ... He thrives in the business of showing strength through our weakness.
My follow-through can’t be dependent on desire. Just because something isn’t fun or exciting is no longer an excuse... I need to work on this area, for I don't follow through unless I feel like it. Frankly, I don't take the calling serious enough.. I don't see the importance of it like I should (Truth is, I've been put down for thinking it's God's calling.. and I think it stuck in my head / heart.. that it's not important.) Smh! Here Nicki and a group of ladies are doing it for a living and I've been told to stop.. that it's not a calling of God? that FB is NOT the place for sharing... talk about the thief trying to steal the TRUTH from my heart!
My follow through can't be dependent on desire: I’m talking about the places where our fleshly weakness numbs our commitment level. It’s the place where apathy steps in convincing us it’s just not worth it to follow through. This is 100% Truth for me!
I believe the people who feel the weakest have some of the greatest God assignments to complete. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, the boundaries of your current assignments are within the strength of God.
First, Find Hope
When we don't feel hope, we have to find hope.
Ruth found HOPE in picking up left over grain..
Whose dropping joy by you today? Pick it up. Is there a little bit of faith someone is leaving with you? Take it. Has someone overflowed with peace in your life today? Receive it. There’s hope in the leftovers people leave all around us. So often I feel that H. has already been where I'm walking and I cling to the hope that, what HE'S done for others He'll do for me! Bring me through it Lord to the other side!!!
...When we choose to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, we have hope for today and hope for tomorrow. There is always a filter of hope to put our lives through when we stay with God.
The Filter of Hope
Hope is a confidence that faith will give us the strength to push through every hard and trying circumstance.
Hope is not a wish; it’s a holy confidence that faith will give us the strength to push through every hard and trying circumstance.
The Filter of Hope
1. Recognize we cannot control the things that happen to us, but we always can control our reaction. I can't control people; but, I can control my reaction to people by looking to God and surrendering the situation to HIS control.
2. Appreciate what you have.
My 5 Blessings: 1. My husband 2. Blessed to be able to see God's goodness [becuz for too long I couldn't]. 3. His provision [groceries & roof over my head]. 4. Holly's friendship [friendships]. 5. My sister and brother [siblings who love me]!
3. Give it some time.
Ask a friend to hold you accountable with this. When we put our feelings through this filter, it will help us step back and look at things with a clearer perspective. Feelings fog our focus. Hope filters failure. H. not only are you my accountability partner; but, we should apply this to why we overindulge.. maybe our feelings are fogging our success [I think my anxiety, fears, and stress make me give up] fogging my goals. Hope is knowing that God wants us to RENEW our mind...
I can relate to Nicki's In this place I find myself wanting to quit because I feel tired, angry, or upset.
Evaluating what’s in our heads isn’t the fun part of our journey, but it is a necessary step to becoming one who follows through on her commitment despite how she feels. (So much for people who tell me I think too much! LOL!)
Hope is a confidence that faith will give us the strength to push through every hard and trying circumstance.
What is competing in your head with the reality of what is happening in your life right now? We have to figure this out in order to keep moving forward. List two things you want to quit.
1. I keep thinking about food.. what can I binge on? So, I've been removing the temptations from the house.. anything I can't control.
2. Surrendering CONTROL to God..
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