12/18/2022
âWhy De-Clutter?â you say⊠Iâm glad you asked!
Ever notice that there seems to be a disconnect between what weâre saying & what weâre doing? Between our image & our self? We all heard the saying, âActions speak louder than words.â We tend to talk the talk but when it comes to walking the walk, here we are. Stagnant. Crippled with desires to fit in, be accepted, have power & control. These desires seem to be a never-ending pit & our lives are remaining on different forms of the same hamster wheel.
I remember my 4 years of ministering in Kentucky Jails. I often heard the inmates say, âIf you always do what youâve always done, youâll always get what youâve always got.â We might not be locked up behind literal bars but many of us are locked up behind the bars of self-image, cultural and religious traditions, control, anxiety, fear, the entertainment industry, organizations, lifestyles, people pleasing, and the list goes on; we donât even realize that our lives are controlled & cluttered by these things. At times, it is obvious that something needs to change but our thoughts and words alone wonât accomplish the necessary change (James 1:22); we need faith and action, no matter how small, painful, and lonely the initial steps may be (James 2:17, Hebrews 11:1, Deuteronomy 31:6). There is an element of choice that we cannot blame on anyone or anything else (Genesis 3:8-19) and our Creator will hold us accountable one day (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14). We cannot control what others do but we can control our response and our response will dictate our future, whether we remain in the old or be transformed into the new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Although our experiences have life-changing impact on us, I hope that we can come to the place in life that our reason for doing what we do is not, âbecause âthisâ happened to me,â but transforms into, âbecause the Lord is faithful and good!â
I want to take a minute to redirect the approach of Unshackled, which began 8 years ago as jail ministry, and took on different forms along the way. In the past few months of interacting with many who want to declutter their lives but have made little to no success thus far, I was repeatedly reminded that our actions stem from our priorities, which are so deeply rooted in our mindset/perspective, which is built on our life experiences and beliefs. This means that there is a solution: we can change our actions by changing our belief system.
Many of us focus heavily on one element, either physical, emotional, or mental, and leave the others unattended to but when one area is out of whack, all other areas are destined to be affected. In the words of one of the orthopedic doctors that I used to coordinate research for, âWhen something is out-of-whack, we need to make it in-of-whack!â
But the million-dollar question is how?
You tried everything. Nothing seems to work or last.
May I invite you on a journey to a life so satisfying that you never knew was possible?!
A life that used to be head knowledge is now my lifestyle and you can have that too!
The key is to handle the most important and most neglected element of lifeâŠyour spiritual self (Ephesians 6:12).
My personal transformation began when I met the Man of my dreams! (Hopefully, I now have the attention of at least the ladies!)
His name is Yehoshua (aka Jesus, the Christ) and let me tell you, this Man changed my life! And He will do the same for you if you trust in Him and seek Him. He will give you the strength to reduce that gap between your words and your actions by transforming your person and not merely your image (John 4). There is no way that anyone encounters this Man, the Son of God, and remains the same. If you focus on all the details of your life, you will scramble forever; how about focus on this person and watch Him do the unbelievable in your life! (Matthew 6).
As humans, weâve created systems & traditions in every area of our lives, and we hold on to these as if they are commandments from God, but God does not want us to hold on to man-made traditions; He wants us to hold on to His commandments no matter how odd we look to everyone around us (Mark 7:1-13). It does not matter what our traditions are; it matters that we know Him and obey Him (1 Samuel 15:22).
My journey on Unshackled is dedicated to infiltrate life with a relationship with Yeshua and to share His name & His love with my neighbors. I invite you to have a relationship instead of a religion. This idea of âfull-time ministryâ was really supposed to be âthe Christian lifeâ --- not a job description meant for a few but a lifestyle that applies to all those who believe (Psalm 1, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 9).
A wise woman once said, âDonât let any person or organization restrict you from using your talents to worship our King.â What brilliant advice that is! Godâs Words do not need endorsement by any human or organization.
We can all start from scratch.
What is it that you need to be released from the grips of today?
The Lord tells us that where our treasure is, thatâs where our hearts are (Luke 12:34).
So where do we spend our time and money? Where is our focus?
Have we replaced God with ourselves and our traditions?
Letâs begin our transformation by identifying that we have.
I invite you to hit the reset button and incorporate Yahâs standards into your daily lives.
If you feel inadequate, remember that Yeshua does not instruct us to be rocket scientists of His Word; to the contrary, He leads us to become like little children! (Matthew 18:1-6, Romans 1:22)
All those who have ever interacted with children know that children hang on your every word! They think youâre their hero! They admire you & are utterly dependent on you. They put their entire trust in you without a care in the world!
Letâs become like little children today!
Letâs transform our lifestyles into âYehoshua + Nothingâ because if He said so, then it is.
Letâs live to uphold His Words above all else (Matthew 18:8).
Letâs De-clutter and live Unshackled today!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGBxvsvulGU
âBut drops of grief can neâer repay the debt of love I owe,
Here, Lord, I give myself away, âTis all that I can do!â
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x2IpLSfqp8
p.s.: Please note that anytime I address a link, I am not endorsing everything about that person or organization but solely the part that relates to my post.
