What God Is Teaching Me Right Now..

I'm so excited to be blogging again. I started a blog back in 2012 and was super on fire about having the opportunity to inspire others. That fire was blazing hot for an entire year. Unfortunately each year after that, I slowly fell away from wanting to inspire through words on a blog. The great thing now is that this fire is back! Blogging actually helped me hold myself accountable in my daily walk with Christ and I desperately need that again. I'm thankful to have a supportive group of women who will help hold me accountable on this journey as well. Let's dive into this first post.

I'd say over the past couple weeks or so, I've been in sort of a funk. I've been giving into my feelings of loneliness, feelings of shame, guilt, etc. I know I haven't been diligently putting effort into my relationship with God either. My mind and thoughts have honestly been solely on.....wanting to date again as well as stuck on my past. Maybe it's the February Blues?? Is that a thing? This past Sunday we received an amazing word from church titled "How To Get Healthy". This message really got me all the way together because honestly I know I'm still in a season of healing from a lot of hurt and trauma I've experienced. The message on Sunday reminded me that I have a some healing and growing to do in order for any relationship I have in my life (present or future) to be healthy and life-giving.

I started this year off super strong just like a ton of other people. My main focus and vision for this year are to grow in the areas of discipline and consistency. I’m talking with daily things like eating breakfast, doing daily devotions, spending time with God, working out, drinking water, educating myself on things pertaining to growth, & reading more books. Like I said, I started off strong but for the past month, I've fallen completely off the wagon. Can you relate to this? It's like I've fallen into a slump that quite frankly has become comfortable, which has made it so hard to pull myself out of. I've found myself doing things to avoid dealing with it all or better yet dealing with myself. I've watched a million movies and tv shows. I've found my motives for going to the gym to drift from a self-care practice to a time filler. I wanted to give you all some background before I just went into what God has been teaching me.

"It's like I've fell into a slump that quite frankly has become comfortable"

Here's is the thing.. I've been fully aware of everything that's been going on with me but haven't fully allowed my actions to change until recently.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.' Matthew 6:33-34

"Jaz What Is Going To Be Your 1st & Main Priority?"- God

The Lesson God Is Teaching Me Is To Focus On Him 1st!

How can I desire earthly relationships more than the one I have with God? Again I know I'm in a season of healing and instead of seeking the ultimate healer that can help me fully grow and become a better me, I've been stuck on my past and desiring other relationships that will never make me feel whole. I took some time and finally confronted my issues while including God in the process. I actually did it through writing and I felt so much better afterward.

I've read this verse (Matthew 6:33-34) in so many different translations to fully grasp and understand what God was saying to me. My intentions have always been pure and good when it comes to my relationship with God but my follow through hasn’t been as strong.

Just because I want something doesn't mean it's going to just happen. It takes action. Sometimes we over complicate the actions it takes but I'm learning it's quite simple. Sometimes we may not "feel" like doing the things that are necessary but we must remember our feelings are temporary. They will lie to us, keep us stuck, and eventually allow us to become comfortable if we ALLOW them too. I'm learning that even though I may "feel" lonely now or down on myself, I know that it's not a forever thing. God is teaching me and reminding me to get back to Him and He will take care of the rest.

Simple Practical Steps in Living Out Matthew 6:33-34

1. Read His Word.

I always felt like I needed to read a certain amount of the bible every day in order to feel like I was spending "adequate" time with God. What I’m learning is that you can read 1 verse, meditate on it, maybe even read it in different translations, and guess what... that is enough. It's not quantity that matters but rather a meaningful effort put towards spending time with God. Remove the pressure from yourself.

2. Pray 1st

As soon as I wake up, my initial thought and action is to pray and thank God for a new day. Sitting up or immediately getting out of bed helps me with this because snoozing has been such a struggle in the past. It really doesn't take long but it's what I’m trying to do 1st and more consistently.

3. Worship

I've learned that worship is not just listening to Christian songs. Worship can be whatever you want as long as you are thinking of God at some point during the process as well as thanking Him. It's an appreciation. One of my favorite worship practices is yoga. It's a form of worship because I'm grateful for this temple God has given me to do this thing called life in. My gratefulness pushes me to keep my body as healthy as I can. (watching sermons online, listening to podcasts, etc can also be a form of worship as well)

Remove the pressure, my friend.

Other Things I'm Doing To Make God My 1st Priority

*Fasting from my personal IG account at certain times

*Listening to an online sermon daily

*Journaling

*Reflecting

*Praying

*ANNNND BLOGGING AGAIN :-)

I challenge you to make more of an effort to really Put God 1st!!

Live Out Matthew 6:33-34 with me.

JazmineLenay