Take It or Leave It

Hey everyone and Happy December! ???? 

I hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday and spent time with those you love. It’s hard to believe that 2021 is coming to a close. Where has this year gone?!? 

It has been a challenging year for us all, unfortunately, some more than others. We are adjusting to a new norm and witnessing our world unravel right before our very eyes. For those who have experienced pain, loss and unimaginable grief this year, please know that God is walking with you, holding your hand and will see you through your difficult season. 

As we prepare to say goodbye to 2021, I want to help us get ready for the newness that is to come. I think it’s safe to say that we are all hoping 2022 is brighter for everyone. The good news is that God is the same forever and His decision to bless his children is not dependent upon the current state of affairs. He can and will override any predictions of man. So, take courage because God reigns supreme and will always be on the throne. 

By the time you read this blog, we will have less than 30 days left in this year. I would like to pose a question. What will be different for you next year?  Hopefully, not the typical resolutions or empty promises that we have on repeat year after year with no progress. Could it be that the reason we don’t see change is because we take the same mindset and lifestyle into each new year? 

I would like to encourage us to pause and examine our lives and see if there is any baggage that we have accumulated this year or over the years that needs to be thrown away before entering the new year. Let’s take inventory of our life, mind, heart and emotions by going through all the things that belong to us and decide if we are going to “take it or leave it.” 

Let’s first look at some things that we need to leave in 2021. The things I share below are taken from Ephesians 4:17–32. Let me warn you now, it’s pretty heavy but it’s God’s word nonetheless. I am serving up a T-Bone steak today instead of milk and cookies. But if you can just chew it and get it down…it will be more than worth it. Take if from someone who knows.  

Things we need to leave in 2021:

1. Inconsistent relationship with God: on again and off again, consulting him on an as needed basis, treating him like He is our personal waiter, “ringing the bell” when we need something, giving him our “wish list” to fulfill, giving Him lip service but having our own agenda, we want the Lord of the breakthrough but not the Lord that tells us what to do
2. Inconsistent Prayer Life: Only praying in times of an emergency or as a last resort when our plans fall through, praying one sided prayers, we only want His blessings and provision but not open to his correction, only praying for me and mine and neglecting to pray for others
3. Being dishonest: sometimes the biggest lie is the one we tell ourselves, blaming other people and refusing to take responsibility for our actions, making up stories for sympathy or to get someone to hate the person that we don’t like, saying that we love someone when we really don’t, the words we say don’t match how we really feel in our heart, being a totally different person behind closed doors, living a life on Sunday that doesn’t match our life Monday-Saturday. Just come clean with God because he sees it all.
4. Anger: it’s okay to get angry but don’t sin by letting anger control you, you can be angry but you know you’ve gone too far when you are ready to seek revenge or retaliate, you are about to put Vaseline on your face and put your hair in a ponytail, you feel a bust the windows out your car type moment coming on, take a deep breath, count to 10, talk to God, or phone a friend and regain control. Also don’t take anger to bed with you.
5. If you are a thief, quit stealing: don’t take anything that does not belong to you, that you haven’t earned or worked for which could include someone’s ideas, their identity or possessions, someone else’s spouse, someone’s joy, peace and happiness. Proverbs 6:31 (NLT) confirms that stealing of any kind is not worth it. It states: But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole, even if he has to sell everything in his house.
6. Using foul or abusive language:  resist the urge to say hurtful words that you can’t take back, don’t use your mouth to degrade or belittle people, don’t call people out of their name, don’t say harsh words or clap back at anyone, the tongue is a small member but can do a whole lot of damage if not controlled.
7. Get rid of all bitterness, grudges and being spiteful:  stop being bitter towards people who have nothing to do with your root issue, being mad at the world, still holding a grudge against someone that wronged you 30 years ago, being petty over trivial matters, getting happy when you hear of someone’s downfall, being easily offended and taking everything personally, engaging in tit for tat behavior, plotting revenge on people who have wronged you. 
8. Being impulsive:  reacting in the moment, making permanent decisions based on temporary feelings, spending money to impress people, getting in one relationship after another, saying everything that comes to your mind, being gullible and believing anything someone tells you without any proof
9. Hating people: disliking people based on what you’ve heard, what they’ve done to you, hating people that look or believe differently than you, hatred is never acceptable for ANY reason and speaks to the condition of our heart. 
10. Gossiping: spilling the tea, throwing people under the bus, making up fictious stories, sharing third hand information, spreading rumors or lies, being a busybody, knowing everything about everybody else yet nothing about yourself

Yay, I’m glad that you are still with me and have not clicked off yet.  I know what I just shared is a hard pill to swallow. Very hard. Believe me, I’ve had to swallow many of them myself. It’s just that God has prerequisites for his promises. Our lifestyle and behavior have to match our confession. God is not moved by the fact that “we want it.” Our character and obedience to ALL of his word is what moves Him.  

I pray that we never get so “familiar” with God that we fail to take heed when he is asking us to change. There are things (unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness, jealousy, self-righteousness, hatred, a double lifestyle and idols) that we have tucked away in the compartments of our heart for years and refuse to address them or even admit that they are there. And wonder why our lives never improve.  

Once you assess what you need to get rid of, be prepared for your flesh to have a whole tantrum and resist you all the way. When your flesh is used to being in control and steering your life, transformation does not come without a fight. But the greater one lives inside of you and as long as you humble yourself, your flesh doesn’t stand a chance.

Okay, now that the hard stuff is out of the way….

Things we are keeping, adding or taking with us into 2022 (also taken from Ephesians 4: 17-32):

1. Our relationship with Jesus Christ: keeping it first, front and center…always. A relationship is not one sided so keep in constant communication with him, talk to him daily, pray, study His Word, invest in your growth, don’t try to do life on your own. He should be our first love. 
2. Renew your thoughts and attitude: think about what you are thinking about, renew your mind every single day, don’t complain, if you don’t like something about your life then change it, let go of the notion that it’s too late for you or the odds are stacked against you to win. If you belong to God, you can overcome anything but it starts with what you think about yourself! Never compare your journey with anyone else’s and don’t wish you had their life. You are missing out on the unique masterpiece called you! Be determined to live in purpose and on purpose. You are unstoppable but you have to believe it and do the work to become it! 
3. Use your hands for good hard work: anything worth having is going to require hard work, there is no way around it, be self-disciplined and stay focused, find out what you are purposed to do, what your passions are and get to work, this is also a good remedy for being idle and wasting time, stop looking at everyone’s highlight reel on social media and invest in becoming God’s version of you! 
4. Give generously: always look for ways to give to others, use your blessings to be a blessing, there is always someone who has it worse than you, give your time, a smile, money, a helping hand, prayer and kind words. Make giving a lifestyle. You will never go wrong being a giver, blessings increase when you do!
5. Let everything you say be good and helpful: always be slow to speak, if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all, if you can’t help the situation then don’t make it worse with false accusations, gossip, slander or giving your two cents, instead build others up, uplift and encourage them, cheer them on
6. Be kind to each other: kindness is free, you will never regret being kind, you can disagree with someone and still be kind, you can tell someone the truth while being kind, people will always remember how you made them feel, you never know what a person is dealing with before they encounter you. Be kind!
7. Be tenderhearted: have compassion for those around you, we all have difficult seasons, regrets and things we struggle with, pray for people’s wellbeing, work on being a good listener, be present in the moment, remind yourself but for the grace of God, it could be me
8. Forgive one another: We HAVE to forgive to be forgiven. God has forgiven us countless times even for the same thing, none of us deserve it but we all receive it, forgiveness is a decision and a choice, it’s not a feeling, refusing to forgive only poisons you, forgiveness does not mean reconciliation with toxic people but you must forgive them, forgive people as many times as they ask for it, God does the same for us, his forgiveness is unlimited but also not without consequences. Who do you need to forgive? Who do you need to ask to forgive you?
9. Humble yourself: be humble, stay humble, consult God first about everything, let go of pride, ego and being self-absorbed, we don’t know everything and no one is better than anyone, we are ALL made in his image and likeness and without God we are nothing, being prideful is the quickest way to fall but being humble entitles you to receive His grace.
10. Encourage yourself: let what God says about you be enough, don’t crave approval, attention or applause from anyone, learn to motivate yourself, learn to clap when you win, be your own cheerleader, value what God has put inside of you, know who you are independent of people, you and God are always the majority. 
11. Love yourself: It may sound backwards to love yourself before loving people but I can only love you to the degree that I love me! If I don’t love God and myself, I can forget loving anyone else.  Self-love is very important as it spills into how we treat other people. It ALL starts with God and me.
12. Love people: All people, the ones who love you back and the ones that don’t, the ones that hate you, have mistreated you, don’t look like you, don’t live like you and even the ones that sin differently than you. Loving others is not optional, it’s a command. God is the originator of love and takes our love walk very seriously. So much so that he even values love over hope and faith.  And just in case you’re hated, know that you are in good company for Jesus too was hated without cause. When you follow Christ, hatred comes with the territory, but don’t give it any attention for you should really be concerned if no one hates you.
13. Gratitude: Be grateful for every breath, every day and every moment. In everything give thanks. Life may not be perfect or ideal but there is always something to be grateful for. God did not give up on us when he should have so never take anything for granted. Always let God know how appreciative you are. Gratitude goes a long way with Him. If 2020 and 2021 taught us anything, it should have been gratitude. 

Transparent moment: About 5 years ago, I decided to get serious about my walk with Christ and in order to do so, I asked God to show me any areas of my life that were displeasing to him. Let’s just say…I was shocked and not ready for his answer. He told me that I was prideful, self-righteous and judgmental. I clutched my pearls and was like…Me?!? What you talking about Jesus?? LOL. 

Those words were VERY hard to hear because I did not consider myself to be any of those things. But I had to remind myself that God looks at the heart and he has receipts! He knows who we REALLY are. So, I threw away my sippy cup of milk and started chewing on the big T-Bone steak that God handed me. He’s so loving though, not only did he tell me who I really was but also patiently helped me unpack everything. With his help, I did the work necessary to leave behind the sin that was going to cause me to lose the race. 

It took a few years but God has done a complete overhaul of my life, blessings are now flowing, I’m walking in purpose and I see the promised land in my view. None of this would’ve happened had I not listened to God, repented and worked on my inner man. To this day, I still give God full permission to “call me on the carpet” when my ways don’t please him. And believe me, He does, but I am just quicker to respond and repent now. That’s why it’s so important to not allow hype from man to be the measuring stick of our relationship with God. Man could be singing our praises while God is displeased with who we have become. Gifts are without repentance, so being gifted is no indication if God even knows us.  He is the ONLY one who can discern our hearts so it’s best to check in with him often to see what he has to say!

I wholeheartedly believe that for those who are prepared and are in right standing with God, we are about to see favor, recompense and acceleration in our lives unlike anything we ever imagined. But before we shout and get happy, we have to make sure that our ways please God and that our lives are aligned with him. Sometimes the most difficult thing to hear about our character is really the very thing that will set us free. 

Let’s mature from needing to hear warm and fuzzy messages, the kind that makes us shout, run around the church and cut cartwheels but don’t produce change. We need the honest truth…His truth because there is no freedom in anything else. I would rather God hurt my feelings than allow me to miss out on purpose and destiny. I will get over having my feelings hurt but I don’t think I could recover if I missed out on what God planned for me simply because I refused to do it HIS way. 

So, I admonish you to ask God the same question that I did. Is there anything in my life God that displeases you? Even if you think you’re good, be open and listen to what he has to say.  It shows humility and that you value what he thinks about you more than anyone else.  It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a Christian, if your life is not progressing, it could be a heart issue. God gives the real, raw and unfiltered truth.  But what I love about him is that He won’t shame or condemn you. He will lovingly tell you exactly what he sees and help you get it right. Because in the end, only his “well done” will matter. 

I was going to apologize for the last blog of the year being so “in your face” and heart provoking but I won’t because I truly believe this is what God wanted me to share…even if it’s just for one person. Reading the Bible from cover to cover, quoting scriptures of God’s promises, claiming that 2022 is going to be “your year”, sowing seeds, saying affirmations and going to church is all wonderful but if our heart is contaminated, 2022 will look like all of the previous years and perhaps worse. 

So, I strongly encourage you to take the rest of 2021 and decide what you are taking with you and what you need to leave behind. This is a conversation that you need to have with you and you alone, don’t phone a friend or have a group chat. It’s self-evaluation time for all of us. It’s time that we stop looking around and look within! The only person that can hold you back is YOU. No one else is that powerful. Because IF God is for you, then it’s a done deal. God loves us too much to leave us like we are. And I’m so glad about it! 

We are on the brink of a new year. So, please don’t let YOU be the reason that YOU miss out on God’s best in 2022. I really want to see you win! ????

 

Have a Merry CHRISTmas, enjoy time with those you love and create memories.

Thanks for hanging out with me this year! 

I look forward to chatting with you in 2022! 

 

Please feel free to leave a comment if this blog resonates with you. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Gift Card Giveaway: The first 10 people to leave a comment will win a $10 Starbucks gift card. You will be contacted via email if you are one of the winners. You must reside in the USA.

 

 You are celebrated and appreciated my fellow Party of ONE!

 

 God’s best always, 

Leslie 

 

Scriptural References: 

I Peter 2:1

Philippians 3:13

Isaiah 43:19

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

 

Ephesians 4: 17-32 (NLT)

17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.