Mrs Meyer points us to Galatians 5:16 Amplified version, which is a powerful concept. It says, “But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts].” (Gal 5:16 AMP) This is usually what I call the North AND South issue. We cannot walk BOTH North AND South at the same time, because they are polar opposites, right? We either deliberately walk North OR we, on purpose, turn around and walk South. Same concept here. Either we will follow the Holy Spirit OR we will follow our old Flesh, sinful person we used to be. We cannot do both at the same time. We must choose to follow Jesus OR MMI.
She states that people say things like, “I know I shouldn’t do this but…I know I should clean the house but…I know I should pay the bills but…” All these prove that we all hear from the Holy Spirit because we know what we ought to do. The truth is, too often, we just don’t want to follow His wisdom! Yet it is only when we follow God’s guidance that we can have a greater measure of this Abundant Life. Remember polar opposites. So if we choose to do whatever we feel like doing, and it is not what God would have us do, then it leads to those “death symptoms” I often talk about. Things like anxiety, confusion, depression, anger, bitterness…you know, none of the things we want in life. But if we choose to follow God? Then Life gets filled with more peace and joy.
The great news she shares is that, if we make the time to develop one good habit, many times it can knock off several bad ones at the same time. For example, if we make it a habit to place our car keys in the same designated spot every time we come back home, we can avoid stressing out as we rush around looking for them the next time we are trying to get out the door. In addition, we will not be getting to wherever we are going late either. This habit of organization dismisses several problems from our lives.
All this requires we live on purpose, for a purpose. I love how she says, “Normally nothing good happens accidentally…you can catch a cold, but you cannot catch health!” Mrs Meyer says, our problem is we do not know how to think properly and our behavior follows our thoughts. As I am always reminding us, we have to be aware of the thoughts that come to our minds, and not be quick to just receive every one of them as if it was ours. Let’s lean on the Holy Spirit to help us discern which thought leads to Life and which we can do without.
2023’s Got A Minute? Book Club
January: The First & Best Book Ever: The Bible
February: Love Is In the Air: “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman
March: Spring Growth: “Secrets of the Vine” by Bruce Wilkinson
April: Living the Resurrected Life: “The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life” by Dr Charles Stanley
May: My Spiritual Mom: “Making Good Habits Breaking Bad Habits” by Joyce Meyer
<>< Peace, Diane
