A personal blog from ELOHAI International's Publisher & CEO
Below are some reflections on the cost of discipleship, becoming living sacrifices, and the importance of yielding our communication to God. I'm sharing a bit of my journey in hopes it encourages someone else…
There is a cost to discipleship.
Part of crucifying our flesh, submitting to Holy Spirit, and controlling our tongue is purifying our communication.
For me, this was one of the first acts of surrender when I gave my life to Jesus. The purification of my language and words has been a continual process and daily I have to choose to speak what honors God and not my flesh. For instance, sometimes, I can have the right thing to say, but I must ask, is this the right timing - God's timing? Or, is this truth being spoken in love? (Ephesians 4:15). These are just two examples.
In 2015, the Lord called me into ministry and told me to begin sharing my testimony and leading small groups for abuse and assault survivors. I said, “I can’t do that. I can’t speak about you to people because I curse too much!”And here is when my journey got interesting and the sanctification of my communicate went to another level.
Holy Spirit instructed me to stop watching television and stop listening to “my” music. As a music lover, I surely thought this would be a quick work. I thought it would be about two weeks and vualá, God would be satisfied. But after a few weeks, I no longer desired the music or TV and after a few months, I realized that I was no longer cursing. God ultimately changed my appetite in those areas so I didn’t desire the media that I once did and in hindsight, I realized that what I allowed in my eyes and ears impacted what came out of my mouth.
When we commit our lives to Christ, it is truly a commitment - that means we sacrifice, let go of things that won’t work with that relationship, and yes, cut things off just as we would do in committed relationships with people we want to build a future with. He says, “If you love me, obey.”
We cannot pay the cost of discipleship when we refuse to submit, refuse to do things His way, and attempt to walk this journey alone. We need Holy Spirit, the Word, and other believers.
I do pray that we begin to take The Great Commission to heart and truly make and become disciples and not just converts.
If you desire to surrender your tongue to Jesus, meditate on related scriptures and confess God’s truth for you (I included some scriptures in this post).
Lastly, I will share this. This year, my main Bible study assignment is the book of Jeremiah. Much like the Prophet, I had grown frustrated with the world around me, issues I was being led to speak towards, and the aftermath. My frustration had begun to impact how I communicated. But thanks to a dear sister in Christ, I have begun to study and unpack Jeremiah 15:19, realizing that once again God is calling me higher and requiring more sacrifice pertaining to my words.
To those who’ve made the choice to give God your life as a living sacrifice, I’m on this journey with you. Daily I am seeking the help of Holy Spirit so that my words (and the words that shared through this company) are not negatively influenced by the world, my flesh, and how people respond to me.♥️
Your sister in Christ,
Natasha Brown Watson
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