A reader recently commented on a post thanking me for having courage. It was hard for my heart to accept it, but I needed it. She ended her comment with, “Thank you for your courage and consistency, and allowing the grace God gives us to penetrate the grace you’ve given yourself to keep pressing, even if the press comes with occasional pauses.” When I read it, I burst into tears. Not tears of dismay, but tears because there were finally words to describe the movement I’ve been in for quite some time now. Press and pause. The grace is in the keep pressing, but my goal is less pause.

What have you paused for? Me, I’ve had pauses due to doubt, lust, believing lies about myself and about God, laziness, and a victim mentality. At times my pauses would wipe me out with condemnation and thoughts of, “You should be over this by now!” Or thoughts of, “You should be free from this by now!” Would try to overtake my heart. But God reminder me of a vision He gave me when I was in worship.

I was always surprised when God would give me a vision because I always felt so undeserving. I have likely mentioned this in a previous post, so forgive the repetition if so. I was in worship at church with my eyes closed and I saw the inside of my body. I’m talking a detailed depiction of my joints, bones, blood, organs, all of it. Then I saw men on scaffolds cleaning everything. They were washing my heart, my eyes, my toes, my mouth, all of me. After they were done washing they were laying this wallpaper of sorts all over the inside of me. When I looked at the wallpaper, they were Bible pages. They they were sealing them with blood that dried clear like water. When I opened my eyes, I cried and wrote the vision as fast as I could so as not to forget a thing. Now, approximately 3-4years post that vision, it still speaks.

I still press because Jesus made the effort and completed the work of dying so that I can be clean. He showed me myself being cleaned and made new by His Word and Spirit. I press because I cannot allow the pause to overtake me. The difference between pause for rest and pause for sin is who joins you in the pause, Satan or Jesus. I could sit here and lie and say that Jesus has had all the pauses in my life, but for what? You’re here because you want truth and I’m here because I’m ever being changed by truth. The thing about it was that even in my pauses away from Jesus because of sin and selfishness, Greater is He that was within me than he that was in the world! Jesus FOUGHT for me. Now I’m just trying to not put Him in situations where I need him to fight for me!

Summary is, repentance is the most beautiful thing that can happen in the life of any human living. It is in repentance that you acknowledge who you are apart from God, who God is, and who you can become through Him. Repent today. I have my sons that I am ever laying at the feet of Jesus as I am renewed by the spirit of my mind. Make up in your mind that today is the last day I will have to repent of that sin; today I am walking free— no magic, no gimmicks, just choice. Then, get into the Bible. It is the foundational weapon to help you fight, not the devil, but YOU. God doesn’t tempt, we are led away by our own desires. So we need to nail those passions and desired to the cross and leave them dead. We will be victorious when we choose to be victorious in Christ Jesus.

Here’s to obedience, repentance, courage, grace in the press, grace in the pause, and less pauses!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)

#pressandpause #repentance #theresgraceforthat #insidejob #refreshhercourse