The generation breaker

Picture this: you grew up your whole life abused, ridiculed, loved with conditions and hated for the same. Life was never just peaceful. Always on edge. Without even realizing it, you treat other people this way. Maybe you have kids and you treated them that way. You start to see it. You see how you treat your kids or others you love and it breaks your own heart even more. You stuff the pain away. Maybe you have been told “it’s not that bad” or “it could be worse”. But it feels pretty bad to you. It hurts. It doesn’t stop until you shove it down with drinks, drugs, sex, or food. One day you hit your knees and finally cry out to God. He pulls you up, grabs a hold of your heart and tells you “this stops with you.”

The Spirit brings on understanding. You see your past and you understand why you behave the way you do. You see how others actions were not normal and how they affected you. It makes you angry.

The Spirit pulls you deeper. You see how those people were treated by others in their life. You see how it affected them and how they behave. You feel compassion.

The Spirit pulls you to the future. You see where you leaned to God’s power to forgive. You see yourself reading the bible to learn more of this power. You see how this forgiveness and love took away the drinking, drugs, sex and food. You see how you treat others differently. You see how you treat your kids differently. They notice the change in you and it rubs off on them. They treat their kids differently. Their kids are raised up different and it attracts healthy, Godly people to their life. On down the line this Godly, healthy behavior is all they know. Generations to come have changed because one day God grabbed your heart and said “it stops with you.”

God knows your heart

“What is wrong with you? I thought you accepted Jesus, why are you still acting like this?” Does that sound like you? Yeah, it did me, too. What you are trying to do is reason with the flesh. And there is no reasoning with the flesh. Even the great disciple Paul struggled with this in Romans saying that what he doesnt want to do, he does and what he does want to do, he don’t. What he figured out is God knows our hearts, He knows our intention. Whether it is you saying it to yourself or maybe someone else is also throwing expectations at you…please know this: When you are truly saved a change does happen and it is automatic but not always visible. Your desire shifts. You start to see what needs to be corrected and you DESIRE for it to be corrected instead of just accepting it as a part of you. You won’t get it right, right off the bat. And you will never perform perfectly. But when you let Jesus in your heart then He knows your heart. He knows your desire to do better because He put it there. Pray for that desire to grow so big that it overshadows the action you are trying to correct. Then you can tell the voice in your head or in your ear…yes, I have accepted Jesus and He knows me a lot better than you do. You just let me and Jesus worry about that change!

Joy of Conviction

Does conviction scare you? It used to scare me, too. I used to read bible verses and feel it and think “oh great, here is something else I do wrong. Just another thing that makes me a big ol disappointment.” I am forever grateful that God kept showing me His love and giving me words of encouragement thru sermons and bible studies. I am forever thankful that God answered my prayers for wisdom and to understand Him better. Now when I feel conviction I push aside condemnation and become excited for the next change God is going to make in me. When I felt condemned I felt that I was the one that had to change it. I worried over it. Tried with my own might to change. Then I learned more and more about how God really works. About how much He really loves me. And as long as I keep my heart turned towards Him and practice my faith in Him fully trusting Him, then change comes on its own. Do you know your Father like that? In this world we learn it is hard to trust people. But God is not people. Learn Him. Love Him. And you will find your joy in His conviction as well.

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Increase desire to change

When you feel covicted for something to change but you dont feel the “want to” it is ok to admit that to God. It is always ok to be honest. Because trying to force the change just because you know you should will wear you out and defeat you. When you pray for God to increase your desire to change it, to make it something you WANT to do….oh is there power in that prayer! Let me tell ya, when God increases that desire as you asked it makes all the difference in the world.