Bountiful Health & Wellness

So, I’ve had A LOT of transition over the past 1-1/2 years but since March 2024, it was a bit more condensed. In June, God led me to transition to a new state and in a period of a few weeks, I felt the shift in my relationship with God because I had become so busy and exhausted that I was neglecting my time with Him. During this time, I attended a 4-day Christian conference that was full of God’s Glory but even in that God wanted my personal attention.

He began to impress upon me, again, that it all centers around “priorities”. What we prioritize over Him! Can we say “idols”!😬That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially for me. It’s so easy for us to dismiss the small, subtle things in our lives that can become an idol because we don’t see them as such.

Idol: anything/anyone that we prioritize/worship/reverence OVER God

*Worship means to “bow down; to kneel or be prostrate in order to pay homage or respect to men or beings of a superior rank”. (Blue Letter Bible)

We can oftentimes submit to the ways (of the world), instructions, advice, counsel, etc., of things other than God. This is worship😬 Proverbs 11:14, encourages us to seek counsel, however when this counsel supersedes what God says to us or we begin to seek outside counsel more than God (Jeremiah 17:5) we can easily be drawn away from God.

“Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in and relies on mankind, Making [weak, faulty human] flesh his strength, And whose mind and heart turn away from the Lord.” Jeremiah 17:5 AMP

*Reverence (BLB) means to “fear; stand in awe of”.

We have to ask ourselves if we are fearing God or are we fearing the “consequences” the world would bring, if we go against the grain? Our reverence and fear should ONLY be in God!

*Respect (BLB) means “to gaze at, regard, behold, look about”.

This can speak to how we see God. How we view God can truly determine our respect level of Him and how we prioritize the importance of Him as a whole and who He represents to us. If we believe that God is just “the big man in the sky, looking down on us as pinions”, then we’ll miss so much more of His personality than we realize. Yes, God is Thee Creator of all but He is also a loving Father who cares about every single, minute detail of your life. He’s so intricate that He knows the number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30). Why wouldn’t He care about every other detail?! He wants us to be WHOLE, and that includes in every area of our lives!

I know the topic of idols have come up many times, especially recently, but I think God continues to bring it up because of His Grace. He is giving us time to constantly evaluate and re-evaluate ourselves (search our hearts- 2 Corinthians 13:5; Psalm 139:23) for any and everything that’s not pleasing to Him. If we get irritated with the constancy of (the mention of) it, we have to ask ourselves why we are being triggered. If there’s nothing there, that “thing” or discussion about idols wouldn’t be able to trigger us. We would rejoice at the fact that God, as His Bride, is cleansing up (Ephesians 5:26-27)!

So, we have to ask ourselves, is it (the idol) social media? Web searching? Television? Music? Friends? Family? Self-care? The list can be exhaustive but we have to begin to face the reality that those little things can be the very things that slowly draw us away from our relationship with the Lord. If we are too eager to get to something or be part of something that God is not calling us to do, we have to check ourselves.

“Take us the foxes, The little foxes, That spoil the vines: For our vines have tender grapes.” Song of Solomon 2:15 KJV

“Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” James 1:14 NLT

“You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend [that is, loving the things of the world] is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4 AMP

Last year, God had begun to impress the importance of John 15:4 where it says “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 KJV

I enjoy studying the Bible, like really studying when I read! Like center column and bottom reference, commentary, Blue letter Bible type studying, lol. So, when there were days when I felt like I couldn’t give it my full attention, I would excuse myself until when I could. The problem with that was, I was also missing out on quality time with God. Does this resonate with you?

We can often and easily dismiss Bible reading but not recognize that the Word of God, is God Himself!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 KJV

There are times when I find myself seeking answers, and in my daily reading, the answer literally is right there waiting for me, easing my frustrations and providing the clarity I need. It literally does, every single time!

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua 1:8 KJV

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 KJV

I know there are some that will say “I don’t understand the Bible, when I read😩”. I can understand, however I don’t believe that God accepts this as a valid excuse. Let me offer a few suggestions:

(1) Repent for believing the lie of the devil that you can’t understand the Word and that God doesn’t speak to you through His Word. The truth is that God wants to speak to you, so the devil tells you the lie that either (a) God isn’t speaking to you at all (b) He’s not speaking to you like He’s speaking to some else, so that means that He’s not or (c) he brings discouragement that you can’t understand the Bible, so what’s the point in reading it. There could be things that are blocking you from hearing but that does not mean that God is not speaking. And there a different versions of the Bible that can assist (if God leads you to do this).

(2) Ask Holy Spirit what time He wants to meet with you every day? I have a set time outside of my morning/evening reading. If you can fit in 15 minutes, start with that.

(3) Set your intention on keeping this time, regardless of what comes up. You may even have to decline some invitations because of this, unless God tells you to accept it. His direction is what matters. Again, it’s about prioritizing God OVER everything else.

(4) Set the atmosphere with praise and worship. It’s just you and Him. If this is a challenge, start with

•writing down or verbally saying to God what you are thankful for (even the things we take for granted- breath, activity of your limbs, the fact that you are in your right mind and can think, speak, eat, walk, etc. on your own)

•what you know about Him to be true (Healer, Deliverer, Sanctifier, Strong Tower, Protector, Provider, etc.)

•what He’s done for you in the past (protected you from danger, made a way in some area that you thought was impossible, showed favor when there was a previous denial or expectation of denial, etc.)

The more we recognize what God has done, the easier it can be to see what He’s doing and it strengthens our faith for what He can/will do in the future.

(5) Ask Holy Spirit to reveal where (in the Bible) He wants you start reading.

“But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you. [Matt 5:7, 13, 24, 25; Luke 24:49; John 14:16; Acts 1:4]” John 14:26 AMP

(6) Ask Holy Spirit to help you understand the scriptures, as you read.

“Open my eyes to see the miracle-wonders hidden in Scripture.” Psalms 119:18 TPT

I am often reminded of Romans 14:12, as it keeps me focused on “me” with the understanding that I will have to answer to God for all that I do, including the opportunities that come along that I choose OVER Him. We ALWAYS have a choice.

“Therefore, each one must answer for himself and give a personal account of his own life before God.” Romans 14:12 TPT

God’s grace is truly sufficient, however He is looking for a spotless Bride. One that has total devotion, commitment and loyalty to Him and Him alone. He is a jealous God who should not have to share His Glory, reverence, respect, praise, worship, etc. with anyone or anything! He deserves that. We have to move away from the excuses, the “I’m only human”, the “I don’t feel like it”…whatever we tell ourselves. We cannot hold onto the spirit of entitlement and have the thought that we have more time than we think. We have to begin to be like the wise virgins who stayed ready, as no one knows the day or the hour (Matthew 25:1-13)

As I speak to you, I speak to myself as I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 9:27, “but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

If this post helped you in any way, Praise God! Let me know in the comments!!