What are you going to do about it?

(I will share this blog to Facebook, if you would like please share this not to promote anything but I’d like people to hear these.)

      Hello everyone, it’s been a long time, I’ve been really busy and never had a good chance to write this. I wanted to start off with some life updates, I am now back in Georgia and am working and living here for the foreseeable future. I am being mentored by a man named Austin Ulsh in how to be a citizen of the kingdom as well as general adulting things. I am slowly working on my dream to travel internationally and spread the word of God to all nations.  When I start fundraising for that I will let you all know. I am also considering going to school to become a pastor, but I am still undecided in that, there are many great schools for this in north Georgia so its definitely possible. I also have a personal project I am working on with one of my roommates, that will be a fun collaboration between me and him. Now, with all of that being said, let’s get into this blog.

 

      I have been thinking of my goals and desires for this season of life and every time I do the same question pops in my head. “What are you going to do about it?” When I think about my goals but also when things get hard, I hear the same or a similar question from God. “What are you going to do about it?” It’s such a simple and powerful question to ask someone. It can stop a person dead in their tracks, and make them reevaluate their entire situation. I don’t mean for you to use this question in an invalidating or patronizing way, but rather as a call to action. James 1:22-25 says “¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. ²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. ²⁶ Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

 

This passage is a call to action from James saying quite literally you can’t just preach the word but action must follow. Go read the whole book of James it is one of my favorite books of the bible and most of it’s messages follow this same general principle; What doing work and deeds looks like for the kingdom. But it’s true (not only because it’s in the bible) but it applies to almost every aspect of our day to day life. For example when you tell someone you will do something, and then don’t do it. It doesn’t matter how much you promise or swear by, it won’t change the fact you didn’t do it. 

 

      When you set goals for yourself, how often do you follow through? How often do you dream but it stops there? How often do you voice a desire but make no action towards fulfilling it? Again, none of this is meant to bring shame or invalidate, or patronize anyone. This is just to get you thinking. God loves when we dream and it breaks his heart when we become discouraged from them. One of the many gifts God gave us as human beings is the ability to dream, he took special care in this aspect of our creation and this is evident in everything we say and do, as well as human history as a whole. We are dreamers. Look at almost any ancient culture or religion and it describes our place in creation as beings who look to the sky and stars instead of the earth. God wants us to set goals and aspire to great things and he wants to experience these things with us. But too often our goals get hijacked by doubt and insecurity and we believe we are not able to these things. I’m here to tell you you are right, partially. You aren’t able or meant to do these things on your own. Proverbs 16:3 says “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” I said God loves when we have desires and dreams, but we can’t expect Him to just sit by if our desires are self destructive or not of Christ. That’s just not His nature. Now, it is said God will never trump free will, but that doesn’t mean he will not be there to be fully willing, and capable, of telling us, and showing us, when our desires are not beneficial, and warning of the consequences of our actions. Now there will sometimes be instances where God will influence events to stop you from doing something that’ll be irreversible. 

 

      Long story, much shorter, God does want us to chase our desires, foremost, because they came from him originally anyway, but it will, in the end, lead to less than desirable things if we chase and pursue them without Him. I have recently learned the hard way what it feels like to try to chase a desire without bringing the holy spirit into it, I fell flat on my face. God designed us and created us out of a desire and a dream, and no other reason than, that he wanted something to love. Remember this that I’ve told you, if nothing else. God loves you enough to be free. Let yourself be free. That being said, What are you going to do about it?