Holy Spirit has been trying to get me to implement a morning routine for the last few days and today is the first day that I am actually going to complete it. So far, I feel great. I’m happier, more full of joy, and feel like I accomplished so much more today than I did the rest of the week. It truly does wonders for the brain when you have goals you set out to accomplish and reach them.

               My morning started off with a prayer walk that turned into a prayer jog. I was able to do a mile the other day, but I have been struggling to breathe in the middle of it and it makes me uncomfortable. Having been a smoker of cigarettes and other things for 17 years, it takes a toll on the lungs. With time, I won’t have trouble catching my breath. Until then, I’m just going to have to push through the struggle. Afterwards, I did a session of Yoga mixed with Pilates, sat down to eat a parfait with my coffee and then got in my Bible.

               The book of James has always been one of my favorites, but for some reason I just haven’t read it recently until today. I was talking about it yesterday with a couple of guys at a Bible study and felt compelled to re-read it. I read The Passion Translation today and I really like how it puts one passage:

“If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of His face in the beginning. You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin. But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it—they experience God’s blessings in all that they do!” James 1:23-25 (TPT)

I was always confused about this from the way the other translations put it. It talks about looking into a mirror and forgetting what we look like but I never really got that it was talking more about how God sees us. This is crucial to know and receive if we are to walk in holiness and righteousness. God sees us as His beloved children and sometimes this is hard to receive for those who struggle with rejection, neglect and abandonment from their earthly parents. Not only is it important to see ourselves the way God sees us, but believing and receiving the benefits of Jesus’ death and resurrection on the cross does something else for us too; it made us “holy and blameless as we stand before Him without a single fault.” (Colossians 1:22 emphasis added)

               We are completely forgiven of all our sins too, stripping off the guilt and shame that weighs us down. When we come to this realization, it helps love, peace and joy flow from us knowing that we are known and loved by the One who created all things.

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown Me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Luke 7:47

               When you start your relationship with the Holy Spirit and truly walk in total forgiveness that the cross offers, things start to shift. For myself as I’m an introvert, I start talking to strangers more and that’s when I know I have the joy of the Lord. Other times, I find it easier to stay on task and do my chores without any grumbling or complaining. I also find that when I walk in forgiveness towards myself and receive the forgiveness Father God gives me, I’m less offended and more willing to forgive others when they hurt me. I’m more patient with myself and others. Also, when I’m driving, I’m less aggressive. My entire personality changes into the new creation God gives those who receive His Son’s sacrifice and Holy Spirit.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

               Walking in obedience is crucial to maintaining this new demeanor. You are constantly fighting with the flesh and depending on how often you feed the flesh is how hard the fight is. Someone who has already been disciplined most of their life won’t struggle nearly as much to fight their flesh because they’ve had practice saying “no.” But for those who have indulged the flesh by overeating, sleeping in, doing drugs and/or alcohol, binge watching TV, doom scrolling and more lazy ways of getting your dopamine fix, the road to successfully mastering your flesh is harder. But when you do, OH MY GOODNESS!

               I always feel such a huge shift in my mood and day when I walk in obedience towards God and I don’t give in to the desires of my flesh. It’s incredible. You would think that after so many days of walking in obedience, I wouldn’t struggle as much anymore but it’s still a challenge because I have been so used to giving into my flesh. With time, I know it will get easier to say “no” to the flesh and easier to say “yes” to the Spirit. Today is one of those days where I said “yes” and I feel so much better than I did any day this week that I decided to sleep in and not go for my prayer walk.

“I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.” Romans 7:21-25 (NLT)

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Therefore, choose life, that you and your offspring may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19

It’s amazing how much “the struggle is real.” When we are in Christ and walking in the Spirit, we are full of the highest levels of consciousness: love, joy, peace and creativity. With Holy Spirit to lead, guide and nurture us, we can live a life full of blessings we could only dream of having. But better than that, when we walk in the blessings of God, we start to be a blessing to others. God’s main and first priority is to heal our hearts. He does this so we can fall in love with Him even more than when He saved us from our old lives. When we are fully dedicated and devoted to Him, we naturally become love like He is love and start to pour into others without much effort. We are giving because we are overflowing with His love. If you feel like you are empty and don’t have anything else to give to others, just be with God and let Him heal you. Then and only then, can you pour into others.

“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as He is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:15-19