BEING SPIRITUALLY PREPARED FOR THE HOLIDAYS

 

BEING SPIRITUALLY PREPARED FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The holidays are upon us and though we would love for everything to be cheery and bright, in reality many of us will face some awkward situations. Here’s five keys to help us:

1. GIVE IT TO JESUS, THE MASTER OF CELEBRATIONS. It’s like Peter had already been to holiday after holiday with the same results. He was pretty sure it would be the same as before. But when he did his best to give it to Jesus, everything changed. In Luke 5 Jesus told Peter to “launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” They hadn’t caught any fish all night and he couldn’t see getting the nets dirty again. Also he knew that if he tried fishing in the day he’d probably get nothing. “Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the [one] net” (Lk 5: 4-5).

Even Peter’s small amount of true trust got results in a wonderful way. “And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes (vs. 6) and he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken” (vs. 9).

Jesus knows how to do celebrations. When he was at the wedding in Cana, they ran out of wine. The party was turning sour and Jesus turned the water into wine and made it sweet again. Who’s to say He wouldn’t do that for us??

2. RETREAT TO GOD AS OFTEN AS YOU NEED TO. Sometimes when we get into tense situations or conversations, the best thing to do is excuse ourselves for a few minutes and go to the restroom or take a short walk: Retreat.

The King James Version of Psalm 91: 9 tells us to make the Most High our habitation. The Hebrew word translated “habitation” means “retreat.” It goes on to say that because we retreat to Him “He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone” (vss. 11-12). Stones represent the natural world.

During the holidays we have so many opportunities to get trapped in conversations that engender strife. We get tripped up on those stones thrown into our paths. But we can be willing and ready to physically take a quick retreat to somewhere else to talk to God and He will send His angels to keep us in the Lord’s way so we don’t crash into the stones, getting offended or offensive.

3. BLESS THOSE AROUND YOU AND ANYONE WHOSE NAME COMES UP IN CONVERSATION. God created every person with something marvelous in mind. So no matter what little we think a person seems to be doing toward that goal, we give them an open door by praying, “God bless them and help them to be able to do Your perfect will for their lives, in Jesus name. Amen.” The holidays are as good a time as any to give people a little more sympathy and empathy. Remember that if you gossip about others, for sure others will be gossiping about you too.

4. GET YOUR BODY BLESSED. Going into situations where we’re uncomfortable because of incidents or feelings from the past, tend to make us vulnerable and weak and susceptible to old soul wounds. These can make us feel badly, think badly and act badly, which can quickly take a toll on our physical bodies as well.

Pray this: “God help my body to do and be as You God intended it to be.” Ephesians 4:16 says, “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint is supplying, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” That’s a good one to pray too.

5. GET YOUR MOUTH BLESSED. One of the biggest tricks Satan pulls with family and friends is to get us to say something we later regret. Proverbs 18: 21 tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Once said, it’s out there and nearly irretrievable unless we almost immediately ask forgiveness and even then it’s awkward. The best way to avoid this is to get your mouth blessed. Pray, “Lord, help my mouth to be blessed to only say what You intend.”

To review: 1. GIVE IT TO JESUS, THE MASTER OF CELEBRATIONS, 2. RETREAT TO GOD AS OFTEN AS YOU NEED TO, 3. BLESS THOSE AROUND YOU AND ANYONE WHOSE NAME COMES UP IN CONVERSATION, 4. GET YOUR BODY BLESSED, 5. GET YOUR MOUTH BLESSED. 

These are 5 keys that will really help us this holiday season.  The number 5 in the Bible represents God’s grace. Let His grace give us amazing holiday times.

Love, Carolyn

CHRISTMAS IS COMING.  Take a look at my assortment of books and booklets: http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=aps&keywords=WINGS%20Carolyn%20molica&linkCode=ur2&tag=jmbcsds-20&linkId=XQMVLVZYNBLYAGEM

IF YOU’D LIKE TO CHECK OUT MY WRITING FIRST, get a FREE pdf file or word document of one of my books. Let me know at cjmolica@hotmail.com .