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.

Keep on Movin’

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He was plodding along in the mud. You could see the route he’d taken, straight along the bottom of the ditch. Slow, but determined. Focused on his destination. As so often is the case with turtles, he was taking his dear, sweet time getting wherever he was going. He wasn’t focused on how long the journey would take, but on moving in the right direction.

I’m kinda like that turtle. I’m just slogging along, dragging my feet. Unlike him, I suddenly realize I’m not getting anywhere, and I get in a hurry.

I’m like that in my walk with Christ. For goodness sake, I’m sixty-one years old. Shouldn’t I be further along than I am? Shouldn’t I know His word better, pray harder and longer and with passion? Shouldn’t I realize that not focusing on moving forward will derail my pilgrimage? As long as I’ve been walking with Christ, shouldn’t I be more like Him by now??

Sadly, I often let the circumstances of my life distract me. I focus on them, not Him. And I get stuck in the mud. I throw my hands up and say “What’s the use?”

How about you? Are you bogged down, baffled and beaten up? Are you ready to “be there”? Do you feel like stopping to rest indefinitely, instead of continuing on?

Paul tells us in Philippians to work out our salvation⁠1. This means to carry out a task until it is finished, to produce, or to put something into effect entirely or thoroughly.

Warren Wiersbe explains it this way: 

In Paul’s day it was also used for “working a mine,” that is, getting out of the mine all the valuable ore possible; or “working a field” so as to get the greatest harvest possible. The purpose God wants us to achieve is Christlikeness, “to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29)⁠2.

[tweetthis]Sanctification is a marathon, not a sprint.[/tweetthis]

Sanctification – becoming increasingly more like Jesus – is hard work. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.  The good news is, we don’t have to do it alone or in our own strength. 

“Because God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey His own purpose.” Philippians 2:13 GNT

God is working in us to energize us, creating the desire and the power to work for His good pleasure. 

Remember that, when you’re plodding along, feeling like you aren’t making headway. We have the Holy Spirit of Jesus in us. Even though it seems like we’re stuck in the mud, not making progress in our Christian walk, God is working in us to give us the strength we need. His strength. Like the turtle, we are moving forward, because it’s God doing the work. It may seem slow to us, but it’s His timing. 

‘The essential thing “in heaven and earth” is . . . that there should be long obedience in the same direction.’ Friedrich  Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil.

God is at work in you. He will complete the work He began.

Don’t give up.

Keep moving forward.

Lord, Forgive our impatience! We just want more of You, and are in a hurry to get it! Bring to our minds Your words “Cease striving, be still…⁠3” so that we can rest in You, learn from You and become more like You each and every day. In Jesus powerful name, Amen

Grace be with you,

 

 

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1 Philippians 2:12

2 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 77). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

3 Psalm 46:10