Take the exit

After writing my post last night I dwelled on what I need to exit from and I did some uncomfortable pondering. I know that there are a good number of things that are keeping me from fulling running the race that Christ has set before, but taking the exit is so tough. At the end of my time at Pine Cove one of the challenges I was given was to "Stand firm and don't submit again to the yoke of slavery. Having been here (Pine Cove) for quite some time, from what or whom are you grateful to have separated yourself from? Whatever it is, stand firm from it.

Some of the things that I wrote down that night that I wanted to stand firm against were lust, hurtful sarcasm and coarse joking. Within being outside of camp for 72 hours I have failed in each of those areas. Why is it so easy to go back to tearing down my friends, not viewing women as God's workmanship or saying things just to get a few cheap laughs? One thing that I am realizing is that on my own strength I am never going to be able to exit. I might get to the access road, but ultimately I am going to end up in the exact same place I always do unless I lay down my pride and surrender my all to Jesus. That's tough and we can't do it without the support and accountability of a community of brothers or sisters in Christ.

I share this with you, because we have all been there, we have all fallen when we promised that last time was the last time and we have all gone back to something that we know is not life giving. It's tiring and depressing. There is hope. All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus. (mat. 28:18) Authority over my gross lust, rancid mouth and often deceitful heart. He has overcome death, Christ desperately wants to bear my burdens with me. The amazing thing about Jesus is that in the midst of my sin, in the midst of my off and on faithfulness, he still loves me just as I am, not as I should be. I share this with you, because Christ loves me in the midst of my brokenness and he loves you too. Be encouraged.