As we mature spiritually, we come to realize that we have no need to worry about anything, because God is faithful. We take our requests to Him in grateful prayer, and we seek His will, provision and protection for each moment of our day.
This way, His peace, which is greater than anything this world has to offer to us, protects our heart and mind through Christ in us (Philippians 4:6-7). Otherwise, worry, stress, and trials will ruin our health and keep us imprisoned by negative emotions.
The stillness, that we create around us during our quiet times of vigil, seeps inside of us; and we experience a humble longing to know God more deeply. Rather than experiencing desperation from earthly turmoil, we find our self desperate for a closer union with God Himself.
A hunger envelops us to the point of famished longing (Psalm 42:1-2). Every fiber of our being yearns to satisfy this craving. Nothing this earth offers can gratify this urgency. Only our relationship with the Lord of life, living and dwelling inside of us, can provide us with this level of fulfillment.
No person, place, thing, nor experience can match the depth of intimacy that we have possible with Christ, because no other relationship can come from within us (Colossians 1:27). Our relationship with God gives us peace that is greater than anything that our earthly existence can offer.
When worldly hostility bombards us, our heart is tempted to faint within us. We have the option of sharing this pain, frustration, and sorrow on a human level with friends and family. They, however, will only sympathize with, or "sermonize" to us about our feelings, which will remain the same.
Yet, only in the still, small place within us can we find true empathy and solace from the God who loves us more than He loves Himself (John 3:16-17). When we enter our "inner closet," we strip away all inner and outer clutter. Only our thoughts which are totally Spirit-led, when acted upon, will bear any fruit for the kingdom of God.
Prayer:
Father God, heal our codependency, so that we are not driven by the mindset of "martyrdom" or the need to ”save" everyone we meet from their plight in life. Teach us that we are actually enabling and rescuing, rather than assisting them in a healthy way, even if their attitude and habits make it hard on them. Remind us that You desire our goals in life to follow Your Spirit’s leading in everything we think, say and do – just like Jesus.
We do not want to make our own plans and ask You to bless them. We want to discover Your purpose for our day and follow Your plans for us. This is the only way that we are guaranteed a life free of sin, stress, guilt and indecision. Your ways our higher than our ways, and You prove to us over and over that You know what is best for us. We love and trust You with our whole heart.
Thought for the Day:
The fulfilled life, guided by the Spirit of God, takes time, effort and commitment as we simplify our life by getting rid of our inner clutter first, and then having a garage sale to rid our home and office of all unnecessary outer clutter; we empty our self of our self and focus solely on the voice of our Beloved God within us.
