Spiritual Encouragement

Nothing too special has happened since I last posted two days ago.

However, things are drastically different than the last time I posted.

Been digging in the Word, and by no prompting other than the Holy Spirit... and God has been speaking to me a ton honestly since Wednesday, just about all the stuff I've been carrying.

I think sometimes, we can carry stuff with us that is detrimental to us. I don't know what to compare it to right off hand, but cutting to the chase pride is something I struggle with. I discovered over the summer I have a mountain of pride. And through all this hurt and pain, I think what I have deduced is, I don't just have a mountain of pride... but I have a mountain range of pride. It is definitely a gargantuan wall that stands between the Lord and myself... and the people I know and love and myself.

Only God can take this from me... and I want to surrender it all.

But that honestly has been the root of all my "issues," just dealing with the fact that I cannot carry this. And why would I want to? This pride (in just one example of many) wants me to be an expert at something... it could even be worship, and by expert I mean get a doctorate, which there's nothing wrong with, but I think that should only be necessary if God equips me in such a way that it would be appropriate. Like, if I were to teach seminary students about worship later in life, then I would definitely love to have a doctorate, and if I genuinely wanted to help students learn about being a worship leader or something else in a seminary, then yes. But if I want to get it just to boast about how much knowledge I have... then, ESPECIALLY when it comes to worship, then you have 1 Corinthians 1:27, "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong," and 1 Corinthians 13:4 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." So it wouldn't be in love, I would probably turn into one of those "slave-driver" type teachers, Pharisaic, and I believe God works many times not through one's knowledge of something but simply by His wisdom alone, which none of us can ever have. And, it doesn't matter how smart I am as to how one experiences God in a worship service.

Goodness... I'm thinking like a worship leader. Nothing wrong with that!!! =D Anyway, my point for that, which was broken up with a ministry meeting, was that pride has been getting in the way of a lot of things for me... ultimately, it is spiritual warfare. And there's enough of a battle when it comes to how we can be the hands and feet of Jesus so that God can move within lives and people are saved from destruction.

So... in the name of Jesus Christ, AWAY FROM ME SATAN!

And when I take that lens off and think about the good things, it completely overshadows all the "negatives" I've seen like from this summer and stuff. And the negatives really aren't negatives...

So I know this is titled "Spiritual Encouragement," and it's only by God's grace that I am being pulled out of this spiritual desert. I would say I'm at the end, and on the horizon is the next chapter, and I am running full speed toward that. I know that chapter includes getting a job, which to be honest, I have made almost no effort to get. But, that has to change. I know what I want to look for. And I know I can make it happen... this week... today! =D Well, except for the fact that my dad has destroyed our deck because we need to replace our furnace pipes... so I need to help him with that. Other than that... I'm ready for this!

=D