The Price of Admission

Romans 12:10 NRSV
​love one another with mutual affection;
​outdo one another in showing honor.

The energy of our lives matters. The way we feel on any given day determines how it's all going to go for us. The mood we have will set the atmosphere around us and we will project onto others everything that is going on inside of us. We may not mean to have it happen, but our hearts spill forth from our mouths in words, in our body language, and in the quality of everything we produce. Our energy is set by the condition of our hearts. Therefore, it is important to adhere to the wisdom of Proverbs 4:23 NIV, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

For this reason we must be sure to live in a manner that protects our heart space and keeps us aligned with God, in a posture and with a porosity to receive direction from God at all times. When we are operating in the energy of God, allowing ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit, things will go well in our lives, and for our legacies. We know this from Deuteronomy 12:28 NRSV "Be careful to obey all these words that I command you today, so that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God."
But when our energy is off, when we feel disconnected from God and our countenance is not lifted up at the level of connection required to project His light in our lives, things don't go so well (Matthew 5:16). It is important to understand your own heart so that you may effectively curate the atmosphere of your life to honor and protect your heart space. 

My encouragement today is to establish love, respect, and honor as the minimum price of admission for anyone you consider having to take space in your life. Anybody you choose to surround yourself with needs to demonstrably operate in love, respect, and honor toward you, and you toward them. If there is any impediment to this mutuality with anyone in the heart space of our life, I encourage you to pray for God to speak to your heart on how to address the matter. If you feel anxiety or uneasiness about someone in your life, ask God to help you clarify the condition of your heart. Do this, and He will bring you peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:6-8). The people you allow in your life should be ones who show honor to God in their relationship with you. The people around you, whom you allow to speak into your life, should be producing the fruit of God in your life. What does that look like? It looks like the Fruit of the Spirit as defined in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control..." 
If this is not the case for you today I'm praying for you to seek God on the matter.

Be Blessed!
~Nina

Declaration: The way my heart is set up, I have to be wise and discerning about the spaces where I dwell and the people I commune with so that I am living my blessed life at all times.