Rubber On The Road  

This morning, as I was driving through the heavy fog, everything familiar was concealed. The houses alongside the road, the landmarks of trees and buildings were all hidden in the fuzzy mist.   

Sometimes, in our Christian walk, we find ourselves in a spiritual fog. Not because we’ve done anything bad; we’ve been faithful in our Bible study and prayer.

Of course, it is always good to end every day with a prayer of forgiveness so as not to give satan any devices to use against us! But sometimes, for no obvious reason, we feel like we are caught in a spiritual fog. 

One of the peculiar things about fog is that it is eerily quiet. Landmarks are fuzzy or totally obscured and the silence can almost be felt on your skin.  When I find myself caught in a spiritual fog, I draw close to my Lord. Spending time reading Psalms as an ‘extra’ part of my daily devotions helps me to remember God’s power and presence.  

When King David was being pursued by the enemy He would pause and think about Gods presence, His provision and direction. David included the word, Selah, in thirty-one of the thirty-nine Psalms with the caption “To the choir-master”.  

Selah is found in the Psalms 71 times and in Habakkuk 3 it appears three times. It is a music term that means, “To pause or reflect”.  “Selah” can also mean an instrumental prelude, you know, ‘background music’ while you “think about it”. 

As David wrote the Psalms, out of his own past experience, he remembered God’s power.  Because he had an intimate relationship with God, he could recall the Lord’s majesty when he was frightened or lonely. Praise made God’s presence come alive again, right then, “now”, and he was encouraged and comforted.  

When I feel surrounded by fog, I read Psalms and pause to remember the last time God delivered, protected or glorified His presence in my own life. God inhabits (comes alive, has substance in) our praise, even when we feel surrounded by fog, God’s presence can be real.   (Selah) 

Psalms 3:8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.  Selah                       

 When I was a young girl, I loved to ride my bicycle. If you know me, you know that I’m all about “habit.”  When I rode to my friend’s house, I took the same street, the same way, every day, every time.

This would ordinarily be fine, except that there was a sharp curve in the road just before I returned to my house.  Without exception, no matter how hard I tried, every time I came to that sharp curve, I lost control and crashed my bike.

When I told my Dad the problem I was having, he told me a simple solution.  Instead of riding home on THAT street, I needed to make an alternate plan; Plan B.  I needed to go one street over and come home that way because the road was straight.  The answer was so obvious, yet I never saw it.

Temptation is like the “hard way bike route.”  If I’m aware of a specific temptation and I know that temptation always takes me down; it’s time to make another plan, Plan B.  Habits are hard to change; but not impossible (Philippians 4:13).  When I recognize sin, I can make that plan to turn aside when temptation comes.

God does not tempt us, ever.  (James 1:13)  We are tempted when we want something we shouldn’t have. Instead of turning the temptation over to God, we inch closer and closer, looking first with one eye then the other.  (James 1:14)

There is no sin in being tempted. Even Jesus was tempted, yet He remained without sin.  Where sin starts is when I go from being tempted to reaching for the temptation. Within myself, I know my weaknesses and I also know if I’m weak in that area, God is strong and I can lean on Him (II Corinthians 12:9-10).

BUT—God will not keep me from sinning. I have free will; I can do whatever I want. When I recognize the things that push me over the edge, I can make “Plan B” ahead of time to avoid the temptation.  I know how satan works, he can’t trick me unless I let him.

Those rare times when I do fall to the temptation, I have forgiveness and restoration through Christ.  However, the scripture is clear in James 1:15 that if I continue to choose sin, my own choices will result in death without Christ instead of redemption.

I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Prayer: Father, I’m so glad that you don’t expect me to resist temptation on my own. Please, give me your Holy Spirit to show me how to recognize temptation and avoid it. Give me the strength to walk away and not look back. Help me to remember scripture that will give me added strength to resist temptation. Thank you for being strong for me.

Scriptural references:

Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.

James 1:14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

II Corinthians 12:9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

James 1:15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

My friend bought pizza for supper. Arriving home, she put the pizza on the kitchen table. Her husband wasn’t home from work yet so she left the pie unopened. When she came back into the kitchen she noticed her husband still wasn’t home and decided she’d best eat while the pizza was still hot. 

Opening the box, she found a large slice missing!  She was UPSET!  A pizza store clerk had stolen a piece of her pizza before it even left the store!  She called the pizza store and told them what had happened.  They denied it and politely said that was impossible! No employee would EVER remove a piece of pizza from a customer’s order! 

Annoyed, she informed them that she had picked up the pizza, come straight home, alone, nobody was in the house but her and nobody had opened the box before she did!  The ONLY explanation was that a hungry employee had taken the slice! The store manager continued to say that was impossible—but—since they believed in customer service, bring the pie back and they’d replace it, which they did. 

Arriving back at the house with a new pizza, she went into the house and once more put the unopened box on the kitchen table.  Her husband walked in the house right behind her, lifted the lid and in puzzled astonishment said, “Praise GOD, the pizza healed itself!”  He had come home earlier, realized he’d forgotten something at the office, grabbed a slice, closed the lid and left.  She’d never known he was in the house!  Needless to say, my friend called the pizza store and made things right! 

So often, as Christians, we blame ‘somebody’ for a misdeed, a hurt feeling, a perceived wrong.  Sometimes, we stop going to a class, cease to serve in a ministry, leave a church, or even stop going to church all together.  We are hurt, angry, frustrated, disappointed and fed up.  These hurts and disappointments are real, not imagined!  

The truth is, we attack the wrong enemy. One of satan’s goals is to ruin our relationship with other Christians, removing us from the support of the body of Christ. In time, our inner pain becomes a form of idolatry and we feel we are justified in our separation from God’s people. We worship our disappointment and emotional pain instead of God.

Without the encouragement of fellowship with the body of Christ, we eventually lose our intimacy with Christ himself.  Don’t be fooled; your pain does not come from people, or church or God.  It comes from satan himself.  Don’t let satan rob you of the very thing Christ died on the cross to give you; relationship with God and with each other. 

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

My husband bought a brand new truck.  It was the fulfillment of every man’s fantasy, a ‘man’ vehicle; leather interior, shiny chrome trim, loaded inside and out!  After every outing, he’d shut the doors tenderly, carefully brushing off leaves, bug butts and road dust. However, as time went on, the ‘shiny new’ wore off and it became nothing more than ‘the truck.’

When we first get saved, we are SO excited! We keep our Bibles by the bedside and read every night, pouring over the scriptures, soaking it up like a sponge. We can’t get enough, say enough or do enough for the Lord!  As time goes on, the ‘shiny new’ wears off and going to church and reading our Bible are done with less enthusiasm until it’s all simply ‘God stuff’.  We’re still ‘Christians,’ but our first love has quieted.

God created us for relationship with Him. He gave His son, Jesus, to die on the cross so we could have relationship with Him.  Then, God sent His Holy Spirit so we could know Him intimately, know His thoughts. There are many false Gods that people worship, but our God is the only God who wants us to have a relationship!

Satan will do ANYthing to discourage us from having that most personal relationship. The tool satan seems to have the most success with is simply; busyness! We mark times and dates on our calendar for everything but God.

After God has gone to such incredible lengths and paid such a huge price to have intimacy with me, shouldn’t I at least be as faithful to plan time with Him as I would be to keep a dentist appointment or an appointment for a hair cut?  Today, I determine that I will keep my relationship with my Lord, ‘shiny new’.

Revelation 2:3-5 (NIV) You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place.

As a part of my training to work in a retail store, I had to watch a series of video clips.  

The challenge was to try and identify the ‘shoplifter’.  I watched as a selection of customers entered the store. 

At the end of the video, I had to choose the person or persons who were stealing. 

Stunningly, there were as many shoplifters dressed in suits and ties as there were dressed in raggedy shirts and jeans!  The obvious lesson was that shoplifters have no particular ‘look’; they come in all socio economic levels, all types of clothing and all kinds of hair styles. 

As I closed my locker, preparing to go home after the video lesson, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. He pointed out to me that the same truth applies to those who don’t know Christ as their savior. 

Obviously, the dude standing on the street corner with long hair, tattoos, body piercings and a dirty T-shirt needs Jesus and the business man standing beside him, dressed in a suit and tie doesn’t; right?  Wrong!  Everybody needs Jesus, not just the ones who look “needy”.   (Romans 3:23)

Satan is an equal opportunity destroyer; he has no economic or social preference of who he wants to keep from having intimacy with Christ. When ‘we’ as Christians seek to evangelize, we need to focus as much prayer and witness to the wholesome family up the street as we do the drug addict and the whore. 

Hell does not embrace only the destitute and addicted.  It also welcomes housewives, business owners, lawyers, store clerks and barbers. It is odd how it is often easier to witness to a homeless drug addict than it is to the co-worker at the desk beside us or the person cutting our hair once a month.

Matthew 19:23-24 says that it is almost impossible for a rich person to get into the kingdom of heaven!  Yet, how often do we stand outside up town stores and custom car shops and hand out tracts?  Every person we meet is an opportunity; no matter what they look like or where they live. 

Why is it often easier to do street witness than to tell family and friends about Christ? Perhaps because we have no fear of rejection from the person who is obviously not as well off as we are; and we will probably never see them again after right now, anyway. 

If our family, neighbor or co-worker rejects Christ, we feel the rejection personally. We also have to live with that knowledge of rejection every day as we continue to live and work beside them. (Luke 10:16)

It is important that we make every effort to win the poor and homeless to Christ but it is equally important that we share Christ with those we live and work around.  There is only one Hell and ALL who do not have Christ as their savior will spend eternity there.  Some of them will be dressed in a suit and tie.  

Romans 3:23 For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  

When I was a young girl, the school tested to determine what class to put students in.  Both my brothers scored genius while I scored absolutely ‘average’.  My Daddy sat down with me, let me sip from his coffee cup (my mom would have had a fit) and explained to me how important average is. 

He said that all the other people in the world use me as a measuring stick.  Either they are smarter than me, or not as smart as me; but I was so important that I was the one who set the standard!  He told me that I should always be learning so the standard is high. I’ve never forgotten that.  

Always remember how very special YOU are. We are individuals, each of us created in the image of God. Every single one of us perfect for the work He has called us to do for Him.  Each of us has different talents, abilities and personalities. 

Remember that you are an individual, perfect through Christ in God’s eyes. Teach your children how very special they are. Encourage them to be all they can be in Jesus. Your kids will develop their self confidence by the standard you set before them in Christ. 

One of satan’s favorite tricks is to convince us we are inadequate, failures, unlovely and undesirable.  In Christ, we are perfect; each of us with individual strengths that are not to be compared to the strengths of others. If somebody has told you that you are a failure, realize where that misinformation really came from and know that God created you individually, for success in Him.  

 I Corinthians 12:17-20 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 

Recently, I took a friend to the airport. We were stunned to learn that the cost of storing baggage on the airplane is now $38. Wow!  She determined that next time she flew, she’d pack lighter. 

On my way out of the airport, I thought about the ‘baggage’ that we sometimes carry around in our heart. Perhaps, if we were charged a monetary amount for each piece, we’d be more likely to lighten our load? 

The list of ‘baggage’ can be quite lengthy; broken relationships, betrayal of trust, cruel acts. This “life luggage” can pile more baggage on; guilt, anger, bitterness. All of which can add the weight of self-absorption, irresponsibility and lack of self-control. Mercy, what a LOAD! 

Some Christians lug these heavy things around with them as a badge of honor, “look at all this weight I’m carrying, but I won’t crumble or stumble, I can handle it!”  Others are so crushed by the weight that they spiral into depression and abusive lifestyles. Still others deny they carry baggage, “Nothing is wrong, I’m fine.” But their load is so heavy it crushes their joy. 

There is good news for baggage bearers; we don’t have to carry all that weight anymore! Psalms 15:22 says, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” I Peter 5:7 confirms the Old Testament instruction, saying, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

To be able to take all of life’s luggage that has weighted me for so long and just, put it down, no longer being responsible for it, how can that be possible? Like the Psalmist, I want to proclaim, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens” Psalms 68:19! 

So, HOW do we put all this luggage down (?); by taking it to Jesus. Sometimes, l have to take each piece individually.  Bring ‘it’ to the foot of the cross and ‘open’ it.   I can give it to Jesus; no explanation needed. He already knows everything about it. 

Or, if l need to, I can tell Jesus about the load, how it was created, how long I’ve carried it, how heavy it is.   His loving arms hold me as l tell him the painful circumstances. He has perfect understanding of the weight and pain because He carried “my” luggage to Calvary.

After I give it to the Lord, l ask Him to carry it for me.  The baggage can’t be erased, it is real, it happened. But, I don’t have to carry it anymore. He will keep it for me. His Word promises and HIS Word is solid, unbreakable.  But, I must understand, He will not yank that heavy load from me; I must put it down myself. 

After l have put the baggage down, I have to walk away.  From that moment on, it is no longer my responsibility, it is His. The devil will try to bring “it” back to me, get me to open “it” and look inside again—but I will not! 

When tempted to pick up my baggage again, I will take my heart back to the moment I gave that load to Jesus and stay my thoughts there. God will keep my baggage, if I LET Him.  

Now, l can take a breath of fresh air and walk on, burden free. Oh, there will be other baggage that life brings me; but l will quickly take those things to Jesus and put them down too. I don’t  have to carry any baggage ever again, unless l choose to.

Matt. 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Prayer: Father, my load is so heavy, I have carried it for a long time. You know the baggage l càrry; baggage others have put on me and the baggage that l have packed on myself.  I’m tired of carrying it, all of it. I give it to you. When the devil tries to remind me of it all, l will remind him that it is yours now. Thank you for taking my burdens and keeping them. Amen.

The books of I and II Timothy are only a few of the letters not written to the church, but rather, to an individual.   

The letters to Timothy are even more notable because Timothy was a teenager. It is also interesting that instead of lecturing the young man on choosing his friends wisely, the Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to set the example himself.  

As a young person, you have a clean slate; your life story is yet to be written. There lies before you the opportunity to accomplish much; a challenge with incredible consequences. The decisions that you make will influence not only your life, but also the lives of those around you.  

The major decisions that determine your entire life are made when you are young. Your career, your spouse, your lifestyle; all of these life decisions will be made within the first few years of adulthood.  If you make unwise choices now, you will, literally, live with the consequences for the rest of your life. That’s an awesome responsibility for a young person! 

The Bible shows us that young people can do incredible things for God; Gideon, Jacob, David, Mary, and the Apostles John and Timothy are only a few examples of youthful leadership.  YOU also have the opportunity to become one of the young people who set the standard and accomplish great things. 

There is one decision that you can make that will keep you on the road to greatness. That is the decision to totally commit your life to Christ. God has a plan for your life, a plan that will prosper you (Jeremiah 29:11). The Holy Spirit searches the mind of God and knows His will (I Corinthians 2:10-16). As Christians, through the Spirit, we have access to the mind of Christ .  

Being in God’s perfect will does not mean that your life will not have problems (Matthew 5:44-45). Sometimes, God’s will takes us to places we’d rather not be, including allowing us to be in circumstances that show us our own faults and weaknesses. It is through these life lessons that we learn the strength of our Lord and can then teach others through having experienced God’s provision in our own life (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). 

Satan also has a plan for your life, a plan for failure. He will do anything he can to separate you from Christ. Always remember, the devil has no power over you, he can’t make you do or not do anything.  You will always have the final say, not him.  Be aware that he will lead you into temptations that, without the strength of the Holy Spirit, you would fall.  

Jesus was fully God yet fully man. When he was on earth, He suffered every temptation you will endure (Hebrews 4:15), yet did not sin. He understands how hard temptations can be and will give you strength to maintain your integrity.  

Keep your eyes on Jesus; determine that you will not look at ‘people’ for direction or inspiration. Don’t let anybody or anything lessen your relationship with your Lord. Equip yourself with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and don’t just look for a leader, BE a leader.  

I timothy 4:12  Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

Prayer:  Father, help me to be a source of encouragement and guidance for today’s youth. Show me ways I can serve you through leading them.  Amen

Scriptural References:

Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I Corinthians 2: 10-16  For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

14But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCTHIM? But we have the mind of Christ.

Matthew 5:44-45  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

2 Corinthians 1: 3-5 ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

Hebrews 4:15  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

The only time I’ve ever had real issues with my “big girl” stature is when it comes to shoes. It is so disheartening when I see a feminine shoe in the sales window and find out it doesn’t come in my size.

Even worse is when it DOES come in my size and it looks like a river barge! Those fragile sexy little straps sparkling with rhinestones look like a dog collar with hubcap studs when they come in a size ten. Mercy.

There is one pair of shoes that looks good whether in a size 2 narrow or a size 12 extra wide; the shoes of the gospel of peace. I love when God uses everyday things to illustrate spiritual truth!

In Ephesians 6: 5  “–and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace-,”  the Word describes putting on the readiness that comes from the Gospel as you would put on a foot covering.

We refer to the shoes of the Gospel of peace but what the scripture is really illustrating is the need for preparation so that we can go out and share God’s Word. No matter what your personal style of witness is, the readiness, or covering through Bible study and prayer, is the key to successful witness.

Without the understanding of the need for salvation, there is no sense of urgency to go out into the world to share the Gospel. Spend time in God’s Word, seek His face in prayer; ask for the direction of the Holy Spirit. When you are prepared by the awareness of the need to witness, you’ll be ready to walk it out.

Romans 10:15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Prayer: Father, put within my heart a concern for the lost. Help me to realize the importance of personal testimony and responsibility. By your Holy Spirit, show me how to witness to those you have put around me. Help me to be sensitive to opportunity and obedient to direction so that I can lead many to Jesus. Thank you for showing me how to share your Word..

Scripture references:

Ephesians 6: 14-17 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Sitting at the stop light I notice a sign at a hamburger chain that boldly states:  “Have it your way.” 

The thought came to mind, perhaps led of the Spirit, perhaps by personal introspect, that sometimes, I have a burger attitude toward God. 

I want God’s blessings in my life; I want His protection and direction.  BUT, I want it on my own terms, I want it MY way.  Oddly, this attitude is not even noticed at the time I have it.  I simply—pray–in Jesus’ name, of course.

God created me, He sent His son to walk as a man so that He has full understanding of everything I face in my lifetime. Jesus was tempted in every way that I can be tempted, but Jesus didn’t sin (Hebrews 4:15). 

As a human, Jesus had the option of doing things “His way” or God’s way.  (Luke 22:39-42)  Reading the scripture, I realize that Jesus, having walked on earth as a man, understands how tempting it is to opt for the easy way, “my way,” instead of God’s way.

Scripture also reveals that, when faced with the immediate relief of doing things the flesh way instead of the God way, Jesus told God about it; He CRIED OUT. He was in agony, recognized the temptation and instead of crumbling, He looked to God for strength. (Luke 22:41-44)

The “God’s way” decision was a choice for the son of God, just as it is a choice for me, now. This gives me new understanding of why Jesus prayed till His sweat was as blood *{see foot note} (Luke 22:44) on the night he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. The task of willful obedience, in knowledge of the price that was to be paid, was so difficult,  that Jesus cried out, “if POSSIBLE, let this cup pass from me.”  (Matthew 26:39)

Looking back over my life, I realize that the times I stepped out of God’s will, it wasn’t intentional; it was in desperation.  Brought by my own humanity and the circumstances of life to a point of testing (James 1:13-14), instead of crying out to God for help and strength, I crumbled and gave into ‘my way.’

God’s Word tells me that even when I slip and step over the line doing things in the flesh; God is faithful to show me how to return to His way (I John 1:9).  The Holy Spirit gives me the mind of Christ so I can understand the pain that going my own way can cause to both my Lord and those around me. 

Whenever I’m faced with the decision of having life ‘my way’ or God’s way, I need to cry out to God and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I will choose God’s way.  Jesus was in flesh, fully man, yet fully God, He had choices that had to be made, as a human, difficult choices. I want to remember this when I struggle to make the “God’s way” choice—Jesus knows the struggle–and the joy of obedience; He understands when I cry out for strength. I’m not alone.

I Corinthians 2:14-16   The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Prayer:  Father, help me to be sensitive to your Spirit.  I realize that my life choices are made by me.  Show me the direction you would have me to take. I love you and I trust you.  Amen.

Scripture References:

Hebrews 4:15  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 

Luke 22:39-42  Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”  He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,  “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 

Luke 22:41-44  He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,  “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.  And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Matthew 26:39  Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

James 1:13-14  When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;  but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 

I John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 

*Footnote:  Hematidrosis is a rare, medical condition where a person’s sweat will contain blood. The sweat glands are surrounded by tiny blood vessels. These vessels can constrict and then dilate to the point of rupture where the blood will then effuse into the sweat glands. Its cause—extreme anguish.