“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:6-7
Hello, AccountableOne,
Love conquers all, right? Mmm. Yes, when it is given AND received. You are responsible for the giving. But, you have no control over the receiver’s response. That’s between them and their Creator.
You can approach another in love for an entire lifetime, and if they are not open to it, if they choose to deflect it, love does not win.
Free will. Choices. Always.
God loves impossible situations. He also loves bold prayers, and bold trust.
You cannot dodge responsibility for how and why your life is the way it is. Poor past choices don’t define your future, but they will always play a role in your life. Your behavior sets up your future. If you don’t like this place or this relationship, He is ready and willing to do the impossible and move you to a new place.
If you don’t like your job, you are accountable. And, The Most High is expecting your bold inquiry.
If you are overweight, you are accountable. The Almighty is expecting you to lean into Him for the strength to change your habits.
If you are not happy, you are accountable to your Maker to find joy in Him. You alone are creating and have created the situations you are in and the emotions that flow from those situations.
Playing the role of victim and making excuses as a result of past poor choices guarantees you no progress, no healing, and no victory. You will never fix a problem by blaming someone else. Whether the cards you’ve been dealt are good or bad, you’re in charge of yourself now. Will you trust Him for your restoration? Will you be so bold as to ask Him? And, will you move when He builds a bridge?
Every choice you make — including the thoughts you think — has consequences. When you choose the behavior or thought, you choose the consequences. God thoughts have God-sized returns. If you choose to stay with a destructive relationship, then you choose the consequences of pain and suffering. If you choose thoughts contaminated with anger and bitterness, then you will create a war within of alienation and hostility. When you start earnestly praying in expectation and you begin choosing the right behavior and thoughts — which will take a lot of discipline and a glance from the Divine — you’ll get the after effects of a job well done.
What I continue to find … and it thrills my heart to no end … is this: when You choose to open a space in your heart for the beautiful, then you grow and become the person in Christ that you are truly meant to be.
Mmm.
Sit on that truth for a little while. Let it simmer and sink in.
Wake up. Open space. Go.
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