Phase 6..

     I refuse to be one of those people that just rant and rave but I've noticed that when I see an injustice I can't help but to speak on it. It was about 4:30 and for some reason, the Holy Spirit wanted me to be awake. I found out later that I was trying to give me this post to write. I went to the bathroom and after I had used it, I went to wash my hands and noticed that the person who had used it before me (who shall remain nameless but I will say that it was a guy) had left water all over the sink. Who does that?! I stood there thinking about the choice I needed to make before leaving the bathroom. I could either leave the water there or clean it up. Neither choice appealed to me at the moment because a) it was super early and I wanted to just go back to bed, b) I hadn't made the mess in the first place and c) if I left it there, I didn't want whoever came in after me thinking that it was I that had made the mess. In the end, my better half won out and I ended up wiping up the water but I remember being annoyed about it. The whole experience reminded me of how people are in relationship to each other. Are you the kind of person that leaves messes for other people to clean up? Are you so wrapped up in yourself that you lean too heavily on the kindness of those around you? On the flip side, do you find yourself being the one that's left holding the bag all the time? If you answered "yes" to either of these questions, it's time for a change!
  
      As someone who often finds herself being taken advantage of, I can say that it's a crappy place to be. I used to have a close friend that refused to take any kind of responsibility for their poor treatment of others. They lacked planning, forethought, consideration, or respect for anyone other than themselves. If they asked for a ride, they weren't ready (or even home!) when I came to get them. They never had money but always wanted to go places. They waited till the last minute to do everything and constantly sought others to bail them out. The part that got me the most was that they would get mad, whine and shift the blame onto others (usually me) when things went wrong. For example, if they were late showing up places (or failed to show at all) it was because I didn't call to remind them or something like that. Why continue to hang around someone like that, you ask? At the time, I thought that I was being unfair to them, that I was too quick to judge them. Evey time they would start makes excuses for their behavior, I would allow my guilt to rise up and I'd end up giving them another chance. The realization hit me now (literally right now) that my behavior was a form of low self-esteem. People only treat you how you allow them to treat you. Had I stood up for myself in the beginning and kicked that person to the curb, perhaps we both would've learned a lesson on how to treat others. I accepted their poor treatment not thinking that I deserved better. Even after I had stop stopped being friends with them, the guilt would try to rise up and tell me that I hadn't been fair to them. That God would want me to forgive them and allow them another chance. The devil is a liar! God would want me to gently rebuke them and keep it pushin! I chose to love God more and, while I do not begrudge this person, I do not hang around them nearly as much anymore.
  
      Of course, this is yet another piece to the movement. Phase 6 of Operation: Doin Me is "When people show you who they are, believe them the first time! Don't trip off losing people or letting them go on about their business. They more than likely weren't worth your anointing in the first place." The Word of the Lord says in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 (NIV)
     ¹ Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. ² I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.³ You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? ⁴ For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

    
     Further reading on speaking positive and the benefits of it: 1 Thess 5:18, Is 58, Deut 28:1-14,  Num 6:23, Prov 18:20-21, Eph 5:18-19, Heb 4:14