Tenure Vs Maturity

After many years spent doing anything, one gains valuable experience. Experience usually breeds skill and take us to the point where we can do something without even thinking about it sometimes. Experience is important and in the secular world, length of service (tenure) is valuable and comes with all sorts of perks.


However, in the Christian world, tenure or length of service as a Christian can lead to complacency and make us comfortable with our current state.  Save for the fact that we have had the opportunity to make more mistakes and therefore have a bit more experience correcting them,  tenure does not make us better off than a newborn babe. 

Sometimes,  with all those years come some pretty bad habits and the refusal to change.  Some of us have spent a lot of years getting away with certain things and even though it's not consciously done,  we feel like we can continue to get away with those things.

Today,  I realized that,  by not knowing what I know now when I started my walk 17 years ago,  I developed some pretty bad habits that are difficult to let go of.  Whilst in my head I know there are a lot of things that I have not done or are not doing right,  it's hard to make the changes because I have been doing it this way for so long.

I had the opportunity to speak to a friend recently who has been a Christian for almost as long as I have. We were at a social gathering and were having fun catching up on old times when did something in my presence. I remarked casually in joking fashion "girl, you haven't changed one bit". Her response shocked me into silence. She said "no, I haven't and I won't change for anybody." What was just a casual conversation between friends suddenly became a stark realization in my head and I almost couldn't continue our conversation. It was then I realized that length of service sometimes brings us to a point where we simply refuse to change our bad habits. We become so comfortable with ourselves just the way we are that we fail to realize that Christianity is all about change. It is about waking up daily and saying Lord, those things that are still in me that need to be changed, please, continue to work on it. Christianity is about recognizing where we are wrong and making a conscious decision to be different. The only way to be like Christ is to be less like ourselves, and we can't do that by becoming comfortable with where we are.

So this is one disadvantage of tenure.  We sometimes think of Romans 12:1 - 2 as advice for the young Christian to learn to renew their minds,  but I'm learning that the renewal of the mind must be constant.  We never stop growing and because we are always living,  there will always be a necessity for change.  Transformation is not an overnight thing,  it is a process that will never end simply because our sinful nature will never go away.

Tenure cannot be traded for Christian maturity.  Maturity requires action.  Tenure is only an existence.  If you never do anything,  you will still have tenure but you will never mature. 

Today, my encouragement to all of us to remember that Christianity is about change, growth and maturity. Let us not become comfortable with our bad habits or simply make a decision to stay the way we are. Let us remember that no matter how many years we have been Christians, we can still be immature.

May we change, grow and mature together.

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Getting Over The Big Things

One of the things that trips us up the most as Christians is the ability to move past the things we love that aren't good for us. Often, we realise what is holding back our growth LONG before we actually let it go.  Knowing that something isn't good for us doesn't automatically mean that we are able to let go of it.  It could be a bad relationship, or maybe a friendship that drains you or a job that's sucking the life out of you or a shopping addiction that's killing your finances. It could be anything. Sometimes we just need to make a strategy and take practical steps to get over certain things. 

I've found the following steps to work for me. 

1. Set a deadline  - give yourself a date after which you will no longer allow yourself to pine over what you're about to lose.  Ensure that is realistic or else when the date comes and goes and you're not over your problem you'll find yourself becoming depressed. 
2. Write it down - a visual reminder Sometimes it's all that we need to get over certain things.  If your space is private enough consider putting it on your mirror as a daily reminder.
3. List all the reasons that whatever is it you are trying to get over is not good for you.  Making an actual list will sometimes give  you that jolt you needed to move on. Reality will hit and you will have a stronger mental resolve as a result. 
4. Let it go a little bit at a time.  Cold turkey works for some things.  Other things need to be changed over time.  Break down your problem into parts.  Set mini deadlines for dealing with each part.
5. Pray, pray, pray.  This should come first, in the middle and last.  In other words,  pray the entire time.  Pray for God's wisdom, strength, clarity of thought and focus because you will need it.  You might even consider a fast too.  A fast will  help teach you some self control, this may help prevent you from going back to what you've left behind.

I do hope that these steps will help you leave the weights behind and launch into God's purpose for your life.  Have a blessed day. 

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

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Joana James - Author 

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A Mind to Work

Nehemiah 4:6 

(KJV) So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work. 

(NLT) At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm. 

When Nehemiah embarked on rebuilding the wall around his beloved Jerusalem, he faced serious opposition. You would think that everybody in the city would be happy that their main means of protection was being rebuilt, but some chose to oppose the work. Similarly, In every day life we are faced with people who seem to oppose every thing we do, no matter how important the job is. In biblical times, these people were called naysayers, in our time, we call them haters. These are people who, no matter what you do or how well you do it, will find something negative to say. These are the people who will refuse to help you and never say a word of encouragement to you. Rather, they will do their best to impede your work for no real good reason.

The people of Jerusalem prevailed and got their wall built because they refused to listen to the naysayers. They were constantly under threat of attacked yet they built a wall whilst constantly having to watch their back. They build with swords in one hand and tools in the other. This is a story that we can take home and learn several lessons from.

The first is that no matter what people around you are saying, if God is asking you to do something, then you should do. Keep at it and trust God to give you the strength to complete it.

Secondly, the enemy may be fighting you from every side, stand your guard, take up your sword and fight but don't stop working. Trust God to be your rear guard and keep doing what you need to do. The devil will put many obstacles in your way to prevent you from doing what you need to do, these are simply distractions to take your mind off the work you are doing which is very important. Remember this tactic and keep working.

Thirdly, when we come together, we can accomplish much. Nehemiah faced lots of opposition, but he had enough of the people working with him to make things happen. Had the people listened to the naysayers, the wall would never have been built because Nehemiah could not do it on his own. Each person in the body has a job to do and if we all don't pull together and do our part, nothing will happen.

As you go through today, let us put our hands to the plough and work. Work towards the goals God has set for you. Ignore the haters and naysayers, don't be afraid of the enemy. Fight if you have to, but don't stop doing what God has asked you to do.

Have a blessed day!

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

To grab your copy, click here. 

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

Making a list

In my church we're taught constantly that having a clear vision is important for any organisation. It's something that we see in real life almost everywhere. Every successful organisation that you walk into has a vision and mission statement that's prominently displayed. They teach it to the their staff, explain the way forward and then expect people to work toward those goals. This is a good example of a biblical principle used in the world successfully. (Habakkuk 2:2)

So I began to wonder, what if I applied this to myself. I mean, I have goals for my own life; there are things that I'd like to see happen in my life. So why not write down my own vision? Why not create for myself a statement that says where I want to go and how I plan to get there? Sounds like a good idea right.

So, here I get down to the real subject of this post: Making a list. See, as a much younger Christian, I was taught that giving God a list was a no-no. I guess the reasoning behind that was based on the "God is not our bellboy" theory. Over the years I've learned that presenting God with a list has some merit. I still believe that God isn't my bellboy and I can't just go asking him for this, that or the other just 'cause I feel like it, however,  I believe that making a list is simply a matter of gathering your thoughts clearly on paper. Some things don't make sense until we write them down.

Goals, visions, plans etc should align with what God has in store for us so writing this stuff down should basically be saying, Lord, this is what I desire for myself. If you've been in a close relationship with God, communicating with Him daily, then it will be a no-brainer to have your plans line up with His. Communion means communication, this usually adds up to agreement. We Christians tend to have the belief that "God knows what I want" and we don't verbalize anything. Yes, God knows our thoughts, but I believe that He still wants us to ask for what we desire. Why else would Christ advise us in Matthew 7:7-8 to “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

I firmly believe that a lot of us don't have what we desire most because we don't ask. Or, because we ask and then we do nothing about it. So back to making a list. When we start of making our lists, it appears that we are presenting God with a list of demands, however, what I've found is that we're creating a list for our own selves to follow. Your list is your vision, the things you want to accomplish with your life. Your list reminds you of where you're going and it makes it easier to plan to get them. The list helps you keep focused on your real goals. The list can also show you which desires are most shallow. Just like you won't vocalize your most embarrassing thoughts to your friends, you won't put something you know deep down that you shouldn't have on your list that you present to God. Even if you do, He'll come back and remind you that you shouldn't have it. Eventually, if you're mature enough, that item will drop off the list.

Sometimes, your life just needs a visual reminder of what you need to accomplish in order to accomplish it. When I was a young girl I'd take scripture verses to my mirror so that I could memorize them. Later, I stuck important sayings on my wall so that I'd live by them. This is pretty much the same thing.

If you've found it difficult to focus on a plan for your life, make a list and present it to God. Let Him tweak it and remind you what is most important. He might even add some things to the list. Be open to His correction then move forward with your life with a plan in hand.

Be wise, write your vision.

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo