APRIL 17, 2020. CAN YOU SAY YES TO THE WAYS JESUS IS WORKING I N YOUR LIFE TODAY?

WHAT KEEPS YOU FROM SAYING YES TO JESUS!

“CAN YOU SAY YES TO THE WAYS JESUS IS WORKING IN YOUR LIFE  T O D A Y?”

By:  Shirley Faith Souder

            Faith 2 Voice               Psalm 61: 1/4                                     April 17^th, 2020

           

And, my answer this morning during devotions, was; a resounding “NO!”

Hey, Lord, I’m tired of trying to pretend things are normal in an abnormal situation.  I’m exhausted trying to be grown up. I don’t even want to be a role model of spiritual maturity TODAY!   What are you trying to teach me (us) in this Covid -19 nightmare?  I just figured out that this isn’t normal and I don’t know where to find normal.  There is no way to know what each day holds.  One of the analogy’s I coined this morning was I felt like I was up on this diving board at the top of the coliseum and I was trying to see the pool or where to jump in.  No matter what pair of glasses I tried on, even the rose-colored ones, I couldn’t see it.   And, yet I was told to jump!  Where is all that Faith and Trust I keep reading and writing about?  I hear myself getting irritable and my perspective is way off.  My imagination is running rampart!!!  I don’t see any good coming out of this, yet your Word says in Romans 8: 28, how you work all things together for good.  So, NO!  I don’t like any of this.  All I am getting out of that whole chocolate comfort food thing is growing numbers on the scale.  People are different, I am getting different.  My sleep cycle is so out of whack I can’t even remember what was normal.   Of course, I love the sermons and the challenges lately.   Of course, I am reading the Word, and of course I am praying.  But, guess what?  In less than 24 hours, I ‘ve grown another thorn of wrong-heart attitude.  CAN YOU RELATE?  If not stop reading.

            Last week before Easter weekend I wrote about rolling the stone of your heart away.  I got such a dose of that myself, it is humorous now.  But not then.  They say don’t pray for patience, because you are going to get to practice that one in spades. That very week before Easter, the week I wrote that article about rolling the stone away from your heart, I found myself thrown under the bus.  In conflict with myself as well some input from others.  What did I do?   I opened up the door to the enemy big time, by just lying there and letting the bus run over me.  After the sermon on Sunday, I took all my “well-meaning” issues on a prayer walk and laid them at the cross.  Are you impressed?  Don’t be.  Yep, 24-hours later, it took just one little tiny thought to creep in.  “How long can this go on, I can’t stand this one more minute?”  “Enough is enough!”  From there it just grew into a real full-blown attitude.  The committee in my head all agreed with the CEO analogy you know!  And, away we went. After all,  God needs a junior Holy Spirit and I am applying for the job.  “Dear God, you have 24- hours to get this mess cleaned up and I have the five-point plan that will clean this all up!”

           

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            How is that working for you Shirley?  Ah!  It is not.  The bottom line is, and I believe this with all my heart, friends:

            He reminded me that I can always come to Him with my rants and raves.  I have a bestie who says, how she even has gone around stomping her foot and yet knows God still loves her and It’s okay.  I love that!  Barbara Moon in her book Reframing the Hurts in Your Life,  confirms that analogy to be true.

Psalm 61: 1 – Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. (2) From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 

            There is that whole Rock thing again.  No matter how we act out, we need to go to Him with a CONVICTED heart.   And, that we repent of our temper tantrum. . . Psalm 61: 3 For you have been my refuge a strong tower against the foe.  You bet He is. I am convicted I opened the door to the enemy by not putting on my armor (Gal 6: 26 etc.) and recognizing that the enemy was beckoning me to the pit.  My COMMITMENT Lord, is this, I will hang on and trust you, even though this crazy abnormal stuff is going on.  Even though it sucks and I am beside myself with fretting, fussing, stewing and steering I will . . .vs 4 long to dwell in your tent forever, and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.  Thank you, Jesus that I can trust that CHANGE will come.  Holy Spirit show me what I need to know and help me manage what I don’t know.  Shed light on this situation so I can see which way to go.   I promise to keep being aware that the minute that one word, or sentence pops up in my head I will come to you and say “Jesus help the girl!”

            Your TOOLS are the three C’s.    Convicted – Committed – Changed

            1.         Remember it is okay to freak out when you don’t know what is happening.

            2.         Cry out to the Lord -  Psalm 61: 1

            3.         Repent – Lay it down – in your heart you know He has this!

            4.         Be convicted by recognizing when you are getting sucked into abnormal

                        thinking.

            5.         Be committed to want His help and grace and mercy.

            6.         Accept the change he has for you and will show you how to manage this.

            Your final knowledge here is, that this is not a one-time STEP.  Oh, I am better now.

You get to practice this until it’s a piece of cake, and it makes the enemy run for cover.

            Disciplines take six weeks to take hold.  Practice, Practice, Practice.  Say Yes!