Holy Spirit, You are welcome here--

"Let us become more aware of Your presence. Let us experience the glory of Your goodness."

.. that is the cry of my heart.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. I'm so tired of being consumed by the world. By what the world has to "offer".

I've come to realize that because the enemy is here to kill, steal, and destroy, the worldly "things" will always be rubbed in our face. They are literally there to appear better than Jesus. Christian author Lysa Terkeurst wrote a book called "Made to Crave" about craving the Lord more than food and learning that our battles with food are more spiritual than physical or mental. This is an excerpt from her book, but I want you to know that this can be taken and applied to any struggle or addiction we're experiencing, whether it be with alcohol, drugs, or pornography. Or to our struggle with trusting and believing in Him. She says, "The reality is, even when we stand on the scale and see our goal weight staring back at us, we're always just one choice away from reversing all the progress we've made. I'm not saying victory isn't possible. But victory isn't a place we arrive at and then relax. Victory is when we pick something healthy over something not beneficial for us. And we maintain our victories with each next choice."

Our victories are so much more than the end result.
As kids, we don't come out of the womb and then start walking. No, we come out of the womb, and then we normally just eat and sleep. But even as a newborn, we have to learn new things. And then we learn how to hold our bottles in our mouth or drink out of sippy cup. And then we learn a bajillion more things, and we master those things. And THEN we learn to walk. And we have to master that as well. Each and every step of our lives is a victory. Some may feel smaller than others, but a victory at that. And when we come across a tough decision: Do I smoke this cigarette or do I fight the urge with every strength of my being and say "NO"?! The point at which we say "No!", we are victorious. And if we repeat that process 10 times in one day and we continue saying no, we've been victorious TEN times. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that if we fail to say no, we aren't victorious and all is lost. No, it just means we have to ask the Lord for more strength, more change of heart, and more power through Him. And we proceed knowing He's by our side, He's gracious, and He loves us oh so much.

When we think of victories with each next choice, we are giving ourselves so much grace and allowing the Lord to transform us with each decision we've made. And we have the ability to choose. He is so merciful and gracious.

So, yes, I probably will continue to say that I'm sick of being consumed, but with every choice against being consumed, I am experiencing a victory.

I have the privilege to love. To love with my words and my actions. And today, I choose love and I choose Jesus.

So tomorrow, I want to spend less time on social media, and more time loving. Less time gossiping and more time in the Word. Less time being consumed by this world and more time praying.

Who's with me?