John 3:30: Lord, let me decrease so You can increase!
This fast began for me with a word from the Lord. Very specific, very directional, very commanding. He gave me bullet points and descriptions,. He revealed what my posture was to be with Him as we walked forward together. It was encouraging and scary all at the same time.
I was in the car tonight with my son, and a song came on called “Fade” by the Katina’s. As we sang and worshipped together, The lyrics hit me like a piercing light! They went like this. ‘Fade me away let nothing more remain so You can take Your place. And make me a reflection of Your radiant face.”
That’s it!!!! This is the culmination of the process ! That I would decrease. Why? Other than that’s what the Word says?…well, I realized a long time ago that what God has for us goes beyond our own human ability and cannot be accomplished with even a stitch of us left. It must be ALL GOD working through us. It must be His strength, His wisdom, His strategy, His way….when people look at us they must see HIM! What we do must reflect God, not us, Its His face , His heart, and His compassion that people must see, feel, taste, and smell when they encounter us. No wonder it’s so tough! Changing your reflection is quite a feat.
That’s what this is all about. Easier said than done, but I guarantee you the eternal value is priceless. But as long as we are on this earth, we have an assignment! The more you let go and let God….the greater the impact of Your assignment will be for His Glory So I pray; “God, fade me away, and let me be a reflection of Your radiant face!”
It’s awesome obeying the call of the Lord. I thank God for your obedience to fast out of obedience and faith. Often we ask him to grow us, purify us, but we don’t follow all His direction. When self decreases in the presence of God, He has a direct entryway into our heart. All our personal goodness is like a “filthy rag” but we don’t always act like. Continue to reflect Christ and leave all the consequences to Him. He knows what we need to draw close. After all it’s all about Him, right?
I was just in prayer meditating on how, for the past few weeks, I have been trying to silence my thoughts so I could hear the voice of God. I’ve been wanting to know what He wants me to do and how He wants to use me. And I felt like all I’ve been able to hear are my own thoughts. And I found my thoughts wandering through The Lord’s Prayer…and what leapt out at me is “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Jesus said that if we forgive others who harm us, God will forgive us as well. And he doesn’t just want us to forgive, he wants us to go to the Lord and lift up our brothers and sisters to him, the way Stephen did when he asked The Lord not to charge those who stoned him with that sin.
And Jesus doesn’t want us to just appear to be forgiving…he wants the real thing. I can’t count the times when I’ve ‘forgiven’ on the surface, without really embracing it in my heart. Jesus is talking about letting go of any negativity in my spirit. He’s directing me to love people beyond any harmful act or thought put upon me – real or imagined. He’s talking about the Power and the Strength of His Love shining through me. He’s charging me with the responsibility of seeing and treating God’s children with the love, the patience, the kindness that God reserves for us. He’s talking about throwing my thoughts and intentions out of the equation – there’s no room for my own thoughts in the presence of God’s intentions; at least not until they’ve been washed in His grace and His glory.
Pastor Karen mentioned that we should be a reflection of God and that, when people see us, they must see Him. God told me today to reflect Him in all the areas of my life; to treat His children as He treats them; to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness; and to trust Him to order my world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Yes, “Amen” we must decrease so He can increase, easily said but hard to do, because we so often attempt this in our own strength. When we keep His image before us and surrender to the teaching and leading of the Holy Spirit then we can walk a straighter path, Amen? But when we venture out on our own we have to compare ourselves to others to justify and keep our pride about us. Self pride weakens us, so, we make a feeble attempt to show ourselves strong. Sometimes we do this by “instructing the Lord” in our own strength and pride we puff ourselves up. One of the ways we do this is by comparing ourselves to others, this is how we keep others below us in our hearts we say, oh Lord look at them, I would never be like that, I would never do that……….. I got up this morning and during my prayer and study time was reminded of this same old but constant hurdle. I can be so judgmental, I know there are many of us in this same boat. You know…., in my feeble mind I think I am justified when I can see someone else as having faults that “I think” of as being worse than mine. “We puff ourselves up with useless pride”, with this state of mind we put ourselves first, and we say “oh my Lord can you please help my sister or brother”, instead of humbling ourselves and asking the Lord to change our own hearts, which is the real problem.
As well as the Lord always reminding me to stand before the mirror and to compare myself only to His image, and boy am I a mess in that reflection,( thank You Lord that you are my righteousness), I am constantly reminded of Deut. 25:13-15…13. You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a large and a small. 14. You shall not have in your house differing measures a large and a small. 15. You shall have a full and just weight; you shall have a full and just measure, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
If we have balanced weights and measures, it is hard to misjudge others, I believe this in turn frees our hearts of pride! I thank the Lord for His Grace and unmerited favor,
In Jesus Name Amen.
In Christ, Janice
hey get back to work… where have you been?