Sweet Communion

I've been walking a road of attempted discipline in certain areas; I wish I could say I've mastered living a disciplined life however I cannot. It got me to thinking, often times, when you are striving so hard to stick to something you know is right, and then you fail to hold true to said task, shame easily jumps on your bandwagon taking you down an entirely different road. It's generally a road very far from the disciplined life you desire.

We have a point system that we use in our household that is based on the fruits of the Spirit. So everything regarding chores, behavior, character building, it all stems from the following scripture: Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

This verse has been ingrained in my mind since starting this up with our girls, I think it's influencing me more than them! It's the "self-control" that I always have to pause on. It's difficult to exhibit self-control for me. Wether it's in regards to my attitude, the things I say, the time I waste doing nonsensical things, the food I mindlessly eat, and the list can go on and on. Hence my road of attempted discipline I'm on.

Yesterday though, God began to give me some insight into this road I'm walking that is bringing some freedom to my soul, and I hope it may help someone else as well.

Sustained Discipline is simply Sustained Communion.

That's what God dropped in my heart. That simple phrase. Sustained Discipline is simply Sustained Communion.

We strive to conquer so many different things in our lives, claiming victory with each positive step we take. And we absolutely should claim victory as it's promised to those in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 15:55.) But what happens when we take a step back? What happens to our resolve when we veer a little off of our disciplined road? If you are at all like me, (and if you're not, that's cool, but you should get big hair, just throwin that out there) when I take a step back or veer a tad from my disciplined road, I'll forget the strides that I have made, beat myself up, and just continue going backwards from the intended road I know I should be on because in my eyes, failure breeds shame. But really, that is nothing more than a lie from the devil himself. Failure should be a spring board to success, something I can learn from. Not something that sends me into a pity party of whoa is me because I flunked self-control today. Anyone?

We sometimes think of Victory as a "One Stop Shop," as if we only get one shot as this victory thing and if we blow it then we might as well forget it and go back to the thing causing us struggle. Victory is a process. Do we immediately have victory over the situation that God is highlighting to us? If you are in Christ, absolutely. But Philippians 2:12 tells us to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." 1 John 5:4 says, "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."

So that tells me that I have to continually work out my salvation, I have to continually work out my victory. Is it mine the moment I ask? Fo sho. But it's my faith that has to work for it. I have to keep putting the hand to the plow and WORK IT OUT.

Sustained Discipline is simply Sustained Communion.

If I had no weak areas, I'd be less likely to have to seek the face of Jesus on a continual basis. Of course I'd go to Him in praise and thanksgiving, learning and searching His Word. But there is something to be said about "needing" Him on a daily basis. I need Him. Oh how I need Him. I need Jesus to help me with my weak areas. I need Him to strengthen me as I walk this Victorious road.

So the more that we walk this road of Sustained Discipline, in whatever area(s) God is calling you to be disciplined in, we have to know that it's keeping us in sweet Communion with our Father. You may take a step back, the pause button may be pressed, or perhaps you took a full sprint backwards and feel so far off course that you don't know where to begin. Start with Communion. Commune with your Lord. Acknowledge your need for Him. Call me crazy, but I think He likes to be needed. My kids better need me all their ever lovin days or somebody's getting a beat down! The minute they stop needing me is, well, it's a minute I don't want to think about. Imagine what God feels when we stop needing Him.

Could it be that your struggle is a blessing in disguise? Because perhaps, just perhaps, without that weak area, without the need for discipline, maybe we would not cling to Jesus quite as much. And after all, there's no better place to be, than clinging to Jesus for your very next step in victory.

So today, I'm no longer calling this my "attempted road to discipline." No. I live a life of sustained discipline. Will I mess up, delaying my progress? Yep. But it's just a moment to commune with someone who is able to handle my delay...

Don't speak the bleak!

Sometimes we women talk too much. We share too much. We advise to much. We get all up in everybody's business too much. Now don't get me wrong, I believe God created us with an innate ability to encourage those in our path; we absolutely need to speak into people's lives and do our best to help them be their best. But there also are times when we need to take a look at our own selves. What is coming out of our mouths about our personal situations? Is there something that God has spoke to my heart that is just for me, and in due time God will reveal it to everyone else around me, but in the mean time I'm to just ponder it in my heart? Or am I in a difficult season of life and I find myself speaking negativity over the situation, only further burying any potential for turnaround into the ground? Things I've been pondering lately...

Proverbs tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. So that tells me that I have the ability within my own mouth to bring life to a situation or to curse it with death. I'm all for being realistic when describing a difficult situation, I totally get that. But I also don't want the words that flow from my mouth during said description to further cause harm. Our words are powerful. We flippantly throw negative things around, and then wonder why the heck everything is going south in our lives. "I'll never figure this out." "I can't beat this health problem, it's too bad." "My kid's are so rebellious, I can't do anything with them." "I hate the way I look, I'm so fat." "I wish I had so and so's life." "I'll never pay my bills." "It's flu season, I'm sure I'll get it."

Anyone?

Again, I get being realistic, I do. Faith talk sometimes takes baby steps. So how about starting with a blend of realism and faith, flipping our confession from negative to positive. "This is difficult but with God's strength I know I can do it!" "My kids are awesome, I know God is taking their difficulty and working in their lives even if I don't see it." "I may not see myself how God does, but I'm getting there! I know He see's me as His beautiful creation so I'm doing my best to see that too!" "God promises to supply my need according to His riches, so I'll trust Him in this season." "I thank you Lord for health in my body & I don't receive anything that's going around this year!"

"You can't talk defeat and expect to have victory. You can't talk lack and expect to have abundance. You will produce what you say." - Joel Osteen

Romans 12:2 struck me in a different way today, it says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

The world is negative, no doubt about that. Turn on any news station and it's filled with doom and gloom. Listen to the conversations of your co-workers and it's negative. Next time you are in the check out line at the store, I'll venture to say if you listen close enough, you'll hear negative talk all around you. So the Bible is telling us not to be like the world! Why? Because we are not OF this world. We are simply strangers passing through. This world is not our home. This world and it's struggles are not our eternity. So if we are going to make a difference during our stay here on planet earth, then we need to go further in the scripture we just read; having our mind transformed so that we can prove what's good and acceptable! We can't prove the perfect will of God if we are stuck in our negative world. No, we have to get out of that zone, get out of what the world deems acceptable and normal, and move into a new realm that's filled with a transformed mind! A mind that's been transformed has no room for negativity. A transformed mind is so overcome with grace and with mercy that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth is speaking positive, the mouth is speaking faith. How is our mind transformed? Through the Word. And the Word of God is anything but negative. So take scripture and shout it from the rooftops and watch in amazement what God will do!

A thought like this would be remiss without mentioning Romans 4:17, that we are to "call those things that are not as though they were." Is your situation bleak? Don't speak the bleak! Speak out by faith what you are believing God to do in that particular situation. Call it out! Let the fruit that flows from your mouth be positive, declaring the good things of God.

I'm the head and not the tail, I'm above and not beneath. I have more than enough! Through God's strength, I have what it takes. Whatever I put my hands to do will prosper! I thank you Lord that my kids will serve you with their whole heart! I believe that my finances are on the upswing. I am loved by almighty God, my sins are forgiven, I'm covered in mercy, and I'm just passing through, You have a home for me in Glory! I'll do my best on this earth to make a difference in the lives around me, leading them to you through my life.

Get your faith up today! NO MATTER WHAT. Faith that's not tested is faith that can't be trusted. Are you being tested today? The Bible says to "Count it all joy." Yuck. We don't like that. Joy? Really? Yes. Really. Your test is proof that God's not through with the situation. He has the last word, He gives the score, He has the final say. So walk through your test with your head held high, knowing that if God be for you, can't nobody be against you today!

Edited to add: I'm still pondering! It really comes down to a trust issue. Faith equals trust. As I speak faith over my situations, do I then believe God to actually do what I'm speaking He will do? I have some things I'm speaking faith over...so now it's up to me to put my total trust in God to bring to pass what I am speaking. Amen and amen.