So I original taught this in a conference call and I decided
that I would make it a blog as well. So I've been doing this 60 day Prayer
Challenge (each day we are devoting an hour to prayer, if you’d like to join
its not too late, I can get you into one of the groupmes so you can have people
that will encourage you, pray for you and hold you accountable. Just leave a comment and I’ll get you
connected.) because I really wanted to grow and develop in my prayer life and I’ll
be real honest and say the last week and a half, two weeks have been especially
hard for me. There have definitely been days where that hour of prayer just did
not happen. I don’t know about y’all but I tend to start things off really hype
and excited and with a bang! I get in a good groove and then after a while
things get hard, the struggle becomes real and things tend to go downhill.
There have been many instances where I just didn't finish things.
This is what God showed me through my devotional Abundant
Life the other day and in my quiet time today…Mariah you are too quick to drop
me, you are too quick to excuse yourself from spending time with me, and you
too easily allow stuff to come between us and our time together.
I was sitting there like WHOAAA!!! You know that feeling you
get when God steps on your toes, gives you a good punch in the gut or the good
ole smack to the face, that’s about how I felt.
God is saying to His people right now that…
WE
ARE TOO QUICK TO EXCUSE OURSELVES FROM SPENDING TIME WITH HIM.
So then I sit there and try to reason with God why I didn't pray this day, why I didn't have quiet time that day. And I’m like God I was
sick, and He’s like you were sick but it didn't stop you from going to work
that day. You were sick, your bones were aching, you were hot, you felt like
you were gonna throw up, you could barely stand up but you stayed at work until
your shift was over. You stayed even when your supervisor offered to let you go
home more than once. You fought through the sickness; you made sure you had
Germ X and tissues and took medicine. You didn't use your sickness as an excuse
not to go to work, why are you using it as an excuse not to spend time with
me?!? Then I proceed to give God my other excuse…I’m like God I was tired, God
I just didn't want to. And God’s like you weren't too tired to watch SYTYCD videos on YouTube, you weren't too tired to go on social media for an hour, you weren't too tired to watch TV, you were tired but you went to work…
What’s been your excuse?
Too
tired…Here’s my question for you: Did you tell God you were too tired then
proceed to do something else?!?
Don’t
want to…Here’s my question for you? What are you choosing to do over spending
time with God?!?
Too
busy…Here’s my question for you: Are trying to fit God into your schedule
instead of scheduling everything else around God?!?
Too
sick…Here’s my question for you: What were you not too sick to still do, but
God got the boot?!?
We say God I want to grow, I want to mature. Then proceed to
excuse ourselves from spending time with Him. God can’t do everything! We have
to do our part. I read this in my devotional the other day, “Growth
in godliness requires your devoted effort and must be fought for!” Does
your relationship with God have your devoted effort? We have to come to the
realization that we have to fight for our relationship with God! It’s time to
get your Muhammad Ali on, time to flex and use those spiritual muscles! Paul
instructed Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11-12 to “…Pursue righteousness
and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight
the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to eternal life to which God
has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.”
Paul told Timothy to fight the good fight! You have to fight for your
relationship with God. You have to fight for your spiritual growth
and maturity! It’s not just gonna happen, God’s not just gonna do it. You have
to fight for it. You have to fight your flesh! Stop lettin that joker win!
Think about all those things you deem worth fighting for. We
will fight for our rights. We will fight for our careers, our jobs, our
friendships, our relationships. The Lord knows we will fight to the nail for
our relationships, sometimes even when God is saying to let that relationship
go. You ever seen someone fight for their marriage. Husbands and wives will
fight with everything they have for their marriage. The same way someone fights with
everything they have for their marriage that’s how we need to fight for our
relationship with God. That’s how we need to fight to grow, how we need to
fight to mature. Is not your relationship with God the best thing that ever
happened to you? The best thing that ever happened to you is worth fighting
for. Fight! It’s time to get your Muhammad Ali on! Stop thinking this thing is
gonna be easy. It’s time to take off your earrings, roll up your up your
sleeves, get the Vaseline out and go head to head with your flesh and the devil
for your growth and maturity in your relationship with God. When you find
yourself making up excuses, fight! Through the good, fight! Through the bad,
fight! When your situation and circumstances change, fight! Fight your
emotions, tell them jokers to shut up!
We fight for things all the time! Fight for your time with
God! So I encourage you to stand up with me and start using those spiritual
muscles. We ain't no punks! Start using that Word that’s on the inside of you
to fight your flesh, to fight the devil. When you go to excuse yourself from
spending time with God remember He didn't excuse himself from waking you up
this morning. Fight, push, press towards the mark of the high calling. Stop
laying down to your excuses, to your emotions, to how you feel, stop laying
down to the tactics of the enemy! Put on the full armor of God and fight for
your relationship with God!
God fights for you and pursues you every day, fight
and pursue Him. Get on your knees when you don’t feel like it, read and study
your bible even when you’re tired, refuse to be too busy for God, refuse to
drop God, refuse to give up quiet time, refuse to allow anything to come
between you and your Father. Fight! It’s time to get your Muhammad Ali on!!! Be
blessed. I love you all so much!
Mariah
