Hereby
I hereby renounce the lies we tell ourselves about not having what it takes to follow God and accomplish what we have set out to do.
We thought we shed all that nonsense that weighed us down of feeling unworthy or not enough on our journey from the ashes.
But shedding that weight once doesn't always do the trick (my closet filled with totes of clothes in multiple sizes can attest to this).
We have to keep at it - renouncing, refusing, and rebuking the lies that keep trying to weigh us down.
Not a day has gone by since I've started writing - not a darn day - when I haven't texted or chatted with someone about this heavy stuff.
The lies we've believed.
The burdens we've carried.
The addictions we fight.
The sins and shame we hide.
The regrets we hold.
The fear that freezes.
How long will we carry this weight?
What more can we say or hear?
How many scriptures can I reference or songs can I send you before you (we) will shed the weight that holds you (us) back so you (we) can fly free?
How many times do we need to read it, say it, sing it, and cry out about it until we believe it and finally freaking move forward?
Believe - that's the ticket right there.
There is more to shedding than just renouncing, refusing, and rebuking.
Those are all valid endeavors to shut down the nonsense, but they put the focus on the lying schemes of our captor, not the truth-filled power of our liberator.
We have to believe what God says to us.
That God forgives us.
That God loves us.
That Jesus has taken our sins, and we are redeemed.
That God will never leave us.
That God has great plans for us.
We know it in our minds, but do we receive it in our hearts and believe it?
Perhaps not.
Therefore, I hereby receive the truth and power of God so that we can engage in maximum shedding.
Shed that nonsense.
Drop it. Drop it! (I'm saying this with the same tone I use when my dog picks up something disgusting).
Now that we're a bit lighter, how about we move a few steps forward and get some stuff done around here?
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Deuteronomy 31:8
It is the Lord who goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
Hebrews 12: 1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.