Let “It” Go – Pinch of Positivity

Let Toxic Relationships Go

CJ Montgomery — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 07:00:51 +0000

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:33

It is a well-known fact that humans are extremely social beings. As a result, even in our technology driven society, there are many relationships in our lives that exist only through a screen and involve no in-person contact. Some people have had the same best friend since grade school, while others didn’t find their true friend group until they went to college or changed jobs.

A solid relationship, whether platonic or romantic, can change your entire worldview. But what do you do when the relationship is toxic? What happens when you are constantly engaging in activities that don’t quite interest you just so the other person can be happy? What happens when the only communication that happens between you is gossip? What happens when God does not reside in the foundation of every relationship? Simply stated, what happens when the relationship becomes toxic?

God wants us to be careful with becoming too comfortable. Oftentimes, when we grow extremely comfortable, we start accepting things that we don’t always agree with especially when there has been a lot of time invested. We become okay with people ignoring us for long periods of time. We become okay with suffering in silence. We become okay with endangering our lives for the sake of keeping the other person around. I myself am guilty of sometimes letting the people I care about most get away with hurting my feelings out of fear of losing the relationship. Well, this is wrong for several reasons, but the fact that my inability to speak up for myself is rooted in fear is unacceptable. Jesus defeated fear when He rose from the grave, which means I already have the victory. And, because of that victory, I have the right to express how I feel in love and then let God handle the rest. If this is true, then why do we behave otherwise and what are the consequences?

The reason we behave otherwise is because our character has been corrupted by previous relationships, so we have put up a guard to try to protect ourselves (v.33). I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we can’t protect ourselves from something that has already taken root in us. We have to be willing to let God in to remove this hatred and hurt so that we can have a new start. Then we have to allow God to work in those relationships or remove us from them completely. We cannot continue to hold on to things that are so toxic that they are taking away from the work that God is doing. God wants us to get it together (v.34). We have to stop lying (sinning) and pretending that everything is okay, in these toxic relationships,when we know that God didn’t ordain them in the first place. He is going to place the people in your life that you need. So, you don’t have to hold on to relationships that are constantly attacking your happiness.

Jesus loves you. He wants to give you a joy that no earthly relationship can compensate for. Let Him take control and fill that void in your life. Allow Him to comfort you as you let go of the toxic relationships. You will not regret it.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being in my life. Thank you for being a friend when I felt alone. Lord, please help me to identify toxic relationships in my life and remove myself from them. Lord, I realize that this is not a battle that I can fight on my own. Please give me peace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let Idols Go

CJ Montgomery — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 07:00:59 +0000

Scripture: Jonah 2

Key Verse: Jonah 2:8

We live in a success-oriented society. We often showcase our success by purchasing and showing off nice things we’ve gotten for ourselves or the people we care about. It is easy to become obsessed with the idea of success or even wealth. We begin to do whatever it takes for people to notice us. Maybe you aren’t attracted to the idea of success, but attention. You are constantly trying to gain more likes or followers on your social media platform even at the expense of your own character. Well, today, God has sent me to tell you it is time to let those idols go.

When Jonah took it upon himself to run away from God, God had to get Jonah’s attention. So, he sent a big fish (Jonah ch.1). We must understand this part of the story for two reasons. First, it is important that we recognize that the bible identifies the animal as a fish despite man’s attempt to classify it as a whale. I know that this seems very minute but this obsession with logic can be an idol. Because it is only when things don’t make logical sense that man has no choice but to recognize God’s involvement in the matter. Secondly, God provided the fish to swallow Jonah. Even when we are running from God’s direction, He will still try to connect with us. If you stop going to work, will the money just magically show up to check on you? If you don’t reach out to your social media friends that you crave attention from for long periods of time how many of them will try to connect with you to ensure that you are taken care of? Very early on we can see the danger of these idols.

While Jonah was in the belly of the fish, he prayed to God (ch. 2, v. 2). It is important that we reach out to God when we realize the err of our ways. The blessing is that, when we call, He will answer. Many of us have idols in our lives that we try to call on and they don’t listen. We call our family members, partner, or close friends. Some of us have even slid into the DMs (direct messages) of celebrities in the hopes that one day they will just give you the assurance you crave. It is time that we let go of these idols. While these people are valuable, they are not God. They cannot supply your every need. They are human just like you. So, when you up are late at night or early in the morning stressed, sad, or upset, it is likely they will be sleep when you call. But God never sleeps. He is waiting to hear from you. He wants to help you. The fact that you are awake at a time that you should be sleep could be Him trying to get your attention. Samuel thought it was the voice of the high priest calling him before he finally realized it was the voice of the Lord trying to get his attention (1 Samuel ch.3).

So maybe you don’t care that your idol doesn’t provide for you or answer you, but you should know that by having an idol you are turning away from God’s love (Jonah ch. 2, v.8). God wants all of your heart at all times. He doesn’t want to compete for the love He deserves from you. Afterall, He is your creator. He is your provider. He is the one who will listen to you when you feel that you are all alone. The idols can not answer your prayers. The idols cannot shower you with blessings that you don’t have room to receive. So maybe you have to go on a fast. If you find yourself becoming obsessed with your media appearance, you may need to disconnect for a while. If you find yourself relying to much on a certain person, you may need to ask them for some space. There may be something else in your life that constantly consumes your heart and mind. Pray and ask God how you can distance yourself from it, so that you can give more time to Him. God desires to have your attention, so you have to let go of your idols.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for getting my attention. Thank you for providing for me, listening to me, and loving me unconditionally. Lord help me to remove idols in my life. I want to give more of myself over to you. Please fill up the empty spaces in my heart and comfort me on this journey. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let Pride Go

CJ Montgomery — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 07:00:32 +0000

Scripture: Proverbs 16:12-25

Key Verse: Proverbs 16:18

Sometimes one of the hardest things to do in life is to admit that you are wrong, especially when a lot is riding on your ability to be right. We must always remember that we are all human, and we all make mistakes. Most people will agree that there is nothing more courageous than admitting that you are wrong and learning from your mistakes. This section of Proverbs 16 focuses on a king’s ability to be humble and I believe that we can all learn something from this example.

One of the first things we can learn from this section of scripture is that wisdom is better than money (v.16). I know that the idea seems strange, but it actually makes a lot of sense. If you give a foolish person a large amount of money, it is very likely that they will go and spend it carelessly. However, if you give a wise person a large amount of money, they are likely to figure out how to invest their money and make it work for them. Because of pride, the foolish person may not acknowledge that they could have done better with their money and made it last longer. So, it is not the money that makes the difference, it is the wisdom to know what to do with it.

Once we have received wisdom from God, we must humble ourselves (v.18-19). God doesn’t give us wisdom to hold it above the heads of others. He wants you to become comfortable with being selfless and giving back to others. So, if you have made great progress in a certain area of your life that someone else may be struggling with, then that could be your chance to offer help (v.20). Once we learn from our experiences, it is good to surround ourselves with more humble people instead of people who are only focused on their own success.

The next thing we can learn from these verses is that it is important to follow directions. Sometimes, we get so caught up in doing our own thing that we miss important directions that can help us reach our goals. God has given each of us advisors that can help us reach our goals and confirm the messages that He has for us. It might not be clear who our spiritual advisor is at the moment, but trust and believe that God always has someone in place to ensure that we are living up to our maximum potential. The question is: Will we listen to the advice or will our pride get in the way? Unfortunately, more often than not we will pray to God or talk to our advisor about things and then want to rush their response. However, if we truly trust God, our hearts will be able to discern where we are supposed to go and what we are supposed to do (v.21).

Last, but certainly not least, we have to watch our words (v.23). It is important to always put thought into the words that come out of our mouths and to correct ourselves when we say something harmful. We cannot allow pride to stop us from bearing the Good News. If we are going to be disciples for the Lord, people have to be able to trust us. I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to trust arrogant people. They usually only have their best interest in mind and therefore do not mind offending others. If we are humble and seek wisdom from God, we can avoid saying things that may interfere with our ministry. It all begins with a choice to let pride go. Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving me wisdom that is more valuable than wealth. Thank you for giving me the courage to be humble. Give me a heart that wants to serve others. I want to follow the path that you have set for me. Lord help me speak the words that you have placed on my heart. I want to draw more people to you. I want to let my pride go. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let Control Go

CJ Montgomery — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 07:00:05 +0000

Scripture: Romans 8:18-30

Key Verse: Romans 8:28

As we grow older and experience different trials and tribulations, it may feel like our world is spinning out of control. Some of us may be experiencing huge life changes within our finances, relationships, educational endeavors, or even job pursuits. However, today God has sent me to tell you to let go of the reins. He has everything under control. All you have to do is love and trust Him with your whole heart.

It is so easy to get caught up in the problems that we are currently facing (v.18). I mean losing your job and still having bills due is not an easy problem to ignore. Losing a long-term friend because of a disagreement or even death can also be a tough pill to swallow. Maybe you have been looking for a job for a long time, and it seems like denial is around every corner. However, God is working on something greater for us. It is just not ready to be revealed yet. Because we live in a world that was infiltrated by sin, not only do we have to be okay with dealing with the trials and tribulations, but we have to be patient during the storm (v.20). The feelings that we have about our troubles are not new. People have been dealing with frustrations caused by sin since it was introduced. The blessing is that God is going to bring freedom to us because we are His children (v.21).

The key is patience (v.25). We can’t get frustrated and quit on the plan that God has for our lives. He is working so many things out behind the scenes that we honestly just aren’t ready for right now. We can’t stop every bad thing from coming our way because then we would have no reason to trust God. His Spirit is here to help us (v.26). When we get so caught up in the moment and try to figure things out on our own, we often turn our backs on God. However, in order for God to get the glory out of every situation, He has to make a way when there seems like there is no way.

It may seem unfair because we want things to happen on our own timelines. We have this idea of the way our lives should go, and we get upset when we haven’t accomplished certain goals by a particular age. It is not a coincidence that you are at this particular spot in life right now. Verse 28 says that “all things work together for the good of those who love God.” It didn’t say some things work together for your good. It said all. So, this means that every bad or good thing you have ever faced is going to work out for your good. It also said that those things work together for your good, which means they had to happen in that order so that your future blessing could take place. It also means that there is no such thing as a coincidence because with God everything is always intentional.

God has called us to serve a purpose on this earth, and we won’t be able to serve that purpose without going through situations to strengthen our testimony. We should be striving to conform to the image of Jesus everyday regardless of what we are facing (v.29). It is easier to conform to this image when we release control of lives to God and follow His directions. His plans are flawless even though we have flaws. He will work everything out so that it falls into place perfectly (v.30). And in the end, no one but God will be able to get the credit. You have to let go of control. You cannot get through this alone. Allow God to help you succeed.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your grace. Thank you for allowing me to face all of the trials and tribulations in my life so that my testimony can grow. Lord help me to become more like you. Help me to respect the timeline you have for my success. I am letting go of control today. Please direct my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.