During the sermon that spoke directly to my heart yesterday morning I wrote the words, “No wonder” in the middle of the page in my journal.
“No wonder I’ve been struggling, no wonder…”
You see, the last few weeks have been a constant battle it seems.
A constant battle that I am losing.
I want so much to do the right things, to make the right choices, to force happiness, peace and joy.
I want to please everyone, my husband, my children, my family, my friends, my God…myself.
I have been struggling to be all, to do all that is expected, and I have been failing miserably.
As I sat in worship, listening to the words in the sermon, I realized why the struggle has been so hard.
I have been striving to do all of these things on my own, in my own strength and power. My mind has been set on the flesh and there has been death in my spirit, in my life.
I have not been relying on the Holy Spirit.
I have not been living in the Spirit.
I have been living for God but in direct hostility towards Him by not relying on His Sprit.
When we do life on our own we put ourselves before God. I have been putting myself before God.
Even in doing good things, I have been living apart from God. And, thus, there has been struggles and battles lost.
I can only live a life of freedom and joy by constantly looking towards the Holy Spirit. Constantly, not weekly, not daily, not even hourly, but constantly.
It is the Holy Spirit that we cling to and depend upon, not just in the hard moments of life, but in the everyday mundane.
The Holy Spirit is not a help among many, He is THE help. The only help.
I was left yesterday with three ways to set my mind on the spirit. I’ll share them with you as well.
1. Read God’s Word continually.
2. Confess sin continually.
3. Ask the Spirit to fill you continually.
As you can see, continually is the key word in every one of those. These are not a list of rules to follow, because following rules is living life on our own. It’s living life in the flesh rather than in the spirit
This week I will be continually reading, confessing, and asking. Over and over. Over and over. Because I cannot life this life on my own. I cannot function without the help that God’s spirit provides when I rely on Him alone.
This week I am counting the blessings of…
571. warmer days
572. blowing bubbles and watching them float away
573. brother and sister digging in the dirt
574. a silly girl who teaches me to have fun
575. sweet son of mine reading words in a book
576. simple afternoon snacks
577. celebrating special days in small ways
578. my girls singing in the choir
579. reading princess books for fun…watching her learn to enjoy books
580. His spirit within me…continually relying on His help
Sarah says
Thanks for splashing me with God’s goodness today. I hope you don’t mind if I wade around a bit to get to know you. This looks like a refreshing place to dip into all good things.
Splashin’
Sarah
http://justsarahdawn.blogspot.com/
Jennifer Scruggs says
Thanks for this great reminder today!!!
I think we all have our “No Wonder” revelations now and then. 🙂
Praying save travels and GREAT fellowship for you and your family this week!
Love your guts!
Jenn