Witness, Exact Direction

1st Corinthians

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” –1st Corinthians 10:13

I know life is full of challenges.

Temptation lurks around every corner.

And though it does, it also comes in cycles.

Lust, anger, pride, greed, envy, gluttony, sloth.

These are the seven sins.

The ones that keep us below.

The ones that keep us from being who we were called to be.

I know I’ve struggled with them time and time again, until I asked.

“Why again? Some of them happen daily, some monthly, others years in between. But they keep happening. Why?” I asked.

Then after my panic attack, I started to notice signs and notice why.

God is not testing you per say, but the sins are what you must overcome in order to receive His grand blessings for you fully.

You must build yourself—tolerance and endurance.

Especially obedience.

I struggled with all of these.

The last one I need to overcome has proved to be the hardest.

Sloth.

Yes.

Sloth.

Not greed, envy, anger, gluttony, or lust, and pride.

Those have started to subside, and I’ve built more endurance and discipline to starve each one of them.

I’m not saying they don’t try or pass me by—but that’s all they do.

Try and pass me by.

Because I do not participate.

I do not feed the devil.

He invites me to his table and begs me to eat.

And unfortunately, he has me gripped when it comes to sloth.

But slowly as I have invited God fully into my life and surrendered myself to Him, it’s gotten more manageable.

Then while reading 1st Corinthians, I saw it clearly.

Direction.

Because as my voice begins to grow and eyes turn to see me, instead of panicking beneath their gaze, I stand up firm and follow these things that Paul has taught to us in this book.

Clear. Direction.

1.        Stay untied

a.       Paul instructed this chaotic church that they need to stop dividing themselves by personality, opinions, or who they liked better. This goes back to comparison, competition or that feeling you get when other people say something and you feel yourself get jerked off of your alignment. He is instructing you, stay aligned with God, not the voices and elevation of noise that continues to drown you. Stay close to Him.

2.       Choose God’s wisdom over the world’s

a.       Paul told them, “You’re impressed by flashy words – but God’s wisdom is quieter and actually means something.” Meaning this, don’t chase the loudest person in the room, or the trend in this instance. Follow the wisdom that brings peace, not pressure. Because God is not starvation or fear, he is love and fulfillment.

3.       Grow up spiritually and don’t stay stuck in old patterns

a.       He told them that they are acting like children—immature, jealous, reactive easily offended children. Face it, you are not who you used to be. So stop acting like it. Start speaking from the healed version of you, not the broken one from before. You’ve grown out of that. Don’t look back.

4.       Protect your life from what drains or corrupts you always

a.       Paul told them to stop tolerating what harms your spirit. Don’t let people, habits, or environments that weaken you stay in your inner circle or around you—leave those places. Your peace is holy. Protect it with all your might because it is your life.

5.       Handle conflict with maturity not chaos

a.       Paul said to them for them to stop dragging each other to court—resolve this with your wisdom! Don’t let conflict pull you out of character. Seek resolution, not escalation or demise.

6.       Honor your body because it’s not disposable

a.       Paul told them, “Your body is a temple—treat it like it matters.” And this can be easily translated into caring for your body. Rest when you need rest. Nourish it with foods to help you thrive not decay, and above all respect it.

7.       Live your relationship with clarity and intention

a.       He said Marriage, being single, calling—all of it requires mindful intention. Don’t drift into relationships for the sake of filling a void. Choose with clarity, not confusion or desperation.

8.       Use your freedom with love, not entitlement

a.       Paul said, “You’re free—but don’t use your freedom in ways that hurts others.” Just because you can doesn’t mean it’s aligned. Choose what builds, not what burdens or breaks.

9.       Worship with order, intention, and love

a.       Here he says, “Your gathering are chaotic—bring order, honor, and love to them.” Because your spiritual life doesn’t need to be dramatic to be powerful. God will move through it with clarity either way. Just allow Him to.

10.    Let love be the highest goal

a.       Because it should be. Without love, everything doesn’t matter. It’s just all loud noise. Lead with love always not with fear, not with defensiveness, not to prove yourself. Love is your power. Share it and lead.

11.     Honor your identity, your glory, with intention

a.       What he means by this is your expression should reflect honor in your culture. Your ways. Your hair, your presence, your expression is all a reflection of who you are now, not who you were afraid to be.

12.     Hold onto resurrection hope because your future is real

a.       Because the resurrection is the foundation – you have a future. Live like someone who has a future. Make decision from hope not survival. Not fearing the outcome. God has you. Always. Stop shying and shrinking yourself and your dreams.

I always remember this saying, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” –Johnathon Nolan, co-writer of The Dark Knight (2008)

Why am I sharing this with you?

Because we all fear it.

Embracing the fearlessness and thriving.

If you are a God-fearing woman, then you fear it always in the back of your mind.

To embrace the confidence, the joy, stop being small.

You don’t want to embrace the pride or the greed that might come with it as a challenge.

Encounter any of these things.

These sins.

But here it is laid before you.

Paul came forward to this church in chaos and disarray and instructed them how to keep following God amongst the noise.

I hope that you can go—fearlessly now.

Come back here when you feel like you are going astray and remember.

You are human.

We are naturally flawed, but because of Jesus, we can all come back home.

We are all saved.

God knows your heart. He knows your intentions.

No go and do what you want to do because remember what I we read.

He approved it already.

Pursue your dreams, without doubt and without fear of how others will see you.

For God has chosen and favors you.

Go be all you are set out to be apart of his grand design for you.