I have been not wanting to write this weeks blog, not gonna lie. I don't want to write it, tried to write something else, but I do believe in Gods perfect timing, and so after seeing a recurrent theme I have to say this to someone else other than me this week. God has given me a really big mouth, I am not talking about just a lot of talking but it carries sound. People listen to me and it terrified me for a long time and as I get older I have come to terms with my really big mouth, not minimizing it or apologizing for it. But here is what I need to say to you and me.
Your mouth is robbing you. You see I sat down at my kitchen table laid my head on my bible and sobbed, when I was a child I sat in Sunday school rooms and listened to the stories of the children of Israel in my youthful innocence I couldn't understand why they were so stupid. Always stories of the children of Israel messing up and God sending people to save them. I thought to myself as a child "I will never be like the children of Israel, serving other Gods, doing things wrong, sinning, leaving God." But as I laid my head down on the Bible and cried I told God "Thank you for the Israelites, it gives me hope." I am not gonna lie to you, there have been days in the past year alone where I wanted to quit, throw in the towel and just be done. I don't feel good enough, I don't see any changes in my life and more days than not I sit at my kitchen table and tell God how I am so frustrated. I am waiting in my desert and I believe he has a promise for me I just can't see it in the mess of my wait. My tendency is to vent my frustrations to more than just God. My husband, my friends, social media, I get oh so frustrated and then I speak in my frustration. "This will never happen." "It is so unfair." "I can't do it, I don't want to do it, or don't make me do it." I don't want to pray for those who don't believe in me, I would rather talk about it. I don't want to pray for God to change hearts, I would rather be hurt in mine. I don't want to see the good in those who don't understand me, I want to ignore them.
Yeah, this is me being honest to you. Because the truth is it isn't talked about enough, the heart of Christ followers, being very sick and the fact that we say the right things but in secret we struggle with the monster of jealousy, of anger, of frustration, of critical and judgment. And it is when we speak these things we rob ourselves of Gods endurance, which ultimately gives us the results we need. Not want but Need.
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL HAD A MOUTH PROBLEM
You see God delivered his people, he took them out of slavery, He provided for them in the desert and yet when it came time for them to put in some work into their own relationship with Him, they murmured, they complained. You see the Bible talks about the people testing God ten times before he said "You will not enter." Then after that they still tried to enter the Promise Land and were chased out. Here is something I need to say again, if you are murmuring you aren't ready for God's promise for your life. You see the people still tried to go in after the complained and even tried to stone Joshua and Caleb for standing up for what God was trying to do. So for that they did not enter into their Promise. They were made to wait in the desert until a new generation rose up that was willing to do what God was telling them to do. You see you will be made to wait until a new you is ready for what God has for you.
Don't stop reading yet though because honestly this isn't me telling you God isn't going to let you enter into the promise he gave you. It is to let you know that God is remaking you into the person who can handle what He has for you. Like the children of Israel we want the promise, we want it to be easy, and we want it our way. God wants us ready to handle the fights before us, because taking God's promise requires total focus. So if you feel like you are waiting the first thing I want to say to you is check your perspective and the words you are saying. This will kill anything God is trying to do in you.
THE NEXT GENERATION
So the Children of Israel were finally ready to enter into the Promise Land the first battle they had was with an immovable wall. Yep the generation before would have just thrown up their hands said "It is impossible! I wanna go back to Egypt" but this generation looked to their leader Joshua for what they were going to do, Joshua looked to God and God gave him an order and the men followed it. Walk around the the wall and do not speak for six days. You see for their first battle God knew their needed to be silence and they needed to obey. Did they feel dumb? Probably but, they were not to say a word and be completely focused. You see in the next season you are going into do you need to stop complaining? Do you need to stop gossiping? Do you need to stop speaking words of death over yourself, your family, your job, and where you are? I think you may know this answer. Sometimes you need to check your words up against God's promise. He promised that ALL things would work together for good to them who love Him." Do you not understand that His good sometimes comes in packages of hardship, battles, brokenness, and disappointment. Quit robbing yourself and start silently walking out around those things silently until God moves. When He says speak you speak then. Don't let yourself gossip about that coworker that rubs you the wrong way, the unfairness of a situation, the anger of a broken expectation. God is trying to prepare you but you need to shut your mouth its robbing you of your promise. Look to Jesus as your example who knew that he was going to die as a criminal he said "Not my will but yours be done?" Is this your prayer?
Your mouth is robbing you. You see I sat down at my kitchen table laid my head on my bible and sobbed, when I was a child I sat in Sunday school rooms and listened to the stories of the children of Israel in my youthful innocence I couldn't understand why they were so stupid. Always stories of the children of Israel messing up and God sending people to save them. I thought to myself as a child "I will never be like the children of Israel, serving other Gods, doing things wrong, sinning, leaving God." But as I laid my head down on the Bible and cried I told God "Thank you for the Israelites, it gives me hope." I am not gonna lie to you, there have been days in the past year alone where I wanted to quit, throw in the towel and just be done. I don't feel good enough, I don't see any changes in my life and more days than not I sit at my kitchen table and tell God how I am so frustrated. I am waiting in my desert and I believe he has a promise for me I just can't see it in the mess of my wait. My tendency is to vent my frustrations to more than just God. My husband, my friends, social media, I get oh so frustrated and then I speak in my frustration. "This will never happen." "It is so unfair." "I can't do it, I don't want to do it, or don't make me do it." I don't want to pray for those who don't believe in me, I would rather talk about it. I don't want to pray for God to change hearts, I would rather be hurt in mine. I don't want to see the good in those who don't understand me, I want to ignore them.
Yeah, this is me being honest to you. Because the truth is it isn't talked about enough, the heart of Christ followers, being very sick and the fact that we say the right things but in secret we struggle with the monster of jealousy, of anger, of frustration, of critical and judgment. And it is when we speak these things we rob ourselves of Gods endurance, which ultimately gives us the results we need. Not want but Need.
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL HAD A MOUTH PROBLEM
You see God delivered his people, he took them out of slavery, He provided for them in the desert and yet when it came time for them to put in some work into their own relationship with Him, they murmured, they complained. You see the Bible talks about the people testing God ten times before he said "You will not enter." Then after that they still tried to enter the Promise Land and were chased out. Here is something I need to say again, if you are murmuring you aren't ready for God's promise for your life. You see the people still tried to go in after the complained and even tried to stone Joshua and Caleb for standing up for what God was trying to do. So for that they did not enter into their Promise. They were made to wait in the desert until a new generation rose up that was willing to do what God was telling them to do. You see you will be made to wait until a new you is ready for what God has for you.
Don't stop reading yet though because honestly this isn't me telling you God isn't going to let you enter into the promise he gave you. It is to let you know that God is remaking you into the person who can handle what He has for you. Like the children of Israel we want the promise, we want it to be easy, and we want it our way. God wants us ready to handle the fights before us, because taking God's promise requires total focus. So if you feel like you are waiting the first thing I want to say to you is check your perspective and the words you are saying. This will kill anything God is trying to do in you.
THE NEXT GENERATION
So the Children of Israel were finally ready to enter into the Promise Land the first battle they had was with an immovable wall. Yep the generation before would have just thrown up their hands said "It is impossible! I wanna go back to Egypt" but this generation looked to their leader Joshua for what they were going to do, Joshua looked to God and God gave him an order and the men followed it. Walk around the the wall and do not speak for six days. You see for their first battle God knew their needed to be silence and they needed to obey. Did they feel dumb? Probably but, they were not to say a word and be completely focused. You see in the next season you are going into do you need to stop complaining? Do you need to stop gossiping? Do you need to stop speaking words of death over yourself, your family, your job, and where you are? I think you may know this answer. Sometimes you need to check your words up against God's promise. He promised that ALL things would work together for good to them who love Him." Do you not understand that His good sometimes comes in packages of hardship, battles, brokenness, and disappointment. Quit robbing yourself and start silently walking out around those things silently until God moves. When He says speak you speak then. Don't let yourself gossip about that coworker that rubs you the wrong way, the unfairness of a situation, the anger of a broken expectation. God is trying to prepare you but you need to shut your mouth its robbing you of your promise. Look to Jesus as your example who knew that he was going to die as a criminal he said "Not my will but yours be done?" Is this your prayer?
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