I don’t know where I went in 2018, but when I say I stepped into sin, I went somewhere foreign.

Often, you will hear someone say I “fell away” from God or I “fell from Grace,” and those statements are true, I guess, but you always make a decision – to do what is right or to do what is wrong – regardless of your why. 

So, as part of my accountability, I am choosing to say I STEPPED into sin. You see, I spent most of last year battling fear and not trusting the Lord. While I prayed for certain things to get me there, God asked me to take giant leaps of faith, and the answers scared me, so I ignored His requests and took matters into my own hands.

And really, that is what I have been doing most of my life anyway. Always looking at life and thinking, I know best. My thoughts usually go:

“How on earth is God gonna pull this off, I better help him out.”

“There is no way He has something better than my solution.”

“His way scares me, surely my way will be easier.”

– – – No judging allowed, I’m just being honest.

As a result, I dug a hole I couldn’t get out of without turning to Him, repenting to Him and those I hurt. Looking back now, I can see the entire path and the different choices I could have taken but chose not to. The most sobering thing is that had I trusted Him and obeyed Him in January, I would have never been in the position to get myself in trouble. The lesson here – just TRUST. Trust HIM; he never has harm for you, and I promise you if He’s asking you to step out, he will order your steps and protect you.

I was humiliated and ashamed when I got my word for 2019 from the Lord. There was a small glimmer of hope of what would come from it, but I shut it down very quickly. I wouldn’t write about it, talk about it, accept it, or even own it. Slowly, through GRACE – thank goodness for His grace – and releasing fear and control, I slowly began to Rise Up.

“RISE UP”

I had to pray fervently about what this meant in my life:

• The changes I had to commit to
• The sacrifices to make
• The toxicity to release 

THE CHOICE – I had to let go of the secular life I tried to run alongside my spiritual life. I had to agree to align my will entirely with God. Finally, there could be no excuses, no rationalizations, no compromises. It certainly hasn’t been easy, but it has been worth it. Every tear, every prayer, every loss has brought me closer to Him. His presence is the ONLY PLACE where I want to spend all my days, nights, hours, minutes, and seconds. I am so thankful for His relentless pursuit.

I encourage you today – if you are stuck in sin – RISE UP, seek Him, and repent.

Your life is worth so much more than the stronghold that has you trapped right now.

The victory is WON! Jesus paid the price for you to be free. Find an accountability partner to help you walk through this, and seek the Holy Spirit daily and hourly if needed so you can walk in His wisdom.