Tuesday, June 18th, 2024
Recently I spent a few days preparing our household and all the two and four-legged creatures for a weekend away. My husband and I were heading in one direction, the kids were going to their grandparents and I needed to make sure the chickens and cats were prepared for two days by themselves. While I was wonderfully delighted to think about the break that we all needed, I found myself quickly overwhelmed by all that had to be done first. I am a list-maker, so I had a breakout by day of all that needed to be done, the items my husband and I would need and a separate list for the kids. Usually, I rise up to the occasion of being busy and multitasking. This time felt different.
Luke 6:45 says:
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Throughout all these days of preparation I found myself getting anxious, easily agitated and not sleeping well. Those are not good fruits. So, I asked the Lord what was going on. He promptly reminded me that I was trying too hard in my own strength and wisdom and not allowing the Holy Spirit to help me. I know this is something God has been gently reminding me of for some time. For most of my life I relied on my own brain, strength, skills and whatever else I needed to be the best at that which I put my hand to. Yes, God gives us these things, but when we rely on ourselves to champion these things instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to use them for His glory, we will eventually produce some not-so-good fruit.
We know there are lots of scriptures about the Holy Spirit leading us:
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.
John 16:13: However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth
Galatians 5:25: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Psalm 143:10: Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.
If we stop and think, do our lives, words and thoughts reflect the truth of these scriptures? We know Holy Spirit can speak to us and lead us, but do we give Him space to? Lately, I keep getting the picture of this being a muscle that we have to work. If we want to be strong in this area, we have to keep using that muscle and pushing it to new levels. If we never lift weights in the physical, we cannot expect to win a weight lifting competition. It’s the same with Holy Spirit. If we want Him to fully lead us and fill us, we have to make an effort to spend time with Him and learn how He speaks to us. For me, sometimes it’s a scripture, a song, a sensation in my body, a vision, a word from the Lord, or even something my kids say. This is the muscle that needs training. We have to give Holy Spirit the freedom to communicate however He sees fit. If we are looking for it in only one pathway, we will miss some of the truth and guidance He wants to provide.
Final Thoughts…
As I progressed throughout my week, I found myself battling off thoughts of anxiety with a quick phrase of, “Holy Spirit, I trust You will show me all I need for this weekend.” My husband and I also picked a day to fast during the week so that we could focus our prayers and energy on letting God lead our weekend and our preparation. The thief would love to steal this precious time we all have; I’m not letting him have any more and I am taking back what he already stole. That’s the authority we have because of the cross and the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.