When
our soul is filled with inner clutter, and our home and schedule is inundated
with outer clutter, it is all too overpowering for us. We cannot listen for God's
voice, because it does not compete with our distractions.
God's
voice cannot penetrate our cluttered awareness. Therefore, we clean house
inside and out whenever our life fills with clutter and distractions. This
helps to prevent our self from getting pulled in too many directions without
any goals or purpose.
When
we come to God, He strengthens and reinforces, with His mighty power and by His
Holy Spirit's abiding presence within us, our innermost spirit and soul. Jesus
makes His permanent home in us.
Then
He deeply roots and securely plants us in His love (Ephesians 3:16-17). As we
abide in His presence, we experience for our self the love of Christ, which far
surpasses a casual knowledge.
He
boldly and completely floods our entire being with the richest measure of His
fullness and Divine nature (Ephesians 3:18-19). He totally immerses us in His
presence within us - both now and throughout eternity.
In
order to fill up with all of Jesus, we simply empty our self of our clutter,
and simplify our life. We no longer allow the pressures and distractions of
life to monopolize our attention, nor do we rush headlong through our day.
This
allows us to live each moment in the love and joy of the Lord, and then to fall
into a peaceful sleep each night. We start by taking the time to listen to His
inner guidance as we meet with our Father all through the day and night.
Prayer:
Father
God, remind us that when we feel Your peace leave us, to stop and pray in a
quiet place. This allows us to focus our attention on our spirit, body and soul
- our thoughts, choices and emotions - to get in touch with You in order to
find out what disturbed our peace. Sitting quietly in Your presence allows You
to conform us from the inside out.
Thank
You for giving us clarity and healing, and then directing us back to the center
of Your will for us at that moment. When we abide in the Vine, we allow Your
Holy Spirit to lead us moment-by-moment throughout the day and night. Help us
to simplify, to listen, to obey and to abide in Your presence.
Thought
for the Day:
We
always feel remorseful when we realize, too late, that we missed the guidance
of God's Holy Spirit in some instance, and we also realize that we often miss
out on success in our endeavors, because we did not listen to His still, small
voice within us.
