God has given me many talents and the Holy Spirit to help put them to use. In the past few days, I have seen my faults and 3 things I do that dishonor the Creator who made me to praise Him and use the talents He gave me.
- We must do everything in His name, not for our glory. If you get excited about an opportunity and see it in ways to glorify your abilities, you missed the boat. When you do things just to glorify yourself, you aren’t living in God’s will. Ask yourself, “Lord, will this be for your glory or mine? If this is your will, please make it so.”
- Have the confidence to use your talents and do as the Lord is willing to do! How devastating it is to you and God to feel not good enough. Any parent knows the heartache and frustration of a child who won’t trust you to help them do something like ride a bike, learn to read, roll a kayak (ok, maybe that’s just my kids). The point is, that God, our Father, wants us to trust him. He has given us everything we need to do what He is asking us to do! What does the Holy Spirit give us? Galatians 5: 22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
- There’s the 3rd eye-opener for me this week: self-control! This means that before I make decisions, I must console God first! When I feel an urgency in a situation, I need to tell the devil to get behind me and in the name of Jesus have some self-control! I have experienced the pitfalls of urgency and forcing things to happen which did not turn out well. You can read all about it and learn from my lessons in the Voyage to HEAL. Better yet, join me on November 10th and 11th for a retrospective look into your life bringing you awareness, transformation, and healing.
How does this relate to healing physically?
- When you are stretching, you must talk to your body, breathe, pray, and hand over whatever your troubles are to God. This is what HEALING takes! It’s surrendering to God. Admitting that you cannot do it alone and letting God guide you through your troubles. Don’t forget to praise Him afterward for never leaving or giving up on you. Trust that God has a plan for you. He cares more about your growth through your challenges than you could ever imagine. Thank God for your pain, for your struggles, for everything! Then hand your healing over to Him and listen to His guidance.
- I get asked a lot “Am I doing this stretch correctly” and “How long should I hold this stretch?”. My answer is always “Do you feel it is stretching a tight area?” and “Hold it until you feel a shift physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually”. The overall answer in a nutshell is to listen to your body and do what is needed for as long as it is needed. So why don’t we listen to what we know we need? You could say the devil made me do it. When we don’t listen to what we know we should do, then we are being disobedient to God our Father. We are also choosing to suffer. I say this because most of our healing is mental. Remember, God gives us everything we need in the fruits of the spirit. When we feel hopeless or incapable of healing, we shut out God and give the devil a foothold on us. Have the confidence in yourself and God to do what you need.
- Self-control also means having patience. Take your time holding your stretches. Really let go of what you’re holding onto. Psalm 46:10 NIV Be still and know that I am God. In other words, He’s got this.
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Voyage to HEAL Weekly Task
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you so very much for showing me my ways and opening my eyes to my inequities. May I pray more and trust you more to open my eyes to the ways of your Holy Spirit.
Stretch: Our confidence center rests at the apex of our ribcage by the middle of the diaphragm. This area tightens up without us even thinking about it because when we are under stress, we hold our breath. So let’s focus on breathing this week. You can watch the attached video on how to breathe using your diaphragm. You may also want to gently massage the area under your ribcage where the diaphragm muscle rests. Believe it or not, you should be able to get your fingers under your ribcage if your diaphragm is loose. Please avoid this if you are at risk of an aortic aneurysm or have a hiatal hernia.
Exercise: Take a deep breath in expanding your stomach and in 5 pulses breathe out through puckered lips. Feel your stomach and diaphragm pull in as you exhale. This is a lot like Lamaze breathing. Only do this a few times at a time, but do it periodically throughout the day. You will feel a dramatic increase in your core strength because correct breathing works with the pelvic floor!
Habitual Change: Quit holding your breath!
Perspective enlightenment: I have all that I need in the fruits of the Holy Spirit. God has fully equipped me.
Journaling option: Lord, which fruit of the spirit do I most need right now?
This week’s blog post coincides with week 1 of the Voyage to HEAL. You can purchase this week in the store on the webpage. You can also purchase the Inner Peace Meditation CD or start your online Voyage to HEAL. Click here to visit the online store to find all of these items. Most importantly, start being kind to yourself. As God gives you grace, so should you give it to yourself. Stop fighting yourself. Instead, love yourself.
Godspeed on your Voyage to HEAL
Love,
Jocelyn
