Walking in the Good Works Prepared Beforehand for YOU... learning to let go and not say "yes" to everything

Sometimes it’s hard for me to walk in the good works that God has prepared beforehand for me to walk in. Not because I don’t want to do good things, but rather because I want to do too many good things... or I want to do someone else’s assigned “good works” because I honestly think I could do it better. I know how prideful that sounds, and it truly is just that! I’m not claiming that this is right thinking, but nevertheless, I’m embarrassed to say that it’s what I think sometimes.

I’m a “yes girl” (plus I’m single without a family), so I get asked to do a lot of things— things I enjoy, things I don’t want to do, things I don’t know anything about, things I could do with my eyes closed, things I invest almost my entire life into, things that only take up an evening... the list goes on. And when I’m assigned any sort of task, I take on that full responsibility, often carrying it with me much longer past the intended time. This is also pride, because it’s really a control issue. And for a long while, I thought it reasonable for me to think, feel, and behave this way because, well, “It only makes sense that I can’t trust the next person to do it like I did it!”; “How could they possibly do it better?!”; “Besides, if I don’t do it, who will?” ...and other haughty sentiments.

What I didn’t realize is that my thoughts, words, and actions were actually communicating something MUCH more contemptuous than even the above confessions... what I really believed in my heart is that God isn’t reliable or powerful enough for me to entrust all of these “things” to Him. I didn’t believe that He would be able to carry out His sovereign plan without me.

Go ahead, read that again... you read it correctly the first time: I. Thought. I. Was. Better. Than. God.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t walking around with those exact words ringing in my head, but the explication of my arrogant thoughts is the exact same! And you know what? The enemy has been whispering these same lies since he slithered over to Eve in the Garden. Unfortunately, just like her, I fell for it and took the fruit. 

Through a continuous series of events in my life that the Lord has sovereignly ordained to draw me to the foot of the cross, He humbles me over and over again. He kindly directs my eyes to Christ, sends His Spirit of Truth coursing through every cell of my body, and tells me this:

I AM the Lord your God, there is none like Me.

I AM the Creator of all things. 

I AM the Sustainer of all things. 

I AM the sovereign Lord who is faithful to fulfill every promise I have made in My Word. 

I AM responsible for and fully capable of carrying out my plan. 

And I have chosen you...

...to be My own.

...to be a part of My plan.

...to be obedient.

...to walk in the good works I’ve prepared beforehand for YOU to do.

...to submit yourself to MY will.

...to carry out MY good pleasure.

...to serve in MY Kingdom.

 

Whoa!! Reality check! Much like Job was told to “gird up his loins” before the Lord God basically flattened him with Truth, I have come out on the other side raw, hurting, and frail... but strengthened by the arm of the Lord and humbled by His Word.

Sometimes, things still happen that threaten to jerk me back into the thinking that I am better... and my flesh relishes it. But Jesus has given me His Spirit, so I can be victorious in dying to myself and living for Him!

REJOICE WITH ME OVER THIS TRUTH! ✨

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:10

The Battle for the Renewed Mind

May I just be honest about what I am struggling with right now? Well, it’s not just right now… it’s really all of the time!

It’s my thoughts.

They ensnare me and I am left dangling, seemingly helpless, waiting for my enemy to finish the job.

I fear that God is not who He says He is… I forget that I have been made righteous because of Jesus and that I am now the daughter of the King… I feel alone and unwanted by anyone, desolate…

The list goes on.

And with every one of those thoughts, those lies, roots are dug down deeper into my heart, threatening to keep me tied down—trapped—until my mind is filled only with lies. Every fruit blossom ever to have budded in my heart is choked by these roots and withers up into nothing.

Sometimes the thoughts aren't negative, though. Sometimes I daydream about a handsome man who pursues and saves me, the damsel in distress, and then we build a forever together in a little home in the middle of nowhere. We sit on the porch in our rocking chairs and drink sweet tea out of mason jars while watching our kids run around in the yard, dig in the dirt, and live out their own little adventurous fantasies. I look over and smile at him and the look in his eyes makes me weak in the knees, because it whispers, “I love you more today than when we said our vows.”

But as beautiful as that picture is, thoughts of it can also be a deadly poison, disguised as a sweet nectar. You see, these sweet thoughts can become an idol in my heart, and an idol is someone or something that makes false promises of satisfaction and fulfillment… lies. Now, I am not saying that every single daydream that you have is bad… we were designed to desire beauty, especially in relationships. But when those daydreams become more desirable than Jesus, that’s when they are a problem.

These thoughts far too often occupy my consciousness and keep me from focusing on where God has me right now. I become discontent, and discontentment leads me to those more obvious deadly thoughts that I mentioned earlier. So what is there for me to do?

Fight.

Romans 12:2 is a charge to believers. It states to “not be conformed to this world, but BE transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” When I first read that I was thinking, “How in the world is my mind supposed to be renewed? Clearly ‘be’ is a verb, but how do I allow it to take action in my life?” I knew that I needed to be actively doing something to fight, I just didn't know what to do or how to do it. So, I had to use a little bit of deductive reasoning.

What is the battle that I am fighting? Being trapped by lies.
What defeats lies? Truth.
What is Truth? The Word of God.
What is the Word of God? The sword of the Spirit.
What do you use a sword for? To fight.
What kind of person fights? A warrior.

Every believer is in a war of the mind, and we all must fight! In fact, it is essential that we do, lest we be fools.

"Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered" (Proverbs 28:26), "for the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6).

Claiming my identity as a Warrior Princess for the Kingdom of God was strange at first... but ya know, I can't let the men have all the fun ;)

 ***Side note: Ladies, we have to give up the idea that battling is only for men; women can carry swords too AND learn to fight with them!***

I began with making a list of the typical lies that I believe and then, I found Truth to combat them (I like to call the verses my "sword swings" that I use to sever the lies that have taken root in my heart so that I am no longer bound by them).

Now here's the hard part... I have to actually remember those verses whenever my mind is under attack, or whenever my heart begins to long for a husband more than Jesus.

Oh, and under attack is right! My mind is constantly under siege "for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). But I have the power to defeat the lies of my flesh and the enemy because "the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds" and I have been commanded to "take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

God designed our brains in such a way that our neurons have memory and they remember the typical thought pathways that we carve for ourselves. BUT GOD also gave us sword swings, enabling us to re-route those pathways of lies to Truth! How amazing is that?!

I absolutely LOVE how my Commander in Chief gives me such hope! He tells me that not only can I fight, but I can fight well... well enough to be free from all of the traps set before me because I know the Truth (John 8:32)! For this I am grateful: Truth does not change based off of my thoughts and feelings.

We can all have the confidence to step out onto the battlefield, claiming the territory for the Kingdom because of THIS sword swing:

"For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

PRAISE THE LORD!!! He has prepared us, armed us, girded us with strength, is renewing our minds... and now we must fight the good fight.

So, dear brothers and sisters, "be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13).

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