Do you ever feel like wanting to do or change something about yourself or your environment but you can’t seem to actually do it? Have you noticed that there are things that we say to ourselves that keep us from taking ACTION toward something that we desire to do or work on?
This is a very natural human thing that we do.
Sometimes we worry about getting out of our comfort zone, we create thoughts of fear or failure, or feel like we lack the confidence in ourselves to accomplish or change those things. We often times have information overload and we don’t know exactly where to begin. There are many reasons as to why we’re unable to act and we just continue to stay where we feel comfortable.
I’m assuming that if you’re reading this message, it’s because you have a desire in your heart, mind and soul, to continue on your journey of becoming a better version of yourself throughout your life. As children of God, we have a desire to rise above the things that want to keep us stagnant or stuck, and instead we want to focus on actually doing what God puts in our hearts, and actually work on that throughout our lives.
This morning I had an experience with this very topic. I noticed that a lot of times I put things off for some of the reasons mentioned above. But today I read James 1:22-25 which says ;
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Reading this felt like it was exactly what I needed to hear. I realized that I don’t want to go through life just hearing the words only and not taking the action upon what I hear. It’s interesting how the scripture mentions a person looking at themselves in the mirror and then walking away and forgetting what they look like. Whereas, when we work on ourselves and we actually take the action, this changes who we are. We begin to know ourselves even when we are not in front of the mirror. This teaches us that we can allow the words to change us, and as we put in the action and the practice that it requires we begin to change ourselves, we will be a stronger and better version of ourselves and we will be blessed for that. ❤️
These words invite me to have a have a stronger desire to want to take more action. To practice actually using the words of God to help me become a better version of myself. I want to have the wisdom to recognize the excuses that keep me from ACTING or putting the work necessary in each area of my life that I have a desire to work on or get better at.
I had a thought while I was reading this scripture and it’s that the adversary does not want us to take action toward anything that allows us to better ourselves. He will always distract us. His job is to cover us in fear, doubt, discouragement and dissatisfaction so that we won’t take action upon the things which we know that God would want us to work on. He wants us to be miserable like himself and anytime we allow him to make us miserable and unable to act toward something that is good, positive and from God. Then, that’s how He wins to keep us down and stagnant.
That’s why its so important for us to read the words of God. To ask God to help us recognize the tactics that the enemy uses and to ask God to give us the wisdom and strength to fight against them. For example, when we realize that fear is one of his greatest weapons that he uses against us. We can recognize that he wants us to be afraid of things so that we won’t put the effort or action toward that.
Or when he wants us to be distracted on our phones scrolling on social media, comparing ourselves to others, so that we may compare ourselves to others best lives and feel miserable & even forget about the love that God has for us. He has many tactics including the way he would talk to us about our body…saying that it’s pointless to eat healthier or to try to exercise because it’s just easier to be lazy and eat whatever we want when we want it. Another one of his tactics is to attack our home environment where we don’t get along our families so at the spirit of God won’t be in our home etc…Notice how he acts and how he deceives. Take a moment to recognize how the battle that we face with the enemy is directed at attacking us emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically. Notice how you can recognize that and remember that you have THE POWER TO CHANGE THAT.
This is when it’s important to remember that you are a child of God and that He has promised that YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS YOU. This is when you need to remind yourself of the type of God that you know. The one who has been with you during the good times and bad. The God who has healed you and helped you and the God who fully knows you and loves you. Remind yourself of His nature, how loving and amazing He is. & know and trust that He will help you through this.
Invite God to be with you so that you won’t just be a hearer of the words only, but that you will take ACTION and BE A DOER. God encourages us to invite the spirit of God to be with us through prayer, scripture study, living righteously, serving and loving others. Remembering that all that is good comes from God. & all that invites us to be better and to rise above evil or negativity is what leads us to higher and holier experiences. We have to understand that we have to put our action to the test and put in the work, so that we may experience God more fully in our lives.
God has also made a promise to us in James 1:5 which says; “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”
God is promising that if we need wisdom, he will provide that for us in abundance. He won’t withhold anything from us as long as we ask him faith, believing in Him. So, remember that God is ready and willing to give you the guidance that you need. Even if it’s just guidance for today or just for this hour. He is ready and willing to give it to you. So, this is your chance! Let His WORDS become your ACTIONS. Ask Him and He will show you that He’s there. This is how we can overcome our obstacles, one day at a time. Little by little, asking in faith and believing that Jesus Christ will help us through it all.
I invite you to pray and ask God for guidance that you may have the strength of Christ to be with you. To be able to take action towards that next step or goal that you have as a believer of Christ. He will bless you, He will guide you, He won’t leave you comfortless, and you will have His blessing as you do your best to move past the tactics of the enemy and more into inviting the good gifts of God. (Love, peace, light, patience, compassion, trust, endurance, perseverance, strength, power and so many more) Remember that you can do ALL things (including hard things) through Christ, who strengthens you. 💖
Focus on Him to be the help that you need in your daily tasks. Include Him in the planning of your day and allow Him to whisper to your heart and mind what it is exactly that you should be focusing on this specific day .
Prayerfully be intentional in you actions. For example work on the attributes that Christ taught by practicing more patience, love, forgiveness. Create list of manageable tasks, set goals and prioritize your time to accomplish them. Eliminate distractions, have accountability or necessary or reward yourself for the things that you accomplish. & most importantly, remember to stay positive and focused on the good and on all of your blessings.
Remember that God is rooting for YOU and wants the best for each one of us. He wants us to remember to give ourselves grace. Not everything has to happen at this very moment. We have to be PATIENT WITH OURSELVES and remember that each day has its challenges and we can only control what happens one day at a time. Our good work will always be recognized and we will be blessed for what we do.
So, allow yourself for a moment to close your eyes and say a little prayer and ask God to give you His wisdom and help you know what to focus on next. Or what is the next best thing that you can do during this hour that can help you better yourself and allow you to become more stable and more aligned to your divine creator, physically mentally spiritually emotionally, socially or anything else that you may feel inspired to work on.
Trust that the inspiration you gain comes from God. Trust that you will be able to take action without fear. But instead fully trusting in yourself
and in God. Work on keeping your mind and yourself positive, peaceful and doing your best. 🫶🏼
Our goal for this week is to TAKE ACTION on a goal or a Christlike attribute that that you want to work on. 💪🏼 Remember that it’s the action and the practice that makes the difference. So, let’s take action and notice the difference and the blessings that come from that. & speaking of action, we can also take action tonight, to show up to class. 🙂 To be there to do something good for ourselves. To let go of stress, have a moment to dance/exercise and meditate on the power that you have to choose the actions that are best for your wellbeing. This class will allow us to feel centered, peaceful and focused on the divine light that surrounds us to help us better ourselves one day at a time. Love you all! See you at 7pm & Let’s do this!
Love,
Lili
