Just Let Go!

I remember very clearly the day I finally felt freedom after years of bondage within myself. I was sitting alone, just thinking. You know what I mean. “Where have I been in life?” “Where am I headed?” I was tired, worn, broken, and disappointed from the experience of life. I had brought the word “tried” to a form of art! For years I had tried to please others. I tried live a good life. Tried to do what I had been taught was right. Tried to be successful. Tried to be perfect. On the outside, my life looked good. I had achieved success. But on the inside where others could not see, my life was a total mess! I was tired of trying . In short - I was miserable. I needed a change! Been there? Are you there now?

Suddenly it seemed so clear to me. The piece of the puzzle in my life I had searched for so long, seemed to have just fallen from the sky and fit into place. I knew what I needed to do to make a change in my life. “Let go!” That’s the big message I got from God after what seemed like forever praying for an answer that would bring about a big change in my life. I had been stuck in the past and did not realize it. I had been holding onto emotions that were presently keeping me trapped, sucking all my strength. I spent all my energy living in the past instead of living in the present. Is that where you are? Are you trapped in the past? It will drain you of all the energy you now have to live the present.

I went to the Bible where I found a series of passages that help me find the answers I sought.
Genesis 1:27 (Amplified) gave me the first clue.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
From the very beginning, God set everything in order. There is no confusion of who we are or where we came from. We are made in God’s image and likeness. That makes us different than other creatures He made. They were not created in His image or likeness.

I need to be striving to bring about my character as Christ. But the struggle is not mine. It is God that changes me. I simply have to be in position to change, and be willing for Him to change me. I must desire to be like Him. This requires obedience and openness for God to change - I have to be willing for Him to mold my character as He so desires.

Paul, in the book of Colossians, gave me the next key to understanding.
Colossians 3:8-10 (Amplified)
“But now put away and rid yourselves [completely] of all theses things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses and slander and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips! Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices, And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is (ever in the process of being) renewed and remolded into (fuller and more perfect knowledge upon) knowledge, after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it.”

Paul says a lot in these few sentences. “Put away”, he says. In others words, STOP TALKING! STOP REHEARSING! STOP GIVING LIFE to negative feelings toward others - Anger, rage, bad feelings towards. STOP the curses, the slander, the abuse from coming out of your mouth! Do not lie to others or yourself.

Did you know that your mouth sets forth life and death? That’s right! The tongue has tremendous power! Proverb 18:21 (Amplified) “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it must be satisfied [whether good or evil].”

We set the stage for our blessings in life. With our tongue we prepare the stage to receive blessings from God. If we’re not setting into motion our blessings by our tongue, then we are blocking our blessings. This is called a curse. We set into motion the blessings and curses on our lives with our tongues! By the words that come out of our mouths coupled with faith (based on the Word of God) we set the action of our lives into motion!

James is careful to shows us that we are incapable of controlling our tongue on our own.
James 3:8-10 (Amplified)
“But the human tongue can be tamed by no man. It is (an undisciplined, irreconcilable) restless evil, full of death-bringing poison.” With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who were made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes forth blessing and cursing. These things, my brethren, ought not to be so.
We need God’s help. We are always placed in a position to be dependant upon God. The Word is the key. The Word is God’s instruction manual for man. We must spend time in the Word daily so we know how to line up our tongue to the blessings of God!

The Law was given to Moses for the Israelites as a guidance to show the people how to be successful by going down the right path. It was not set up as dutiful bondage to enslave the people, but rather, as a tool of empowerment for all the wonderful things God had for His chosen people. Good parents strive to help their children do what is right so they can obtain good things in life and enjoy life. And yet, often times we mistaken the intent of God. We think the Law was to bind and take away the fun of life, to tie us down to rules, when in reality all He wants to do is return us to His original desire: to place us in the position of blessings and fellowship with Him as in the Garden of Eden!

To be in such a place requires obedience. It requires honesty with God and self. It requires faith in His Word. It requires that we spend time in the Word familiarizing ourselves with the instructions God gives us. It requires us to stop speaking negative things bringing curses upon ourselves and others! The tongue must be controlled. It requires us to speak forth blessings that line up with the Word. To speak forth LIFE!

After I realized that I was caught in the trap of my past I decided I would make a change. The first thing after repentance was to change my pattern of how I felt about myself and asked for His help to make me aware of my negative thinking and speech. I no longer put down the image of God - myself. I stop criticizing myself for the little things that were not perfect within myself. I stopped the negative self talk. For example, perhaps I would drop a pencil. In the past I would say to myself, “You are stupid. Pick up the pencil stupid.” I degraded myself, lied about myself for no reason. I am not stupid. I simply dropped a pencil. Instead, I thanked God I had the capability to pick the pencil up.
Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well, yes and no. It took a lot of practice to stop telling myself I was worthless, no good and of no value. But as time went on I did stop for the most part. Years of habit are hard to change. If I slipped, I simply rebuked what I said, and started over again. After a while I caught on how to think more realistically about God’s creation. I learned to thank God for showing me a better way to think and as a result I began to feel much better about myself. I was no longer slapping God in the face, so to speak, after all, He created me. I am in His image and likeness. I should not be putting down what God created! I should not be putting down His image and likeness. I began the long journey from years of negative talk and false prophecy into a much brighter, happier present. Later I began developing the same practice concerning others. The blessings pour forth!
I found out that my mouth and my thinking work hand in hand. If my thinking is filled with the Word of God (which acts as God’s instructions for me), my actions will change also. And before long, out of the mouth comes a life of blessings instead of curses. I began to line up with the Word of God with my mind, action and mouth and my past disappeared as controller of my life. I am free to experience all the good and joy of God’s creation in the present!
I challenge you: Just let go!

“What do you mean?” “Can it be that simple?”