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Doers of the Word Blog

I'm back!  And so is the Nest!  

Sunday, April 4, 2021 • • General
I'm back!  And so is the Nest!  

I'm back!  And so is the Nest!  

Sunday, March 28, 2021 

I posted my last blog on December 13, 2017.  Yep, exactly three years, three months, and 14 days ago!  Or, 1,021 days!  Or 28,824 hours! Or 1,729,440 minutes! Or 6,225,984,000 seconds!  Whatever way you choose to look at it, a lot of time has elapsed since then.  It would be amazing if I could say that I accomplished great things, completed many of my goals, and started working on new ones.  It would be an awesome testimony if I were able to write that I ministered to hundreds of people, hosted several ministry events, and continued to walk in the Spirit as I battled the temptations of my flesh.  Sadly, that is not my story. 

In my last blog, titled Accepting God's Word, I shared the story of how God used a natural experience to teach me a spiritual lesson.  In that blog, I shared the story of a bird's nest that had been lodged into the dryer vent of my house causing my clothes dryer to stop working.  The blockage caused a thermal fuse to blow which in turn rendered the dryer useless, inoperable, ineffective, and unable to do the job it was built to do.  The technician was able to replace the fuse which allowed me to use the dryer but warned me that the fuse would blow again if I did not get the bird's nest removed from the vent.  I heeded his advice, had the nest removed, and had no more problems with the dryer. 

Fast forward to Spring 2020, when the world was shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing many offices to resort to virtual work, or teleworking, from home.  One day, while teleworking, I started hearing a scratching noise near the window by my workstation.  It sounded like claws lightly tapping on tin, and usually started at dawn and could be heard on and off through out the day, until dusk.  I initially thought that it may have been birds perching on my windowsill or on top of my outdoor grill, so I walked around the house to investigate, but saw nothing.  So, I continued to work and "hoped" the noise would just go away. 

However, the noise continued off and on for days and became increasingly more annoying with each scratch!  In exasperation, I walked around the outside of my house again, and to my surprise, there was ANOTHER bird's nest lodged into the dryer vent!  "But wait," I thought.  "I checked a couple weeks ago and saw no evidence of a nest!  Could the birds have built a nest that large so quickly?  And why didn't the dryer stop working this time?"  All these questions flooded my mind as I called a technician to come back to my house to remove the nest. This time, in addition to removing the nest and sanitizing the dryer vent hose, the technician installed a permanent dryer vent cover on the outside to prevent the birds from reentering the vent. 

As I was writing this blog, God showed me yet another analogy that helps me to understand more clearly how and why I ended up where I am today—still struggling to walk in the spirit in EVERY area of my life.  God showed me that I had allowed another "nest" to take up residence in my heart and in my mind.  In my last blog, I noted that the bird's nest is "every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God." (2 Corinthians 10:5).  God showed me how every branch was gathered and placed to form this nest.   Every time I looked in the mirror in disgust at the image that was reflected, I added a branch or twig to the nest.  Every time I questioned my ministry and wondered if anyone could really receive from me, I added a branch or twig to the nest.  Whenever I attempted to move forward in planning a WOW event, but instead withdrew due to doubt, fear, or procrastination, I added a branch or twig to the nest.   So, over time the individual branches resulted in another nest, rendering me useless, inoperable, ineffective, and unable to do the job that I was created to do, just like my dryer.       

God then showed me what I needed to do to prevent my nests from returning.  Just as the technician installed a cover over the vent on my house, He instructed me to build a spiritual cover over my heart and mind to block the devil's access to territory where he has no place.  Installing my cover will require that I become more diligent and steadfast in the study of God's word because the temptations and trials of life will always be with me.  It will require that I spend more time with God in prayer and fasting.  This is spiritual warfare and will require the daily consecration of my mind, body, and spirit to the Lord.   

I can no longer drop my guards and allow the devil any space in my life.  I can no longer relax when I achieve a certain milestone (e.g., weight loss goals) because 1 Peter 5:8 tells me to "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." I will no longer be an entrée option on his dinner menu.  Instead, I will fight the good fight of faith so that I can lay hold on eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:12).  I must move as God directs me to move, despite my fears or the doubts of my natural man.  I can no longer condemn myself for past mistakes or mourn the time that I've lost due to inactivity, regardless of the cause.  I must ask God for His forgiveness and His grace to move from this point forward, "forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." (Philippians 3:14).  As a minister stated in a recent Sunday worship service, it is not how you started the race, but how you finish it.  But one thing is for sure.  A runner cannot win the race if he never shoots out of the starting blocks when the starter's gun sounds.  Well, God (The Starter) has shot the gun, and I am now ready to run!!   

Visitor Comments (1)

I'm Back

Hey Sis Lynda,
Thank you for being transparent and obedient to what God called you to do. It really blessed me!!!

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