There’s more to this story. There’s practical & understanding but there is also power & belief. There’s a being called the Holy Spirt & there’s an authority He gives us.
I’ve used the practical steps of community, mentors & accountability I explained in my last blog to escape my sin time & time again. Sometimes it helped & other times I fell, again. To be completely honest, it was due to my lack of transparency & fear of judgement to those around me.
But, there is one way that hasn’t failed me… that is to literally plead the blood of Jesus over myself. “Lord, cover me & make me new again.” It’s the moments that I asked for the Holy Spirit who lives inside of me, since I’ve accepted the Lord into my heart, to make His presence known. “Holy Spirit fill me up again & come alive.” It’s the moments I cried out in agony because I had no other option. “God, my world is dark. I’ve fallen again, I feel alone & I need a break through right here, right now.” It’s the times that I declared over myself that I would not touch that thing again. “In the name of Jesus Christ, lust no longer has a hold on me. Father, replace the lust in my life for purity, help me see your sons & daughters through your eyes & cleanse me to be holy & set apart like you. And shame, boy you gotta go!!” It’s the days I was reminded of the authority I have over the enemy. “In Jesus’ name, I demand anything unclean to leave my mind & body!” It’s ultimately my belief that there is a God who is holy, who can raise the dead & is worth looking foolish for. “Father, give me wisdom, boldness & courage to understand your truth.”
I’m working on true vulnerability & casting out all fear of what people may think of me or disqualify me from. I’m understanding the need for connection between my heart & mind throughout this process. The way of life & Jesus is to be completely firm in our identity in Him. It is to be continuously filled with the living spirit that leads us away from destruction through submission, exchanging worthlessness for the Worthy One. It’s not easy to fight the fight which is why God has equipped us with the very tool to overcome death, His power.
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.” Psalms 51:12
“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” Philippians 3:8
Love ya’ll,
P
This is powerful stuff Payton- I love how you are describing the path of transformation for a believer! These past two blog posts are meaty!
Amen to that! What keeps us locked in sin is lies we believe, fear, guilt and shame. God wants us free of all that. The more we let go of the guilt and shame, the freer we are. The more we combat the lies we believed about God, ourselves, and others, the less fear we have. Perfect love casts out fear! God is perfecting His love in us, one day at a time!