You are not where you were… celebrate every step you make ♥

The other night I was out with people I highly respect…

and after spending time with them… one of these people helped me realize something… that I have come pretty far.

It’s interesting to step outside of your situation and realize that you have come farther than you thought. It seems as though many times we feel so tired and beaten that we fail to even realize we how much we have moved forward from our situations and pressed on no matter what… it may not have been humongous leaps forward but nonetheless, movement has been made. You are stronger and wiser than you realize… celebrate every step forward you take…whether its an inch or a mile… you’re making progress.  Most of what we face in life is a “process” and I myself am embracing it and learning to grow from it rather than allowing it to keep me down 🙂 Climbing a mountain won’t be easy but I’m pretty sure the view from up top is worth it and spectacular, it makes no sense to beat myself up and stay low… when I’m born to go higher.

It took me awhile to get this attitude and new appreciation for process… because usually what I do is complain… and I do it a lot and I’m really good at it 😉
I would get upset when I felt I have made no progression in certain situations I found myself in, in most cases have given myself a hard time about it … but it took someone that I highly respect to look at me and tell me “Hey, look where you are… you have come so far… you’re not where you were…”, I had heard it before but this time it really sunk in and then it just hit me… Duh!! Movement forward has been made and I didn’t even notice it because I was too busy looking at where I wasn’t that I failed to see the progression upward I have made and how much growth I have actually done within myself. I had to step outside of this process I’m in and really take a look at it… and that’s when I realized that I have actually climbed a bit higher than I thought!

Here I was thinking I was still on the ground without even putting my harness on… but I’ve had the harness and the ropes, gloves, helmet etc.. and I’ve pulled myself up and began climbing!! It’s so cool, I need to stop focusing on what I feel I am not and remember who God says I am. Who HE says we are should be the loudest voice in our heads, anything that begs to differ or speaks opposite of that truth is a lie and not HIS voice but the enemy’s.

Going through something you wish you didn’t have to can SUCK horribly and take a toll on you …OR it can be one of the GREATEST life experiences and victories you have ever been through… but that is a choice that we decide to take, whether or not we learn to grow from it or complain the whole way through… We are the ones who choose whether or not we ALLOW process to suck the life out of us or allow it as a way for God to pour life into us… to mature us and mold us from it. Our mess is not intended to bring us down and drowned us… what the enemy intended for evil God turns it around for His good… He takes the mess we are in and He makes the OLD become NEW:

For if a man belongs to Christ, he is a new person. The old life is gone. New life has begun. -1 Corinthians 5:17 [NLV]

Many things we face will be a process and I don’t believe we will ever reach a point where we cannot grow anymore or learn anymore… there is always things we can improve on whether it be in the way we work at our jobs, how we are at home, in our friendships and relationships etc. there is always room to grow and improve on our character… we have to learn to value ourselves and raise the standard for the way we live, think, act, speak etc.  God expects our BEST in all that we do because, after all, we belong to him and WE are the ones who Re-Present Christ to those around us.

He surely knows I may not give my best at times but that’s an area I need to work on because no-one else can do that for me, but when we see that in ourselves… we have to WANT to fix those areas and not push them under a rug… it’s still there… and it’s still causing harm to you and to those you love. I myself don’t ever want to stop improving myself nor do I ever want to make up excuses to justify why I “can’t change”… because that is a lie that often times we buy into… why? I believe because many people truly feel it is just who they are, I used to be one of those people

We CAN change the things in us that we do not approve of, if we truly value ourselves and those around us… we will want take the right steps toward striping ourselves of the things God never intended for us to carry in our hearts or thoughts. We have to be people that are known by our fruit and the fruit of the Spirit:

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.- Galations 5:22-23

We need to take any thought that say’s we are never going to get out of our “mess”, captive. We are better than that and better than the old self we have thought we were and we are far better than the negative thoughts we have believed of ourselves... they are simply not true. Speak positive, speak victorious and as Bill Johnson say’s “Stay Pure, Stay Powerful…and Stay In Love”

You’re Amazing, God made you one of kind. Be reminded… you’re a great person and will change lives with what God has given to you… or better yet… what He has ENTRUSTED to you.

Prayer for everyone who can relate:
Lord, help us to embrace Process and to not view this as something negative or as something that is “us”… we discredit any thought in our heads that we have agreed with where we said to ourselves “this is me, this is my mess, my junk, my issue etc. ” … Lord we do not make an agreement with that Lie, we understand that certain thoughts and actions have brought us here… but all of that was only because we may have operated out of character or from a place we thought was ours to take ownership of. We see that whatever action we have taken that doesn’t align with heaven is not where we were supposed to be… Lord, we take our thoughts captive, we surrender our hearts to you and we pray that you take away the things in us that we need to get rid of, strip us clean of residue that wasn’t supposed to reside in us and any emotion we have wrongly embraced to make us feel better and justified for acting and operating from the places we were not supposed to. All things not found in your heart that is found in ours… take it God, Papa we say the powerful name JESUS to our hearts.. and all things not of Heaven must bow to your most pure and powerful name. We thank you for taking us by the hand while we are here… thank you for teaching us something new and for molding us into who you have called us to be… We embrace where we are knowing that you are using it for your glory, we are staying positive and encouraged and excited to leave behind old thought process’s and mentality’s that were never intended for us to have to begin with… renew our hearts and minds lord… we speak Psalm 51:10 over our hearts ‘Give me a PURE heart O’God, and renew a steadfast spirit within’..thank you Papa God.. we love you, in your sweet and most precious name, amen.

-.Martha.Inez.