“How do I bring my whole self to the table?” This is a question I never thought to ask when I was managing all the stuff that comes with being a young adult dealing with real- life transition. I was excited about possibilities and never thought about the me I was becoming, just the me I was, and looking back, I didn’t know her well at all. The thing is, as I grappled with my twenty-five-year-old self, I thought I did. I thought I knew who I was, and where I was going. In hindsight, all of us probably wish we could go back and tell our younger selves a thing or two about life. Our bright-eyed and bushy-tailed view has had a few adjustments. For many of us, life has bullied us into swapping out enthusiasm and optimism for routine and responsibility. We’ve lost something valuable, and although we can’t quite figure out what that is, we don’t feel whole, but uninspired and barely recognizable to who we thought we’d be.
The thing is, we look around our everyday environments and see lots of folks who love the Lord, but they, too, seem disconnected and joyless. They are not excited about their individual journeys in life, leaving us with very few, if any, tangible witnesses of someone that is truly walking the walk and talking the talk. Our eyes are not seeing anyone that is ignited and supercharged by faith and believing. If that is the case, you have no choice but to consider that you’re that person. You’re destined to be the one that blazes a trail of sold-out faith in God. Your walk and talk must bear testimony of your belief that He’s going to do the exceedingly abundantly in your life!
The question Whether you’re in your 30s, 40s, over 50, or far above it, you must ask yourself if your mind is made up about who you are. If it is, you must contend with the reality that there might be a gap between who you think you are and who God desires you to be. Often in life, there’s lots of inner turmoil because of the friction between the two of these. Life keeps testing you about your convictions because your convictions about who you are keep throwing you back to someone you’re not supposed to be. Your convictions about who you are keep you tied to the past. Many of us haven’t figured that out, but it is the reason that we can’t bring ourselves to be excited about the future.
We have to be different to embrace what God has for us, and we’re not. We’re not different in the way that He tells us to be. We’ve got personal insecurities, doubts about God’s goodness, fears about our futures, resentment over our pasts, and a bitter anger and rage from old wounds that still are not healed. We’re waiting for God to steer us in the direction of surrender, but the truth is that our minds are not made up about letting all of this go.
The decision God’s wisdom in Galatians 6:7(NLT) is profound. It says, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” This begs us to consider what we are planting. The seeds that I sow come from me. Simple enough, but I never considered it in my younger years. I did a whole lot of throwing blame and temper tantrums, but I never stopped to think that the harvest I was receiving came from the seeds I personally planted. If I’m completely honest, at twenty-five, that would have been too much medicine for my still spiritually immature mind and heart, but that isn’t an excuse that will hold as we begin to pray for and expect elevation and promotion from God.
Change happens from the inside out. This is real talk! We’re expecting others and situations to change when we are refusing to put on the flexibility and agility required to go higher. Jesus Christ said in Mark 11:22-24(NLT), “22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” Having faith in God is a decision that you and I must make. God will not force us to have faith, He simply tells us to make a decision about faith and have it. Period.
We can also make a decision to have doubt instead of faith. The Words of Jesus in the passage of Mark 11:22-24 make it clear that we can’t sit on the sidelines and just say we want something to occur. If this is where we are, we can try like the dickens, but things will not change. Circumstances and conditions will not be altered unless we make a final and absolute decision in our minds and hearts. Faith in God is so powerful that once our minds and hearts are fully persuaded about a thing; situations, circumstances, and conditions will steer us in the direction of our desires.
A made-up mind It’s hard to admit, I know, but one of the reasons that we’re not seeing movement is because our minds are not made up. They are not made up about the person God desires us to be. They are not made up about the things we must release, and they are not made up about the reality that God will elevate and promote us when our faith in Him is unmovable.
A fully persuaded faith in God requires us to bring our whole selves to the table, and we can’t do this without understanding that God has shaped and molded us in the image of Christ. Our wholeness and destiny are in the reality of all that Jesus is. We need to be established in the truth of this. We feel pressure because life is cooperating with God’s plan for us to go higher in Christ, and God is always and forever right. He is never wrong, and we must make up our minds about the infallible, incomparable, brilliance, and perfection of His being. There can be no hesitation in our minds and hearts about who God is.
Psalm 75:6-7(KJV) tells us, “6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.” Sometimes, it’s just a slight change in our thinking that allows us to see our Heavenly Father and ourselves through fresh eyes. So, now is a time to be attentive to what He is revealing to us through our circumstances and conditions. It’s time to release and revitalize according to His agenda. Then, we’ll be prepared to embrace more of God’s love and grace as He elevates and promotes us to greater levels of blessings in our lives.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“God Elevates and Promotes Us”, written by Reverend Fran Mack. Edits by Kim Times and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.