Faith

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SO LONG SELF

A few weeks ago I fell off into a deep pit. . .to sort of speak. . .this pit that I so willingly jumped off in has a name. . .and that name is "POOR PITIFUL ME" the "poor pitiful me" pit consumes alot of us. . .often times that is what happens when we take our eyes off of JESUS. . .

I use to think my testimony was about everything I have been through and everything that has happened to me. . .GUESS WHAT? IT IS NOT ABOUT ME! You see, nikki (that is me) likes the applause. . .another words I can be an attention hog. . .for 29 years it has been all about nikki. . .and to be perfectly honest with you how very dull, boring, and negative. . .I have spent more time throwing pity parties for myself then I have doing anything else. . ."woe is me" It is the whole winnie the pooh "eyore" effect. . .but the fact is my testimony is really all about MY JESUS!!!!

This life is not about you nor about me. . .I am sorry to break it to you that way. . .oh yea sure each of us has suffered one way or another. . .you know the book of Job says "that a man born of a woman is born unto suffering" Guess what. . .thats life! Its not about: "look at what so and so did to me. .I was cheated. ." Often times we get trapped in these pity party blame games and to be honest it is like sitting in a rock n chair sure you have something to do but you are not getting anywhere. . .instead we often sit in that "Poor Pitiful me" Pit and become consumed with bitterness. . . .

Realize the word PITIFUL. . .here let me spell it out. . .P I T I F U L. . .do you see? There is a pit in the word pitiful. . .

What do we do in the pit? Well for one we spend alot of time back tracking. . .oh yes.. .in our minds is a projector screen and often it replays every hurt and wound and pain in our lives. . .then we start convincing ourselves. . .that we are justified to sit in this pit. . .and we want the world to come sit with us. . .we want others to sit in the pit of POOR PITIFUL ME and pet us and tell us we have all the rights to feel angry, bitter, vengeful, resentment. . .But I am going to be honest with you a true friend isn't going to sit in that pit with you. . .no a true friend is going to throw a rope down to you and say grab a hold lets go. . .

You see that was me just a few weeks ago. . .oh yea. . .I was throwing myself a huge pity me. . .look at me get angry. . .shindig! and that is exactly what the devil wants us to do. As long as we focus our eyes on self . . .life is going to stink. . .You know nowhere's in God's word does it say "annoit my head with bitterness" . . .

Pay attention here. . .Like I said this life is not about you or me!!!! So what is it about or who is it about?

JESUS

Did you get that? You see the devil likes to whisper lies to us. . he loves to get us focused on ourselves I mean if we are not focused 100% on Christ then the devil is relieved. . . that just means we are going to be a lesser of a threat to him. . ..and the whole time we are sitting in this pit our self made pit. . .the devil is mocking us and laughing at us. . .

So how did I ever come to the conclusion to get out of the pit. . .? First and foremost JESUS! and the fact He loved me enough to send a friend to throw a rope down and tell me get over yourself and climb up. . .LOL!!!! PRAISE the LORD. . .I heard an expression one time the expression was "honey get off the cross someone else needs the wood!" And that is so true. . .when we play the pity game we build a fake cross and then tie ourselves to it to look like some sort of martyr. . .A Martyr for who and for what? FOR SELF!!!

I don't belong to the devil any more. . .I belong to JESUS. . .and quiet frankly to be honest when I received salvation my past became a deleted subjected. . .in the blood of Christ. . you see in Micah 7:19 God says "He cast our sins into the furtherest seas" A little old missionary lady named Corrie ten Boom added that she believes when God does that He also puts a "NO FISHING SIGN" there as well. . .so if God forgives us of our past and forgets it then who are we to cling to it. . .

Put off the dead man all ye who are born in Christ. . .LIVE!

It always amazes me how God answers our questions. . .

Lets take a look at Philippians 3:13

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. . ."

Whatever it is that eats at you. . .that keeps coming up everyday. ..and wears you thin. . that makes you stumble in your walk with the Lord. . .rather it was something someone did to you, or something you did. . .if you have sought forgiveness on the matter with an honest heart. . .then my friend FORGET IT. . .how do you forget it. . .plead the blood of JESUS over it and go forward. . .
Let me remind you in the next chapter of Philippians is the verse "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. . ."

Philippians 3:14 says
"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ JESUS. . ."

We are to go forward not backwards in Christ. . .you see in order to go backwards what we are doing is we are telling Jesus thank you but no thank you. . .Literally that is what we are saying to our precious Savior. . .

Isaiah 53:5 says "HE was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace, and by HIS stripes we are healed."

NO ONE has the right to beat you over the head with your past. . .NO ONE. ..not you, not the devil, not anyone. . .

So I spent a week or two in the pity me pit. . .and all I have to show for it is time wasted. . .I should have been keeping my eyes focused on JESUS. . .not nikki. . .during that time a friend of mine ask me to pray for her and I couldn't. . .I couldn't get over nikki to pray for a friend. . .how very selfish and cruel. . .you see my friend when we throw pity parties and we proclaim to the world we are children of GOD. . .we sit forth a stumbling block for those who so desparately needs our prayers and needs the truth!!! So in truth we dig more pits to go along with our pit. . and some of these people who gets trapped in these pits that we help dig could be our very own family members or friends. . .

Hebrews 12:1 says
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."

Lay aside whatever it is that has taken your focus off of our precious JESUS. . .it is about HIM not about us. . .and as for who did what to whom come on please understand that my God has not fallen off of HIS throne and left any of us in charge and that is including me. . .because when we start with the blame game we have made ourselve the JUDGE of that person or persons. . .JUDGE NOT LEST YE BE JUDGED! For whatever we judge others with we shall be judged with as well. . there is not one of us who is without sin if you think that you have no sin please read ROMANS 3:23. . .

Let us press forward. . .continue the race. . .forever keeping our eyes on the LORD. . .not only our eyes, but our mind, heart, and soul. . .

In truth self has to die so that we can become alive in CHRIST! SO I am saying SO LONG SELF. . .I don't need your pits nor your parties any longer. . .for I belong to JESUS and my life is only found in HIM!!!!

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