Accountability

Recently, I have become aware of a very cumbersome reality in my life. This reality is a manifestation of responsibility and a coherent awareness of my own accountability. In truth, we all fall short of perfection. Often our lives are plagued with deceitful or sinful action. However, we do not have to succumb to the shame of our actions if we are willing to take accountability for them. Essentially, it is in our brave onus of our actions that brings about change in ourselves. I refuse to pamper my past nor do I encourage myself to rationalize my present misdemeanors. I am accountable to God. 

It is foolish to delegate blame and attribute failure to external factors. I am a product of my own action and belief. The beauty of believing is your own blessing. Through your beliefs you gain credence over your actions and the peace of an honest lifestyle.


Colossians 2:1-23
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. ...

Grace

I envisage a world whereby the actions of man are not governed by his own eagerness to impress himself, others or even the Almighty. This would be a world of giving. An endearing environment unspoiled by the bitter actions of egotistical individuals. More importantly, it will be a world where we are loved for our imperfections and applauded for our resolve in the honest reconciliation of these flaws. Indeed, this worlds very perfection is the acknowledgement of our imperfections. I once read that we only truly receive God's grace when we are humbled by our shortcomings. Within my perfect world, our imperfections are made known and we embrace each other in this common bond. The act of giving something that means everything to you and little to the receiver results in grace. Thus making your weaknesses known may be meaningless to another but it is the most gracious and powerful act you can do as an individual. We cannot make God love us more but we can live graciously in his love and not burden ourselves with trivial condemnation. I accept God's grace by denouncing my sins to the world and expecting little applaud but the knowledge that I am living righteously. Righteous living does not require legalism or dogma. It is simply the acceptance of God's love and acting graciously in accordance with the will of Jesus Christ. You do not need shun a secular lifestyle nor separate yourself from individuals with alternate beliefs. You will become much like a lighthouse is to a harbor and through gracious action, you will liberate those whom are lost and provide a safe haven for those whom choose to follow. 

May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1: 2


Grace (favor and spiritual blessing) be to you and [heart] peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1: 3

Trust

An expression of tender confidence in another. Living and operating by trust is sometimes a very elusive lifestyle. As a Christian, I understand the two reciprocals of life: Faith and fear. To live by faith and ignore your fears is easier said than done and the same goes for trust. To have an unhindered trust in a positive outcome means to place your confidence in Christ. I have come to realize that, when my own self-confidence is questioned, I do not place the heavy burden of indecisiveness upon my own shoulders. Instead, I choose to hand it over to God and accept the outcome as a reflection of his will. I choose to govern myself by honesty and should my honest action be detrimental to my task then I should reconsider the value of my endeavor. I place trust in this virtue because when all else is lost, my integrity will remain intact. It is through this lifestyle that a draw peace. There is no greater serenity, than the comfort of a clean conscious.

I place my devout trust in Christ, that through my honest action there shall be an honest reward. That indeed, no matter how fruitless or flavorless a life of principal may seem; it is the seeds I sow now that yield the festivities of the future. May the good Lord place his loving hand on the foundations of my life, that with time my integrity shall support and solidify an unshaken palace of paradise.

For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence. Psalm 71: 5

O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him.Psalm 34: 8

     

He who deals wisely and heeds [God's] word and counsel shall find good, and whoever leans on, trusts in, and is confident in the Lord--happy, blessed, and fortunate is he.
Proverbs 16: 20

Determination

Our courage is not defined by what we view as possible, instead it is a reflection of our desire to face impossibilities. The courage to step up from failure, to harness the reigns of your weary horse and ride into the battle of life. Not out of stupidity or madness but out of honor. It is that blessed desire that the lord gives us when we are born. That desire to make an imprint in this world, no matter the cost. We all have it. 

Walking down the street, I am overcome by the remarkable will of human beings. I notice a man burdened with the inability to walk but he chooses not to be bed ridden. I observe a blind lady eloquently attempting to find the handle of the passenger side door of her husbands vehicle. She chose to take on the world and never took a step backwards, regardless of her disability. Her courage cannot be equated to logic nor the confines of scientific reasoning. Her courage was bestowed upon her at birth by God. It is her innate desire to press forward that makes her remarkable. This is our blessing, our truth and our light. For the lord wishes us not to waste away our blessings in life. He intends for us to step forward, into the light, irrespective of the darkness that surrounds us. 

2 Timothy 4:7 

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Laughter

I made tremendous progress today. I experienced the joy of laughter, unperturbed by a back drop of depressive thought. It was tremendously satisfying to acknowledge this simple achievement. To me, laughing symbolized progression and renewal. In particular, the things I found amusing were not crude or immoral. I found serenity in that moment and a profound appreciation for the healing process. My Lord Jesus has blessed me with so much to be thankful for and in the splendor of my gratitude, he allowed me to indulge in the amazing gift of laughter. Life is a blessing. Your health is a blessing and there is so much joy in living. 

Psalm 126:2 

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Battles

Fighting the good fight nowadays is a choice. The day I chose to reject the things that held me captive for so many years was the day I commenced a major battle within myself. My mind has become a minefield of thoughts and counter thoughts. There is not a single moment that goes by, that I do not require some form of subduing action against a specific impulse. Now, these impulses can range from resisting the urge to use fowl language to resisting the urge to drink. Nonetheless, they are all part and parcel of a vicious war that began nearly 4 months ago. I have a very powerful ally in Jesus Christ and through prayer my cause is held high. I have come to the realization that hadn't my world been turned inside out by my drinking habit, I would not have begotten the desire to reform my nature. I owe that to my lord Jesus. He has given me the great blessing of intolerance towards alcohol. He has made it clear to me that the day I choose to pick up a drink, would be the day I lose this war. Make no mistake, there are days when these battles take their toll on me mentally and physically. However, there have been tremendous strides towards victory. Last week Tuesday, marked my one hundredth day of sobriety. I have fought countless battles and won. At times, I may lose my way but having trust in God is like operating under the guidance of a golden compass. The compass will not tell me when I have reached my victorious destination but simply the direction I need to take and that is all I need. I feel myself gaining momentum and victory is nearly within my grasp but should I encumber a loss, I will not give up. Defeat is definitely not in my creed. I predict a day when my inhibitions have been crushed, my temptations swept a yonder and my fears splintered under the tremendous weight that is my faith in Jesus Christ. On that day, my victory will be complete.  

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21 NKJV)


This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience... (1 Timothy 1:18-19 NKJV)


You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:1-4 NKJV)