No Year's Resolutions, Habits instead.

I've been preaching no years resolutions since November and just so happens, ahem, 'divine intervention' I mean...yes, a gift from God! Our sermon series has been on building habits not setting resolutions! Man our God has an awesome sense of humor!

So pastor Ben has been giving us a new challenge each week, at least I've been seeing them as a challenge, a good challenge, a God challenge...so, maybe a Good GOD challenge? lol...yes I'm a dork and NO I don't care.

Ok, so we've covered tithing and fasting and cherry picking the people you spend time with, we've talked about confessing...all the things we Christians loveeeee to talk about. (insert sarcasm emoji). Well, I for one, love a good convicting message, but the self-righteous me often thinks, oh yea, I wish so and so would hear this...they Really need this! Well, I've been snacking on humble pie since this series started.

CONFESS- I am self-righteous and selfish... I quit tithing this Summer, I'm not sure why. Even mid-covid there was one week I made $90 and I still tithed 10%...then I just stopped... until a few weeks ago. I've confessed and for the past week I've been fasting on my rest days.

I realized after my fast yesterday that I'm still not doing it right...you can go through the motions, and as Christians we're super pros at this, but still not be in line with God. Ahem, hey! miss self-righteous, didja HEAR ME?! Going through the motions ISN'T enough. So, Ben was explaining it that you can fast for people, yourself, or certain things. So, I've fasted for people I love and yesterday I fasted for my business. I'm trying to make God the CEO of my business so yesterday I thought it would be appropriate to fast...then at the end of the day I realized I still did it my way...humble pie leftover tastes like shit. MAN!

I know I'm hard on myself, but if I'm not, who will be? Growth happens in moments like I had last night, I never, EVER want to be the kind of Christian who goes through the motions. I've experienced God in so many big ways and I crave to feel Him close to me. It's an incredible feeling when you hear from God, no not audibly, I'm not Moses ya'll, but I do feel His Spirit in me leading the way. It's pre-tty cool, have ya felt it?

So I guess the point of all this is, don't just go through the motions. How many times do you pray, Lord, I just ask.... NO. Prayer is thee most POWERFUL THING you can do for yourself or another person. Don't 'just pray' ASK, IN JESUS NAME and He will come through. Not when you want Him to and often not how you want, but at the PERFECT TIME in the PERFECT WAY, He will.

And I HIGHLY encourage you to fast, my first was 39 hours, I've done a 14 hour and 16 hour...the time doesn't matter, I think the longer you can the more powerful it is, but no matter the time, be sure in your hungry times you bow your head and pray for that thing you're fasting for. And really pray, like truly, like your LIFE depends on it...well, because it DOES. Let Him lead and guide you, pray then sit, this is the hard part and I super suck at it, but we'll always be a work in progress, that's why we need God...right? Right. So pray, fast for our president and those people leading our country. Good God in heaven we all need to come together and fast for all of them.

So, CONFESS, TITHE, FAST & CHERRY PICK...be mindful of the people you spend the most time with. You are the sum of those 5 people, so if they get drunk or high or spend money they don't have or eat crap or gossip, most likely that's who you'll be. We love them and pray for them and maybe even have a chit chat, like, hey ya'll, this is where I want to go, ya wanna come? If yes, work together to be better...if no, love them from afar, pray for them and find friends who move you up. If you're the smartest person in the room you're in you need to find a new room.

Be blessed ya'll and stay warm!