Before you read any further I would encourage you to go listen to the song I have attached. It sets the foundation for what God has led me to talk about today. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pursue-all-i-need-is-you-feat-hillsong-young-free-medley-live/1050070588?i=1050070935 Today I want to talk about the seasons we walk through as followers of Christ. And as you and me both know, not all of them are joyous. There is the harvest season, where you just feel in tune with the Lord and his voice. You are eager to learn, eager to serve and eager to love others. You have this new-found excitement for church and people, a desire to serve in the band or in children’s ministry. The word of God has this sweet flavor that just speaks directly to your heart. And this is a fruitful, beautiful season. But then there is also the season of drought. Where there was once his glory richly embedded into your soul there is now a void, an emptiness, questions and doubt. His voice that was once so clear and familiar, is now a soft distant whisper. That desire you had to serve, and worship, and fellowship with others has now turned into a dreaded task. His word once tasted sweet and spoke directly to your heart, now tastes stale and frankly boring. And this season is hard, confusing and painful. But I want to ask you to 1. embrace both seasons, and 2. lend yourself grace in both seasons. My friend, you do not need to have to have it altogether, he knows you don’t. He just wants you to be present and come as you are. I know many will agree that it’s easier to seek God, to serve and love others in the harvest season. And it’s difficult to simply do anything he asks of us in the season of drought. I think that’s where faith is put into action. Faith isn’t about a feeling. Just like loving others isn’t dependent on when you feel like it. It’s a choice, we can choose to love that mean neighbor down the street, even when we feel like they don’t deserve it. And why can we do that? Because God loved us first. You and I both know we don’t deserve for God to love us the way he does, or forgive us the way he has forgiven us. But we love because he loved us first. What does this have to do with anything? The point I’m trying to get across is that the same way we have to choose to love others when we don’t feel like it. Is just how we need to choose to seek God even when his presence feels distant. That is faith in action In the drought season, I think God is asking us to wrestle with him. Bring to him your grief, your questions, your doubts and pains. And simply wrestle, cry, and scream. He can handle it. He doesn’t want us to be apathetic followers. {Apathetic meaning, ap·a·thet·ic adjective 1. showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern} He wants us to be eager and alive in both the harvest season and the drought. He wants us to truly desire his word even when it tastes stale. He wants to surrender our feelings from the moment we wake up in the morning to when we go to bed. He wants us to choose to say -Lord even though I don’t feel your presence, I know my relationship with you is about more than a feeling. Psalm 145:18 says “The Lord is near all who call out to him.” Lord you are near! so I will wrestle with you today, I will read your word, until the sweetness returns. I will love others even though I don’t feel like it. I will serve at my church, even though I would rather be doing anything else. I will worship you with hands held high and heart abandon, even though the place where your presence was once alive and beating is now filled with emptiness and void. And how will I do this? John 14:13-14 says ask and you shall receive. He will provide you the strength and perseverance. All you need to do is ask. John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” And why will I do these things? because you Lord deserves all my effort, all my energy and all my time because you sacrificed everything so that I may know you. And also, I will do these things because my life is no longer my own, every breath I breathe is to glorify you. I no longer serve myself, when I gave my life to you. I died to my old self. I no longer serve myself and my own interests, I serve you. I am yours and fully yours. Thank you for your truth. My friends, respectfully it’s not all about us! but do not be discouraged or ashamed, this is where grace comes to play. The reality of life is that we will not walk through the drought season perfectly, and I’m not asking that of you either. I’m just saying walk through it, bring your messy and brokenness and just walk, or crawl. Just surrender and seek him. He will strengthen you and guide you. I hope and pray this encourages you all to embrace both seasons. Our relationship with God is bigger than us! just breathe, let the pressure that you have placed upon yourself fall at the foot of the cross and let his grace rain upon you. You’re not facing any season alone. He will guide you through each one. In your weakness, he is greater. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in my weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am strong.” God bless you all, Mikayla Ann Kent
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Freedom in Christ
Freedom is a word that has been dancing around my mind recently, and the topic of freedom in Christ has been very present and heavy on my heart. Before we dive into this blog, I have two things to say. First- As always, every ounce of glory to God. I am simply the messenger. He empowers, inspires & touches hearts. I just write what he leads me to. Second- I do not write this to gain sympathy or attention, I write this because I feel vulnerability takes the power away from Satan. And helps us know we aren’t alone in our struggles, we all have them. Let’s bring them to the light and allow God to bring glory to his name through them. In this past month I’ve taken some time to really reflect and see the work that God has completed in me as I’ve grown over the years, I not only reflected on the past but I took a step back and took a look to see how he is growing and working in me in this very present moment. For years I’ve been entangled in lies, fear, bitterness & doubt. I’ve battled with anxiety, depression, disordered eating & negative self-image. I’ve looked for escape routes from all these burdens. I’ve looked high and low, in every corner and crevasse. I’ve even dared to look to myself to find freedom. But as you may have guessed I ran in circles, and let me tell you it’s quite exhausting and painful. If you talk to anyone that knows me they will agree with me on this. I am a fearful person, I’ve carried an anxious spirit around with me for years. I’ve missed out on many opportunities since I was a little girl simply because I was just scared. Many days I fought with depression from sunrise to sunset, gloom lingering over my eyes. I battled with lies screaming at me telling me I’m unworthy and alone. Sadly, there has been many friendships bruised by me and my own insecurity, because of a wrecked self-image. I’ve been weighted down by shame and guilt hidden deep within because of a reliance and dependence I have for food to meet my emotional needs. Did you just read all of that? does that sound like a young girl living in freedom? a life lived abundantly? I’ll say it with you, it sure doesn’t. I wasn’t meant to carry those things, he didn’t send his son to die for me so that I could continue to walk in darkness. He sent his son so that I may experience life and experience it abundantly! So that I may also experience joy and the sweet sweet taste of freedom. And he did the same for you! In these moments where I felt this weight would never cease, I’d tell myself that maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough or maybe it was just pointless. But though I looked high and low I didn’t look to God. I didn’t seek his guidance or his truth. I looked to myself. Let me just tell you this and save you some time searching for freedom. When we try and look to ourselves for help, it’s like digging from a rusty empty bucket. There’s nothing in us that is able to provide freedom. I’ll say it right now, I’m imperfect, I’m a sinner. I can’t save myself from my own sin and my friend neither can you! But by his merciful grace you and I aren’t left wallowing in hopelessness, he sent his son to die for us. He paid the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I may receive forgiveness and {key word here} walk in glorious FREEDOM from ourselves & our sin. He has made a way, all we have to do is surrender ourselves, our struggles, our temptations, and our burdens to him and let him take the lead. When we seek him, we find freedom in his truth, and from there he enables us to grow. You may say how do I attain this freedom myself? For me I wasn’t able to see these things in myself, I was running in circles for such a long time carrying this weight that I wasn’t able to even recognize it anymore. But thankfully the Lord has provided me friends and family who have spoken truth so gracefully into my life. First - go to God in prayer and say Lord if there’s something in my life that isn’t bringing glory to you please reveal it to me and lead me to your truth. “Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”. Second talk to someone you trust and who knows you well. And ask them to point out somewhere in your life where you may need some smoothing or trimming. Third meditate on scripture, hang it up around your house, put it wherever you will see it and let his truth and love fill the places where fear, or hurt cut and let his love run deeper. You aren’t meant to carry these burdens, freedom has already been bought! you must to allow it to be active in your life. Lay it at the cross, and allow him to grow you. Break the shackles off your ankles and walk in freedom. I know it can be painful coming face to face with your struggles, but oh the taste of freedom is so sweet, come and share it with me. Now I will share how God has worked in me. Once again ALL glory to him, anything good or honorable in me is all because of him. He’s still growing and working in me. And he will continue that work till I see him face to face. But I’ve tasted freedom, I am not living in constant fear, In the past months I’ve jumped into new opportunity’s instead of shying away. I have joy & hope despite my circumstances, I see him in the midst of every storm. I am starting to see myself the way he’s created me, I’m finding my identity is in him and that my value and worth comes from him and that no person nor anything can take that away from me or diminish it. I’m learning to be fully dependent on him for every need. Lastly, I’m learning that there is no shame or guilt in Jesus Christ. Only grace upon grace. Let his freedom rain upon you, and dance with joy because our God is a good father! Galatians 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord and he answered me he has delivered me from all my fears” Please go and listen to this song, freedom is yours my sweet friends. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/o-come-to-the-altar-acoustic/1296306974?i=1296306985 God bless you, Mikayla Ann Kent |
AuthorI'm just a 17 year old girl, who has a passion for Jesus and longs to encourage and connect with other people through the shifting seasons of life, and the lessons learned through them. Archives
July 2023
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