1. Sometimes We Need To Just Let It Go
My sister invited us to her granddaughter's birthday party, so Mom and I drove down to the beach for the day. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed a walk on the beach. I saw a young woman trying to help her son fly a kite in the ocean breeze. She had the kite up on a short amount of string and the little boy was holding onto the tail of the kite. She started yelling, "Let it go. Let it go. Let it go! LET! IT! GO!" He reluctantly let go of the tail and the kite rose higher into the air. I was still thinking about that little boy as we began our long trip home. It reminded me of times in my life when I prayed about something and waited for God to help me, but I wouldn't let go of my problem. The Lord was willing to lift the burden from my shoulder, but I kept holding on just as that little boy was holding to the tail of his kite. I have been praying about a new direction for our devotions, and I feel God speaking to me through this little scenario. I want to look at some things in our lives that we may need to just "LET IT GO!"
2. Let Go Of Your Burdens
As we begin our new devotions on "Let It Go" I want to go to I Peter 5:7, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." As Peter was a fisherman, I am sure he knew a lot about casting his nets into the sea. I don't know that I would be able to hold the net properly and cast it out for the full distance, but I do know enough about it that I would let go of the net. Only then, could I expect to catch some fish. I believe that Peter chose this word, "casting", to tell us to cast our cares upon Jesus, and let them go. Sometimes I bow on my knees and pray, and I ask God to help me with a burden, and when I get up, I am still hanging on to it. Jesus cares so much for us, that He was willing to die for us. And He is able to lift us up above our problems and help us soar, but we need to let it go.
3. "Leave It There"
To continue our thoughts from yesterday about letting go of our burdens when we cast them to the Lord, I want to share a great old hymn. "Leave It There" was written by Charles Albert Tindley in 1916. The song has stood the test of time, and we still sing it at our church, Pine Grove Baptist Church in High Point, NC. "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." (Psalm 55:22) "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
"Leave It There"
"If the world from you withholds of its silver and its gold,
And you have to get along with meager fare,
Just remember, in His Word, how He feeds the little bird;
Take your burden to the Lord, leave it there.
Leave it there, leave it there,
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out;
Take your burden to the Lord, leave it there.
If your body suffers pain and your health you can't regain,
And your soul is almost sinking in despair,
Jesus knows the pain you feel, He can save and He can heal;
Take your burden to the Lord, leave it there.
When your enemies assail and your heart begins to fail,
Don’t forget that God in Heaven answers prayer;
He will make a way for you and will lead you safely through;
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
When your youthful days are gone and old age is stealing on,
And your body bends beneath the weight of care;
He will never leave you then, He’ll go with you to the end;
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there."
4. Let Go Of Your Fear
There are many verses in the Bible that say, "Fear not..." and more that read, "Be not afraid..." But I will be the first to admit that there are some things that make us afraid. As we were going to church Sunday, Michael saw a large spider on the window near his head. So, for a few minutes we were afraid of the spider, and also afraid of what might happen to the car before he could pull over to get to the spider. There are things that make us afraid, but when we remember that God is watching over us, it can relieve our fears. When Joshua was to take over the leadership after the death of Moses, God wanted him to let go of his fears. "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9) I remember one time when I was a young girl and my Dad had taken off his shoes, he asked me to go to the car and get something for him. I was happy to do this for my Dad, but it was dark outside... very dark. He said, "I will turn on the porch light and I will stand right here and watch you." Just knowing that he was watching over me took away my fear. I like to think about that when I start feeling afraid. God is my heavenly Father, and He gave His Son to die for me, so I know He loves me. When I remember His great love and almighty power I am able to let go of my fear. The disciples were afraid when they saw Jesus walking on the water. "But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." (Matthew 14:27) When you are afraid, remember His words, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." When our son, Matthew, was about three years old, we taught him this Bible verse and he still remembers it, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." (Psalm 56:3) It is not always easy, but with the help of the Lord we can let go of our fear.
5. Pride - We Need To Let It Go
I was reading in the book of Isaiah and came across some verses about being proud. "For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:" (Isaiah 2:12) "And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." (Isaiah 13:11) There are also several verses about the dangers of pride in Proverbs. "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18) "A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit." (Proverbs 29:23) How serious is the sin of pride? In Proverbs 6:16-19, "A proud look" is the first thing mentioned in the seven things that the Lord hate. We live in a day when pride is considered among many to be a virtue instead of a sin. The media sources lift men and women up in praise, almost to the point of worship. Why else would they search for an "American Idol"? It is sad that we also find pride in our churches. We work for the Lord, and we are proud of it. I believe that there is a fine line between not being ashamed of the Lord, and being prideful of our Christianity. We need to let go of our pride and let the Lord lift us up. "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." (James 4:10) "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:" (I Peter 5:6)
6. Bitterness And Anger - Let It Go
Last week I talked about how Job was listed with Noah and Daniel in their righteousness, and asked what Bible characters we might be grouped with. Michael and I talked about it and he reminded me of two women in the Bible who must have not been able to get along. "I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord." (Philippians 4:2) Wouldn't that be so embarrassing to have your name written down for thousands of years, in God's Word, as having a rift with another church member! The church at Philippi was not the only church to have disagreements among their members. Look at what Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:31-32. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." I know it can be hard to "get along" with some people, especially when our opinions differ, or when others are rude or hurtful. I see arguments among "friends" on facebook which should have been settled in private and not brought out in the open for everyone to see. And then there are some things which could be overlooked and not mentioned at all. We may say that we can't forgive someone, or we might forgive but we will never forget... do we plan to carry our grudges to heaven? I don't think so. Our lives will be so much more peaceful and we would feel so much better on the inside if we just LET IT GO. I have often said that as we get older we get better or we get bitter. I want to be one of those people who gets better, sweeter and sweeter as time goes by.
7. Murmurings And Complaining - Let It Go
We have five children and I can remember times in the car when I heard, "He's touching me." As a parent you may have turned to your children and said, "Let It Go!" as a warning that you did not want to hear any more arguing. We all have probably heard, "Are we there yet?" a hundred times, sometimes when we are just minutes away from pulling out of the driveway. Once we drove to the mountains to visit friends and after a few hours, our little David said, "We ain't never, never gonna' get there." I must admit that I have felt the same way when troubles hinder my way. How do you think the Israelites felt as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years? They handled it just the way our children do, by murmuring and complaining. Moses told them that their murmurings were not against him and Aaron, but against the Lord. "And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD." (Exodus 16:8) When the twelve spies searched the land of Canaan, all but Joshua and Caleb complained about the land and convinced the people not to enter into the Promised Land. "And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!" (Numbers 14:2) God heard their murmurings and told them that they would die in the wilderness. I wonder how many blessings we have missed because of our complaining. The early church must have also had trouble with this since Paul wrote, "Do all things without murmurings and disputings:" (Philippians 2:14) I usually try to focus on encouraging devotional thoughts, but if we can let go of some of these troublesome areas in our lives, it will be a blessing to us, and to those we come in contact with every day.
8. During Storms We Have To Let Things Go
I have never been on a boat or ship during a storm, but I want to look at two examples in the Bible. Our first example is in the book of Jonah, when he tried to run from the will of God. Jonah got on board a ship going in the opposite direction that God had told him to go, and God caused a great storm on the sea. "Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep." (Jonah 1:5) If someone tells you that you can't sleep or rest when you are out of the will of God, then remind them of Jonah. He was running from God and even during the terrible storm, he was down in the sides of the ship, fast asleep. The mariners let go of things they probably needed, in order to lighten the ship. Our next example is when Paul was on a ship going to Italy. It was God's purpose to use Paul as a witness in Rome, so he was not out of the will of God. And yet, the storm came. "And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship." (Acts 27:18-19) Again, they let go of things they thought they needed during the storm to lighten the ship. We all go through storms in this life. In Matthew 7 Jesus tells the parable of the wise man who built his house on the rock, and the foolish man who built his house on the sand. The storm came to both houses, but only the house on the solid foundation stood firm. When storms come into our lives we sometimes have to let go of things that we have been holding on to. They may be things that we have needed in the past, and we think we may need them again. When Michael was in the wreck that totaled his car we were glad that he was not hurt, but we were also sad because we needed that car. God supplied our need and we were able to get a larger car that will hold more of our grandchildren. God turned the trial into a blessing. We may go through storms and people leave us. It causes us great pain, but we have to let them go. I have seen houses destroyed totally during tornadoes, hurricanes, and fire. These people lose everything they have during the storm, and all they can do is let it go, and move forward. If you are going through a storm and you feel like it is all you can do to hang on to something or someone dear to you, it may be that you have to let go, and let God lead you through the storm.
9. Mother's Day - Sometimes Letting Go Is Hard
I was so excited the first time I found out that I was going to be a mother... but the joy turned to sorrow a few months later when I had a miscarriage. Mother's Day was sad for me that year because it was hard to let go of the plans I had already made and the joy I had anticipated. I didn't know that I would indeed become a mother, and there would be many Mother's Days when I would celebrate with my children. I understand that Mother's Day is not a happy occasion for many. I get it. It is hard to let go when you lose a child, no matter how old the child may be, it was still your baby and you feel like a part of you died with him or her. I became a mother in 1980 and we had five children in ten years. It was hard being a Mom, days were long and I think I didn't get a full night's sleep for ten years, but I was not prepared for the "empty nest" feeling I had after they all got married and moved out. When they were young our church pew was full on Mother's Day, and now it seems so empty as they have all gone in different directions. I feel your pain. Then, there are many who no longer have their Mom with them. When I was growing up people wore a red rose on Mother's Day if their mother was living and a white one if she had passed. We would have a lot of white roses at our church if that tradition had continued. If you are celebrating Mother's Day in the most blessed way today then I am happy for you and wish you many more to come. But, remember that there are some who were never able to be a mother, or they had to let go of children, or their own mother, and be kind. "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness." (Proverbs 31:26)
10. "Lay Aside Every Weight..."
Today I want to look at a verse that you may be familiar with. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us," (Hebrews 12:1) The previous chapter is often called the Hall of Faith. There we find many men and women in the Bible who were faithful, and finished their race. After all these positive stories, the writer is encouraging us to keep on running our race with patience as this "great cloud of witnesses" has already done. Our focus today is on "let us lay aside every weight." When runners practice they may add extra weight to increase their strength and endurance. When they are running in the race they lay aside all the added weight. We all have a race to run here on this earth. And there are some things that can weigh us down in our faithful service to the Lord. These may not be sinful in themselves, but anything we put ahead of Christ can weigh us down. It could be something that hinders us from going to church, such as time at the lake, ball games, or weekend get-a-ways. I think vacations are needful, but going away every weekend would certainly keep us from fulfilling our Christian service at our home church. Relationships with others might weigh us down from being faithful. If our friends are continually asking us to go places where God can't be glorified, or to do things that would harm our testimony, then that might keep us from faithfully running our race. I am not trying to condemn anyone or tell you what is right or what is wrong, but sometimes we need to make sure our priorities are right and we are moving ahead in our walk with the Lord.
11. "... And The Sin Which Doth So Easily Beset Us"
As we continue with Hebrews 12:1, we are looking at the second thing we are told to lay aside. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us," Jesus was the only One who ever lived without sin. "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) He is the only begotten Son of God and He came to die and pay for our sin so that we can have everlasting life. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23) "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (I John 1:8) The writer of Hebrews is speaking to Christian believers, encouraging us to let go of "the sin which doth so easily beset us." When we turn to Christ in salvation, we are to turn away from sin. I believe he says, "the sin", because we often have a certain sin that hinders us and causes us to fall to temptation. My problem sin is probably not the same as your problem sin. We want to put our sins on a scale, and believe that our sin is small, while the sin of others goes much deeper. But, the truth is, sin is sin. We are not under the law because Jesus fulfilled the law. We are under grace. We should be so thankful for God's mercy and grace and try to live as holy and righteous as we can. "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." (I Peter 1:15-16) Let's continue with Hebrews 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Lay aside your sin and don't look back to it. Keep on "looking unto Jesus" and He can help you overcome your sin and give you the victory!
12. Don't Let Go Of Your Lost Family And Friends
God wants to save us and lead us. We have God's Word to give us instruction, and the Holy Spirit to guide us, and preachers and teachers to help with understanding. There have been a few times when I feel like the Lord even showed me something in a dream. I remember reading while we were going through the book of Job, "For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction," (Job 33:14-16)
Last night I dreamed that we were planning on going to heaven and we knew that it would be soon, and we were all at a station and excited just like we were going on a great vacation. When the time came we realized that some who were gathered with us were on the other side of the tracks and were not going to be able to go with us. We were sad when we realized that they were going to miss out and we cried as we were saying our last good-byes. But, the ones who were staying behind were saying they would just keep on living as they had been, and it was all going to be okay. I woke up and I knew that was not how it is going to be, but it was as though God was telling me that people today see heaven that way. Christians are going to be sad because many of our family and friends have never made the decision to follow Christ. We are going through life, with the assumption that we will always be together, and we don't ask our loved ones if they have been saved. And many who are not saved keep trying to live a "good" life, thinking that will be enough to take them to heaven. They don't realize that Jesus is the only way of salvation, and when the Lord comes again I don't think they will realize even then, that they are in danger of eternal damnation. Missing heaven is not as simple as missing a train or plane to a wonderful vacation. It is more like falling into a lake of fire which never stops burning. We don't grasp the danger and we don't think about the permanence of our loved ones being separated from God forever. We have been talking about letting things go, but we need to hang on to our family and friends and tell them about God's saving grace. One day it will be too late. If you thought of someone special while you were reading this today, someone who may not be ready to meet the Lord, then God may be speaking to you and leading you to tell them how they can be saved and have everlasting life.
"16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18)
"And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." (Jude 22-23)
13. How To Let Go Of Discouragement And Depression
In our "Let It Go" devotions we have seen several things that we need to let go of in our lives. But some things are hard to let go. How do we let go of discouragement? How do we let go of depression and weariness? I feel that Paul was trying to address this in Galatians 6:9 when he said, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." He also told the believers in Thessalonica, "But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing." (II Thessalonica 3:13) We do get weary in well doing. I think of Elijah on Mount Carmel when God gave him the great victory over baal worship. He outran a chariot when after 3 1/2 years the rain came, after he prayed seven times. Jezebel threatened his life and he hid in the wilderness, and told the Lord that he was the only one left serving God. We may worship the Lord and find victory on the mountain top, only to come crashing down when our bodies get tired and weary and we feel like we are the only one who faced the difficulties that we are facing. Elijah not only was coming down from a great victory, and physically and mentally tired, but he also left his servant behind. "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." (I Kings 19:4) You can't get much lower than that. When we are discouraged and depressed we want to be alone, but when we are alone we often crawl deeper and deeper in our hole of despondency, until we feel that we have no hope. How did the Lord help Elijah overcome his weariness? God let him sleep and then the angel of the Lord fed him. "And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee." (I Kings 19:6-7) Take care of yourself. Sometimes when we have to give all our time and energy taking care of others, we neglect to take care of ourselves. God could have spoken to Elijah in the strong wind or the earthquake, but He didn't. God spoke to Elijah in "a still small voice." God cares for us and when we become weary He understands and wants to gently restore us. Then, God told Elijah to anoint two new kings, and anoint a new prophet to take his place. Sometimes God gives us an important duty to lift us up, out of our discouragement. God assured Elijah that he was not the only one who was still serving Him. There were 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed to baal. (I Kings 19:18) God knows all who are His. When God was ready to call His faithful servant home He sent a chariot of fire and horses of fire to carry him to heaven. This was a personal devotional for me today. If you find yourself in this place, know that you are not alone. We can pray and ask the Lord to lift us up in love and mercy, remembering I Peter 5:7, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."
14. Letting Go Of The Past
It can be so hard to let go of the past. Old folks used to talk about "the good ole days", and there are times that I miss some of the things of the past, but I would not want to go back. We miss family and friends that have moved on, or gone on, and we would like to see them again, just to sit and talk with them, but we can't go back in time. We could not go back and relive all the good times, without also going through all the bad times. When I look at facebook I check the memories that come up, and so many things have changed in just 3 or 5 years. I probably would not even remember most of what would come up if I could see memories from 30 or 50 years ago. It is good to remember the past, but we can't dwell in the past or let it keep us from going forward. "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)
15. Let Go Of Your Old Sins
Sometimes it is painful to remember the past. We are not perfect and we all sin, and it hurts to think about how we may have hurt others through our sin. It is especially hard to forget how we have sinned against our Lord, the One who died for us. But we have encouragement from God's precious Word. We can be forgiven and cleansed of our sin. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9) We are separated from our sin. "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12) And in Micah 7:19 we read, "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." In the book of Isaiah God tells us not to remember our sins, and even more, He does not remember our sins. "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." (Isaiah 43:18 & 25) When the devil tries to defeat you by memories of the past, trust in the Lord and have faith in His saving grace, loving compassion, and endless mercy. How wonderful to be forgiven!
