Come Alongside Me The Beginning (CASM 1)

Hello and welcome to Come Alongside Me. When I was in my twenties and thirties, I craved for someone to have the courage to come alongside me. I needed someone to tell this saved woman Jesus loves you, but you are in disobedience and out of line. That statement and act of love potentially could have turned me around. I am not blaming anyone for the choices that I made. I’m certainly not saying that if someone would’ve said that, that I would’ve automatically changed. I own my acts of disobedience and praise God for repentance and forgiveness.

Titus 2 speaks about the aged (mature) women teaching the young women things that become sound doctrine. These aged women also needed to be living these doctrines, so the teachings could go on from generation to generation. How powerful could it have been for a mature woman to have spoken life into me? Well now that I am a mature woman I am doing Titus 2. There are twenty-year-old women, thirty, forty, fifty and beyond that hungered and still do for someone to come alongside them.

She’s grown she can make her own decisions

One of the statements I dislike hearing the most is, she’s grown she can make her own decisions. That’s one of the biggest excuses not to extend help. Maybe it’s due to someone not extending help to us, and we indirectly punish others by withholding love and information. Possibly, because of fear of rejection or making the person mad. Maybe, we don’t feel qualified to speak because our lives are in disarray and not on the straight and narrow. It could be due to selfishness. If you say you love someone which means you care about their wellbeing. You owe it to them to speak the truth in love regardless of the outcome and your background. The list can go on about why we don’t extend ourselves. When we focus on why Jesus called us, the excuses and fear begin to dissipate.

Relating to the act and/or feelings

When speaking to someone involved in things I have done or in some type of sin. I let them know I can relate to the act and/or feelings. You aren’t disqualified if you can’t relate to the actual circumstance. We all have the same feelings and emotions. Draw from them to make a connection.

For example, you don’t have to experience your parent dying to understand some of the person’s pain. Put yourself in that place of loss. Imagine the feeling if you got that phone call or watched your loved one take his or her last breath. Envision not being able to speak to that person ever again. Visualize losing your job and the inability to pay your bills, feed your family, and meet your needs. You don’t have to do drugs or alcohol to relate to the addict. Put yourself in that place. Imagine your body deteriorating, your organs failing, losing your home, and your family walking out.

Testimony, condemnation, and discernment

Using your testimony to encourage is opening up about your sin, how Jesus cleansed and made you victorious over it. It’s being honest about the consequences of your actions and glorifying Christ. He always loves you and wants to use you despite your disobedience. Condemnation is belittling and criticizing someone and glorifying yourself while lying about your sin. Discernment is the ability to look at or judge a situation or circumstance for enlightenment. If you have a loved one that you know steals, would you leave them in your home alone? No, you would not because that is using wisdom. You don’t love them any less. You don’t hate them. It would be foolish of you if you know they are a thief to jeopardize your family’s safety and belongings.

Judging for discernment is needed to navigate wisely through life for the protection of you and your loved ones. We must know that when someone is confronting us about our sin, it’s because as Christian’s that is our calling. Christ loves us but hates the sin, and He will never condone something He forbid. Even though it may be difficult to receive. Count it a blessing for someone to come alongside you in love and intercede for you. My heart desires to come alongside women who knew better, didn’t do better, and don’t think they can be better. They listened and believed the lie of the enemy and not the completed inspired Word of God. My prayer is that women will come alongside those women to encourage them through their acts of disobedience.