When we abide in the presence of the Lord, we enjoy fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). He has a way of cleaning up our foibles, anxiety, fears, and insecurities as He searches and intimately knows our heart (Psalm 139:23-24). It is quite a freeing experience.
Our cluttered soul is full of chaotic thoughts and emotions. This clutter leaves no room for God to make His presence within us known to us. Only as we empty our self of these cares and distresses can we discover the immensity of God’s presence in our life.
Writing in our journal, about our thoughts and emotions, helps us to empty our soul of past wounds and current concerns. As we listen to God, He directs our steps, lights our path, and guides our choices.
It does not take long for our busy schedule to fill up our soul again and to bury us in more clutter. Our time spent in silent meditation on God’s Word and His Spirit’s direction in our life seem like a dream rather than reality. As we practice spending time with God, we learn to discern His peace that leads us in His will.
However, remaining in God’s presence throughout the day keeps us productive, timely, and relevant. He fills our soul with His peace and joy. He replaces our negative emotions such as confusion, distress, dread, and distrust with the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
We place our insecurity in the heart of God, and He gives us His wisdom, courage, and strength instead. Our soul is an empty book and God writes His words on our heart, giving us a heart of flesh in place of our heart of stone (Ephesians 3:16-17).
Prayer:
Father God, if Satan can keep us in bondage to our failings, he cripples us in our service to You and Your Body; yet, as we learn to nurture, encourage, and forgive our self, we will have an increased ability to accept, support, affirm, and forgive one another (Mark 12:30-31). Thank You for forgiving us of all our sins and for sending Jesus to pay our sin-debt for us.
You always calm the storms for all Your children, and You use tribulation in our life to perfect us and to prove Your faithfulness to us. Jesus had to learn obedience through the sufferings in His lifetime. He overcame His obstacles by spending intimate, personal time alone with You. Teach us to emulate His habits.
Thought for the Day:
God’s love is four dimensional and completely fills and surrounds the breadth, length, height, and depth of us; we come to know His love through experience, not just through His Word, until our goal in life is to become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself.
- Ephesians 3:18-19
