Make The First Move - By Faith!

Sometimes, stepping out by faith seems pretty difficult. Sometimes, it feels unfair when God impresses on YOUR heart to make the first move. (Especially in relationships when you feel that the other person/s was in the wrong). But guess what? God commands it!

What is Faith for if we only do what is comfortable for us? What is obedience to God if we decide to obey Him only when WE feel comfortable - when WE are ready! This is not Faith. This is arrogance!

The arrogance of mere Human Beings!

Faith causes us to GROW! It pushes us out of the cocoon. And just like the caterpillar, we wrestle within the cocoon and sometimes the struggle seems to be more than we can bear and we become tired, wanting to give up. But if we, like the caterpillar continue to struggle within the cocoon, knowing that this is just a part of the growing process to becoming a "Beautiful Butterfly", we will ultimately be set free to "Soar to Higher Heights!" Heights that soar beyond our wildest imaginations!

I am experiencing that today!

I have struggled with "making the first move" in repairing some relationships that have been severed over time. By faith, slowly, but surely, I was able to make that move. And although the relationships may never be the same, just the fact of being able to release myself from the prison of animosity, bitterness, anger and hurt has freed me to move forward with my life.

Making the first move has released me from the mental and emotional prison that I had built to keep others out - which in reality, was keeping me in! I finally realized it was I who was behind its bars not those whom I was trying to imprison - rather protect myself against.

However, there was still one relationship that remained severed and I was determined not to make the first move on that one. But God, through the Holy Spirit, had been dealing with me for quite sometime about releasing this person and thus "making the first move". And of course, I tried desperately to justify why I just could not submit on this one. I gave God example after example, justification after justification as to why making the first move would not be possible for me. But the Holy Spirit was relentless! Why?

1 - Because God loves me, he doesn't want there to be any hindrance in my ministry to YOU!

2 - Because God wants so desperately to save us ALL, He sends the Holy Spirit to minister to us, to quicken our spirit, pleading "This is the way, walk ye in it. When ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left." Isaiah 30:21

3- I have a major blessing that is being tied up because of my disobedience! I do not know what the blessing is but I do know that my disobedience has tied up God's hands from being able to bless me beyond measure.

NO MORE!

So today, I made the first move in repairing the one relationship that was hindering my major blessing - The one relationship was keeping me in prison! I wrestled with it at first, but in the end, by faith, I did my part. I honored God's command for me and I felt better. By releasing the other person, I have ultimately released myself from the prison I held us both captive in!

If the Holy Spirit has been impressing on you to "make the first move" in repairing a severed relationship, I invite you to join me in "Soaring to Higher Heights!" Don't worry about whether or not the relationship will ever be the same, (sometimes you don't want it to be - and rightly so). Don't worry if their response to you is negative. Your first responsibility to God, in obedience, is to "Make The First Move!" Your second responsibility to God is to "Allow Him To Do The REST!"

"Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow"!

Be Blessed!

Yolanda McIntosh
President/CEO/Founder
McIntosh Mo2vations
www.mo2vate.net
http://mo2vate.blogspot.net/

God's Unmerited Favor!

Have you ever felt that favor was bestowed upon you that you did not deserve? The kind of favor that you know, "without a shadow of a doubt", only God could give? The kind of favor that is bestowed upon you in spite of all of the fussing and complaining you did when the trials came into your life? The kind of favor that showed itself in the form of love even when you did not love yourself - or when your actions were unlovely? I have. Each question I just asked you, I have to sadly but honestly admit, describes me at one time or another in life. You see, I have not always been grateful for the blessings that God had bestowed upon me. There were times when I allowed my trials to overshadow the blessings - as a result, instead of thanking God for the blessings, I all but cursed him for the trials. But that was then.I have since learned to thank God in spite of my trials! I have learned, through the workings of the Holy Spirit, to see the blessings - sometime disguised in my struggles. But most of all....... I have learned to appreciate "God's Unmerited Favor!" Exactly how is it that I have learned to appreciate "God's Unmerited Favor?" Well, it's because of "God's Unmerited Favor" towards me that I have began to see his unmerited favor in others; especially my enemies. Those that I find it hard to be merciful to. Those that I find it hard to forgive. Those that I know do not want to see me do well. Those who try to sabotage the good that I do or have done. Believe it or not. God extends his "Unmerited Favor" towards them as well. And I am so thankful. Why? Because there was a time in my life when "I Was My Own Enemy"; yet God still extended his unmerited favor towards me. Having God bring me through that experience has taught me that I should thank God for my external enemies. How is that? The answer is easy. You see, it's my external enemies that have actually excelled my growth! It's my external enemies that not only challenge my faith and my integrity, by it's my external enemies that keep me running back to God again and again asking for his strength and claiming his promises to me through his word, the Bible. It's through my external enemies that I have learned to appreciate God's faithfulness toward me - in spite of my unfaithfulness toward HIM! Lamentations 3:22-26 describes it best. It Reads: vs. 22 "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." vs. 23 "They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness." vs. 24 "The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him." vs. 25 "The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him." vs. 26 "It is good that a man, (or woman), should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." God, thank you for your "Unmerited Favor" towards me and my enemies. For surely, "Your Mercies Are New Every Morning - Great Is Thy Faithfulness!" Be Blessed! Yolanda McIntosh President/CEO/Founder McIntosh Mo2vations www.mo2vate.net http://mo2vate.blogspot.net