The capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or pressure.
How can you operate in your strength for something you aren’t even the producer of?
On May 1st, I decided to join a #consistencychallenge that one of my favorite bloggers Mattie James started. And I’ve been killing it! The consistency of posting every day to my IG feed has spilled over into other areas of my life, and it’s forced me to show up even more for myself. It’s been an AMAZING experience! HOWEVER, during one of my most recent prayer times, I realized that I’ve been unknowingly operating under my own strength.
Maybe it’s this pandemic, but at some point I took control back from God and thought I could get further without Him, now that I was operating in self awareness and wisdom. I clearly forgot that wisdom doesn’t come just from my doing. It comes from God’s will and grace.
The summer of 2018 was when I first acquired the level of wisdom I had been praying for 2 years nonstop about. So when I finally received it, I was on fire to share with other people what I had learned. Looking back on it, it was sort of reminiscent of finally getting that raise or amazon package (if you’re like me) that you’ve been waiting on for the last 2 years. I was so excited that it finally arrived, I couldn’t wait to use it. That excitement resulted in me prematurely starting a podcast (if you were a listener, thank you for rocking with me!) and taking on way more things then I should’ve.
By March 2019, I was so busy seeking instant gratification instead of operating in the newfound wisdom God gave me, that I forgot I wasn’t the producer of it…God was. I reacted instead of responding to my new gift, and I found myself falling backward. I ended up suffering through 2 more back to back miscarriages, stopped repeating my affirmations and declarations, praying, and even stopped investing in my childcare program. I went from being “on high” to starting to feel burnt out. I thought God was no longer listening to me, but in actuality, He was listening. I was the one who wasn’t.
This life long journey of healing, unbecoming, and intentionally becoming the person I was created to be, has taught me a multitude of lessons that I strive to walk in daily. But like any other human, I fail…often.
But as long as I get back up and walk in God’s strength and will, anything is possible. Here are a few things I’ve learned from telling God to hold up.
It’s not ALL in God’s hands.
You play a part in what God is telling you to do. When you operate in self limiting beliefs and other people’s opinions, you can rob yourself of the blessings God has for you.
God doesn’t owe any of us ANYTHING.
He already did His part and is waiting on us to manifest what He already made available to us.
Prayer – Action = Paralysis
Faith without works is DEAD and vice versa. Just like laziness can produce stagnation, procrastination and self-victimization, so can praying without taking action.
Whether you activate it or not, that mustard seed is still inside of you
The only way to activate it is by operating in consistency, God’s order, intentionality and effort.
Operating in your own strength will turn you into a spectator
You want to be a spectator or a participant in your life? When the world is constantly throwing temptations like instant gratification at you, you won’t be able to operate in your own strength and participate for long.
You can’t be obedient to God’s word and your feelings at the same time
Reacting isn’t obedience, responding is. One is based off an emotion while the other is based on order. Divorce your feelings and fall in alignment with God’s word.
I’m so proud of the woman I’m becoming and how far I’ve come in my intentional journey.
And I’m even prouder to say I plan on remaining consistent when it comes to operating in God’s strength instead of my own. Are you with me? Comment below and let me know what areas of your life that you’re going to relinquish control of to God.