I am sitting here wishing that I would have listened to the prompting of my heart AKA the Holy Spirit this weekend. I was blindsided this week with many emotional situations. So many in fact that I was left wondering if there was some sort of spiritual warfare in my community.
When you are serving God with all your heart it can be expected that God’s enemy, Satan, is threatened by the good plan that is unfolding before you as you listen to and obey the prompting of the spirit. We are never privy to the form these attacks take, but it’s usually below the belt, right where the devil knows it will hurt the most. He desperately tries to take you down so that God’s plan will be paused (not that it can be, but the devil thinks it can).
And so, after crying basically all week for one reason or another, I entered this weekend with the prompting to fast…not from food but from media. When I am feeling depleted I long for the quick hit of pleasure and happiness that watching a romantic movie brings. God wanted me to instead use my time to pray and bring my emotions to him for help and healing.
So I sat down and watched a movie and ate half a tub of ice cream and half a bag of chips.
And I did it again the next night.
Did I get that quick fix of pleasure…yes.
Did I find healing for my hurting heart… no.
What else did I get? A sore stomach and the gentle conviction of the spirit to stop and pray.
Why do I so often choose what is temporary rather than the lasting cure for my aching heart?
God give me so many chances to choose what will keep me on the path. I feel a little like a toddler walking through a zoo. One misstep and I could end up in the tiger cage; good thing God my Father keeps calling me back to the path.
I don’t know how today will play out, but I know I need the filling of the Holy Spirit to keep me on this path. I know that following the presence of the Lord brings healing; I’ve experienced it. There is nothing like it. I also know that there will always be things put beside my path to try and distract me from what is best. So today, as I write this, I am training my heart to hear God’s voice so that as he calls; I will listen and my steps will lead me to healing and peace.
mylifeabundant 