Every Sunday before Bikes and Blues we have Bikers Sunday. The founder and leader of the club Pastor Jimmy and his wife Peggy will do the message during service. They have always done such a great job but yesterday really spoke to me. It spoke to me so much that I decided to open my blog which has sat stagnant for far too long.
They spoke a message on Fear, Anger, Un-Forgiveness and Imagination. What I am going to go over is what I learned. I feel like not only Christians need to work on these things but every soul on this planet we call home need to work on these four things. I feel like people really believe that their feelings are the only feelings that matter. I wrote so much of the message down on Sunday that I decided I would share. Maybe, just maybe someone will let go of something they have held onto for way too long.
We are all souls in a fleshly body. Every soul seeks something to fulfill it. As a Christian I should seek the Lord to fulfill my soul and my life. So many times I let these four things into my soul and it affects every aspect of my life. It affects my heart, my family, my friends and my mind.
1. Fear
Fear is having faith in a negative way. We have faith that something bad will happen. We have faith that nothing will go our way. We have faith in all the wrong things. Our souls get into the flight or flight mode. So often our fear can lead us too rushing to conclusions. As a Mom I could easily live a life of being fearful. The world is a scary place. Its easy to allow my mind to go to places and situations that possibly could happen. It would be easy to put my children in bubbles and not let them experience life. Its easy to think of all the darkness and want to never leave my house. As a Christian this is a passage that I should hold in my heart and speak over my children and over my fearful thoughts. Psalms 1:1-16
91 He who dwells in athe shelter of the Most High
will abide in bthe shadow of the Almighty.
my God, in whom I etrust.”
and from the deadly pestilence.
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
and nsee the recompense of the wicked.
qno plague come near your tent.
to tguard you in all your ways.
lest you ustrike your foot against a stone.
I will protect him, because he aknows my name.
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and chonor him.
and eshow him my salvation.”
I need to let go of the fear I hold onto. I need to allow life to happen as the Lord has planned. I need to be happy and live in the present not the "maybe could' or "what if's". Life is precious thing and I want to enjoy every moment as it happens. Bad things will happen but no matter how far you get knocked down the Lord will be there to allow you rise up. I like to say rising from the ashes of pain only makes you a shinier diamond. ( I must be a shiny diamond ) :)
2. Anger and unforgiveness
These two things go hand in hand. We allow anger to eat at us to the point of hate. To the point of no return. We let it lead our thoughts and take over our hearts. We try to convince ourselves that our anger is justified. When someone does something wrong to us we feel like our anger and hate is allowed because its us that was wronged. As a Mom I could easily get very angry at someone if they did something to Jax or Aria. I have to realize that I have to let go of that anger. I love my family dearly but anger and unforgiveness have completely torn it apart. I'm thankful that I am both like my Mom and Dad. My Mom would hold a grudge literally forever and my Dad forgave and forgave. I definitely took after my Dad on this one. It saddens me that my family is so torn but I can do nothing but love everyone and pray. Things happened that where wrong and things said that was hurtful and heart piercing but my heart forgives. I realized about 6 years ago that I have to let go and love everyone. I cant let that anger and unforgiveness be with me forever.
As a Christian I have sinned on more accounts than I can say. I have done things that are shameful. I have not been perfect. No one is perfect. Jesus died for those sins. When I asked for forgiveness he gave it with no questions asked.
Matthew 6: 14-15 "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
So how is it that I expect to be forgiven for every sin I commit but not do the same for anyone else. I have gotten so angry that my blood boils and I shake. I get this feeling that I think is the same feeling Hulk gets when he turns into Hulk. Its something I deal with on a daily basis. I mean don't go to gator golf with me... Its not something I am proud of but I have learned to let it go. I can't continue to be mad at someone or something and expect them to forgive me when I do wrong. That is not how this works. We need to let go of the hurt that has been eating at us.. We need to let go of the entitlement we have that our right is the only right. We have to lay it down at the cross and not take it with us when we get up. We need to forgive those that haven't even asked for forgiveness. I have had things done to me and have lived a life that being bitter and angry could easily have taken over my life. I couldn't let that happen. We have to pray. Not only pray but listen to the answer. So often Christians feel let down because we pray and pray but we don't have the patience to get the answer. It may not be the answer we always want but its the answer we need. Sometimes He will want us to reach out and say ' I forgive you and I love you and the past is the past" He may want us to do it through letter, email or maybe He is wanting us to do it face to face. We are made in his image. I don't think his image is a grumpy, grudge holding, judgmental person. Letting go of anger is freeing yourself from a weight we may not even know we've been carrying.
Life is too beautiful to not share it. Life is too short to be full of hate and bitterness. Our hearts cant handle being angry forever. I really think that the weight of that anger affects our physical body. It can drag it down and make our whole body hurt. Letting it go can free yourself of pain.
3. Imagination
This is something that can turn something so tiny into something so large. It can cause marriages to be torn. Friendships to be lost. It can cause lies to be told. Sin starts in the mind. We think of something and it can grow and grow until one day we wake up and have done what was only an "innocent" thought. We can sit and imagine something bad happen and then we let fear and imagination turn something that hasn't happened into a reality in our hearts. We need to fill our thoughts with happiness. We need to allow ourselves to be free and full of love.
Allowing ourselves to be free from these four things can lead to a life of healing. It can allow our hearts to be free from darkness. I can proudly say that I hate no one. I may not want to spend quality time with some people but my heart is free from hate. Look to the Lord and allow Him to free you of hurt and pain. Its a very simple thing. Talk to him, PRAY. He listens and he answers. Be patient and know that you are loved, even in the darkness you may be in. Never give up. Pray and pray and pray.
Pray for our Church's bikers ministry as they go out and minister and speak their hearts during Bikes and Blues. Pray for the cyclists as they travel too and from the events. Its a busy week and the Lord works wonders.
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