Eliminate It

There are some tough decisions I have made in my life.

Some of the hardest have been over things I have valued highly. Some of those things have not been healthy and to ‘moderate’ the intake I was informed that I would have to completely eliminate it.

Growing to have a dependency on such things is quite something. It’s subtle really. There’s little to no harm in it at first. Indeed the whole reason for the dependency is because it did some perceived good. It was not an issue to let that good be the reason for an ongoing pattern to develop with it. Once I recognised that there was no good it was offering I was left in a dilemma, because I still ‘felt’ good about it, albeit a temporary good.

In situations like that I discovered the hard and brutal way that to enjoy true freedom I would have to completely eliminate it.

In the war for purity and the clean conscience before God even things that appear to be good can be a hindrance to being all God has called me and us to be. We cannot afford for sentimentality and ridiculous ‘justifications’ to allow the situation to persist. For the sake of developing a right relationship with God we have the responsibility to identify anything that might be an idol and completely eliminate it.

The beauty of depending on God is the room for honesty and the openness to take on His grace and focus on that to make the tough decisions. Maintaining that focus calls for work, but it’s worthwhile work to enjoy the life-giving Spirit without any sense of compromise.

There is a reason that a part of this life is called a warfare. There is nothing easy about facing some of the things we’ve relied on most and learning to live without it. I don’t write as someone without any challenges and struggles. I write as someone who learns day by day to be grateful for every day of grace I learn to trust Him ad not anything else.

All the best in your journey to learn that whatever issue arises to challenge you, you can eliminate it

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden