I know it’s been a while and very inconsistent. There isn’t too much to say that doesn’t change the fact that I have been MIA for months.
But, this is my word that moving forward, you will get these pearls monthly! Every month there will be a new post. Feel free to hold me to that!
Now, let’s get into it.
When I read the Bible I visualize as if I’m in the story. I know Jesus would’ve been sick of me! Some of the stuff Jesus said makes me laugh out loud reading it so I know if I had been there I would have been cracking up!
God or Family?
Picture this: You’re sitting listening to Jesus teach and someone quietly walks over to Him to give a message… and you hear the person say:
“Jesus your mother and brothers are outside”
And Jesus responds and says “Who is my mother and brothers?!!” He turns and looks at his disciples and say… “here is my mother and my brothers”… and anyone doing the will of my father ! (Matthew 12:46-50)
Now, I know for a FACT… I would’ve giggled. I would’ve been so shocked that I couldn’t do anything but laugh. (Laughter is my first response 90% of the time.) Don’t you wonder what the messenger did after that point?
Did he stand there or did he go back outside and say… “Jesus is busy at the moment” or did he not go back outside? I could only think about how it made His family feel. Because that’s something that I struggled hard with. How does this make other people feel. something that I struggled with hard.
And then ever so gently I heard: “It’s not about them…”
That was enough to start a conversation between me and the Holy Spirit.
We say God you can use me, use me to do your will! Then we check in with our family, friends, and spouses to see if THEY approve or agree with what God told us to do. How crazy is that?!
I’ve been guilty of this myself. For a long time when I was young I had formed this belief that I didn’t know God. It was a belief I had picked up after being around religious people. The kind who went to Church many times per week and could quote scripture without hesitation. But, lacked the love that’s essential to help you get to God. Because I wasn’t brought up in Church or wasn’t “in the Lord” as long plus the constant criticism. I started to believe that my relationship with God was fake.
When God was revealing Himself to me more and more I would brush it off and ignore it. I was celibate and in the Bible daily but because I wasn’t accepted by the people I thought that meant the same for God.
This kept me stuck in a cycle of ignoring God and doubting myself. Because I believed I needed someone else to confirm my relationship with God.
This is and was a lie straight from the pits of hell. If you are experiencing this please know that the devil is a liar and the only approval that you need is Gods. Test the spirit, so that you’re not deceived. The enemy’s favorite tactic is to make you question your relationship with God.
Count The Cost…
We want God to use us for His glory as long as we can take cute pictures for the ‘gram. With scripture (out of context) as the caption. We want to be vessels for God’s glory until it means not being popular.
Until you’re having to go against the crowd and stand only on the word. Until it’s time to turn your back to family, friends, or those people you made an idol.
Until you’re slandered and lied on and laughed at for believing God and standing firm in your beliefs. When you start to feel like an outcast, but when you was in the world, you was lit! That’s when the average person starts to rethink singing the lyrics to “Refiner” out loud lol.
In all seriousness, count the cost. Don’t be so caught up with wanting to be popular and having the approval of other people. That you find yourself fighting to remain likeable, accepted, and in the know and decide to turn your back on God.
Jesus saved the world and the world HATED Him while He was doing it. Jesus gave up EVERYTHING to do the will of God. He walked away from it all without hesitation or reservation (talk about being all in).
One way they describe Jesus in the bible is: “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised and we held him in low esteem” (read Isaiah 53:3). Jesus wasn’t popular, He was necessary! Necessary in the way that air is necessary to sustain life.
We don’t value air until we can’t breathe. I bet as you have been reading this you haven’t once thought of how many breaths you’ve taken. But those breaths were still essential.
It’s not always going to be pretty and you’re not always going to be well liked. If liked at all. But, who said being liked was a sign of achievement?
The people who make real change, don’t always fit in. So the next time you find yourself struggling with not being seen, or fitting in, remember the goal isn’t to be seen. Keep your eyes on God.
The Point…
As I read this scripture it was the conversation with the Holy Spirit that I needed at the right exact time. One of the things you hear a lot from family is “you don’t turn your back on family”. But, Jesus tells someone in Luke 14:26 that you can’t be a disciple unless you’re willing to do that.
If the connections to people are standing in the way of you and being obedient to God, you gotta do it. Countless times in the bible God told people to leave their families and the places they knew.
Where we are raised is not always where we must say. That goes for places, mindsets, beliefs, etc.
There will come a time when what God says will contradict what you were taught growing up. You will need to be strong enough to walk away from your favorite people, and places when God is calling you to.
My experience was that the more time I spent with Holy Spirit the more I was able to see. I could see the spirits working in people. Things that grieved the Holy Spirit began to grieve me. My gift of discerning of spirits got stronger. I was becoming more and more sensitive to the things in the spirit.
It’s all fun and games until Holy Spirit starts revealing what’s really going on.
This creates issues with people who don’t believe in God. You can’t answer the call of God and expect to keep those that you may have known and loved in one season, close in a new season.
This doesn’t mean create tension and strife between you and those people. It means knowing that everybody can’t go where God is calling you and won’t agree with what God has called you to do. Don’t let the expectations of people cause you to lose what God has called you to do.
You only need God’s approval.
I don’t know about you, but I needed that when I got it. Let me know in the comments what it made you think about.
Have you seen our “Thank God not the universe” tees? We restocked!
Remember, DONT CAST YOUR PEARLS BEFORE PIGS!
What you bring into any situation is precious and deserve to be selective about who you share YOU with. Jesus made it clear, if they don’t receive you… kick the dust from your feet and take your PEACE with you. (We will talk about this next month)