Pieces of the Puzzle

There are different spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; and there are different ministries and the same Lord; and there are different activities but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good. A word of wisdom is given by the Spirit to one person, a word of knowledge to another according to the same Spirit, faith to still another by the same Spirit, gifts of healing to another in the one Spirit, performance of miracles to another, prophecy to another, the ability to tell spirits apart to another, different kinds of tongues to another, and the interpretation of the tongues to another. All these things are produced by the one and same Spirit who gives what he wants to each person. ~1Corinthians 12:4-11 (CEB)

Often I reflect on how God enables me to be more than I am, but God doesn’t just want to simply instill confidence to an insecure human, God calls me as an individual for His work. His work requires me to achieve things that I cannot do on my own. This shouldn’t surprise me though. The Bible is full of stories of those who told God they could not lead, witness, or perform the task they were asked to do. The stories throughout the Bible point out that only with power from beyond themselves could the faithful fulfill their calling. I know that what God calls me to do and be is beyond my own power. Without God it is impossible. I know my limitations. Looking at my limitations though keeps me on an easy path of the least faith and effort. I do not stand alone choosing the easy path. The world is full of easy paths. I am called to break away from the worlds standards. Jesus has put me in the world not to be of the world, but to be his disciple and to be his witness to that world. In Acts 1:8 the disciples were told that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, enabling them to witness to the world. Later in Acts (4:33) we are told that they received the power and then the apostles were able to witness.

God has a plan when He seeks us out. He calls us to a work but it is not just the call that He has in mind for us but a better relationship with Him is His ultimate goal. As we struggle with discernment we find we HAVE to rely on Him. As we wrestle with pursuing His will we realize that we HAVE to allow His strength to flow through us. The more we try to analyze just what it is He is calling us to do; we comprehend that we can only do it if He is at our side guiding our steps. The more we understand His goals for us the more we appreciate that He must be with us step by step. A relationship is the only way we can do what He calls us to do. And this is His ultimate plan… a relationship with us.

After searching for an understanding of what God requires of me and as I seek to understand His call on my life, I have found myself closer to Him than I ever believed I could be. Once I thought that following His will for my life would cost me more than I assumed I could give up. Instead I find myself with more blessings than I ever understood was possible. Not by my power but by the Holy Spirit do I find myself enabled to be more than I am. I still find myself human but through the Holy Spirit I have gained confidence to step out on God’s path and away from the paths of the world. All He asks of us is the first step.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the opportunity to learn more about You and to grow in my relationship with You. Please continue to guide my steps as I try to do Your will this day. Amen.

Send your light and truth—those will guide me! Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling place. ~Psalm 43:3 (CEB)

Now that I have discovered the navigation app on my phone I have gotten to where I will use the application even for some trips that I feel rather confidant about. It has been fun to see if there are better ways to get where I need to go or to see if the route I have been choosing has been the best way all along. A few days ago I had it on while driving through slightly familiar parts when I realized that my phone was warning me of upcoming trouble. On I-24 just outside of Clarkesville there were major traffic problems and my phone was adjusting my travel time by 15-20 min to allow for the blockage. Now that I knew there was a situation I had to make a decision whether to continue on my regular route that would take me through the situation stop, somewhere and wait out the traffic or use my phone and find an additional route to avoid the situation all together.

From where I was I could not see any problems. My driving was not being hindered at all at the moment. Should I rely on what the phone was telling me or just take my chances. Whether to trust my phone or not that was the question. After a short discussion with myself, I decided to find an alternate route. My phone was quick to show me that I could drive on a highway that was parallel to the interstate for eleven miles and get onto the interstate at a different point. Following this suggestion didn’t save me much time but it would save me the aggravation and stress of sitting in traffic.

Relying on the Holy Spirit more in my life makes my travels easier as well. The Holy Spirit can see ahead to things beyond my sight. If I follow the Holy Spirit’s leading it can steer me clear of road blocks and dangers, side stepping much aggravation and stress. The more I trust the Holy Spirit for what I can’t see the more confident my travels through life will be. I still have to travel this life. That is not an option but I can seek God even before things become bigger than me. God will help me to be more than I am handling each situation as it comes. Fear and anxiety may always camp near my back door, but the Holy Spirit helps me to keep them at bay. I keep finding myself overwhelmed and balking at change but the Holy Spirit empowers me and gives me strength to live each day.

Heavenly Father I thank you for Your Holy Spirit that lives in me. I thank you that I can count of Your guidance in my daily life.  May it always draw my closer to You. Amen

The commandment is a lamp and instruction a light; corrective teaching is the path of life. ~Proverbs 6:23

One day my dog was barking for all she was worth. I knew that bark. It was the type of bark that told me she had found some creature. When my son checked the situation out he found that it was a red eared glider, a turtle whose shell was at least 18 inches long, bigger than what we were used to seeing migrate out of the small lake in our subdivision.

Early spring is the time of year turtles are restless from their winter “hibernation”. This restlessness puts turtles in places they don’t belong. Sometimes it is just in the wrong back yard or in a neighborhood street. Sometimes their restlessness finds them on a busy highway which for many that try to cross means death. That spring restlessness drives them to be places that are not safe for turtles.

I can get restless like those turtles. Despite barking dogs, unknown territory and even dangerous circumstances I can feel driven to go places that I know I should not go. Against the instincts God has placed deep within me I can push past the natural boundaries He would have in place for me.

The good news is God’s word says, “I will instruct you and teach you about the direction you should go. I’ll advise you and keep My eye on you” (Psalms 32:8) If I allow God’s word to penetrate deep within this hard shell of mine, I only have to listen to the guidance He has placed within me and I can find my way home, away from the busy highways which are sure death for me, back to the beautiful pond He has provided for me. I just need to listen to my God given instincts.

May I ever be listening for Your guidance that you have placed within me. May I nurture this knowledge everyday so that I can avoid the dangers of living. Amen.