Picture this – you were doing so well; reading the bible, praying, reading books and my personal favorite – listening to playlists. You have them at your fingertips, ready to go.  When you feel a dip in your spirit, all you need is to go to your laptop or phone and press play. Why then do you fall into the old habits that cause you to doubt yourself or worse still God?  Why do you keep going in cycles?

I have no answer than to first say this; yes we fall down but we have to get up.  We are not perfect human beings, we’re not the assistant to Jesus.  Even He was tempted, the only difference was He hit the devil’s lies with truths and that was that!  Our issue is that we forget the truth when we need it! Don’t stay down, get up!

Stay Up!

Reading the bible and all the books; and piling up all those ‘truths’ is not for when we are so high up in our spirits, it is needed more when we are vulnerable in spirit.  It is needed more when we are mentally down and like a drug addict we need a fix or a hit.  If you haven’t stored up enough during your high times, you’ll be in trouble in your low times.

We spend too much time in the down position especially when we slip up and that is simply out of guilt. There is absolutely nothing wrong in being repentant but repent and get up!  Even the bible warns that the person who thinks they’re standing should ‘take heed lest you fall’ because the enemy is roaming around ‘like a roaring lion.

Be Mindful

It just shows you that you thought you were strong, but you’re not and like I tell everyone, you are not alone!  We all slip up once in a while, it’s ok.  It reminds you that you are human.  The enemy is parading himself like a roaring lion, he is not.  Meaning, be careful, do not let your guard down.

Check out this scenario – you build a mansion, you hire a guard and tell him there’s been constant reports of theft in your area.  As a matter of fact, the thief has informed the whole neighborhood he’ll be coming to steal. He just hasn’t said which day hence the need for security.  You inform your guard to be alert.  Essentially, this guy has only one job and that is to be on guard.

Now, it is one of those 5 week months and so he stands guard and ready for the thief, his eyes fixed on the front entrance to the house.  He watches day 1, 2, 3 and now we’re at day 25 and nothing has happened so now the guard thinks there is no thief coming, what he doesn’t understand is there are multiple entrances to the house!

Trickster…

That’s how we are, we are focused on one way of guarding our ‘lives’.  We think if I just pray and bind the devil, I will be alright.  The devil doesn’t have only one way to kill, to steal, to destroy.   He is a trickster and he’ll keep coming at you.   When the bible talks about guarding your heart, in this day and age there are countless things we need to guard it against.

For me, it almost feels like if you’re not careful, your mind becomes like a refuse dump and you’re taking things in that you’re not sorting through and applying to your life so when you do need truth, you’re sorting through all these lies to get to it.  Do you understand? Maybe, read that sentence again…

Apply the truth

So, you’re going to the conferences, to the retreats, doing the bible studies but you’re not using what’s being deposited in your life… but remember there may also be all kinds of things that you are dealing with and may not be applying these deposits to.  That’s what I mean by sorting through all these lies to get to the truth.  You still with me?

When we go to these conferences, bible studies, retreats, shut-ins, prayer quakes etc., we should be taking back these ‘truths’ and applying them to our lives.  For years, I thought what I got at those were for that weekend or day or few hours that I was there.  It never dawned on me that I need it weeks or days down the road and that is my reminder to you with this post.

Applying those truths may mean making decisions that will change your life, about a relationship, school, and children for example.  It means obeying God as He gives you instructions for your life, needless to say some type of movement on your side needs to happen.

Let me end by saying God loves you the way that you are.  All these, I wrote up there is to remind you and myself that we will not do this fall down and stay down drama anymore.  We will stop going around in this cycle.   We will walk with the Lord with an understanding and with purpose.  No more cycles!!!

The song for this week is from Jonathan McReynolds titled Cycles, the first verse simply says:

Didn’t I conquer this last year?
Tell me what I missed ’cause I fear
That it’s coming back up again
Must be something I ate
Some song, some show, some hate
The devil wants to extend the game, free throws
And when it ends he wants to make the sequel
‘Cause if he has another chance
He feels like he can take
My joy, my peace, my faith

Here are some truth – the work of the cross is finished, not about to be finished.  Jesus paid for it all not for some of it.  You’re the redeemed of the Lord.  The enemy doesn’t get to put that cross back on you!

Forgive yourself and move on with understanding.  The enemy wants you in cycles but that stops today.  Simply, stop being a slave to fear, you are the child of a king!  Walk like it, act like it, you are the father’s child!!!  God will never leave nor forsake you, it’s not in His nature.  There is power in the name of Jesus to break all of these cycles!!! Happy Easter!!!