Encouragement
Everyone knows someone or has a family member that is cool as a fan but are always so darn negative. I mean this person finds the negative in everything, everyone and in every situation. They are always dealingwith something but its never their fault. They usually say something like "That's cool ....BUT!" Then you are sitting there thinking to yourself "but what now...??" Nothing is ever good enough and their life isn't complete unless something is going wrong. Murmuring and complaining all the days of their life. They never get a chance to experience any form of joy or happiness. If they do get a taste of happiness it feels so foreign that they will find a way to mess it up just to go complain and feel comfortable again. Its really a sad situation.
What's even sadder is that ............that was ME. Yup, it sure was. I say "was" because I acknowledge that it is a spirit I was dealing with and now that I have been baptized I believe I will overcome this in the name of Christ. One day I was with a dear sister and in the midst of our conversation she was saying how she doesn't like listening to negativity and ongoing complaining. It got me to thinking about how controlling that spirit is and how it can change the whole vibe in a room very easily and cause others to partake in its mischief unknowingly. You don't realize how ungrateful and unintelligent you look and sound by being this way. Nor do you realize the effect it has on others around you during that small amount of time you may be around them.
After being tired of being controlled by this spirit I realized when and how I became familiar with this particular spirit. When I was younger there were certain situations that had happened that were very drastic or painful to go through so I had found way to protect myself from all the constant hurt. I used negativity as a defense mechanism so that things or people wouldn't be able to hurt me. I stopped trusting everyone and I would look for the worst in everything. That way when the bad happened I felt like I was in control because I wouldn't be emotionally attached since I figured it would go wrong anyway. That first situation that happened that compelled me to become this way was never resolved. It then started a snowball effect of misery for years to come that destroyed my self worth. It controlled my actions, thoughts and ruined many relationships.
For all those reasons it proves the significance of Matthew 18:15-18 speaking about how to address offenses. Am I still dealing with this matter til this day? YES! But it doesn't have dominion over me like before? NO! The more I reject the spirit by staying in the scriptures, fasting and praying the better things are but its still a battle. Of course The Most High gets all the praise for healing and helping me especially since this is only one of the many things I need to be purged from with my walk in Christ.
In the meantime I try to examine myself daily. No one wants to be a stumbling block and we are all dealing with issues. Its key to recognize the spirits that are attacking you and to know where they stem from. Forgive and move forward or you will always be stuck in the past being held accountable for sins that you obtained before being baptized when the fact is you are NOW a new man and the Most High will not hold you accountable for them. Its all about what you do now and how you use and grow with grace.
I pray my story lets others know that they are not alone and this road is not easy. Its very hard to look at yourself in the mirror and correct your wrongs. That's why we should always pray and encourage one another. At the end of this day, Most High willing I will live to see another day to get it right!
Y'all stay strong and Barkatham (bless you all)....
