Withhold Nothing.

As children of God, if we could all be transparent, there is always something that we withhold from God. We may not like to admit it. But I believe that God takes us in uncomfortable spaces to reveal what has replaced him. Unfortunately, the very things we love so much are hard to give to God. Could it be out of fear? Could it be because you're not ready? Could it be that you don't trust him nor have faith? We know that because he is God, at times, he will ask us to do things that won't make sense, that will cost you everything you love, even if it is the only thing you have. But would you abort his command due to your uncertainty? Would you rather be disobedient because you can't see the full picture? What has God asked you to give to him that you are having a hard time surrendering?

In Part I, I begin to share my testimony, and how God changed my perspective once I truly gave what I withheld from him. And I chose this specific space, in my personal life, to talk about out of obedience to God because it was simply my strongest one. I pray that you be blessed and know that you are not alone.

Testimony: 

I am a die-hard Michael Jackson fan. For quite some time, in the process of growing in my relationship with God, I had been feeling a huge tug on my heart that left my spirit uneasy, to the point where I needed to seek God for wisdom and discernment because I did not understand it, I knew that God had no problem with me being a fan, but I wanted to go deeper about those feelings. Whenever I would watch or listen to him, afterwards and sometimes during I would feel uneasy again. Now, I'm not just any fan. (or should I say basic) I'm a Moonwalker. (Moonwalkers is the name of his fan club, for those who are not aware!) and so I guess you can call that a Michael Jackson Enthusiast (lol), where I find enjoyment in doing research about his life and successful music career, downloading unreleased songs and finding new concert footage that I haven't seen before, there is a lot to that man that keeps me constantly excited. As a singer/songwriter myself, I take notes. He's just my favorite artist, ever. But while all of that is great, there is still an uneasy feeling on the inside and as we all know, God's timing is perfect. 

Sidenote: When you ask God specific questions that are left unanswered, be not dismay, trust that his timing is perfect, and at just the right time, he will answer you with more insight and wisdom, that you probably could not have handled before. Praise him during unanswered questions. 

So, one day, in my quiet time with the Lord, I mentioned to him about those feelings, and it was then the Lord brought to my attention that those feelings were an indication that he was prompting me to give Michael Jackson to him. Me, convicted, mentally did but my heart didn't. So guess what that sounds like? Yep. You guess it. I withheld Michael Jackson from God. Realizing that I had subconsciously made that decision, I proceeded in what I wanted to do, only prolonging what I really wanted. I wanted to really feel God, feel his love, security, and just simply his presence. But whenever I would spend time, it always felt like something was blocking in the middle of trying to be intimate. It was then, I knew what the problem was. Until finally, I surrender. I invited God openly into every space of my life, even the areas I felt I had maybe closed out from him. When I opened myself to him, I decided to truly take a break from Michael Jackson. IN FAITH.

The reason why I said "In Faith" is because I did not think it was possible. I immediately had thoughts of failure. But if you are paying attention, notice how I said "I did not think it was possible" Could that be an indication that I had a stronghold? Could that mean that I was not really ready to let that go because I loved it so much? Due to my uncertainty as to how God was going to deal with it, I was afraid. I had these "false" results in mind that I assumed would come true. I thought God would remove Michael from my life, I would be hard on myself, trying to remove it as if I had enough power to do so,  still going around the shocking true that I really cared about that portion of my life and how it would end up.

But God.... During my break, I read a devotional about Idolatry, and he was talking about different types of Idols. When I came across the "Physical Idol", he said something that immediately gave me confirmation on my spirit. He says.....

"What kind of posters do you have in your bedroom? It is not wrong to celebrate the accomplishments of others. You may really like a certain sports star or entertainer—and that is not necessarily wrong. However, has your mind become filled with their abilities more than it is focused on God?" - (David Peach) (whatchristianswanttoknow.com)

When I read that, I begin to pray, and he told me, "Daughter, My problem is not with you being a fan, my problem is that you have filled yourself up with his abilities, talents, and gifts that has been distracting you from me. How can I fill you with my love when someone else has filled that space in your heart? Someone else's gifts have captured most of your attention." Jesus! I would not have known any of that if I did not take that break. And if we are not careful, we could be deceived in believing that it is okay, not paying attention to our intake. It amazing what happens when you surrender, because when you do, God may now tell you what he thinks verses how you thought, because you simply were obedient to him.

I realized that the abilities Michael Jackson was gifted with became the reason for my strong attachment to him. I admired everything that caused my heart to only see that. It was as if I could not see pass his abilities, that I somehow was lost into them. But through that, I learned balance, to know when to turn it on and off. I learned to not be so hard on myself about anything, but trust in Jesus, and accept that I will always be a huge Michael Jackson fan and that I can't take away what I believe is there for a reason. God knew that was my guy, before I knew that was my guy. (lol) How much intake of him is what's more important. It can't be more intake of him and less of Jesus. Point being is that, God knew I would like the certain things I like and love what I love, and that's okay to say that, but boundaries are very necessary. One of the others things the Holy Spirit said was... "Don't be so hard on yourself, but check yourself."

If that person or thing easily consumes and distracts you from God, and you know it? You gotta check yourself. If you have to physically snap your finger and say, "HEY! Watch it." to get ahold of yourself, do that. We bind that Spirit of Idolatry. 

So as of today, I begin to check myself, to guard my heart, to not allow anything to distract me from my Father, to ask the Holy Spirit to alert me if I get carried away, always be aware of my intake, and to always trust God with every aspect of my life, for by faith, we know that he is always at work. 

What have you filled yourself up with that you did not realize it was rooting on the inside of your heart? That it distracted you from God? I pray against the spirit of Idolatry, for we will not allow any person nor thing to take root in place of God. For God, we know that you're a Jealous God, and we honor your sincere love for us and desiring to have more of us. 

Always remember, God does not have a problem with who your favorite entertainer is, what kind of sports, cars, makeup, whatever you may love or like, he just wants you to be careful into not allowing it to take root into your heart that will cause that person or thing to be placed before him. 

Prayer: Father, I pray that we are through competing with you with other gods in our lives. I pray that we submit our hearts over to you, and to step out on faith on the things that seems impossible to do, for we know that it is impossible to please you without faith. Help us God, to trust you as you work within us, we repent corporately. You're God alone. Our sweet Alpha and Omega. Thank you for the wisdom. Thank you for the Holy Spirit that you instilled in us, to help guide and lead us, to help teach us, to correct us in our wrongdoings, and even reveal deep roots that you desire to get your hands on. Thank you Jesus for Salvation. For we know that because you have overcome the world, we will take heart, trust that we are healed, and believe that because of you, God accepts us into his kingdom. I speak freedom from Idolatry. 

In Jesus Name' Amen. 

"You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands."

Exodus 20:3-6 NLT

What happens if I don't read the Bible?

"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

Because the bible is what transforms us into Christ's image, helps us understand, believe, and live the truth. What would happen if we did not pick up the bible at all? Could we still be that bold woman of God? Does adding a 15 to 30 minute read of the bible conflicts with your busy schedule? I get that. Some of us maybe want to add reading the bible to their daily routine but can't seem to find the time to squeeze it in. Well today, I want to talk to you all about what happens when you don't read the bible, how important it is to read the bible, and how to not stress yourself out with trying to add reading the bible to your daily schedule. God is with you honey. Let's Begin. 

"What happens if I don't read the Bible?"

1. You will never know who God really is. 

In this life, you will hear many perceptions as to who God is to someone, some stories may come from a place of inspiration and some may come from a place of hurt or anger that they have towards him. If you are unaware of who God is to you, you will begin to believe what others will have to say about him. For example, if someone says that "God is in control of everything." and have experienced a major tragedy in their life, they may believe that because God is in control, he is the reason for several tragedies that have occurred in their life. If you have not done so, I encourage you to watch the movie "The Shack".

To paraphrase, "The Shack" is about a man who blames God for the tragic lost of his youngest daughter. He and his three children went on a camping trip and his youngest daughter went missing  to later find out that she was murdered. That left him heartbroken, giving him the option to blame himself and even God. The highlights of that movie was him meeting with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. During his stay, he confesses to God how angry he was for letting his little girl die and later throughout the movie, in the midst of his confessions,  "Wisdom" said to him, "The work of evil isn't God's doing." As I will stop there. If you would like to know/see further details about this amazing movie, I highly recommend that you watch it. It is heart-warming to see God's love and who he is visually.

The saying "The work of evil isn't God doing" gave me the understanding that regardless of what happens tragically to someone we love or even what we see on the news, God still remains good. What do I mean? I mean, that when a tragedy happens, God still has a plan, for all things work together for our good. He uses everything for our good. And that's one of the major keys to knowing who God is, is knowing that he is good at all times, never wanting us to think that he is not in grief amongst those who have been tragically taken away from you. For he griefs with you out of his love for you, wanting to heal you, and let you know that he feels what you feel, that he has never left you. 

With knowing God, you have to come from a place of you figuring out for yourself who God is and what his son Jesus Christ has done for you. That's where reading the bible comes in. Through the bible, you will read numerous stories that will show you how mighty, powerful, and faithful God is. You will learn to know who Jesus Christ is and why he sent his son to die on the cross for you. You will begin to see the pure truth as to why God loves you so much, for God's love runs so deep that it is indescribable. For God is larger than life, and he desires for to be secure in his love. For starters, here are a few scriptures to help you know who God is.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16 NLT

But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. - Psalm 86:15 NLT

Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. - Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT 

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” - Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

2. You will never know who you are in Christ. 

Identity crisis is real, its tough to walk around pretending to be someone that you are not, and trying to maintain that mask when it grows old. You overwhelm yourself trying to keep up with society, because society is never satisfied with anything. It stays thirsty for more. Once something new comes out, it will be waiting for the next thing. It's like its never really fulfilled with what it has. And if we can pause there parenthetically, how many of us can say we are not fulfilled within? That we truly don't know who we were destined to be. Well, I can encourage you in saying that in reading the bible, it will help prune off bad fruits, and produce good fruits. (Matthew 7:18), it will enlighten you with how God loves his daughters and what is precious to him about a woman. And in that process, you will begin to feel the shift into the image of Christ, really knowing who you are and whose you are. 

Christ is the perfect example of who we are to be like, he has made the way for us to be reconcile with God to grow into an relationship with him, so why not, read now, to be expose to all God has for you, and get a view of how God sees you. Rather you believe it or not, it is a beautiful experience, rather challenging, for the sake of God's removal of what is not like him that may be in you. The way God has designed you is just awesome that can't be explained into words, Christ lives within you and desires to shine his light through you wherever you go. Here are a few scriptures that can help you be encouraged with the process of knowing who you are in Christ. 

"She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future." - Proverbs 31:25

"She is energetic and strong, a hard worker." - Proverbs 31:17 

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. - Ephesians 2:10 NLT.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. - 1 Peter 2:9 NLT 

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. - 1 John 3:2 NLT

3. You will never really know how to fight back the enemy. 

When you know who God is for you and know who you are in Christ, be mindful that the enemy will come to attack. He will attack your faith and identity, he will make sure that you stumble some way some how. But how can we resist him? How must we really know how to fight back in times of attacks? The Word of God. God's Word is the only thing that can defeat the enemy, even when the enemy quotes scripture, we are able to rely on Christ's strength and not allow him to run over our lives. Our lives are always being watched by the enemy, he hates the idea of us living for God, he does not like that we have turned from our worldly wicked ways to now knowing our identity, he is angry. But who cares? You have the ability to fight back with what God put in you. Know that God is on your side, fighting your battles, easily knocking Satan off of his traps. 

The Word prepares you for the attack, it gives you the power to speak against that demon. To rebuke anything that Satan tries to destroy or take away from you. I want you to take a moment to remember the things that have been stolen from you, that you know the enemy took from you, and you are tired of him having a field day with your mind, heart, and soul. He's trying to give you reasons to stop trusting God to restore. If you feel like you have fail some attacks, I want to encourage you to pick back up your sword of armor and fight back the next time he shows up. You're strong. Give him a piece of who you are with Christ standing next to you, ready to help you in battle. Let him know that you are the head and not the tail. You are above and never beneath. You are a Child of God. 

But to only get to that stage, we must first read his word, meditate on it, and prepare for battle. God will always send test and trials for the benefit of strengthen your faith. God sees you as strong and mighty, and even when we can't see it yet, he is patience enough to walk us through that journey of realizing just how strong and mighty we really are in him. Once the Word is implanted into our hearts, we are set to never be fearful during a battle again. Sometimes, we may be weaken, but we don't always have to stay there. We know where we can gather our armor and prepare for battle.
 Here are a few scriptures on how to prepare for the attack of the enemy. 

But in that coming day,  no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you.These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come from me. I, the Lord, have spoken! - Isaiah 54:17 NLT 

 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:10-12

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. - Ephesians 6:13-14

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. - 1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT

For those who are wanting to read more of the bible:

I get it honey, your schedule is hectic. But you really do desire to spend time with God and reading his word. One thing I would encourage you to do is take some time to sit and write out your entire schedule, and examine it honesty. See if there is room to have quiet time, for God honors every minute that you give him, as long as it is intentional. Your long for more of God is not overlooked, he is honored and is making a way for you right now by opening up more of your schedule to spend time with him. The greatest thing for you to do is be in constant prayer even when you know it is hard to have that quiet time. Rather that be you going to the bathroom to pray for a few minutes or in your car. God is with you everywhere you go and hears you as you speak to him. Always remember that "You make time for who you love." 

For those who don't have much of a overbooked schedule, be grateful for the little time God has given you, and dive into his word, pray, growing deeper into your relationship with him. Every minute counts, especially with God. We learn to value breaks, because when you are having a bad day, that break is the time to talk to God in needing his strength to finish the rest of the day. One moment with God can change your whole day.

 For those who may have a lot of time on their hands, definitely use that time God has given you too. Instead of feeling discouraged during whatever you may be waiting on God for, stir yourself up in the Holy Spirit, reading his word to keep yourself encouraged in his promises, and of course growing in him and with him, so that when God sends you out, you will be prepare to face life that lies in front of you. No matter what, be encouraged to know that the bible will always be accessible to you, as God lives through his powerful word. 

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12 NLT