Believe, Be Alive

In life, there's some necessary endings. Life gives us more branches than we can handle at times. There are some things you need to cut off, some relationships you need to break, some jobs you need to quit, some dreams you need to put on a shelf and move on. If we hold onto everything, we'll become social emotional hoarders which isn't a good thing. We gotta get rid of the dead branches in order for the beautiful flowers to flourish and grow. The endings aren't a period but only a comma in your life. 

When you're ready, you will get the keys. Don't give up too early, if you want it you've got to press in and persist. Remove the stones in your life, if you have doubt you will not see the glory. 

We usually find it difficult to pull the trigger and end things/relationships because of fear. Fear of loss, sadness, confrontation, fear of the unknown, lacking of skills to execute the ending, afraid of hurting other people. But sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do and end it. I hate anticipation and I don't like not knowing what will happen next so I've always been reluctant to end things and start again fresh. However, I'm learning that I gotta be more patient and let things happen in the right time, not my own time. But if I want something I'm gonna keep asking and persevering until I get it. Giving up is not an option. Nothing is unchangeable; no situation is so dead that it can't be resurrected. Your path will be made straight, just press in. 

Remember that the brightest morning comes after the darkest night. The way is being prepared ahead of you.

Revival

Confusion causes us to grow. Stop looking for the old ways because a new thing is happening. The outer appearance may change, but don't be fooled because the foundation is always the same. 

What you seek is what you receive. We don't experience revival because we don't seek it enough. We need to be hungry. We need to be desperate. We need to renew our minds. We need to forgive. We need to let go. 

Over time we collect a lot of garbage; we develop bondages and bitterness. We need to be healed from these things before we can be filled up. Inner healing needs to happen all the time. We need to dump out all the old junk so that when new junk comes in it's easy to clean it.

Change the old ways of thinking. Forget what you heard, and don't look back. Don't look for the familiar but expect the unexpected. 

Pray and obey.

Change is inevitable

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Don't become complacent when things are going well. The reason we go through trials is to remind us that we have to rely on Him. Stay desperate, stay hungry. Come as you are because He came to seek the lost. 


I always need to remind myself that just because I've changed for the better does not mean I can look down at people who haven't. I remember numerous times where I've judged someone because I thought I knew better than them but I need to realize that I am not any better than anyone. Everyone has faults so I shouldn't let my pride take over. I need a shepherd; I can't do anything on my own.


Change is needed because the need has changed. Know the season you're in and flow with the change. 


Change is helpful
Change is seasonal
Change is emotional
Change is controversial
Change is inevitable 
Change is personal
Don't try to hide. 

There is a time for everything.
A time to give birth, and a time to die; 
A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; 
A time to tear down, and a time to build up.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; 
A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; 
A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; 
A time to keep, and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; 
A time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate; 
A time for war, and a time for peace.

Just Say No

 

You won't be able to cross the river with one foot in one boat and one foot in another. Therefore, do not be double minded; you have one destiny so focus on it. I know there have been times where I've bit off more than I could chew and took on too many responsibilities at once. I gotta learn to not spread myself too thin - we can't do everything and excel. We need to be clear of our vision so we know where to go.

Sometimes it's okay to say no. I repeat, it's okay to say no. Every time we say yes to something we don't want to do we are saying no to something else. If we say yes to a job we don't like, we are saying no to our dreams. If we say yes to someone who's only half of our dream man/woman then we are saying no to our future spouse who meets everything on our list. When we say yes to activities that are not our responsibility then we can develop a bitterness that grows inside us.

It's not easy to say no, you want to please people, you don't want to disappoint, you don't want to feel guilty and most importantly you don't want to miss a great opportunity. When making a decision, I would say that one of the things I fear most is overlooking an opportunity and missing my destiny. However, I now believe that even if we do miss it that one time, I'm sure another door, opportunity, or chance will come up in my life. If I'm called to do something I will get there. Timing is everything. Things may not always happen in my time but things will fall into place when the time is right.

The places where gold is hidden are not obvious. Miners need to dig deep, refine it and melt it down, but when people think that a place contains gold they keep digging until they find it. Therefore, things of value cannot hide for long. They will be discovered sooner or later. I can still reach my destiny even if I miss a turn along the way.

Perfect love drives out fear

Love requires relationship, it is never meant to be contained. Love is an action to give away.

What I've been continually learning in the past few weeks is how to develop intimate relationships. We usually bring so much of our baggage from the past into our relationships that it makes it very difficult to be totally open and close with someone. Throughout our lives we may have learned to believe lies about ourselves and have the wrong perception of how others think of us. We could have so much shame, guilt, condemnation or self rejection that it makes it impossible for us to receive love from others. Everyone has something(s) that they're ashamed of, I certainly do and it's challenging to develop an intimate relationship when I'm unwilling to share my past because I just want to run and hide. However, I learned today that the process of healing the heart will let you run free. If you have done something in the past or present that is eating you up inside then I encourage you to tell someone, confess it out loud. All the enemy wants you to do is keep shame bottled up inside so it can grow and grow and eventually suck the life out of you.

First we must be transparent with one another, this beginning step will lead to vulnerability. (That word still sort of makes me cringe inside) Vulnerability means you're open to be wounded; it may sound more negative than positive but when two people are vulnerable with each other, the relationship will reach a new level. Once you are vulnerable, you are free to be yourself and be innocent! This is easier said than done but after breaking through all these stages then you can truly reach your end goal of having security and trust in a relationship. Trust is the glue to all relationships.

Intimacy (into-me-see) - let yourself be healed so others can see through you. Win the battle by not allowing the enemy have authority over your life. Refuse to be led to an escape or false comfort.

Freely choose to love today.

Boundaries

Have you felt like any of these quotes at times? I know I have. And this could be because of boundary issues. Emotional, spiritual, and relational boundaries. Personal boundaries which people have trespassed, boundaries which I haven't stood firmly on or boundaries that haven't been made clear to others. 

What I'm currently asking myself about my boundaries:

Am I too rigid, too closed? Do I refuse to listen to others' opinions?

Am I too open? Am I hesitant to say no to others?

Am I too distant or reserved? Do I shut myself off from others? 

Am I too close? Do I lose myself to mirror other's behaviour? Am I overlapping my identity with someone else?

Am I too intrusive? Do I step on other people's feelings to get what I want?

Am I hyper-receptive? Am I overly trying to make everyone else happy because I'm afraid of conflict? 

The answer to these questions have definitely been "yes" one time or another. I'm far from having the perfect boundaries set out for myself but I am ready to forgive others who have stepped over my boundaries and learn from my parents' boundary mistakes. This is not the time to judge others on their boundary issues but to learn from them and become a better person in the future. I won't let the fear of conflict or fear of rejection control my ability to develop intimate relationships.