1 John 2:16-17 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Toddlers are funny the way they hold onto things. One of our sons would hold onto something all day long: a tiny rubber ball, rocks, candy. I used to keep a list of all the things he chose to hold in one hand literally all day long. As he fell asleep, I would loosen his hand and remove the objects (and sometimes clean his hand, too!).
Maybe we're like toddlers sometimes as we hold onto things tightly. Corrie Ten Boom wrote, "Hold onto things loosely so God doesn’t have to pry them out of your hands."
Recent Practical Faith Academy podcast guest Judson Stone quoted from 1 John 2 to describe three temptations he fights each day: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We can clutch shiny, worldly things that distract us from the luggage-less journey that God calls us into.
Sometimes what we hold onto seems good, but in reality, it holds us back. That's why Jesus calls us out of comfort zones into his trust zones, leaving comfort and security behind to rely solely on him. Jesus told his disciples to "take nothing for the journey." In Luke 9:3, Jesus tells them not to bring a staff, bag, bread, money, or an extra tunic. In Luke 22:35, he tells them not to bring gold, silver, copper, a bag, sandals, or a staff.
What does Jesus need to tell each of us to leave behind in order to move forward? What things are we holding onto too tightly? What items do we clutch that our Loving Father would like to pry away in our sleep?
A recent Amazon reviewer of my book, "From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone," stated, "It's a wonderful guide to branching out to help others and reaching out further than I was previously comfortable." If you're wondering how to let go and let God, this is the book for you. You can find it in my online store or through online booksellers.
The link to my online store is: https://Store.CecilTaylorMinistries.com.
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