No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. Matthew 9:16-17
In “May My Next Move Be God’s Best Move” (see bottom for link), I wanted to prepare our minds, hearts and souls to realize where we were, where we are and where we need to be.
Moving Forward
I would like everyone to begin reflecting on the people, places and things that have caused your life to become cluttered.
What areas in life do you need to rid yourself of some mess; baggage?
When I sat back at the end of 2010 and reflected on so many things that lead me up to the age of 30, I begin to see how in the past 5 years my life shifted in a new direction, but I couldn’t get all that God had for me because I was steadily holding on to unnecessary baggage.
Striving to empower and help others at all times, but in my own life in dealing with certain people, in places and with things I still had stinking thinking and I still allowed my emotions to have dominion over my actions.
In my walk with God it may have appeared I had given my full life over to Him, but in reality I hadn’t allowed Him to have every part of me. I had places I was comfortable in giving over to God, but then I had those places that I was uncomfortable in at all times, but held on to them, because I didn’t want to allow God into those areas of my life.
I’m grateful that when I finally gave in and ask God to forgive me for my disobedience and meant it, there was a sudden breakthrough. The people in my life who had hurt me couldn’t believe how much I had changed. They couldn’t understand why I had no hate towards them and how I could be around them, when they really didn’t want to be around me.
In focusing on the true matter at hand and that was living the best life that God had for me, I had to spiritually mature in all areas and I could no longer resist what God was doing in and through me, by limiting myself and keeping myself within a box in my thinking, doing and feeling. I couldn’t allow unforgiveness or disobedience to hinder me from maturing in God.
So many of us are quick to want things to happen overnight, but I’m grateful that I allowed God to take my good and make it great, as He also took my bad and ugly and allowed me to learn how to live and walk humbly in humility.
Daily driving to the subway I’m in praying mode, asking the Lord to speak to me and through. As I was riding on the subway in to work, a friend of mine had tagged me in his Facebook note.
While I was reading it, I felt as if God were speaking directly to me.
As I pray and look for a sign in a response from God and the title alone was on time.
In “It’s Not Confusion, It’s Transition” (see bottom for full note) CEO of Avail Apparel (www.availapparel.com) Anthony Brown writes:
Have you ever found yourself asking questions like, "Is this the right thing to do?" or "Is this what you want me to do God?"
If you are anything like me, chances are you have. Over the past year as my relationship has grown with God, I have questioned my actions more and more.
Most recently the decision on whether or not to continue on with my company Avail Apparel was one of the actions I questioned.
Those that know me personally know that it's been an up and down struggle with me for Avail. Late last year/early this year I was ready to walk away from Avail. Unhappy with what I thought was a lack of success based on my own personal standards, I was ready to give up.
The devil had me thinking, "you don't know enough about business", you don't have the proper support system", "and enough people don't like you." Around this time is when I begin talking to God, asking for His guidance on the whole situation. I asked Him to either remove it or improve it, in short. I knew that my passion to continue on with Avail was still there.
I was simply missing a key component, GOD!
Checking the Baggage
When I focused in on Mr. Brown's key component that he was missing from his business, which was God, I began to identify all of the areas in my life that I had not given over to God. I began to develop a new plan to help prepare me as I transitioned even further along my journey in God. I thank God for using Mr. Brown to speak to and through FB to help encourage us all along our transition in 2011 and beyond by eliminating confusion.
In order to move forward from the confusion and transition there are places that you and I need to focus on that I call the baggage claim. Similar to the areas designated in the airports. When we travel by air, we are able to carry on luggage, but excessive luggage needs to be checked and received at the baggage claim once we get to our destination.
There are 3 key areas that I would like us to focus in on as we journey forward allowing our next move to God’s best move in our lives that make up our baggage claim. The areas are thoughts, actions and emotions.
As I blog daily I will be focusing in on how to change our way of thinking, changing our ways of doing, and changing our ways of feeling.
As we think of the baggage claim area and how it contains the items we could not carry onboard the journey with us as we travel from our starting point to our destination; I want us to see it as your next move with God only will consist of what He allows in your carry on in your transition and the excessive luggage is your confusion; baggage.
Although the baggage may travel in another section of the plane, it is in excess of what is allowed to be carried on with us. Although we are able to redeem our baggage at the end of our flight, I want us to focus in on redeeming it only when necessary to be used by God in transparency.
We will be leaving our baggage in the baggage claim in 2011 and beyond. We will not get to our destinations and pick it up each time we journey forward. We will instead do as the Word says and cast our cares, in this case our baggage on Him. It will remain with God in our assigned baggage claim.
See there will be times when you and I tap back into that baggage because the baggage contains some of the good, bad and ugly experiences of yesterday in our lives, but has no permanent place in our tomorrow. We will need to revisit it at times in order to be transparent before others, but not to possess it.
As we journey along this year as necessary we will learn how to allow God to take us back down memory lane a time or two as we reposition ourselves for His will for our lives.
All in all He will be the owner of our baggage and we will just have access as needed to be transparent.
So I encourage you to forward this blog on to others that you would like to grow in the things of God as we change our way of thinking, doing and feelings.
We will journey from Genesis to Revelations tapping into the Word of God and breaking it down so that a child would understand how to not only read the Word, but also understand and live the Word.
As I strive to give myself away to God I ask that each reader keep not only myself in your prayers but all the readers around the world of the Word, all those who seek a deeper relationship with God, all those looking to serve God more, and all those in need. May we all be in the will of God for our lives; living out our God given purpose.
I challenge you today to position and prepare yourself for God’s best move in this season! It’s time we make go from good decisions to God decisions over our lives!
Be Encouraged,
Tennille L. Whittington
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20
Father as it is written in 1 Peter 5:7 on today we cast our baggage on You; Father no longer will we play the game of tug of war with You on the things that confuse us and no longer has a place in our lives; Father whatever You see in us, on us or around us that is not of Your plan and we journey forward I ask that You remove it from us; Father send forth more people, places and things that are apart of the transition; as we transition from old to new; forgetting what is behind us, we press forward towards the goal in You! In Jesus name, Amen
May My Next Move Be God's Best Move by Tennille Whittington
Read last blog here:http://unique-encouragement.blogspot.com/2011/01/may-my-next-move-be-gods-best-move.html
It's Not Confusion, It's Transition by Anthony Brown
Read more http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/note.php?note_id=10150369352360364
