don't you know my words are spirit and truth... wait, what?

Didn't you know that what I think and am learning about God is the very same thing that you should be learning and thinking about. I mean seriously, your convictions are the exact same as mine, right? How could they be different? God would want me to judge you and point out your sin, right? Well, it's not like I am trying to be mean. I just want you to experience the same freedom and excitement as I have.

I know it sounds completely ridiculous, but these thoughts really go through my head sometimes. Okay not just sometimes but most of the time. It's as if my heart to teach others and disciple them tends to take on a judgmental and snooty attitude, rather the heart that God desires for me to have for others in the midst of their walk. This blog may come off more harsh towards myself but as I've said in the past, if I don't hate my sin I wont be motivated to rip it out and replace it with truth. I am not saying that I continue to beat myself up for being a jerk; however, if I ever come to a place where I think I have a handle on my sin, I have most likely stopped fighting it. I've become complacent and stagnate to the battle waging within me against all that I know and believe to be true. 

So, my sister can completely contest to the fact that often times I forget that I am not the Holy Spirit. I want so badly for others to move forward, making traction with their struggles, that I can get pretty passionate about "helping" them. I try to meet with them to just motivate them to get off their butt and start moving in any direction. Or I send them encouraging emails or text messages to remind them that they can step up and fight. There is even the quick phone call just to check up on them to see if anything has changed. Nothing... no progress.

For years this has been pretty disappointing, not because of the person not getting it but because I've felt powerless to break others from the bondage that they seem to care less about being in. Don't they know and see how much more they could be or were designed to be. Don't they know if they just listened to me they would experience life, not only that but abundant life. 

Does anyone else see a trend here... who's God. Me or God? It's not anything I am going to say or do that is going to break the bondage within these dear friends. I can't bring life to their souls, and quench the areas of their life that are so dry that they are screaming out for anything to moisten them. That's twisted and pretty narcissistic. If there is ever to be real change and freedom in my family and friends lives it is not going to come because I judged them or "motivated" them to action. It's going to be because God did. So rather than spending 90% of my time talking and sharing my own convictions with them, how about I pray 90% of the time and use the other 10% to just love on them. 

Don't I believe that if I have even a small amount of desire to see them succeed that God has an even larger desire? He is a good God and if I truly believe that he wants the best for me and is speaking to me, I would transfer that knowledge to others. So, if you are like me and think that your knowledge and conviction of Godly matters is the standard that everyone should live their life by, it may be time to re-evaluate. To draw it back to the only true source of change, Jesus. He knows the list of people that you are longing to see freed from bondage and trust me, he knows how to help them better than you could ever help them. He sees their true need and knows their true hurts and wounds that need to be healed. Don't neglect the power and beauty of our Saviors ability to come into our lives and do an amazing work. Pray for them. Pray and pray and pray and pray. Don't overstep into the role of the Holy Spirit.