Old Jeans…New Ways

                Okay, so I admit, I need some help with better titles to my blogs. Pray for me.  Hopefully , the content is more entertaining than the name.lol..  I never thought that choosing a pair of jeans would send me on a spiritual journey.  Much less, blog about it!   However,  God is in the business of speaking right into the heart of matters and getting our attention.   Levi Jeans just  happen to be the subject matter He used for me.   Let me try and explain.

                As most of you know, I’ve been desperately trying to take off this last 10 pounds.  To say the least,  it has been no easy task, but I’m gaining far more than I’m losing in this battle.  One of the things I’m learning is about self discipline.  This word, “self discipline” is not as ugly to me as it use to be.  Before, if I heard that word I would run and hide.  Now, I swallow hard and remind myself that it’s good for me.  Put it this way, discipline and I are not BFF’s but we are at least on speaking terms right now. 

                Now , back to the whole point of this blog…jeans and new ways.  I was standing in my closet the other day, trying to find a pair of jeans that I could wear.  Most of the jeans I own are too big for me now because I’ve lost some weight. This is a good issue to have and I’m excited.    I was rummaging through my huge collection and noticed all the different sizes.  Then, out of nowhere, God butted into my fashion thoughts.  Weird, I know but bare with me here.   

 “ Kim, why  haven’t you gotten rid of all these  old jeans that don’t fit you?”

  “ Uhm, because I don’t want to.” 

“You don’t want to?  Aren’t you trying to get into a new size?  If that is the case,  why do you keep holding onto the old sizes , Kim?"

Honestly, I didn’t know what to say.  So,  I simply replied back to God , “ Well, I don’t want to have to buy new ones because they are so expensive!”  Ha, I thought that would be an appropriate answer to  God because certainly He understands  the economy and all!    Instead, God responded , “ Am I not your new supply and provision?” 

                “Well, yeah, God, but..”

“ Kim, don’t you see that wanting the new but continuing to choose the old is not how my Kingdom works!  You must be willing to be stretched into those new places, agree with them and allow the old supply to be let go, so my new supply for you can begin to flow!”  Obviously, at this point, I knew Levi Jeans is not what He was referring to , but rather God was showing me something greater than denim or fashion.  I put my listening ears on. 

                You see, God had a point.  God was showing me something that I didn’t realize I was doing.  You see, I held onto the old pair of jeans because of security --a “just in case” excuse.  I kept them around in case I needed them again!  I held onto those old jeans because I felt comfortable in them. I was use to their size.  In a way, I  was enslaved to them.  This new size I’m in feels odd to me.  I haven’t quite gotten use to the firmer fit.  I need time to stretch into them.  It’s odd for me to even shop for this new size because I don’t quite believe yet that I’m really smaller.  In fact, I feel like I'm an imposter. Satan is trying to make me feel like I'm not worthy of this size.  Do you know what I mean? Silly, huh?  But you know it's true.  Some of you may have been here or maybe it's speaking to you about something else in your life.   Maybe there was a small place of unbelief that had crept into my walk and God was faithfully showing me a place of hindrance in a very real place of my life.  Yikes…I needed the humbling. 

                Our spiritual lives are much like these jeans.  We desire new things, but when it comes time to throwing  away all those old things that hinder us, we have a problem letting go.  Without realizing it, we’ve bought into a slave mentality.  When it’s time to be set free, we don’t really believe we are free. We don't believe it or feel worthy of a new victory or position in our lives.  What do I mean by this?  Simply, it’s hard to adapt to changes both in our physical and spiritual lives.   We can EASILY  get stuck without realizing it.  I wanted to be a size 8 again, but I was still acting like a size 14!  It’s not about the number people, it’s about the mindset. What mindset do you have?

                When Joshua crossed over the Jordan River from the desert, God stopped the old supply line of daily manna because they had just entered into the NEW place.  The OLD has to go for the NEW to come!   They wouldn’t need that OLD manna anymore because there were NEW sources to be fed from. God always has a NEW supply waiting for us to tap into!!   Also, let’s note that the first thing that God had Joshua do was to  circumcise the Israelites as they entered into this NEW territory..  This represents God cutting away the old places so they could be set apart for the new  places God had for them to take hold of.   God still does this today with His people. 

                It’s great to want new things to happen to us and for God to do new things in us but we will never get there unless we align our thoughts, actions and words to agree with His truth.  We must take hold of all those new places that god wants for us to tackle and have victory in.

                We must be willing to be stretched into new jeans if you will, even if the old jeans feel comfortable and acceptable.  Kind of like,  we need to let new wine skin be stretched so it can hold the new wine or it will burst.   OLD  wine skin can’t hold new wine.  My problem was that I had this old slave mentality of agreeing that I might one day return to my old sizes, so I held onto the old jeans.  However, God was trying to show me that if you want the new size then shop for some new jeans!lol…(Did someone say, shop!... )

I hope you are getting what I’m trying to say here ,people.  If you want the NEW things of God then throw out the old ways of doing things, thinking, speaking and acting.  It’s the only way.  Hebrews 12:1 tell us to throw off those old things that hinder us and to fix our eyes on Jesus!   Let us  take hold of the new mind set and path God has for each of us.  Let us  agree to walk in it completely and throw off every hindrance that might entangle or entice us to remain in Egypt.  Are you not a new creation in Christ Jesus?  Are you allowing the old supply to stop so that you can make room for the new?  Trust me, my closet is NOW ready for some new jeans!!

What jeans(old ways) do you have stored in your closet  (life) that God wants to clean out , so you can start wearing the new size this season?  Is it old habits? Old thinking? Old relationships? Old sin? Old ministry ideas?  Will you allow God  to peek into your spiritual closet for a makeover today? 

                As for me, I’m wearing and claiming those new sizes today! I’m stepping out and agreeing for the truth to take root in my life.  I will be all that God has called me to be and I plan to look good while I get there!  Be blessed today….