2015

A photo snapped of me unknowingly, on top of buried Colossae with Jesus.
This time last year.

It’s been a short while since I’ve shared a post here on my blog site, as I intentionally took a break away from blogging and intense social media interaction over the Christmas period.

I felt I needed to do this to keep close to The Lord, for He needs to remain my main priority over anything, which includes ministry and this blog…

The break away from blogging has been healthy for me and I now feel ready for a new season of sharing and writing.

The New Year does seem to be a good time for self-reflection for most people…yet I also am aware that it can be a time of sadness and regret too, when people stop and think back.

2014 was truly a challenging year for me…yet through all my struggles, thanks to God alone, I was still able to see His hand at work and feel His comfort…I know He carried me through.

I do not know what 2015 will bring into my life but I am satisfied to face it with Jesus. 

To be honest with you, I still do not know much of God’s plan for me, but I am confident to continue caring for my family and to study.  I am so grateful to The Lord for enabling me to pass all my subjects in 2014, leaving me now with only four to complete the Bachelor degree!  The end is in sight, praise Him…even if I don’t know what is to be after that!

We understand from Hebrews 11:1, ‘…faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.’  And as I am convinced The Lord has good plans for me, I am choosing to exercise faith in believing that He will reveal the next step in His perfect timing.

So here I am at the beginning of 2015, not knowing much more than it is to be a year of study for my boys and I, while waiting with anticipation for the new things He will reveal to me this year. 

Today I am self-reflecting and thinking about how easy it is for us to get addicted to pleasurable things…personally I try to keep clear of New Year resolutions, preferring to try, day-in-day-out to walk a purposeful life with Jesus with time to reflect often…So I am not going to write that I have made any New Year resolutions but rather I am feeling convicted that I need to give something up.

I believe that God gives us so many good things for our enjoyment.

I don’t believe He is a mean task master.

Yet I also know how when I enjoy something, I can quickly get into a habit of over indulging…I know how easy it is to slip into idolatrous behaviour, where we put our own desires above God, for our human bodies are broken by an inherited sinful nature and try to enslave us…just stay with me a minute on this if you think I’m going weird…

Our sinful natures often twist God’s good gifts.

I’m not going to write a list out of what is sinful and what is okay, for that is not this post’s purpose, rather I’d prefer you pray and think things through…letting God convict you of anything you may have above Him in your life.  Scripture actually says in Romans 14:  22-23 that if we go against our conscience we sin, for whatever doesn’t proceed from faith is sin.

What’s your conscience saying to you?

I was convicted today by what Shelly Hollis wrote:

          ‘You never know how addicted you are to something until you try to go cold turkey, which is exactly what I did. But in my heart, I knew if I didn’t COMPLETELY OBEY, I would cut back awhile, but then I would creep right back up to drinking as much as I always had.’

Shelly also provided 2 awesome scriptures which spoke to me:

          ‘All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.’  1 Corinthians 10:23  and…

          ‘But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh…’ Galatians 5:16.

Just to be clear Shelly wasn’t saying drinking soda was a sin (you can read her article here) and I wasn’t convicted of a Diet-Pepsi addiction like Shelly.  However I knew I had a fleshly addiction which although I thought I was being lawful in, was still not right as I was losing self-control over my flesh…

To be COMPLETELY honest, I know my flesh will hate going cold-turkey…and this is why I know I need to cut this thing off completely for it has a way of creeping back in and dominating.

I pray and hope 2015 is a year for you also, which draws you into a deeper and closer relationship with Jesus.

Love Melanie.