Are You Willing To Lay It All Down...for Jesus?
Thank you Lord that it didn’t have to get worse for me to be willing…
Those were the words that I uttered in tears this morning during my conversation with God in prayer. I was so thankful and so grateful that when I look back over my life, it didn’t have to get worse for me to be willing to lay everything down and follow Jesus.
Is Jesus asking you to lay down the life that you thought you would have? Are you struggling with laying it down because you don’t know what comes next?
Well, Psalms 9:10 helps us with this: Those who know your name TRUST IN YOU because you have not abandoned those who seek you, Lord.
See when you lay down the stuff that you thought was supposed to be in your life like relationships, careers, businesses, people, associations and affiliations, friends, neighborhoods, material stuff, and you follow Jesus, you are trusting that He will give you the life HE WANTED for you all along.
This morning I told the Lord: I don’t want anything that you ain’t in! I don’t want it, if you ain’t with me! Lord please don’t take your hand off of me. I am willing to lay it down!
If you ain’t in it Lord…me either! ~ Fon
See at this point of my spiritual walk, I am willing to let who I thought I was supposed to be, go! I am willing to go where God says go. I am willing to obey God. PERIOD. I am willing to surrender all plans. I am willing to give all the money He says to give. I am willing to serve in all the ways He says to serve. I am willing to GO, all the places He assigns me to go. I am willing to learn things I never thought I would learn. I am willing to do things I never thought I would do.
Are you?
In the same vein of being so grateful to God, I thanked Him for what He allowed. I recognize that what He allows makes me better in the end. Then I heard the Holy Spirit say: “See it through to the end.” See there are some things that we want to give up on in the middle because it looks like it won’t turn out in our favor. Matter of fact, most of the very things that God allows aren’t pretty or fun or convenient. They are often very trying and usually are very testing of our faith and trust. It’s a refining process. I wouldn’t be who you hear and see today, if I didn’t recognize that everything I go through is designed to refine!
Before I even opened my Bible to read Psalms 9, I was praying and asking God to remove and erase the memory of the lies the devil has told us about who we are. When I got to Psalms 9, Holy Spirit highlighted verse 6 for me. It said the very memory of them has perished!!! The Lord was letting me know that the very memory of what the enemy said about me has perished and that the enemy himself had perished too.
As a matter of fact, verses 5 and 6 spoke to the very thing I prayed:
You have rebuked the nations: You have destroyed the wicked you have erased their name forever and ever. The enemy has come to eternal ruin; you have uprooted the cities, and the very memory of them has perished. Psalms 9:5-6 CSB
I said: I am who you say I am.
Holy Spirit said: I AM WHO I SAY I AM
Whatever lies the enemy has told you about who you are, I declare that they be erased from your memory right now in the name of Jesus and that you discover who God says you are! That you pursue who God called you to be (not who you thought you would be).
The Holy Spirit reminded me to ALWAYS talk to him FIRST about everything! He said some conversations will be lengthy (meaning don’t always expect a quick answer or a short conversation), and some conversations will be suddenly (meaning He can change the who trajectory of my life with one word from Him). Either way, keep conversing with Him!
Psalms 9 is such a good chapter. I was reminded that the Lord is a refuge for the persecuted. So even if you are doing the work of the Lord and people are tripping, HE IS YOUR REFUGE. Even if you veer off his path and find yourself in some trouble, HE IS YOUR REFUGE! Like I said earlier, HE NEVER ABANDONS THOSE WHO SEEK HIM! This part right here lets me know that God ain’t with those who ain’t seeking Him. And I just don’t want to be anywhere without HIM!
I love verses 1-2 in Psalms 9 y’all!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous works. I will rejoice and boast about you; I will sing about your name, Most High. Psalms 9:1-2 CSB
In my journal, I wrote the 4T’s of Celebrating:
Thank - We are to thank the Lord with all our heart!
Talk - We are to talk about His wondrous works!
Testify - We are to rejoice and boast about the Lord!
Tunes - We are to sing about His name because He is the MOST HIGH GOD! Hallelujah!!!
And y’all know I love to share a good tune in the key of anything on the podcast! LOL!
SALVATION PRAYER
If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and you’re not a believer, but you have a desire to be, all you have to do is openly confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). When you pray that prayer, you are saved. Get connected with a good, bible-based church in your community, stay connected to other believers, and start having daily conversations through prayer with God every single day. Welcome to your new life with Jesus Christ!!!
ASSIGNMENTS
What did Holy Spirit say to you in your conversation with Him this morning?
Are you willing to lay it all down before it gets worse?
Record yourself reading the word of God on video or audio and watch how God will use your own voice to give you revelation and build your faith (keeping this assignment on here for a while).
Leave me a message on the Anchor.Fm podcast app or Text Me at 601-299-4398! Share this blog post/podcast with someone who needs encouraging. Share buttons below.
Become a subscriber and get the blog and podcast in your inbox daily!