Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

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Whose Voice Do You Follow?

October 21, 2021 by Ellen 2 Comments

“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.

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The Rest of the Story…

November 14, 2019 by Ellen 2 Comments

I realized this morning that the great words of advice I gave last week – about alleviating anxiety – left us all in a lurch. I was worried about flying, and knew I needed to calm down. I suggested releasing our anxieties to Jesus and resting in Him.  Sounds like a good plan, right? 

When the plane was taking off (and I was anxious) I began to wonder: What does it mean to rest in Jesus? And, HOW are we supposed to do that? 

Let’s flesh this out today, dig a little deeper, and see what God’s word says about rest.

“The LORD had given him rest on every side from all his enemies,…” 2 Samuel 7:1b NASB

“I will give you rest from all your enemies…” 2 Samuel 7:11b NASB

In 2 Samuel 7, we find David at home. Saul has died. David no longer has to run in fear of his life. There are no impending battles with the enemies of Israel. God has given David rest from his enemies. The original Hebrew word for rest is munnāḥ, which means to settle down, to pause, to be free of conflict.

[tweetthis]To rest in Jesus is to pause and settle down with Him.[/tweetthis]  

For me, it also means to ask Him what it is that is causing conflict in my soul. I thought it was flying. I’m not the best air traveler. I don’t love being miles and miles (and miles!) above the earth in a silver metal tube that can suddenly drop to the earth with no warning. Can I get an amen? 

Digging deeper, Holy Spirit nudged me and helped me realize that my conflict was not my fear of flying. I just plain didn’t want to leave my home and my hubby. I am quite the homebody since  retirement. My home is my happy and safe place; I am content here. The conflict was not wanting to leave. By pausing to rest with Jesus, I realized it wasn’t about flying, or missing flights or falling ill on the trip; it was about me getting out of my comfort zone. 

What is causing you conflict and making you anxious? Take it to Jesus. Rest in Him.

 

How? Let’s look in Matthew to find out:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NASB

Jesus tells us to come to Him and HE will give us rest. The original Greek word here is anapaúsō. It means to give rest, quiet and refresh; to cause someone to take a break from their activities in order to be refreshed. 

Jesus Himself refreshes us. We need only stop our activities and spend time with Him, in His Word and in prayer. 

Stop right now and rest in Jesus. Stop the conflicts in your heart, mind and life; stop your busyness. Lean in to Him. You’ll be rested, I guarantee!

Grace be with you,

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