HEAVENLY INCLINED...: THE PAST HAS PASSED: BE NOT ENSLAVED TO WHAT IS GONE...

Thanksgiving for the LORD's Favor

Psalms 138 (A Psalm of David)
1/ I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2/ I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3/ In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4/ All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
5/ Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.
6/ Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
7/ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8/ The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me:
thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands... AMEN!!!

One CANNOT earn GRACE, it is HIS own ESSENCE; a gift, still, IF one claims to be IN HIS GRACE, we ARE to, or, OUGHT to, be reflections of that GRACE! 2 CORINTHIANS 6:1, tells us not to take HIS GRACE in vain! This means, living in LOVE, morality, ethics, virtue, righteousness, and, spiritual improvement, TOWARDS, spiritual maturity, WHILE, visibly BEING as LIGHTS, beaming OF *GOD*, beckoning the world, TO THE LIGHT! Righteousness MEANS, conduct in conformity with *GOD'S* WILL, and, "Be HOLY because I AM HOLY!", therefore, indicating that knowledge, wisdom, and, effort, DO, apply TO the righteous!!! NEVER forget, we were grafted in, and, if we do not bear fruit, as a dead branch, we will be pruned out, just as were, the natural branches!!!

We are not saved by works, instead, works PROVE HIM in us: they identify HIS own...

IF I claim ONENESS with *GOD*, through CHRIST JESUS, I am DEAD TO THE WORLD, THUS, LIVING as HIM, which is, hopefully, witnessed IN, and, THROUGH, my every thought, action, and, reaction; MEANING, I am, THROUGH CONSCIOUS application OF THE WORD, HIS COMMANDS, HIS WILL, REFLECTING righteousness, not, merely, FAITH! I become, the TRULY FRUITFUL branch, of THE VINE, the TRUE member of THE BODY/THE CHURCH, CHRIST JESUS, and, TESTIFY, then, GLORIFY, BOLDLY, BY my thoughts, actions, and, reactions, HIS name, because, HE IS WORTHY, and, IN HIS LOVE, has SHOWN me, how I OUGHT to exist, to which, I eagerly, adapt, and, comply!!!

MATTHEW 5:48...
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect

1 PETER 1:14-16...
14/ Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance
15/ but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,
16/ for it is written, "Be holy because I (am) holy."

ROMANS 12:2...
Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Conduct, in conformity to *GOD'S* WILL, marks the righteous; it is NOT because of guilt, or, ancient Laws, but, because of LOVE; LOVE for *GOD*, self, then, others! CHRIST JESUS gave us Commandments to live by, of which, the first is to LOVE *GOD*, with all of your mind, heart, and, soul; the second is, to LOVE one another!

LOVE COMPELS us to LIVE IN HIM, through conduct which conforms to *GOD*; in other words, morality, ethics, doing good, and, being good, and, ever striving to improve the spirit! It is about REFLECTING THE TRUTH, for ALL to bear witness to, FOR, and, TO HIS GLORY, RADIANTLY SHINING OF HIS POWER, GRACE, and, MERCIES!!!

It IS ALL ABOUT LOVE, baby, all about LOVE!!!

MATTHEW 4: 17...From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

JOHN 14:15..."If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

NOTE: I do not intend to preach, rather to reach; to stir up, awaken, to inspire, and, bring forth, in discussion, that which is, perhaps, dormantly existing in the heart of hearts, thus, little, or, no, sugar coatings, just THE WORD of *GOD*, the TRUTH, along with some of my thoughts. And truth is, I am reminding myself always, as I practice these reminders, in the best of my abilities, and capacities, while RELYING on THE LORD to lead me on that narrow PATH---> MATTHEW 7: 14: "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it... TO *GOD* BE ALL GLORY...

THE PAST HAS PASSED: BE NOT ENSLAVED TO WHAT IS GONE...

The first half of my life was awful, in fact, parts of it, were horrible, but I am NOT a victim, and will NOT be ENSLAVED to victimization! The past does NOT have chains on me, albeit, I LEARNED from it, became stronger from it, and GREW from it, and THANKS BE TO *GOD*, it is like a reference book, NOT shackles!!!---

WHEN you ALLOW something, anything, to overtake you, or the PRESENT, you are enslaved! Enslaved to the point of MISSING the ways past what has swallowed you! One might experience things, cry, and be hindered for a while, but they can ONLY be overtaken IF they ALLOW themselves to become chained TO what happens, has happened, or will happen! Do you see what I mean???

It is like someone coming up to you, and knocking you down; you HAVE CHOICES to make as you lie there; you can lay there and cry, you can retaliate, or you can gather your dignity, and move on! I CHOOSE to move on, because WHEN we engage in wrongs, we are DRAWN into them, creating MORE problems, and troubles, and CONTRIBUTE to that BY being sucked in! NOT saying that we don't react, instead that we do so correctly, and optimally!!!

I AM BETTER than the circumstances which intended to snare me, and alter me permanently! Not that I don't have any scars, I have plenty, HOWEVER they ARE NOT enough to TAKE MY HEART, NOR MY MIND FROM MY TRUTH, which IS that I AM better than all that! Sure, I have emotional, physical, and other reminders from my past, YET, ONLY IF I ALLOW them to control me, and this moment, can they bind me! NO WAY, I just WON'T be lost to such!!!

Today, a whole slew of victims are seen, and heard! AND, there are those grabbing from times when they were not alive, nor many of their closest ancestors! They are MAKING themselves victims TO THE PAST INSTEAD OF MAKING THE FUTURE BETTER, OR MORE OPTIMAL! It is an UNWISE waste of time, as it DOES put a wall before tomorrow, AND improving what they consider wrong!!!

I CAN'T wrap my head around WHY people cling to the past so desperately, THAT NOW, and tomorrow, *GOD* willing, ARE affected BY their grasping that hard onto something that CAN'T be altered, NOW THAT IT IS PAST, but by golly, TODAY, and the next CAN be, IF the mind IS IN THE PRESENT, and uses what is LEARNED OF the past FOR GROWTH, NOT hindrance!!!

TIME IS PRECIOUS, IT IS A GIFT, and IS to be used for betterment, NOT to be bound to, ESPECIALLY to the past! NOW IS THE TIME FOR GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, and IMPROVING what is wrong in this world, NOT dragging everyone, and everything near you, through what is long gone!!!

Some people are victimizing themselves BY following others, NOT fully knowledgeable, OR aware of WHAT they are playing victims to!!!

To me, the past HAS it's usefulness FOR reference TO moving forward, THAT I am SURE of my steps in THIS hour, and those that MIGHT come, but other than that, it IS filed away with GRATITUDE THAT I made it this far, and AM as whole as I can be, PRAISE THE LORD!!!

You know, we REALLY CAN'T serve two masters, and this goes farther than our allegiance to *GOD*; we CAN'T serve the past, IF we are IN the NOW!!!

LWINSOR © 2017