Get Rid of Your “BUT!”
When God healed me of the many years of oppression, offense, unforgiveness, bitterness, and whatever else it was that I was harboring, He also began to work on getting rid of my “but.” No, not my backside. Not my derriere. But my “BUT.” Huh? You’ve got a “but” too. Your big ‘ol “but” is padding between truth and the lies of the enemy.
“I know I need to forgive that person BUT…”
“I know I need to pray more BUT…”
“She asked me to forgive her BUT…”
Get the picture yet? For many years, I had a “But.” I’m still not completely rid of it, but it’s a lot smaller than it used to be. Thanks to the Lord doing “surgery” on my soul, my “but” has begun to shrink. Let me tell you, I’m a lot happier, much more peaceful, and a whole lot lighter feeling as the result!
When you harbor ill thoughts for a long period of time, it begins to weigh heavily on you. It will drag you down. It will make you miserable. Bitterness will set in. Depression, oppression, fatigue, stress, unhappiness, etc. A whole multitude of ailments will assail you. Believe me, I’ve been there. I’ve done it. I’ve said I wasn’t going back, but found myself there time and time again. Why? Because I believed the lies that the enemy was telling me. Oh they were disguised as many things. Conversations from a “friend” who encouraged me in the fact that I was justified in my feelings. Thoughts that would pop into my head disguised as “the right thing to do.” And the sad thing is, I would also use Scripture to justify myself and my actions! Now, how sad is THAT?
You may be saying, “I understand that, “but” it’s just too hard!” No, it’s not. It’s not too hard. You just don’t want to get rid of it yet. You’re still dabbling in whatever it is that you don’t want to get rid of. You have not made a conscious effort to get rid of it. And there lies your problem. I’m right there with you, because I’ve been in that position. And let me tell you, this is how you give the enemy the power to control you. Sometimes we say we want to stop doing one thing or another, or that we want to forgive someone, or we want forgiveness for something, but we don’t really mean it. Otherwise we’d be on our faces before the Lord confessing those things and asking Him to remove them out of our lives.
“But” what about when we ask and God doesn’t remove it? “But” what about when God doesn’t answer? How about this: instead of questioning with a “But,” get rid of your “but” pull out your Bible and look for the answer, the reassurance, or the guidance you need? Many times we really just want to hold onto our “but” and question God’s seeming lack of interest in us. Because let’s face it, we really don’t want to give up our insecurities, our qualms, or our sins. We just want to complain about them, don’t we? I know! I was the same way! I wanted to wallow in self-pity, making things look the way I wanted them to look, get people on my side and just wallow. And then God stepped in and BOOM! Down in the floor I went, when the Holy Spirit washed over me, doing spiritual surgery on me, getting rid of every negative thing within me…including my “but.”
You see, I had gotten out of church for a while, because of some bad hurts. I had stopped reading my Bible. I had stopped praying, because I didn’t have the words. I literally could not think what to say! I KNEW God wanted me for something, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then someone invited me to come to a church they had been attending. They told me how awesome it was. I was skeptical, but went. The rest is history. I wouldn’t be writing this right now had I not taken someone up on an invitation to go to church. God is moving. God is healing. God loves you right where you are. And He wants to get rid of your “but.” The only thing holding you back is you. YOU have to be willing. YOU have to ask Him, believe Him, and receive it! Are you ready?
