Empty Me

Many times, I used to find myself being discouraged that God will use many people, but it seemed as though He wouldn’t use me. I would see new born again believers and younger people get up and do God’s will, while I was clueless as to what I should be doing. I would watch people younger than me go to the altar and receive the Holy Ghost, while I tarried for years. I would be in ministry and wonder was I doing a good enough job. Receiving compliments, but knowing that there was much more that I could give God and much more I could receive from Him if only I was more available. The questions would arise as to whether or not I’m being led by God’s spirit or by emotions and charisma. There were many things that puzzled me, but now I’m beginning to understand what God is doing more and more.

And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles. (Mark 2:22)

Many of us want God to dwell in us and want Him to use us, but we have to make our temples conducive for His spirit to want to dwell there. Many want to be saved from Hell, just not from sin. We don’t mind attending services, tweeting about grace and mercy, or even wearing clothes and tattoos with bible verses, but when we examine our lives we are sometimes contradicting everything in God’s word. We don’t mind saying “I’m saved, and the people in the world should come to Christ like I did”, but the world won’t do that if they don’t see a difference between you and them. If you dress the same, act the same, talk the same, then everyone will assume they’re going to Heaven as well. “After all, if children of God can be half naked on social networks, why can’t I? God does love everyone? Right?!” We must understand the world doesn’t always read the bible, but they read us. If we don’t show Christ, no one will see Him. If we don’t walk like Christ, people will continue to stray further from God’s word. I mean come on? Why would I believe you when you say I should eat salad when you’re at McDonald’s? We can’t contradict the message we want to deliver.

Many of us have grown up with parents that hated a dirty home, I know I did. My mother would never want us to invite someone over and not clean up first. Neither would she wait until we have company. She would always make sure that the home was clean, because even though someone may not come, you still want to be in a clean house and have something presentable that would attract people, rather than push them away. This is the same principle with God. God does not dwell in unclean vessels. That is why Psalms 51 is such a powerful, repentance based scripture. David knew that God couldn’t live in a dirty vessel, so he asked God to purge him and to wash him.

David was a man after God’s heart. He was definitely willing to give his life to do all he can for his God, but did he fall short? Yes. That’s why we can should not say “nobody’s perfect”, because God knows that. He still expects us to have a willing and obedient heart. So yes, you may mess up, but do you have to stay in your mess? No! Get up and do the will of God.

Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. (Jeremiah 18:2)

Sometimes God has to separate you from certain crowds in order for you to hear Him. God told Jeremiah that He would speak to him, when he went to the Potter’s house. Jeremiah could have been stubborn like many of us, but he decided to go and then God spoke to him. We often complain when friends leave us or we have to leave friends, but that’s one of God’s ways of getting our attention. God can’t speak to you if you’re listening to several different voices. Which is one of the reasons I deleted my Instagram account. It was sad how people dressed on there that said they were Christians. I’m convinced some were allergic to clothes. If I continued going on that app, that would’ve just called lust. Which is why I decided to get rid of it. It’s much easier to hear God now, I won’t have to worry about perverted or sinful images in my head. That’s why it is also necessary to get out of certain relationships. Sometimes it’s best not to even reply to some text messages, because that’ll avoid lust, gossip, slander or just pointless talk. We all should start praying as much as we talk. Praying for people and evangelizing is much more profitable than spending the day on the phone. Social networks are really becoming idols, and many of us have different addictions and idols in our life that we have to get rid of to experience God on a deeper level.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6)

We ask God to fill us up daily, but we already have appetites for sin and things that have nothing to do with God’s will. Some pray that God will pour out His spirit like the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), but God pours His spirit out where the people are seeking Him. Where the people want to really know Him. God doesn’t visit certain denominations. Biblical Christians believed one thing and all were visited by God because of their humility and diligent seeking. We must know we are nothing without Christ. We will never get more of God until we desire more. God cannot feed a closed mouth.

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)

If you’re reading this, and feel as though this is irrelevant to you, I suggest that you keep it in your mind. Many times I fall into sin or get distracted, because I just thought I had everything under control and then in certain situations the way I would act was not Godly whatsoever. We should not wait until we sin to ask for a clean heart. The bible says our hearts are desperately wicked and deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), so we should follow God’s spirit, not our hearts. We never know what’s in us that God needs to uproot. I know that I have bad habits that I have to now submit to God for me to be delivered and I have to stop trying to do it myself.

I know that I haven’t been posting much lately, but I thank you for your patience. This semester has been rough, and I have been trying to work on myself in the process. I pray that every reader will seek God, so that He can cleanse them just like I have to. Continue to seek God, pray for me as I pray for you. God bless.

– Tovares Grey

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#christianity #Pentecostal #clean #Apostolic #Christ #God #religion #Jesus #bible