The Narrow Road

Within these times of uncertainty and confusion as believers we know that there is a war going on that our physical eyes cannot see.

I used to be blind to my own sin that was quietly sabotaging my life until God’s thundering voice a few years ago gently revealed to me the toxic pride that had been brewing in my heart.

At the time He spoke to me I must tell you how in my mind and outwardly I was doing all the “Christian” things. I was attending church, doing countless studies and had listened to hundreds of sermons. I was reading my bible and reading devotions to my children. I was hearing God’s voice. I was also very much growing in my faith. They were all wonderful things. But right there in the midst of “doing” God out a spotlight on festering ugliness that needed to go if I was to be made whole.

It’s my nature to always be looking outward. I’m always desiring to “help other’s”with good intention. I want to inspire and encourage people but in my pursuit of that I was focusing on perceived wrong behaviors while blindly and righteously ignoring my own. Instead of getting my heart fixed, I was ‘in brokenness’ trying to fix others.

I was a Christian blind to the hidden sin of pride in my life.

My own pride held me hostage in my jaded opinions and instead of being of any help I was actually contributing to the fire. I was resentful, holding on to past hurts, bitter, and felt like I was the righteous one because I was doing all the seemingly right things.

Thankfully before my toxic pride brought death over my life my loving Father removed the scales from my eyes. I was LOVING in natural love and was not loving the way that Gods word commands us to love. I was not being honoring and I was most definitely wallowing in self pity. I was making the issue about me.

It’s so easy to look at the wrong in others and wrong in the world and make decisions in our own minds about what is going to have to be changed in THEM before things are made right.

This is an opinion on the matter and NOT knowledge from the mighty God who created our brains.

When we renew our minds by heeding His word and literally apply His word to our situation miracles begin to happen. Healing happens.

Perhaps the most profound thing we can do as believers is surrender our selves, our hearts, and our human opinions DAILY to God and let Him continuously heal our hearts and give us HIS vision and HIS ability to love supernaturally. Even love who we perceive is fighting against us. Not just love but honor them.

We have to REPENT of living in our flesh and feelings. And ask for His way to rule in our lives.

The wisdom God has given me to carry came through the process of suffering and uncomfortableness that accompanies circumcision of the heart.

Words that were hung over me like a banner during that time was to “suffer well.” God is in our pain as He graciously transforms us. His ways seem impossible. The situation may seem impossible and without hope, but God… nothing is impossible for Him.

The wisdom is that “He always ask me to heed His word/instruction inwardly” before He can work it outwardly through my life. I must be devotedly humble with relentless obedience before He can work supernaturally through me bringing healing to myself and others.

I believe this healing is very necessary to burn bright and to contribute light in this dark time.

Vessels of light “TOGETHER” burn bright.

PRIDE is deceiving and powerfully deceived me as a believer. Satan doesn’t discriminate. He seeks to divide and destroy. He is powerless when Gods word is actively working through our lives. We as believers are his main target. Be on guard! Make sure it’s the Shepherds voice you are following.

The message of the gospel is Christ crucified. He made a way in what seemed impossible by disrupting our order. He made a way to follow. He saves us from death, darkness, sin, and mostly from ourselves, our humanity.

In Him as believers we crucify our flesh and give Him all the rights to our opinions. We in Him have renewed minds and renewed ways of perceiving the world.

PRIDE will tell you that you have the right. Surrendering your life to Jesus is just that. Your “surrendered” to His NEW world order where everything feels upside side down and inside out. That’s because it’s contrary to every fiber of our human flesh.

We must crucify our flesh and pause before reacting to what’s happening before our eyes to allow the Holy Spirit within us to respond to what’s happening in heavenly realm we cannot see.

Yielding our hearts to the Lord is the stance we must all have.

ALLEGIANCE to the Lord, the CREATOR of the universe is the only true solution to this war. The chaos and deception is so heavy that we must stop allowing it to divide and start allowing Christ to heal.

We have to stop choosing sides and choose to stand behind Jesus. Not our past, not our heritage, not our passions, not our “rights”. We let go in faith of all the ways we’ve been wronged. All of us!

Our Fathers extravagant love for us becomes the source of our lives. We begin to see with a new perspective all people, all beliefs, and all races. We see each other through His lens of mercy and grace. We no longer are the victims but become victorious in Jesus name. We begin to have an extravagant love to each other.

With the precious Holy Spirit within us, having our minds renewed, and our hearts surrendered daily we are a force to be reckoned with. We can stand in the face of evil and fight with the weapon of His grace and love. We can have the power to be quiet and listen, we can have the power to see the evil against us and instead of reacting in pride we throw water in the fire by not being offended, seeing it for what it is, and loving.

Surrendering your life to Christ means letting go of what seems fair in the natural. It’s surrendering opinion. It’s giving God control and trusting Him.

A surrendered vessel allows the Holy Spirit to occupy our lives.

Just yesterday I felt that righteous pride welling within me until I nearly burst with being a voice of opinion! It took an active will to crucify my flesh. I’m STILL fighting the urge!

This is a DAILY requirement.

To remember I’m not the lord of my life anymore. And oh is it hard sometimes especially when you feel passionate about something.

This is what we do as Christians!

Opinions are adding oil to the flames. Surrender and prayer are quenching them. Jesus builds bridges instead of hate dividing.

Let’s let His word have its way in our minds and hearts.

We walk by faith and not by sight.

Let’s let 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 be our anthem.

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT