Daring to try new things!

So yes, I've just checked my blog and was quite shocked to see that my last blog post was almost a year ago! Goodness me! What have I been doing? In my defense, I have been really busy with various responsibilities, working hard behind the scenes. But I'm back in the blogging game!

Yesterday I went to the salon to get my hair done. Before going, and while I was there, I was thinking about getting my hair cut because I was bored with my current style. However, I was reluctant to try something new, a haircut. While sitting in the chair, at some point, I was going to have to make a decision. Then I heard my hairdresser say how I need to move out of my comfort zone. But she wasn't just talking about me moving out of my comfort zone in my hair style journey. She was talking about the spiritual journey too. As I was at the salon, we were having a conversation, and I was telling her about a scripture I read in Genesis 12:1-2 where God calls Abraham to leave his homeland and go to the land of promise. Genesis 12:1-2: "The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing"

I confess, I'm a comfy girl at heart. I like my comfort zone.... and it's scary when you are told to get outside of your comfort zone, but leaving our comfort zones is a necessary part of life. God calls us to grow! Here's an example. At the age of 27, I finally moved out of my parents' house and got a place on my own. Moving out of my parents' house was a big step, and I must say, leaving out of the comfort zone of home and family wasn't easy, but by leaving, I was finally living the life I was meant to live. Another example was when I left Birmingham for a college away from home, a couple hours away in a different city. This was an opportunity to venture outside my comfort zone and find out who I really was and who I wanted to be. As you can see, there are times when God calls us to take a step of faith. Hebrews 11:1 reads, Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, the  conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

As you can see, Abraham left. Genesis 1:4 reads; “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him.” We see here that Abraham stepped out on faith. And in order to follow God's leading, he had to move outside his comfort zone. He left the familiar and embraced the unfamiliar. He left the comfortable and embraced uncomfortable. When I told my hairdresser about my church, and the desire to start a ministry, and how I was led to Genesis 12, she told me I needed to pray and fast. In regards to my spiritual journey, I have to step out on faith and leave my comfort zone and go out and do what God has for me to do. Here's the thing, God will not keep us in the same place forever. He wants us to move on in our spiritual walk. He wants to educate us in His ways and use us where He leads us. As I stated earlier in this post, God calls us to grow...and with that being said, there comes a time in all our lives when we must grow up in the Lord.

In conclusion, leaving the comfort zone is never easy and if it was easy to leave, then it wasn't a comfort zone to begin with. God leaves us in the comfort zone only for a time so that we can prepare for the next season of growth. Unlike Abraham, you may not be going to a new place geographically, but it may be at a new place personally. Or maybe it could be something simpler than that.

As you can see, I left my comfort zone on the hairstyle journey, lol. But now its time to step out on faith in the spiritual journey.

 

So, what is your comfort zone?

 

The best defense against offense!

Ever been hurt or offended? We all have. And everyone who has ever lived on earth have been offended and have offended someone, knowingly or unknowingly...And if I can be honest, even Jesus said offenses will certainly come, but sadly we are not taught how to handle such situations. 
 
Here is what happened.

After five months of being off Facebook, it was today I decided to reactivate my account. After scrolling down the newsfeed, I see a status update that was directed towards me. Not only that, but shortly thereafter I noticed I was unfriended. Now, while offensive comments and lack of knowledge about a person are reasons people unfriend on Facebook, this was not the case. Though no one likes to lose a friend due to conflict resulting from misunderstandings, it happens. Let me ask this, how do you handle offenses when it arises? Do you overlook it? Do you tell about it in your Facebook status update? Do you tweet about it? Or do you gossip behind their backs? No, we are to handle it in a biblical way. Lets consider what Matthew 18:15-17 says...

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Here we see in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus tells us how to deal with hurts and offenses, and pursue peace with others. Romans 12:18 also says “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”.  Let's look at the steps Jesus gives us to take when we are in conflict with each other. Before I begin, its to be noted that these steps are to be followed between believers.

 

Step 1: "Go and show him his fault, JUST BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU"... This step is a one-on-one, face to face moment. Notice I didn't say Face to Facebook. We are not to announce the offense to other people. We are to go directly to that person and talk to them... not being critical and judgemental, arrogant, proud, or self-seeking. We are to go to them in love. At this point everyone does not have to know. Hopefully the matter is resolved at two people level. 

 

Step 2: " If he will not listen, take one or two others along."  It is here when we are to take one or two others along if the person will not listen to you. 

 

Step 3: " If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector, ie., a non believer. NOTE! This step can only be taken once steps one and two have been done - not before.

 

While Jesus tells us how offenses are to be handled between two people, such is not the case. Instead, we go to everyone else and publish it to the world, which is the exact opposite of what He says. As believers, it is our responsibility to go to our Christian brothers and sisters and show them their fault. Example: I recall a time when someone came to me directly and asked if she had done anything to offend me. Her reason for asking is because she was going to write me, but after noticing I wasn't on her friend list anymore, she thought I had defriended her. However, after informing her that I had deactivated my account we realized there wasn't an issue. 

 

Conclusion,

 

We must handle offenses, but we must handle them in the manner that pleases Jesus. Not only that, Jesus warns us of offenses. In Luke 17:1, Jesus said "it is impossible that no offenses should come... That being said, when someone does or says something that hurts or offends us, we must be ready to forgive. Also keep in mind that in some cases, we will not realize that we have offended someone, but when we learn that we have, we should ask for forgiveness. Matthew 18:21-22 says,  Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

 

"If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them." Luke 17:3

“Love… it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Have you ever wondered if someone had a recorded list of all the things you ever done? Believe it or not, they do...and as for me, I have a perfect memory when I think about wrongs done to me. It was today my boyfriend and I were in the car leaving church service... we were having a conversation and in light of the conversation I brought up something that happened months ago, particularly a wrongdoing. Now mind you, he had apologized for what I brought up, but its evident that I was still hanging on to his record of wrong. While I didn't have a written document, the record of the wrongdoing remained with me in my head. For him, he thought I was over it because in the car he said "God is not a I remember when God". After hearing him say this, I was reminded of what the bible says, “Love keeps no record of wrongs.” I don't know about you, but when I really think about what those words mean – keeps no record of wrongs... the words 'not forgiving' came to mind. Mind you again, my boyfriend and I were not having an argument on this day, but there have been times where we have gotten into arguments, and I bring up things that he has done wrong. And if I can be honest, I'm sure he can tally up things I have done and said as well.

Here's a question for us: What If God kept a record of our wrongdoings? What if every time we do something wrong, God adds it to a list? I don't know about you, but if God were to keep a record of my wrongs, I could not survive! But I thank Him for wiping out my sin record! Truth is, God doesn't keep a record of our sins when we ask for forgiveness. Isaiah 43:25 says, "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins... It is because God loves us so much, that He does not keep a record of our sins. Romans 4:8 also tells us, “Blessed is the man who sin the Lord will NEVER count against him”. 

Speaking of God's love, forgiveness is an expression of love. In 1 Corinthians 13, which is referred to as the love chapter, the Apostle Paul talks about love... but in this post I want to focus at the every end verse 5 where Paul points out that love "keeps no records of wrongs". Here we see that not only does Paul describe love, but he also tells us what love is not... and he also shows us this is the way we are to relate to anyone. We are not to keep a record of others wrongdoings so it can be brought up at some future time and thrown back into someone's face to be used against them. Paul is saying that love never records a wrong...whether or not these wrongs were done intentionally or unintentionally.

In speaking of love, we may as well ask, are we really willing to love??? After all, that's what love is. Love doesn't hold records of wrongs against another. That said, until we give up keeping score, we are incapable of expressing love. We will also be destined to live in the failures of the past. Perhaps you have a record of wrong doing on your spouse, children, parents, other family members, or church family but as believers, we should forgive and forget! Not only that, but we should also keep in mind that if we are still holding on to others records of wrongs, we have missed the point of God's love. Note: If God keeps no record on us, how can we keep a record on others.

Prayer 

Lord help us all to forget and forgive the records we have kept on others, and thank you, Lord, for not keeping a record of our sins. In Jesus’ name, Amen. If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness. - Psalm 130:3:4

...But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." Mark 11:26