Hunger Pangs

There is no easy way to ease into what I believe God has given me to write about, because I know it could possibly offend some people. That is never my intention, because I desire wholeheartedly for people to be free in every area of their lives. So I have to speak on what I believe is a problem area in many of our lives. One thing about me, I have never been timid in my words, verbally or written, so I pray that what I am about to expound on will be received in love.   But if it is not... be offended, be honest, and then be free. :-)

Our (social media infused) society is such a conceited, arrogant, Godless society, mainly because we are so full of ourselves. I look at my timeline on various social media sites every day and just say wow sometimes. It is hard to believe, but people (even some of whom I know personally) are really full of themselves. This narcissistic spiritual force is a very powerful, toxic character trait that will take over your mind. It is also very disgusting, unattractive and seriously bad for our spiritual and physical lives. We have allowed this new wave of media convince us that promoting self ALL THE TIME is our only true way to exhibit happiness, worth or value.

We have been manipulated into believing that if we don't post a "selfie" every hour or uploading every single picture we take when we are out enjoying ourselves with friends and family, then we truly are not and cannot be happy in our lives or having a good time in that moment. We have become obsessively obsessed with "showing off". Showing off our lives, not to share ourselves and our moments with the ones we love, but to either make others feel inadequate and/or make sure our followers and friends believe that we are happy. We are not living, we probably aren't even slightly happy....we are putting on a show, performing, portraying and starring in a reoccurring role and series as a pompous, holier than thou caricature that alludes and exaggerates prominence....and the scripted character in which we are playing name is Idolatry.  And unfortunately, we believe this role we have taken on is perfectly fine.

It is so sad how bad we have fallen for this lie from the pits of hell. Oh but there is some truth to what it is though, it is the epitome of being prideful. And remember, pride always comes before the fall.  We are walking and living in the most self serving, self worshiping, egotistical and maliciously snobbish days right now.  These traits will take up so much space in your hearts and minds that a true hunger for God cannot exist. If you don't have a true hunger for God minus yourself, you are creating a breeding ground for selfishness and cannot possibly be growing in a more purposeful relationship with God the father, or in faith.  And without faith, it is impossible to please Him. 

Do not be fooled, there is no standing still or stagnation in your relationship with Him. You can't hit the pause button and be only about yourself for a while. Either you are growing and moving selflessly forward in your relationship with God or growing and moving selfishly backwards in yourself, which will always be away from God. Be so hungry for God that He is at the forefront of your thoughts versus yourself.  Be hungry for His righteousness and to be seen in it, rather than being self-righteous only to be seen in your own self-righteousness. There is a fine line between the two and it is important that we know what side of the line we are on.  Are you living for God's righteousness or are you living for self-righteousness? Are you doing it for the true and living God, or are you doing it for the Gram? 

Whatever your answers are to those questions are between you and the Father. But the good thing about Him is He is forgiving and will reveal what is sincerely in your heart. The first step in this discovery is to examine your intentions. If it is revealed that your intentions have been impure, there is still hope. The next step is to ask for forgiveness, receive your forgiveness, and deliverance will follow.  And once you have been delivered, I promise, God's grace will make your heart so full of His love, the only love that can truly fill what we unknowingly crave from others, that the desire to put on the show for self-adoration will finally be put to rest.

~CDL 
xoxo

Time

Time. One of the most precious gifts God has bestowed upon us. And as with life, it is also governed through seed and harvest.  A common mistake many of us make in our use of time is investing it (whether idle or productive) into the wrong things, activities or people.  And because we've invested in something, subconsciously we will always expect a return.  However since we've invested in the wrong thing, whenever we are expecting that invested time and energy to return to us on a personal level, it usually doesn't come back, and if it does, it will always be less than what was initially invested.  Reason being is because we've made investments in things that aren't capable of producing a reciprocated or accelerated return.

Plant your seeds on fertile ground: in the hearts of your family, your real friends, the people who love and care about you the most, love in general.... the kind of ground that will produce a harvest of long term benefits.  Not quicksand: the things that will eventually bore and/or soon pass away like pseudo associations/friendships, money, social media, etc.  These things are tangible illusions and will only produce a temporary euphoric harvest and atmosphere, giving you the thought and feeling that it is something worth investing in.  Eve was deceived because she was intrigued, and the enemy has not changed his strategy yet. Learn to choose well, or it may take you a lifetime to even begin to make up for the losses.  Be mindful of the time you have.  Be mindful of the time you give.  Be mindful of where and how you spend your time, invest your time and deposit your time.  Be. mindful.  Because the account that holds your time will only generate the return of character it already possesses.  Make sure whatever you put your time and energy in will have the ability to reciprocate that same type of energy or beyond back into you... especially during the times you may need it the most, on a personal level, in your life.

The hardest thing in life, love or business is realizing you've made investments and invested so much time and effort in things or people whose character just isn't capable of producing a reciprocated return.  It is truly a hard pill to swallow, that can often result in heartbreak, anger, disappointment or worse.  But the good thing, being under God's grace and mercy is you live, you love and you learn.  And most times the lessons that hurt the most, are the lessons you learn the best.  So while you may walk away without what you initially thought you'd receive or even with what you initially had, you walk away with something just as or if not way more purposeful...you walk away with a new level of maturity.  And of course, an humble respect for your time, and others.