Over and Over Again

Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 New King James Version (NKJV)

So I picked up a NEW cop… aka thing to get.   A book by Trip Lee called “Rise.” It is pretty powerful so far.  Normally what I do when I go into a book store is open them up somewhere in the middle and start reading a few paragraphs! Here is what I found:

“Why do we feel the need to pretend like everything’s all right? Because we replace God’s glory with our own, and we replace contentment in His acceptance with the approval of other people.  

Recently I sat in a physician’s office and talked with the doctor about a health issue I’ve had for a while.  After she prescribed some new medications, she asked me a series of questions to make sure I was doing fine otherwise. I appreciated her inquiries, because she was trying to care for me as my doctor.  If there had been something wrong, she could have acted immediately. The dumbest thing I could have done is hide my ailment from the very person appointed to help me with it.

Yet we’re often tempted to make a similar mistake with our spiritual health.  God has given us one another to help fight our sin, but we often hide from each other in shame.  That’s an understandable response for those who are still exposed and vulnerable to judgment.  But our sin has already been covered, so we have no need to hide it.  Why hide a bill that has already been paid?”

The point of this message is him reminding us, WE ALL HAVE ISSUES STILL!!! But we continue to fuel the lie and pretend like everything is okay all the time.  We are afraid to speak, afraid to share, mindful to keep things back because it truly seems so redundant.

“You mean to tell me your STILL struggling with this???”

Well, quite honestly –HECK YEAH!!!! I still have to fight! Hello! My sin has been paid for–not the process.  Then we continue to hide because we can’t find a healthy safe “over and over again” place.  Like where can I go through with some “over and over again” folks.  That when I explain my “over and over again” not making sense type situation… THEY GET ME!

So here is the big lie folks— “YOUR THE ONLY ONE LIKE THIS!”

Everyone has already conquered this–the pastors, the leaders, your friends… that amazing and powerful speaker!

YES THEY OBTAINED IT–BUT I CANT….

Pressing Toward the Goal
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14 New King James Version (NKJV)

Like how does the overcome preach about overcoming?

How do the depressed reach the depressed?

How do the anxious help those struggling with anxiety?

How do the lustful help those in lust?

BECAUSE THEY GO THROUGH IT TOO!!! That is how!

Here is what I will never forget my mentor, Femi Adun telling me–“only one who has been restored can restore others.”  Most times I say to myself, “Well have I? Why do I always feel broken though??? Why do I always feel like less in a mess!”

You know why–because I am human! And so are YOU! We are not Jesus! He walked this earth flawless and paid the ultimate price FOR US knowing that we could never accomplish that… so he paid for all the “over and over and over again” type situations!

You are not alone.  You have a body of people that can help you–but here is how… by being open! By allowing yourself an opportunity to share and allowing others to share with you. By being a trustworthy person.  By understanding how to listen and share for the betterment of our process called growth.

I mean the enemy does like to attack us –over and over and over again.  So what can we do over and over and over again…. We can repeatedly share–repeatedly seek help–repeatedly go to His word–repeatedly cry out to Him–repeatedly pray–we can do all those things until there is a BREAKTHROUGH!  Remember the only way to get THROUGH is by the BREAK that goes before it. And in our brokenness we find the most beautiful things.   An amazing, unique, gifted, talented, giving, sharing, loving version of who God made you to be!

Now I have to use ALL that I can to think and do positively over and over again. I use the things God gave me and that is a powerful Bible, an amazing family, a thriving church and a body of beautifully gifted sisters that can strive with me.

So my struggle may seem redundant.  But so is my God! He is redundant at keeping me all together–about reminding me of His word–about surrounding me with people that are just like me and can relate with me.  I am NOT alone.  I am in that over and over again place of complete and total victory the same way that you are too.

With Love,

Christina