It it’s stopping you from getting closer to God, it needs to
go
Part 2
So it’s been a while since my last blog post, and I
apologize greatly for this one taking so long to arrive. Here’s the deal: just
when I decide I want to do something that takes time, my life gets busy. It’s
unavoidable. But I’m still here, and so is this post. So let’s get to it!
Here’s a refresher of the main points of Part 1:
·
We wander off the path of our faith and think
it’s acceptable to do so.
·
We toy with sin and think we’re having a great
time.
·
There’s a lie floating around that you can sin
and live for Jesus at the same time.
·
There’s a lie floating around that college is
the one time period when it is acceptable to sin.
·
The enemy doesn’t care about you, but instead,
uses guilt, shame, and doubt against you to try to weaken your relationship
with Christ.
·
God shows us grace and mercy, regardless of
whether we deserve it or not (we don’t, by the way).
I’ll let you in on a little secret: the reason why I know
the things I do about wandering from God is because I wandered from God for 2
years, and believe me, they were horrible. Sure, I experienced great things
during those 2 years, but when I look back on those years, I don’t remember
very many great things. Instead, I remember how far I truly fell from God and
my faith, and how much it not only hurt me (and believe me, IT HURT), but how
much I hurt God in the process (which made me hurt even more).
Now that I am living out my relationship with Christ in my
everyday life, I try to look back on my “wild days” and remember why I did the
things I did. But the truth is, I don’t have any good excuses. I can’t remember
what a valid reason was for a single thing I did that went against God or my
beliefs. When I really get down to the nitty gritty of remembering those days,
all I can remember is that I wasn’t where I should have been in my relationship
with Jesus Christ, and I was using a lot of different sins as a way to try to
make myself feel better.
We all want to be our own person. We all want to make a
difference in the world. We all want to experience things we have never
experienced before. And we’re also human, which makes us stubborn, which means
that we won’t take anyone else’s opinion for truth until we ourselves have
tried whatever it is we shouldn’t be trying.
Give yourself a break and skip all the heartache. If there
is anything, and I mean ANYTHING, that is standing between you and God, step
back and ask yourself: “Why?” Why is it between God and me? Why is it so
important to me? Can I live without it? Is it benefitting my life? Is it
benefitting my walk with Christ? Would my parents approve? Would my
grandparents approve? And then ask yourself one serious, deep question: “Do I
approve of the way I’m living?”
I personally know that it can be really hard to get rid of
something or someone who is hindering your relationship with Christ. I had to
get rid of a LOT of things (and people) when I came back to Jesus. Let me be
the first one to tell you that the people you have to leave behind will not
understand why you have to leave them behind. But if God truly is the only One
you need, then you will be okay. I promise :)
Why don’t you take this time right now to write out a list
of positive things in your life? Write down positive actions that you do,
positive words that you say, things that you like and love about yourself. Now
after you’ve done that, write out a list of negative things in your life. These
can be emotions, material things, people, etc. It can be hard to come up with
positive and negative things about yourself and about your life. If you need
help, ask some family or friends, or whomever you trust to give you a loving,
honest opinion about yourself. Now compare your lists. Which list is bigger?
If your negatives outweigh your positives, it’s time to
decide what needs to go and what deserves to stay in your life. You can use
some of the questions you asked yourself earlier: Why is it on my list? Why is
it so important to me? Can I live without it? Is it benefitting my life? Is it
benefitting my walk with Christ? Would my parents or grandparents approve? Do I
approve of this negative thing being in my life?
Here’s the deal, though: If you ask yourself “Is it
benefitting my walk with Christ?” and you answer no, then it needs to go. I
don’t care what it is, why you have it, or how long you’ve had it, it’s time to
say goodbye and send it on its way. Believe me, this is NOT always easy. But I
can guarantee that it will be worth it. Jesus wants to be in your life whether
you’re sinning or not, but He also wants to help you rid yourself of sin. Don’t
be afraid to seek His advice and ask Him for help when it’s time to get rid of
negatives in your life. He doesn’t disappoint :)
I hope this has helped. Remember 1 Corinthians 15:57: “But
thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
Xoxo,
n.
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