Category: Devotions

Guarding Your Treasure Box

"Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you–guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us."  2 Timothy 1:14

All day long, I have been getting reassurance about being careful who comes into my company.  I had a conversation a while back with my spiritual mother about the anointing.  I realized that lately quite a few people had been draw to me, and truthfully I talk to anyone.  I just love people–disclaimer, in moderation and when I feel like socializing.  I have major mood swings and sometimes just don't feel like being bothered….  Anyway, I have learned that we have to be careful when we are working for the Lord, everybody that comes up to you is not going the same direction as you.  When we decide to live right and walk with the Lord, there will be all sorts of obstacles to come along to distract and ultimately take from you the gift that God has given you…even people.  Yes, God calls us to share the Good News for the salvation of the lost souls, but He does not tell us to tell everybody His purpose and plan for your life, nor does He say that you have to lose who He created you to be in that process.

I used 'treasure box' because it symbolizes many things.  God has put into all of us special talents, gifts, passions, dreams, goals and His Good News to share with the world.  He has also given us all a unique purpose.  However, along the way, due to the circumstances of life and our own disobedience, things are taken out of our box and replaced with despair, disappointments, discouragement, fear, failures, anxiety, doubt, and many more tools of the enemy.  One of them that is the worst to reside in our box is bitterness.  If we are not careful, we can allow our reactions and interactions with life and the people that come along the way to set up shop in our treasure box and ruin the rest of the gifts remaining in the box.  We put emotional baggage in that box, lack of trust, and everything that comes along and instead of getting rid of these things, we hold on to them, tighter than the more important gifts like patience, honesty and love.

The only way to see through these things is to use the Holy Spirit!!  Ask God to help you discern the meaning of things, and people's purposes in your life.  Sometimes we linger on a nice face or a seemingly nice opportunity which sets us back 5, 10, even 20 years.  We were not made for these things!! Just think about what stress, bitterness, and unforgiveness do to your body…its a clinically proven fact that forgiving releases us and helps us heal!  Think of the benefit of letting go of the dead weight that you've been clutching.  Think of what things you can gain when you clean out all the garbage…you can get the dreams back.  You can get the natural talents and gifts back that God has given you.

"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith."  Romans 11:29

You can read more at:
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com

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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17

Blocked by Fear

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."  2 Timothy 1:7

Have you ever had the feeling that you are stagnant?  Or that the things you are praying for aren't happening?  Have you considered whether you are operating in the spirit of faith or in fear? 

Fear is the roadblock when you don't have your license and registration on you, it is the big spider in the middle of the floor, it is rollercoaster that you have always avoided riding.  It's there, ugly as ever, staring you in the face.  And why? Because you have acknowledge that it is stronger than the faith you think  you have.  In your mind, its bigger than anything you've ever done, and its bigger than GOD.  That's right, it is because you gave the same power to it that you could give to God.  The same power that you could give to God to activate that little faith you have could have changed any situation for you.  Your fear can block your progress, and ultimately block God's flow in your life.  It can block you from hearing from Him on a particular situation because you allow your mind to feed on that thought you should have killed, I'm too weak or afraid to do this.  I'm too afraid to go forward or a personal favorite of mine, there are too many unknowns for me.  Well if the same prayers you prayed for a friend worked, won't your own prayers work for you?  If the same faith you are operating in on the behalf of another worked for them, why can it not work for you?  After all, it is your faith.

When I attended World Changers, whenever Dr. Dollar spoke on fear, he would refer to it as negative faith or perverted faith.  He said it was meditation on the wrong–the negative.  And that is exactly what it is.  If you spend so much time believing and focusing on what you will not get, I'm pretty sure you won't pay attention to the opportunities for you to take a step in the positive direction.  You will miss the opened door or window of opportunity for you to move forward.  Fear is a crippling, paralyzing thing, a tool of the enemy to keep you bound to the belief of 'you can't' forever.  Well if you use the tools that God has given you to overcome for the right things, you can allow yourself to move forward.  I didn't realize that I was blocking my own blessings until I started listening to what was playing in my head.  The tape recorder is real, and if you don't change what you are listening to–which is ultimately what you believe, you will be blocked in every area of your life.

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love."  1 John 4:18
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17