Reaching For The Prize

I am currently on a season-changing journey in my life to release people, places, and things. It isn't as easy as I wish it was, but necessary all the same. Today makes day thirteen of letting go and moving forward. Yes, I am counting the days because each day that I move forward, is a victory for me. I count each victorious day and give God praise for helping me through it.

You see, I am not leaving behind people, places, and things that I despise or that I don't care for. That would not be a journey. That would be easy and not worth mentioning. I have a love, liking, respect for all that I am letting go. Letting go has taken a toll on my heart, mind, and soul. 

You are probably asking why I am letting go of what obviously has a hold of my heart. My answer is simple. God has called me to do so. For too long I have gone back and forth fighting this journey. At God's first urging, I doubted He told me to let go and didn't. At His second calling, He removed what I couldn't let go because I was disobedient. It took me so long to see my disobedience, always blaming the enemy or my other circumstances, always finding a reason to hang on.

A really good friend of mine made it clear that interfering with what God was setting in motion was dangerous and that it was time to let go instead of watering the fig trees in my life that refused to produce fruit. My heart is stubborn and while I wanted to be obedient to God and heed the counsel of my friend, it wasn't so easy to just turn off what I wanted. It took accepting the hard truth that my flesh was ruling my life and I could no longer allow that.

By flesh, I am not referring to anything sexual, but instead, wanting what I wanted and what I thought was best for my emotions. I didn't want to hurt. I didn't want to go through change. I didn't want to start a new chapter in my life. I didn't want to release things that kept me rooted to the past. Like a smack to my face, I realized I was choosing what I WANTED. I was choosing carnality over God. That was the wake-up call I needed.

So here I am. Day thirteen of letting go and moving forward. Day thirteen of choosing God.

I downloaded this nifty app on my phone "Writeaday" and each day I journal thoughts to keep me motivated and keep track of how I am reaching toward the prize of walking the journey God has planned for my life. Whenever I am tempted to go back to my past, I take a look at my journey thus far, how far I've come already, and I remember that I am right where I am supposed to be. I see God in my walk and I hunger to add many more victorious days to moving forward in my life. I want to reach the milestones that God has placed in my heart. I am moved to be changed, renewed, restored, or whatever else God is calling me to. 

Are you struggling to move forward in your life? Is your heart stuck, in need of release? I understand more than you know. I also know that until you take the first step, the hardest step, you will stay stuck. Soul ties, comfortable places, and attachment to physical things are not easy to let go of but are not worth missing God's plan for your life. Make up your mind to love God and yourself, more. Make up your mind to reach for the prize of a healed and whole heart, mind, and soul.

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 3:14 KJV