Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Whose Voice Do You Follow?

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“What’s going on? The map is showing a right turn, but she’s saying ’Turn left!’ What on earth do I do?”

“It looks like Waze may be talking, and your Apple Car Play maps may be showing a different direction.” My trusted sidekick and traveling companion Carmen – Thelma to my Louise, Lucy to my Ethyl – had discovered the problem. Two GPS programs giving me conflicting directions! 

I stopped in the middle of the road. I needed a moment to figure things out. 

“Ellen! You can’t just stop in the middle of the road!”

“Watch me!”

And in that instant, I decided to make a U turn, hoping and praying I was going in the right direction. Disclaimer: there was no traffic on the road, and no humans or animals were harmed during this maneuver. Unless you count the mental anguish that I caused Carmen in that moment!

As Christians, we also have dual GPS systems working in our lives. It’s our flesh versus the Holy Spirit of Jesus. I’m sure you’ve fought this battle a time or two. We all have. 

We have dual GPS systems working in our lives: Flesh vs Spirit

 “For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.”  Galatians 5:17 CSB 

Imagine those two little people (the ones we always see in the movies), one on each shoulder, arguing against each other all the time. They fight constantly and are polar opposites. There is always conflict and tension. 

“Do this!”

“Why are you telling her to do that? This is easier and more fun. Do this instead!”

I don’t know about y’all, but often times I tend toward the path of least resistance. I mean, what’s easier: grabbing a hand full of chips or prepping some veggies for a snack?

(Eat the chips! No, grab the carrots and broccoli!)

How about vegging out on the couch to another episode of Home Town (my favorite people!), versus going for a walk? 

(Home Town, Home Town, Home Town)

And what about praying for that politician we don’t agree with and don’t like? 

(Ok, we know the right answer, but we don’t always do it!)

Which voice is screaming loudest? Probably the one we want to hear, right?

But which voice should we listen to? The one that will take us in the right direction, the direction we know we need to go? Or the one that will lead us the wrong way, where eventually we must make a U turn?

It’s a battle, for sure. Warren Wiersbe says “If the Holy Spirit controls the body, then we walk in the Spirit; but if the flesh controls the body, then we walk in the lusts (desires) of the flesh. The Spirit and the flesh have different appetites, and this is what creates the conflict.”⁠1

Scripture tells us how to win this battle in the verses before and after Galatians 5:17.

“…walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16 CSB 

 “…if you are led by the Spirit…” Galatians 5:18 CSB   

The verb “walk” in verse sixteen is an imperative, which means it is a command. God commands us to walk in and be led by the Spirit.

Yep, I get it. A command of God, which means I gotta do this to be obedient. And I want to be obedient!!

But HOW?      

With practice. We need to habitually listen for and walk in the power of Holy Spirit. Be in God’s Word. Pray and pray some more.

By yielding. To yield means to surrender or relinquish to the control of another; to surrender or submit (oneself) to another. When we yield to the power of the Holy Spirit and His guidance in our lives, we have resurrection power that will enable us to defeat the battle of our flesh. 

You know all those marvelous traffic circles popping up everywhere? Many people down here in south Louisiana need to practice yielding. When we yield in the correct way, traffic flows smoothly. We we don’t, what a mess!

To walk in Holy Spirit power, we need to practice being responsive to and guided by the Spirit. We need to make the choice to daily feed His Spirit more than we do our flesh. Our flesh will pull us toward things that will drain the life right out of us.

What this means is, every time we hear that pesky little voice leading us in the wrong direction, we need to make a U turn and follow Holy Spirit’s leading. Plus, we need to continue doing this each and every day, until His voice becomes the only GPS we hear.

  • Is there too much noise in your life right now? How many voices are screaming for your attention? 
  • How can you practice being sensitive to Holy Spirit leading in your life?

Grace be with you, 

Ellen

 

Do you know Jesus?

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1 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 718). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

A Season of Change

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I watched the leaves fall today. It was a beautiful thing to see them twirling and dancing from the tip tops of the tallest trees, all the way down to the green grass. Yes, green. Even though the calendar says it’s Fall, and there are pictures of colorful foliage all over Facebook, here in south Louisiana we’ve yet to see the leaves change.

Fall is rather sudden down here. One day it’s hot, the next it’s cold. Our leaves are green, then brown, then they fall. No gradual turning from green to golden yellow, to crimson or orange. Green, brown and down.

That’s kinda like what’s going on in my life right now. Lots of change. Sudden change. I don’t like that.

If you were a fly on the wall, watching me trying to navigate this change, you’d probably think “Oooh, that girl does NOT like change of any kind!” By all appearances, that’s what it looks like. But it isn’t the change so much as the way it’s happening. Really fast. Like south Louisiana changing from summer to fall. Overnight. No chance to get the cold weather clothes fluffed and puffed.

I’ve not been able to process all that is happening. You know, mull things over. Abrupt changes throw me. I want to know the why’s and the how’s and then make a plan. At the rate life is speeding by, I have purposed to be more slow and intentional. No so, with this change. Green, brown and down.

And do you know the one thing I want most during this change? My mama.

Mama would listen while I talked it all out with her. She would understand. I can hear her now: “Darlin’ I sure hate that for you!” Mama was my safe, comfortable place.

Many times in the midst of changes and upheavals of life, our first instinct is to revert to what we know best. Our comfort zone. The place we feel safe.

[tweetthis]We look back fondly to what was, instead of looking forward to what could be.[/tweetthis]

We’re not alone in this. The Israelites were the same way. When God was leading them out of Egypt, after 400 years of slavery, He didn’t take them the shortest route toward the Promised Land. God led them the long way around.

 ‘Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.”’ Exodus 13:17

You see, He knows our hearts, our fears and our fight or flight tendencies. He knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows our first instinct: go back to what we know, something or some place safe.

Knowing this, He takes us the long way around. No green, brown and down for God! He’s going to lead us through seasons of change. And if we will just yield, and follow Him, we’ll be able to watch the leaves slowly turn: green, yellow, crimson, orange.

Grace be with you,