Get out of your own head

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

- Galatians 5:22-23

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This is the problem with free will.  God blessed us with the ability to make choices, think our own thoughts and act in the manner we choose to act.  It's a catch 22 when you think about it.  Because, we are innately born into sin.  It's in our DNA, thanks to Adam.  Therefore, it is for us to choose to act against our nature - to choose to do good.  Worse still, when we KNOW what needs to be done to be good... but everything in us tells us to do otherwise.

It's all in your head - the mind.  That's why the Word tells you to "not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2a).  Because if you don't start there, all the thoughts, the memories, the opinions and the perspectives of yourself and others will steer you the wrong way.  If your mind is not renewed to line up with the Word, it will always steer you wrong.

And I will be the first to say that at this very moment, I am struggling with this very thing - getting out of my own head.  I know what I need to do, i know what I need to think, I know what I should be ignoring... but my mind is in overdrive right now and fighting the spirit (and fighting dirty, I might add) to get what IT wants.  But, I know (as I continue to climb this slippery slope in rebellion) that I am running further and further away from God's will and EVERYTHING I have worked so hard to accomplish.  So who wins?

In regards to myself, I wish I had the correct answer for you at this point.  But I don't.  I'm stubborn and, internally, I'm scraping right now.  But for anyone reading this (think of me as a hypocrite if you want) I encourage you to smother your soul and release your spirit to do God's will.  Give into conviction and do what you know is right.  God knows the end and He knows what's best.  Fighting Him will only keep you stuck, stagnant and a LONG way from your destiny.

I love writing.  I write because it is my release.  It is where I can be real, say what I want... and I don't HAVE to listen to any rebuttals or back-chat LOL  Sounds a bit controlling, I know, but truth be told, I have a lot to say and I know it is wisdom straight from my heavenly father.  And because my delivery is still raw and in the process of being refined, writing usually gets the job done right.  Understand that everything I write is for me as much it is for you because writing gives me a chance to hear what God has to say to me as well.

Get out of your head.  Stop letting your past, your hurts, your observations, your generational cycles, your disappointments, your betrayals, crisis and circumstances keep you from all that God has for you.  The Word says: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).  Christ died with all the trash we carry around on a daily basis, so why do we keep picking it back up?  

The choice is mine and yours... live angry, bitter, mediocre, judgmental  depressed, without purpose and for nothing more than to die.  OR we can "have life and have it more abundantly", living it to the fullest, following Christ, as hard as it may be at times, knowing that you will arise.  

I know what I need to do... hopefully I start making better choices sooner than later... and hopefully you will do the same :)

Be Blessed IN LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

God is Love. Love is Life. Life is in The Word.

Clouds

Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life; don't for a minute lose sight of them.  They'll keep your soul alive and well, they'll keep you fit and attractive. You'll travel safely, you'll neither tire nor trip. You'll take afternoon naps without a worry, you'll enjoy a good night's sleep.

No need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday's just around the corner, Because God will be right there with you; he'll keep you safe and sound.

Proverbs 3:21-26 (The Message)

I used to smoke weed. Correction: I used to smoke A LOT of weed. And I’ve come to the conclusion that I enjoyed smoking weed because it helped me to escape my reality. It helped to fog my brain and cloud my vision. When I was high, nothing mattered. I had my head in the clouds, literally. And there was a few periods in my life that I was high QUITE often. I was high in class, I needed to be high to fall asleep, I went to work high a few times, I even went to church high a couple times. (Thank God for His mercy). At the time, I really didn't know what my problem was, I just enjoyed getting high because then I wouldn't have to think or deal with anything else going on around me.

So, why am I telling you this? I'm telling you this because we often use 'clouds' to escape our reality and keep us stuck. And for those of you who have never smoked weed, never been high and are thinking 'this girl must be crazy' please understand that 'clouds' can be anything you use to distract yourself from your reality, Such as, your job, sex, your partner, your children, religion, failed hopes and dreams, alcohol, shopping, illness and pets, just to name a few. 

'Clouds' are something we use on an abnormal basis to cope with the chaos in our lives. Some of you might be thinking 'well what's wrong with my children, or my partner, or religion being my 'cloud'’? And my answer is this: there is nothing wrong with doing most things in moderation. A glass of wine once a week doesn't make you an alcoholic  and it doesn’t mean you need alcohol to cope. Similarly, taking prescription medication to help balance mental instability (as prescribed) isn't wrong either unless you’re abusing it or prescribing your own ‘medication’ to cope, such as weed, which would be classified as forming clouds. This applies to all coping mechanism that are used out of balance with reality. In other words, if your 'cloud' controls the better part of your life and time and keeps you in a place of stagnation, you’re going to have to make some decisions about where you want your head to be: in the 'clouds' or above them.

Let’s talk some more about religion, partners and children... How could those things be classified as 'clouds'?  In innocence, we can use safe distractions to cloud our vision without even realizing that we are in fact causing damage. Because no one could condemn you for being religious or charge you for being overly caring of your children. But even positive intentions turn into crutches and excuses for not experiencing life to its fullest. I'm not saying to lose religion or start neglecting your children. What I am saying is don't use your religion as an excuse to not relate to people or life 'normally and/or logically' or don't use your children as an excuse to keep you from making purposeful steps in life when in fact it’s fear holding you back OR don't let your partner, father of your children or ex keep you in the 'clouds' to the point that you lose yourself and almost feel like you can't advance in life without them. Co-dependency will keep you stagnant if you allow it to.

In conclusion, I don't smoke weed anymore.  Although, there are times that escaping from reality sounds great when I have four kids running around me. Thankfully, I've gotten to the point that I'm above my 'clouds' and I'm reaching for heaven. Functioning on auto-pilot, even airplanes know that flying above the clouds is the best place to be. The air is clear up there. And when you can see clearly, you will see God and His goodness for you.

Be Blessed in RISING ABOVE YOUR CLOUDS

Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power - Proverbs 8:14 NIV

They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. - Ephesians 4:18 NIV

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. - 1 Peter 1:14 NIV

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