This blog was inspired by a dialogue I had with God based on this scene from the 1998 movie, “You’ve Got Mail.” Please take a moment to watch this video before you continue reading and we can travel down this “Go to the Mattresses” road together.
You need to know this one thing about me: I LOVE the arts … ALL arts … film, theater, dance, photography, painting, any form of expression. They are all creative like THE MAKER himself. God is speaking to the world through the world … it’s a rumor, He has no box … he is so outside of our scope of understanding. He is always speaking and through this scene He spoke to my heart like the ultimate God and Father He IS, “Go to the mattresses! Fight … fight to the death!” was His advice to overcome the issues that were consuming my heart at the time.
When Jesus died on the cross and sent the Holy Spirit, power became available to us to change, to overcome the many pains that we accumulated in growing up and in adulthood. And let me tell you, I had them! And with the help of the Holy Spirit I was empowered to take hold of truth and find healing. Jesus did what I could not do but I had to make some choices too. My favorite quote of all time is:
“It doesn’t take years, it takes choices!”
Imagine if the route you took on your way home had a huge hole in the ground and if no matter how hard you tried you fell in it every time and you continued to hurt yourself. Wisdom would say there is a practical thing you can do about this … pick a different route home. It’s a simple choice with dramatic results, which is NOT falling and continuing to hurt yourself. Your choices are powerful to produce change. For those that love their plan and think their route is the best, this lesson can take a little longer (And I’ve been there too).
So well here are some of the bloody battles I’ve been in: (I say bloody because in some of the battles I’ve had to die so I could truly live … death to self was actually the victory)
Fear of Rejection and abandonment: My parents were divorced at a young age and did they mean for me to feel rejected … NO. But it didn’t stop the devil from lying to me when I was too young to understand the truth. Rejection active in my life caused me to destroy relationships in my life before they had a chance to be successful. I was able to recognize and deal with this one early on in my Christian walk.
Pride: Ouch! Looking at my pride was no fun! It was a death at it’s very core. There was the snotting kind of crying and some dry heaving. I CAN be dramatic, but in this instance I’m so NOT being dramatic. This lesson had a lot to do with keeping my mouth shut. The grace found in humility is so worth it.
Anger: There have been different kinds of anger I’ve taken to the mattresses but my latest victory was just a mere three months ago. I blog about it at my personal blog page with a blog titled, “Ris and Jesus take on afternoon anger,” you can read more about that journey there.
I wanted to give these examples so that you would know that what ever your going through … whatever pain, concern, or anger there is victory to be had! The devil wants you to feel like it’s hopeless, IT’LL never change, YOU WILL never change, THEY WILL never change, sound familiar? The devil is so NOT creative! His lies are the same to everyone wanting to paralyze us with fear so we WON’T change. Whatever that thing is that has power over you and your emotions that is not God, I say: “You’ve got to go the Mattresses … Fight …Fight to the death of it!” (That’s the Ris version)
Some of you are thinking … well how do I fight?
DRAW YOUR SWORD! (Find your truth)
Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
(Example: when I was dealing with anger my truth was in 1 Corinthians 13 when I choose to love by always believing the best of my husband and Phil. 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right … think on these things” That was my sword.)
GET POWER! (Involve the Holy Spirit)
Jesus said in John 14:26
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (The Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance to words Jesus spoke as wisdom and encouragement)
Romans 15:13
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (The Holy Spirit gives us the power to hope against great odds in a God that is greater than ALL odds!)
1 Corinthians 2:12-14 (New King James Version)
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (When we pray and submit to the Holy Spirit what we are going through He speaks to us giving us wisdom and empowering us with strength to make right decisions)
PUNCH TO KNOCK OUT! (Get practical!)
Choose to think differently based on wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Go a different way home. Throw your scale out, don’t call people who discourage you, avoid situations that have repeatedly caused you to be angry, believe the best in people, choose truth and kill lies! Fighting is a verb … to the death … is an outcome! Getting practical is applying your sword and power in real time. You’ll find victory is imminent.
Don’t get me wrong, there are days that fighting is brutal and days you are able to rest in your gained ground. A friend once gave me this analogy when I was overcoming some bad habits associated with the fear of rejection.
“It’s like one day you were walking down the road and walked into freshly poured wet cement (what ever painful experience that caused the root of rejection) and instead of breaking the cement off right away you began to walk with the block of cement on your foot. You made accommodations for the block by changing the way you walked to the point you didn’t remember how it felt to walk without it. One leg became stronger and the leg muscle that had the block attached became weaker before you realized your need to be free from the block. You break the block off your foot only to have to learn to walk again.”
You see there is an uncomfortable process of choosing to be free everyday of the battle. And in doing so you choose to fight … you’re choosing victory!
So I admonish you if the Holy Spirit brushed His gentle hand over your heart showing you an area that could be more free (like He has so often done to me), follow the advice of the ultimate God and Father (my inspired interpretation from one of the best romantic comedies of the 90’s) and go to the mattresses, fight … fight to the death!
Aaah so true. We serve a Warrior God, one that admonishes us to fight for causes that are worthy…like in Nehemiah…fight for your women and children, fight for your families…and then to also know what causes don’t require us to fight…but to keep our mouths shut…for me, it means to choose my battles…to be quiet, hold my tongue, be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger…and oh my word…is that going to be a daily warrior battle for me!!!
I just LOVE the scriptures that you included in this post!! This blog was filled with too much wisdom to hold on to, but those scriptures are like little packages – holding everything you said. And so I will remember your lessons as I learn my own.
First…how sweet to know that my bestest friend (Coli) and I were pretty much reading your blog at the same time on Monday morning and that I get to comment right after her…
Second… Ris, you brought it, girl! Y.G.M. is one of my all time favorite movies. It is classic… romantic comedy at its best, so I love the fact that this movie inspired a God-lesson in you!
Oh goodness… how we all couldn’t jump on your coat tails and write mini-blog responses. I so resonate with what you’ve written and sigh because I know that I am still struggling to win some of my battles. It’s amazing how our enemy will take the tiniest of cracks any try to force his way back into our souls and gain ground again…at any and every chance!
Rejection, Unworthiness, Abandonement…these are just a few I have tackled under God’s guidance, but this biggest, by far, is PRIDE…and I know that’s the most frequent fissure in my armor.
Thank you for pointing to us so much bread at the end of your blog. They are such good, life-sustaining morsels.
Much Love!
Babs
I love how transparency breeds transparency… don’t you?
I am still go to the mattresses. It’s been 10 years trying to form a family with my lost siblings here in Texas. I still live here and still”rejected” by them. The hurt i feel when I see their holiday photos together on the web and I am not included. I have tried inviting them over- no response. Gotta continuely go to the mattress! gOD BLESS!
I know I have said this before but I really think this is just the beginning for what God has for you Ris..your writing is so powerful and I can also see you speaking and helping people find the freedom you walk in!! You continually inspire me to go deeper…Lots of Love girl and keep those passions alive…there are contagious!!!
Ok! So I am in tears this morning! Thank you Ris! You had some great practical stories that just might help me over come some stuff.
Sooo needed this today. I’m going from my comfortable Temperpedic mattress today to begin another day at “the mattresses” to the death.
GO RIS!! Love it!! Your cute format jumps off the page!!
It’s such praise to Him how you just throw it all out there like casting a net for God to draw us all close to Him & invite us to choose freedom of JOY!
Jesus has given you the beautiful gift of the ability to speak to hearts in the language He created us to understand-pictures!
You capture His very own passion in your love for creation and creativity! He doted on each of His creations with beauty, drama, music! Let the Rocks cry out! He LOVES His creation!! The passion in your heart was birthed from His own!!
As the pinnacle of His creation He fashioned us, women! No wonder Satan envies us so strongly that he must wage war against our self-image created in the likeness of our Daddy!!
How many use this beauty of creativity for His GLORY and not the worship of their own need?! Not many, but y’all are!! Sink or swim, you lay it all out there!!
I let those scriptures go deeply this morning dividing light from darkness, lies from truth! Death to self preservation is a FUN one(totally lying), but choosing to lay all He asks on the alter is freedom from fear!He just adores us too much to let us walk around in ugly cement block shoes!! They’re so not cute!;) Love ya & His light shining through you!! Sach:)
Genious! Tom Hanks in genious!! Fight to the death! I just got to see the video! I love, “This is your CHANCE!” Meg Ryan’s girl version is perfect!!
Ris-
Wow, literally brought to tears. This post so touches a place in my heart I am ‘dealing’ with right now. “Take it to the Mattresses” is so what I needed to hear and a was so fitting for what I am dealing with. People Pleasing and Rejections, those fears that if I don’t do this or can’t do that, that somehow I become a failure to myself or for someone else. Realizing this week that healthy boundaries I thought I had put in place where merely just deep lines drawn in the sand waiting to be brushed away with the next wave.
So with all that said this is just a huge encouragement to me cause I cannot get ask for more time to wait to deal with this issue and I cannot get space right now (for reason that can’t require explanation right now). I am daily faced with the question of (Jessica, it’s a new day- How will you deal?) my own inward question of course. I know it is merely a process of learning to love myself and truly see myself as God sees me.
Anyways, all that to say thank you for sharing from your heart and willing to be transparent. You are a precious friend whom I know I would benefit from talking to more often. Thank you for this “nugget” today, I needed it!
jess
Hey Sweetie,
As always, great post. I’m so thankful that you’ve gone to the mattress so many times for our family and for yourself. Few people get to see the side of you that I see; the side that relentlessly pursuits God; the side that constantly seeks to be a better God-listener; the side that would rather be have God-vindication than self-vindication. I’ve always loved that about you. You are a true God-lover and I love seeing the transformation in your life.
So, in my best godfather voice, know that “You are a loved by me and your family. If anyone doesn’t believe it, I’ll send cousin Vinnie to talk to them”.
Love you,
Yuri Star
Marissa,
Marissa,
Your blog today gave me a picture of you when you work out….such passion and stability to fight to the end!!:) When I started “Boot Camp”, I asked the Lord”why am I doing this?” and I felt like He said You are going through this because I am taking through “My spiritual Boot Camp” as well! Revelation!!! Thank you Jesus! Marissa, your words today were so right on! I love your commitment and dedication to the Lord! We are in a daily fight and each and every day I am reminded that the devil has no new tricks, he will just keep on trying to bring us down, but what he doesn’t know is that we can OVERCOME by the blood of the lamb and the words of our testimony(love the song!:))
So, from one worrier princess to another…You go girl!!:)
Love Ya,
Maree
Your devotion was absolutely on the mark. I appreciated your candidness about what you’ve gone through. I plan to go to the mattress for my family today and everyday. You’ve inspired me to continue my fight against the lies Satan likes to throw our way. Thank you so much.
I love how you get practical! fight fight! yeah!
Love it Ris! This is so practical and incredibly relevant no matter where we are in our fights.
Loved it Ris! Thank you for sharing your heart. I needed the reminder to stay the course and FIGHT!
Love you!!
Missy
Your quote “It doesn’t take years, it takes choices!” that I saw on your myspace page years ago very quickly became one of my favorite quotes that you’ve no doubt seen me borrow:-) Ris, you are a passionate and beautiful soul full of love for our King and His children. I found encouragement both in this blog and on your personal blog … both ministered to me in different ways this evening. Thank you for sharing!
Ris ~ This was such an awesome word of encouragement. I loved the video … it brought your words to life.
Thank you for taking the time to hear the Lord on this and to share your heart with me and all the other people who have read this.
Today, I’m choosing victory!
Loves ~ Stacy
You know this as such a “God Blog” for my life right now! I feel like giving up, but I never thought of it as a battle or fight! Love you the most, besides your family! You a superfly Blog writter that makes my mascara smear!
I wanted to thank all of you for your comments and really your heart! Thanks for sharing your battle scares with transparency and an anchored trust in God! I am humbled to fight next to you as we fight to the death the issues of life that try to entangle us! I will carry you in heart.
Great Love!,
~Ris
Love this! Fight for your freedom! Transparent and real. Thinking of the scripture John:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
oops..that was John 16:33
Thanks,
that’s encouraging.
to the Mattresses!
I so needed this post. Thank you for your encouraging and real words!!!
Love ya Ris!!!!
Amy
I have just read your featured article and I am so proud of you. God has given you a special gift of acting and written expression which allows you to mentor, teach and reach the hearts of so many hurting women. The Lord is using your life experienc…es to touch other lives and bring them closer to building a relationship with God. How I wish your brothers could be touched by the Holy Spirit the way you were as a young adult. Life would not be such a struggle for them. It took a near death experience for me to get touched by the Holy Spirit–we pray that it doesn’t take such an extreme experience to reach your brothers. Keep them in prayer. You have blessed our lives! You continue to amaze me with your creative talents and being the BEST MOM EVER! Look forward to your next article. Keep on writing——Luv you Mom
I LOVE THIS!