Hello everyone!
Titus 3:3 says “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, decieved and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures”
When I read this God really spoke to me about who I once was and that I am now a new creation. I have to remember I am putting on my new self daily and it is always a struggle to take the narrow path God calls us to. It is a reminder that I once lived of the world. It is a reminder that I am called to show people who I am now with God as my foundation. I sit and think about how foolish I was to believe I knew anything about everything. God has shown me how enslaved I was to this world and all the evil that was in it and I am here now to tell you a little bit of what Paul is talking about.
When I see the word foolish it is defined as lacking good sense of judgement. I think about me before I knew God and thinking that in my own strength I thought I could live this life. Let me tell you, life with God at the center and having His strength over my own is WAY better. I never thought I needed God to help me or to guide me. Now that God is the center of my life I finally feel like I have purpose. I finally believe in who I am and who God has created me to be. I do not feel like I always have to have things together and be perfect in the eyes of people. I believe God has made me who I am and that even if I fall short and even when I have a bad day God says to me “My grace is abundant” God always reminds me that I am perfect in His eyes.
Paul then goes on to say disobedient. Disobedient means refusing to obey someone in authority. With that being said, before I knew God how was I supposed to know that God was my authority? I couldnt have. I had no idea that God was watching my every move or listening to my every cry. But now that I know God I want to obey him. I want to follow his ways because they are higher then mine. I remember that God has saved me and that he has given me purpose and direction. Why would I not want to obey someone who saved my life from a dark path of destruction?
The definition of decieved is to believe something that is not true. Before I knew God I believed I had to fit in. I believed I had to mold myself into society to be loved and seen and known. I believed that I needed to look cool in order for people to like me. I fell in the trap that it was not okay to not be okay. It was weird to have emotions and feel pain and to cry. I felt like I could not be emotional. I felt like I had to numb all of my pain. Let me tell you that is a lie from the enemy. Now that I know God I believe my friends will love me exactly the way that I am. God has shown me people will love me for me. He has shown me that my emotions and feelings are valid. He has shown me that its okay to be me and to cry in front of people and to express how I feel. I have learned to release how I feel to God and what I am struggling with and he has comforted me and told me it is going to be okay. I am no longer afraid to be who I am and show people the real me or to express emotions.
Lastly, Paul says enslaved which means to lose freedom of choice or action. I was once enslaved to this world. I once believed I had to be picture perfect in the eyes of those around me. I believed if not every person around me complimented me it meant I was not good enough I believed I needed to have the nicest things and that I needed to be rich to do anything cool. I believed all of these lies the enemy once told me. Do I still forget that these lies arent true? Yes of course but I have to sit down with God and have Him remind me what He says about me. I have to remind myself of the narrow road I travel on. It is easy to believe the lies but at the end of the day I go to the Lord and cry out for help and he is ALWAYS there. I thank God that I can live a life of redemption.
I want to leave you with something to think about. What is something that you were once enslaved to before you knew God? Or what is something you are still enslaved to that you want to give up to Him? Spend some time with the Lord praising him for the end of your personal slavery. Or ask him to work on freeing you from your current slavery. I will be doing this today too! Feel free to text me or message me and we can talk about what we are going through now together 🙂
God wants us to go to him with all of our problems. Remember, His grace is abundant. He loves you.
Have a blessed day everyone!
Paragraphs five and six should be required reading for EVERYONE. So many are focused on how they appear to “others”, when there’s really only One they need to look up to.
Love you! Super proud of you!!!
xxoo
Wow Hannah!! You GO girl! That was BEAUTIFUL! I was soooo excited to read how full of the Lord you are! & how humble an open about sharing you you WERE & who you’ve become! I think when I met you last year you said you hsvcome to the Lord the year before..that’s AMAZING growth in 2 years & there’s only one way we grow like that..being in the Word & spending time is the Lord regularly! I can hear it now at the judgement seat of Christ..“we’ll done Hannah! my good & faithful servant!”