Lord You ask me to put down the things that I have become overly attached to, and put You first instead, on the throne of my heart, Your rightful place.
When did I become so attached to all these… ‘things’? I remember a time when I didn’t care for any of these, and yet I must have slowly allowed myself to drift my eyes away from the everlasting fountain Jesus and towards mere objects of short and shallow satisfaction. I sat down and began writing to help me figure out what exactly holds me back from simply surrendering myself completely to Jesus. Here are a few of what I jotted down, maybe you’ll relate to some of them. I don’t mean to quit these things altogether – it’s more of a conscious decision I am making to put Jesus first before these things.
- Facebook, whatsapp, phone – they offer me a false feeling of connectedness. I let go of this in exchange for true intimacy with Christ and real depth and connection in friendships!
- Movies, Youtube videos, TV programmes – they offer me vicarious satisfaction by watching other people live out their own lives, fulfilling things I want in my own life. I let go of this to live out my own life to the fullest!
- Greed for food and clothes: consumerism – perhaps in an attempt to quench a thirst in my soul for Jesus, I turn to quick and easy satisfaction of fleshly desires. I let go of this in exchange for actively seeking and drinking from the everlasting well of water that is Christ!
- Comfort – this can spiral into laziness and passiveness! Not willing to get out of my own comfort makes it more difficult to obey that small whisper from the Holy Spirit into my heart, especially when He asks me to do something different or step out in faith!
None of these ‘things’ in themselves are wrong or evil. They are just that – ‘things’. Depending on how they are used, they can be of benefit or hindrance. It is when we put them before Jesus and their purpose is no longer for His glory that it starts holding us back in our relationship with Him. If we do find ourselves doing this, no need to panic! Simply repent and ask for His help to always put Him first in everything – then go and start acting on it in faith! It probably won’t be fixed in a moment, and most likely will be difficult to let go of at first, but you can start working on it with the strength that God gives you. Isn’t our God good?!
I’ll end with these amazing verses from Hebrews 12:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Thoughts of an introverted Christian 