Don’t Give Up

Blessings. Good morning. I am excited to be going through today. I think one of the things I was given was basically what needs to be said immediately. That really stood out to me as far as when you start a new season, do you go straight in and, you know, begin, or do you do it slow and steady?

Steady.

And the thing is being slow and steady but doing things immediately. So what do we need to know immediately, today being the last day of the month and going into a, a new month of strategies and trust and faith and this new season that we're about to embrace? Um, like we said, you know, take a lesson from the fig tree. So the season is about to change, so we can't take old things into new seasons. So what we need to really act on immediately is these 3 areas that I'm highlighting, is the reflections, devotions, And strategies, strategy slash approach. Because what you devote yourself to, that's where your discipline comes in. Like, I'm devoted to it, I'm going to be obedient. And you want to stay in those good habits, the things that got you through the previous season. You want to definitely make sure that you're taking those things into the new season. So So that's why we want to keep the devotion. But then the reflection, we have to have that period of time where we kind of reflect on the things that happened in the previous season so we can filter the weeds and the harvest, filter through those and pick out what we want to keep. What we do not need to take into the next season. So that's why we want to do reflections as well, to reflect not too far like on the past, but reflect on the situations, the, the disciplines, the actions, the spoken words. And that takes us into the approach. And the strategies. So the next is strategies and approach. If you can get down these strategies and approach, what was the strategy and the approach for the previous season, and then come up with a strategy and approach for the next season. So, and just to start off with the strategies and the approach, and we'll go down to the reflections and the devotion, but for the strategy and the approach, the word is actually going to be from Psalms 142, verse 3. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. So that's one of the things I feel like when we need to approach immediately, is that there are times when we will get weary, or, you know, um, he says faint not, um, because he is with us. So when your spirit grows faint, it's like that there's no sense of life, or you know, you're starting to get weary and you just can't see the the the hopes and the desires that you had previously. So that's why I said when we're starting a new strategy and approach. It is very important to immediately identify what caused you to— what caused you to grow faint in the previous season. Like, and for me, um, just having some spiritual battles with individuals. Like, what caused me to grow weak is when I have to act out of the character of, you know, Christ. Like, if he's building in me a new character and a new mind, when I slip back into the environment of— that's not so fruitful, it causes me to, you know, black out. So knowing that the strategy and the approach is to For the previous season was to identify certain triggers, things that, um, are not really positive for my mind and for my actions. So I had to reflect, you know, reflect on those things and identify those things in the previous season. Like, this is really not good for me. And so this is where it's more of now coming up with a new approach. Because I don't want, you know, even though we're capable, and I may not want me to faint, you know, or, you know, get weary. But it's the key approach is to remember Christ, remember Jesus. Like, it is you who watch over my ways. So if I continue to think that, like in the past season, It was like me having to watch over my ways. No, if I can remember, it's Jesus who watches over my ways. So then when I do start to faint, and you know, I immediately revert back to Christ. So and say, "Hey, it is you who watch over my ways." And the word for today was. Psalms 1— I mean, Psalms 34:18. And the word said, for the Lord is nigh unto the— for the Lord is nigh unto those who are heartbroken, and the spirit is Of the one and his spirit. Ah, see, and his I know he is near to the brokenhearted, for the Lord is near them. The brokenhearted and his, and and to a contrite spirit. That's the word.

I'm gonna.

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth. That's the key. And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. So he is nigh and he saves. So unknown route entering into a new season. It's an unknown route. Perhaps I shouldn't have agreed to join Brian on a run. I was in a foreign country and I had no idea where or how far we would go or what the terrain would be like. Plus, he was a fast runner. Would I twist my ankle trying to keep up with him? What could I do but trust Brian because he knew the way? As we started, I got even more worried. The trail was rough Winding through a thick forest of uneven ground. Thankfully, Brian kept turning around to check on me and warn me of rough patches ahead. Perhaps this was how some of the people in the Bible felt while entering unfamiliar territory. Abraham in Canaan, the Israelites in the wilderness, the— and Jesus' disciples on their mission to share the good news. They had no clue what the journey would be like, except that it would surely be tough. But they had someone leading them who knew the way ahead. They had to trust God would give them strength to cope, that he would take care of them. They could follow him because he knew exactly what lay ahead. This assurance comforted David when he was on the run despite great uncertainty. He said to God, when my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. There will be times in life when we fear what lies ahead, but we know this: our God who walks with us knows the way. What worries you the most in life? What worries me the most in life? Like, I, I really don't have much of the same worries as others. Like, I don't worry about the kids, um, I don't worry about the things going on in life or what's going on around me. I worry more— like, if I had to say what worries me most in life is disappointing God. In the way of disobedience. So I worry about me being disobedient, if I have to be honest. Like, I do not want to be disobedient. I do not want to do some of the things that cause me to do them. So I think I worry about like A cord, like a tripping over a cord that I can't see. And that may sound a little bit different or weird, but I, I would say what worries me most in life is tripping over something that I can't see. And but then at the same time, what I'm learning is that, that worry, casting that over to God and trusting, because It's his plan that I can't see. So why am I worrying about the plan that God has already proactively went ahead of me? I think he's more calling me to not necessarily worry, but although that, be aware of those things that could trip me up. So not worrying about that I can't see it, but actually worrying that it is there. So how can you remind yourself that God is walking with you in those The way ahead, continue to look forward. If I continue to look forward, operate in awareness, understanding, knowledge, wisdom, clarity, and being present in the moment and knowing that God is present in the moment and hosting his presence, then that's how I can remind myself. Like, I need to have a constant reminder. Of knowing that in every single moment I need to trust God and look to God and know that he's, he's right there walking with me everywhere that I go. So I say, Father, even though I don't know what may happen next, you do. I know you'll take care of me and guide my steps. That is a word. So when it comes to the approach for this next season, It is trusting and remembering God is with you and that he'll take care of you and guide you into the next steps. So that's why I really think it's really important to immediately focus on the approach and the strategy for the next season. So next season, remember, remember, remember Trust and care, you know. Well, care that God will take care of you. So it's just basically all that over to God, like remembering God, remembering Jesus, remembering the Holy Spirit, and looking forward, focusing on trusting God, focusing on that he's taking care of you, that he's walking with you, and he knows the way ahead. So when we're looking for direction Knowing that the direction is right ahead of us, and it's God, and He's leading us. So that's the approach and the strategy for the next upcoming season that we can focus on and operate in. So that's why I really wanted to take this time to go through those three things. And now for our reflection. Now that we've kind of outlined the strategy and the approach for this next season, we can kind of go into a reflection of, you know, what we need to reflect on in the past, um, this past season. Oh, this is a good one. My past hurts will not determine my future. So now the reflection on What caused hurt in this past season? Wow, I can say I've been through my fair share of hurt, but this past season did hurt me a little bit. No, not a little bit, a lot a bit. I went through hurt of, you know, rejection, Well, you know, I had to go through fighting, fighting the flesh as far as praising others, praising others while waiting. And because not necessarily it wasn't hard to praise them, it was the battle of the flesh, of the things that I'm like, I these thoughts that come to my mind, like, okay, I don't want to think that way. So therefore I'm fighting the flesh because it was— I was hurt that the advice that I received in previous seasons was not conducive to the season that I was in. So I had the misapplication of words, approaches, strategies, understanding, and clarity for the season that I was in. So it caused hurt because I couldn't show up as who I, I desired to be or who God called me to be because I was still in a trans— um, transformational stage. So I, you know, if you're transforming to, you know, your hands just started working and you're trying to clap for someone else, but you know that you, you really couldn't support that person in the season that they were in based off of the season that you were in. So that caused a lot of hurt. in the past. So that gave me, you know, a reflection that I need to continue to build in this season so that when the next season comes, I'll be stronger, I'll be wiser, I'll have a lot more clarity, I'll have new approaches, I'll have new strategies, and I'll have not necessarily me fighting the fleshly things or my thoughts. But then I have— I won't have to fight because then I'll have a mind more on Christ and knowing that this is— God is leading me. And then being able to seek where God is actually seeking, you know, calling me to in that, in that season. Like this past season, I'm thankful, but what My past hurts will not determine my future. So it's like letting stuff go in the past season was releasing a lot of things that God's like cannot go with you into the next season. And then where if you when you hear God's that's why he was talking about immediately when you hear God said that some things cannot go with you into the next season. season, you have to release it. And that was pretty much the season going through hurt. I had to release a lot of hurt. Um, for Jeremiah 30:17, for I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds, says the Lord, because they called you an outcast, saying, this is Zion, no one seeks her. Have you ever felt a hurt that you thought you could never get past? God does not want our past holding us back. It is okay to forgive yourself and others. God loves you and wants you to be successful because you are his child. Allow God to heal your hurts. Lord, please heal my hurts. I don't want to hurt. I want to be able to forgive myself and forgive others. I want to think of the love that you have and remember God's love and, you know, be successful, you know, as his child and not a child of the world or a child of my parents. I, I really want to show up as a child of God. Like, I— he's my My Father, when I say the character of Christ, the righteousness of God, I seek that. So the hurt, I have to let it go, and I pray that others let go of that hurt as well. I've been hurt physically and been able to let that go. It's a it's easier to let go of physical hurt. than, um, spiritual hurt. Because that spiritual hurt, that's in your spirit. Like, your physical heals quicker than your spiritual do, depending on your, your nature. So letting go of that spiritual hurt— and I'm not talking about church hurt, I'm talking about my spirit was crushed. I'm going 34 years and my spirit This was probably like the first couple years where my spirit actually has been crushed. Like, when I say my spirit was crushed, like sometimes they're like, why are you even crying? Why do you even want to cry? Why do you want to, you know, what is it that you're feeling? Why is your spirit so bothered. And this was like the first season, and it's not— I'm not talking about 4 months worth of season. This was like— and you know, the Bible-type math, you know, one day is like a thousand years. That's what it seemed like. One day was like a year. So In 3 days, you know, like tear down this temple in 3 days, I'll rebuild it. That was like 3 years, 3 years of past hurt. So stepping into this new season, I definitely am grateful that God— I, I'm allowed— I, I'm allowing and allowed God, because I'm still healing, to heal my hurts, to really give that over to God. So I'm really thankful for that reflection to say that I am healing and I am allowing God to heal my heart. And that, you know, to honestly say this past season really hurt me, going through betrayal, rejection, persecution. Um, mind you, I had my own battles within my spirit, but battling or trying to reflect other spirits as well, like, or not. Yeah, their spirit, their spirit of my spirit. And that was, that was a season of true reflection. And this season, you know, I'm happier that I was able to let go of some, you know, a lot of the hurt. You know, after one thing, it may be another, but, uh It is. So, devotion. Growing weary. Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.

Don't get weary in well-doing, God is gonna Just work.

A time-tested principle is that you reap what you sow. That's a time-tested principle, is you reap what you sow. Apart from any environmental upheaval, if you plant corn, you'll reap corn. If you plant soybeans, you will reap soybeans. You can confidently sow a row of spinach and not be wary of cauliflower. Growing in its place. Cauliflower won't grow because you didn't sow cauliflower seeds. That's why we're trying to be fruitful, fruitful before the multiplication. And if you're trying to be fruitful so that you can see fruitful seeds. What are you sowing? Like, for instance, I definitely, you know, I'm getting though. That's what I said. Be honest. I am getting a little weary at times, but I'm thankful for Galatians six and nine that said, "Let us not grow weary of doing good," because. Trying to be fruitful in love. And we know that love is patient, love is kind. So love is not just one fruit, love is a mixture of multiple fruits. So just to produce and grow love, you have to have patience. Kindness, not keeping records of wrong, not boasting, not being easily angered. To even so love, you have to do all that in one. It's not just saying I love you, but also saying, you know, I'm patient, I won't be yelling, I'm not— I don't care how many times you wrong me. Um, that's all that love bottled in one, and then trying to sow that patience. Um, so yeah, and gentleness and faithfulness.

Yeah.

This—

so you can confidently sow these principles. That same principle applies to sowing seeds of goodness. If you sow seeds of goodness like forgiveness, gentleness, and honesty, you are guaranteed to reap the fruit of those seeds. There is one trick: don't give up. That's why gardening is a very Um, great resource and tool to, to understand the concept of reaping and sowing, because it is seeds, seed, sow, time, work, harvest. So you plant the seed, you sow it. You wait. That's the time. You work it and then harvest. So those are the phases. But also in that whole time of growing the seed to the harvest, you also cannot grow, you know, um, grow weary. You cannot give up. Um, you're going to grow weary. You may grow weary in that process of doing good, but don't give up. Don't plan to reap something that you just started sowing. Maybe you will see fruit immediately from the good seeds you planted, but in most cases it takes years. Rest assured, you will eventually reap the seeds of goodness if you don't give up. What do you need God's strength for today? Not give up.

Don't never give up. Don't never give on you. Sometimes life can play a stumbling block in your way. But you gotta keep the faith. He was deep inside your heart. To the line and never give. Don't never give on you. Don't give up.

I'mma play that.

And though it's simple, your idea, it won't make sense to everybody. You need courage now if you're gonna persevere.

To live my purpose, you gotta answer when you're called. So don't be afraid to face the world against all odds. Keep the dream alive, don't let it die. If something deep inside keeps inspiring you to try, don't stop. Don't ever give up, don't ever give up on you. Don't give up.

Every victory comes in time. Work today to change tomorrow.

It gets easier.

Who's to say that you can't fly? Every step you take, you get closer to your destination. You can feel it now. Don't you know you're almost there?

Fly.

Oh, yeah, yeah. Gotta answer when you're called. So don't be afraid to face the world against all odds. Keep the dream alive, don't let it die. It's something deep inside.