Thursday, December 6, 2012

Burning My Plow

This posting is in response to a Bible study I am presently involved in with Proverbs 31 ministry. It is on the book, Greater, by Steve Furtick.

As I read chapters 3 and 4, I began to question, “Exactly what is my plow that needs to be burned, Lord?”

In response, to myself, I gathered it could be nothing else; it had to be the continuing battle with my fears. Ah yes, I must continue to overcome them in the ministry I am presently volunteering in too. Those nasty fears that I battled all my life will not simply go away and stay away. It is a constant battle.
It is one I have been winning, mind you, but, nevertheless, I still find myself encountering fear at every turn.

I continued to read on. Each page I turned seemed more interesting than the last.

I found myself nodding my head in agreement with Pastor Furtick. “Yes, yes, I know what I must do.”

Then….suddenly…..I just knew the Lord was trying to get my attention.
Have you ever felt that way?
So engrossed in your own thoughts…yet, you feel the Lord competing for your attention.

Before I had had an opportunity to think about it….I paused, of course, to clear my head of my own thoughts in order to hear what it was He wanted to say to me.
Are you ready for this….the BIG Ouch?
I sure wasn’t!!

“Pride.”

Yep.
That is what I heard.
Pride.

Ouch, ouch and double OUCH.

How on earth can an insecure person like me be battling with pride? (Because I AM an insecure person…honestly)
Immediately following that thought, the Lord placed recent memories in my head of thoughts I had entertained, and even words that I had spoken.

Have I said it enough yet? OUCH.

There I sat, suddenly uncomfortable and convicted. I for sure had pride issues, and now I had to own them and deal with them.

Now.

I put down the book, determined to gather my thoughts and listen for any further words from the Lord.

The nasty words and thoughts circled my conscience and I felt ill.
I knew I had not been following the Lord.
I knew my thoughts and words were against everything He taught me.

I need to humble myself. I need to focus on Him and what He has for me to do.

I heard nothing further from the Lord. His single word had been enough. It did its job nicely.

My burning plow is to be my pride. It is not going to be easy to burn, but I must.


Oh Lord, help me to burn my pride to ashes.
My pride entertains anger, and allows me to feel self righteous. It holds me back from living in peace and robs me of true happiness. And worse, it deters me from being the help to others I long to be.
Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness. Thank you for showing me the plow I must leave behind. Thank you…for I know you will stay by my side as I walk down this road. I am not alone, for you are with me…always. Amen.

26 comments:

  1. Judi, I'm glad you found your answer even if it was difficult to give pause and maybe wasn't the answer you expected. I'm encouraged to see so many others stepping up to the challenge to leave things behind that are holding us back from greater.

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    1. Yes, I am relieved the Lord caught my attention through this study as well. I can look back and see now where He has been trying to get my attention for some time. Sadly, I refused to listen. Now I can begin to move forward...and become greater.
      Thanks for your comment. Have a great day!

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  2. Judi,

    That is awesome!!! Although not the pain part but with great growth comes pain. I remember my sister's kids as they were growing up - right before a growth spurt awful pain in their legs and arms. I pray you continue on this journey with God and He continues to show you the next step.

    Blessing sweet sister,
    Catherine
    OBS Group Leader

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    1. I am always so tickled to know the Lord is so personal with me. Although there is much pain...sometimes more than others :0) I continue to be very thankful that He spends this time to help me to be who I need to be. Aren't we so blessed to have such a caring and personal Savior?! Praise the Lord!
      Thanks for your prayer. God bless you.

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    2. Judi, I am always so thankful that God continues to talk to me and deal with me even though I continue to fail to live up to the faith I profess. God's love is so amazing. I am so blessed that Jesus is my Savior, now I need to make sure He is Lord completely not just in words.

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    3. Amen to that!! Thanking Him again today for His faithfulness and for changed lives.
      Thanks for commenting.

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  3. I had a lot of ouch moments in this chapter too! Thank you so much for sharing your blog! May God bless you through this journey!!

    Jennifer Newsom
    OBS Group Leader

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    1. Thanks for your comment Jennifer. It was a pretty powerful chapter, wasn't it? The Lord uses these studies to speak to us; I am so glad to know of Proverbs 31, Melissa Taylor and oh so many others who are involved in this ministry. It is proving to be so very fruitful.God bless.

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  4. Thank you so much for your honesty, Judi! I'm right there with you having to burn my fears, and that sneaky pride too.

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    1. And thank you Erin for your honesty. It's always nice to have company, isn't it? LOL
      I liked it when you put the word 'sneaky' in front of pride. It is so true. It sneaks up on us out of nowhere. We need to constantly be aware...and beware!

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  5. Enjoyed reading your post! Thanks for the honesty. The 'truth will set you free'!
    God Bless
    Becky

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    1. Thanks Becky! Yes, it will be so nice to be set free from this pride....I guess I simply didn't see it for what it was. Thank the Lord for His ongoing faithfulness! Blessings on you!

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  6. Judi, I loved your post! I led the Greater study in my home this past September and guess what?? God had me burn the same thing! My first reaction when He spoke that to me was, "I don't have pride!" and then I realized at that moment it was the Pride speaking...ugh & LOL all at once. God will bless you beyond your imagination for your obedience in burning this plow. Enjoyed your post :)
    Linda Kuhar, Women's Christian Life Coach & OBS Team

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  7. Thank you Linda. I look forward to those extra sweet blessings from the Lord. I am so glad you enjoyed..and so much related to, my post. Blessings on you today!

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  8. Judi thanks for sharing. Great post and ouch moments for me too in this chapter. Actually all the chapters so far and I hear they get better but I just keep going back over and over because of the ouches. I need to make sure I take care of all of them. Debbie W. (OBS Leader)

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    1. Thanks Debbie. I suppose I should keep going back over the chapters as well. I wonder if this study will be repeated, it would certainly be beneficial. Good for you for being so dedicated! I can barely manage tackling one thing at a time. You have been an inspiration to me. Blessings!

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  9. Judi thank you so much for sharing. Yes! isn't it so easy for pride to be there even when we don't realize how it sneaks up. Often my insecurities are really rooted in pride. Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Yes, yes and yes, Jenn. "Often my insecurities are really rooted in pride." So true! Thanks so much for your comments.

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  10. Judi,
    Love this blog! I love how you share even the not-so-good parts. And that once you heard God saying you needed to deal with pride, you decided to deal with it. Thank you for sharing your heart <3

    Love and blessings,
    Kristen (OBS Group leader)

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    1. Thanks Kristen. Yes, I am dealing with it...and it is a battle. Just last night at the ministry meeting where I volunteer I had a demon on my shoulder. BUT, with the Lord's help, I was able to kick him off!! It wasn't easy...but like they say, "one day at a time."
      It is one victory. Praise the Lord!

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  11. http://capechristian.com/index.php/messages/message/broken-made-beautiful

    this is a link to my church's site. it's a great new series" beautiful things" it's about pride.
    That's always a toughy. I feel your pain and felt it when i listend ot the above sermon. Not that it is at all condemning more self reflection...
    http://annee867.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks Annee. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Have a great day! God bless, Judi.

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    1. Thanks for your encouragement! You have a great day!

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  13. This is amazing. I'm with you in burning those plows.

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    1. Good to hear! Thanks Annie. Blessings to you.

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