Walk in the Spirit

Words cannot really explain how my Pastor’s message encouraged my soul this morning.

Just yesterday a friend and I were pouring out our troubles and struggles to each other, we both reached the same conclusion. It’s so exhausting to be fighting the flesh for everything.

Even the joy of reading God’s Word has dimmed in light of the frustrations we were experiencing.

This morning ~2×4 to the head~

What is my motivation for walking in the Spirit? What are my reasons for wanting to do right?

{My motivation needs to be a life that is bringing praise to God}

Walking in the Spirit is not just a passive surrender. I cannot change without the Spirit, but I need to be striving towards change while relying on the Spirit to bring the changes.

{A Biblical Paradox}

It is hard to daily make the decisions that are in accordance with God’s Word. To fight the temptations with Scripture; as Christ did when He was tempted.

But I know that Victory is Secure.

Walking in the Spirit requires

Dependence with  Right Actions. 

Am I living a life that brings Praise to God?

As regards to my frustrations with sin. I was shown very clearly that on top of daily claiming Christ’s blood as my victory, there has to be action. Steps need to be taken to protect my heart and mind against the struggles I am facing. Steps such as limiting entertainment, memorizing scripture, ministering to others, getting my eyes off of myself.

God loves me more than even my own Father; He wants to see me succeed & live life for His honor and glory!

Dependence with Right Actions. 

 

All from the Birthday Doughnut

So for my birthday I had a delightful breakfast with my father, and I received a lovely birthday doughnut from the local diner, with a candle and all! There’s nothing like the whole restaurant singing happy birthday to a complete stranger, but it’s a wonderful way to start a birthday morning!

Since I had been “good” and only ordered a veggie omelet and a piece of toast I decided against eating the donut and it was packaged up so I could bring it home.

I worked out and as I was sitting down to finish up a resume I noticed the delectable scent of fresh doughnut wafting by my computer. I leaned over to get a book and the smell became stronger, I admit…I lingered. The temptation to eat the doughnut became almost overwhelming and I lingered, enjoying the delicious smell of doughnut.

How often do we do that with sin? We linger, we enjoy the smell, but we insist we are strong enough to withstand the temptation. But are we? We can only smell the fresh doughnut so long before we devour it.

Why set yourself up to fail?  Remove the temptation. Move the donut to the other room. Get away from the temptation and start doing something else. When you can change the strength of the temptation why wouldn’t you?

(For those of you who care, I moved the donut to the kitchen, wrote this post, and then hopped on the treadmill)

Worry-Free 2012?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

(Side Note: I love fireworks SO incredibly much!)

Do you ever sit and think about what the New Year will hold? What kind of challenges and adventures are waiting in the upcoming months? What does this year hold for me relationally? Will I learn to love others with a Christ-like love? Will I meet the man of my dreams? Will I pass the state boards and become an RN? Where will I move? Will I ever get out of Wisconsin!? It’s so similar to the time when I get a new journal and I flip through the empty pages with such a sense of excitement; what is to come!?

This type of thinking however is only useful in small quantities! If you spend to long thinking about what is to come there is a good chance that the possibilities become less hopeful and just down-right scary. For those of you who are not constantly thinking about this—ignore because it will do you no good to begin thinking this way! For those of us who struggle with…well shall we call it what it is!? Yes we shall-WORRY!! For those of us who are (almost OCD) worriers this is a year to invoke change!

Why do we worry? Well I know in my life worry is usually caused by one (or both): a lack of preparation on my part or a lack of trust in God’s leading.

Do you remember times in your life when you were super nervous? Was it a school play? A piano recital? Taking the state nursing boards? Why were you nervous? I know for myself I am usually more worried for those events that I did not prepare well for. If you know your lines in a play or if you have memorized your piano piece the subconscious takes over and you do well. If you have not prepared yourself for the situation—well you are worried about the outcome.

This applies to so many situations in life. I am worried when I have to confront someone because I have not adequately prepared and studied the scripture. I am worried when I have to walk thru the Salvation plan with someone because I have not taken the time to memorize passages and easy explanations. I am worried about finances because I have not taken the time to prepare and stick to a budget. The list is ridiculously long so I will stop here. But I hope you see what I’m getting at. There is an aspect of worry that our personal preparation can eliminate.

God has a plan and I take such encouragement from Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” And we have to trust God! Lack of trust and worry are almost always seen together. When we are doing what we know to do, we can discover God’s will for us. But when we walk away from God until a big decision is to be made, you better believe there’s going to be worry! So preparation starts with having a daily walk with the Lord and to do what we know is right.

Two AWESOME quotes from Corrie ten Boom (The Hiding Place)

• “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
• “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.”

Worry is not healthy, and in fact it is a sin. When we are struggling with a sin we take time to memorize scripture, read encouraging/challenging books and articles, and seek advice from leaders. What can you do to walk worry free in 2012?