Read: Galatians 5:13-16
“The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” - Psalm 28:7
The
first key to freedom in Christ is humility.
If we keep blaming others for our failure, nothing ever improves and we
are never set free from the bondage of the past. Humility is absolutely
transforming. The humility to admit that we are powerless leads to surrender.
This surrender leads to serenity.
Serenity is peace, which
transcends our circumstances. This deep peace leads to joy, which does not
depend on what is going on around us. Happiness is a fickle human emotion that
ebbs and flows with the tides of life. However, the joy of the Lord is our
continual strength (Nehemiah 8:10). It gives us the energy to follow the Spirit’s leading as we live in the moment
throughout the day.
A Christian sister reminded
me that she is a teacher; and, therefore, must plan her calendar. She wondered
how she could plan and still live in the moment. We can plan our life as the
Spirit gives us direction, but living it moment by moment takes away our regret
over the past and our worry over the future. We are also able to enjoy each
moment as God gives it to us, because we are unencumbered by negative emotions.
Negative
emotions are the red flags of our soul. They alert us to the fact that we have
an unresolved conflict causing unrest in our mind. Ask God what is causing this
negative feeling of fear, anger, rejection, hopelessness, confusion, invalidation,
bitterness, depression, etc. The root of these emotions is hidden in an
experience, which muddied the peaceful stream of our soul. Until we find this
root of unrest, and bring it to God to heal, it will continually stir up strife
in the depths of our soul. The minute God speaks His truth about this
situation, however, the passion within the negative emotion is extinguished and
the joy of the Lord returns.
This
brings up the concept of praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). People wonder how to pray
without ceasing and yet continue to live up to their daily responsibilities. We
certainly cannot stay on our knees in our prayer closet all day long. Some
people say this means that we live in an attitude of prayer. I assert that we
are actually called to pray about each moment as God gives it to us. We ask Him
what He wants us to do, and we follow His Spirit’s leading as we do it. Then we
pray about our next endeavor throughout the day. Life flows much more smoothly
with prayer.
Prayer:
Lord
Jesus, remind us to follow the trail of tears from the negative emotion
disturbing our peace, back to the experience where Satan planted it. It may not
be rooted in the current situation we are experiencing, but in some instance it
stems from, which is deep in our past. Give us courage and wisdom as we seek
Your healing for all of the negative emotions that rob us of our joy.
Thought
for the Day:
Humility admits that we cannot, and acknowledges
that God can.
