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Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. -Mark 16:15 (NIV)

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. -1 Corinthians 13:1 (NIV)

New and baby believers are fired up, ready to conquer the world in God’s name. Many seasoned believers have also kept their fire stoked, not letting circumstances douse their flames.

And that’s all well and good. Who doesn’t want to do their all to make the Lord known?

There’s a truth that must be faced first, though: even before we conquer the world, or our country, city, or even household…we have to ask God to help conquer ourselves. We surrender ourselves so the Lord can deal with us.

I ask God in prayer, throughout the day and night, for guidance and vision to better see my situation in myself and in my circumstances. And He is good! He does just that. The Holy Spirit continues to convict and nudge me so I can zig when I would otherwise zag.

And when the Spirit subtly (or sometimes not so subtly) tell me what I need to correct, do I heed, repent, and follow, or do I ignore it and continue in unrepentance?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. -Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

In short, I have to continually straighten up my walk–an ongoing process–before going out to help others with theirs. (It’s when I stop thinking my walk has problems that I stumble.) That doesn’t mean that my walk has to be perfect, because only One walked in perfection. But my walk needs to show the fruit of the Spirit.

Prayer

Father God,

Thank You for all of Your gifts and blessings! Thank You for being patient with me and the sins I carry. Please mold me and work with me as You will…to carry out Your will…so with every thought, word, and deed, I glorify You. Purify and prepare me so I can enter the mission field and be Your hands and feet in the world, and that people will see You when they see me!

In Jesus’ holy and powerful name I pray.

Amen.

Today’s soundtrack

Tim Timmons’ “Starts With Me” helps us revitalize and re-center by getting back to our knees instead of standing tall in our own pride, and starting the change in ourselves.