Modern Day Samaritan Woman

A Test in Obedience – 31 Days

Head Covering / Prayer Room / Facing Giants

Day 7: EMOTIONAL SEE-SAW

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Since I have started this challenge I have had a genuine desire to press in, and discover what I do not know about earnest intentional prayer. I also seriously desire to approach God with clean hands and conscience, but all too often during the past week, I have understood that despite my best intentions, my life and thoughts become contaminated by the things I see , hear and encounter during my day. These things have an influence on my emotions, which are sometimes a hindrance to intentional focused prayer.

The expression “Life Happens” is all too true and often as life is happening my emotions are all over the place. After, a difficult visit with my mother in the Home for Alzheimer’s, on Sunday morning, I returned home defeated and depressed. She was cranky and irritable, and furious at me for leaving her at the home. Feelings of guilt ran through my heart and mind for the remainder of the day. This is my mother and of course I want to do what is best for her and yet the guilt of placing her in a home gets to me every time.

This particular evening I struggled to separate my emotions from my intentions to pray intentionally and although I went through the motions, I wasn’t fooling myself, let alone God. When I gave up and lay down, I eventually began to realize that the enemy of my soul had “swept the rug out from under my feet” and diverted my emotions so completely that I could not pray effectively.

Ephesians 6:18 ^“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this on-going warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” The Message (MSG)

I started to understand the importance of 

exercising the discipline of prayer 

The enemy will frequently, use my circumstances and emotions to sabotage my prayer time. 

(Especially, since it clearly is so easy to do)

Thankfully, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 assures me that  “…God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!”

The Message (Emphasis my own)

Spiritual Lesson :

I need to press in, and strengthen the discipline of prayer.

It is imperative for my well-being in order to stand strong when the enemy tries to sweep the rug out from under my feet again.

Physical Lesson :

A heavy heart leads to a heavy spirit. This in turn leads to ineffective prayer.

 Prayer:

Father, guide us daily in the minefield we face daily between our circumstances and our emotions. Help us to be overcomers, strengthening our prayer disciplines so that we can be effective prayer's despite the circumstances we find ourselves in.

In Jesus Name we pray…Amen!!!

*Hugs* till next time.

Ariéte

Modern Day Samaritan Woman

Mending Burnt Bridges, Knotting Tongues and avoiding emotional Mudslides.

Life is a journey…and like all journeys the landscape changes and so too does the road surface. Sometimes the road is clear and straight and smooth. The landscape is breath-taking and beautiful.

We go to work, manage our homes, and love our children and families well enough…It’s all …Easy… Blessed… Happy and Smooth Sailing. You can see where you are going and for the longest time and it a nice safe place to be. It seems like you finally have it all together…Things can only get better from here on in

……Until……

suddenly and usually without warning you go round a bend and the landscape and road surface are not the same anymore. It’s barren and painfully ugly…You can’t understand how you got there, how did it change so unexpectedly.

Sometimes the road is only scattered with thousands of tiny pebbles… not too bad…merely minor irritations, but if you travel along that road surface long enough and those mild irritations turn to HUGE BOULDERS of annoyance, unfairness, intolerance and downright ANGER. This is the time when………….

A word out of your mouth makes all the difference between crossing bridges and burning them…..

God’s Word clearly warns us to guard our tongues.  Yet it’s also one of the hardest things we find to do. I, certainly have a very hard time controlling my tongue and being quiet during these times. 

As the pressure mounts and the irritations pile up, so too does the desire to lash out and find relief. The thoughts roll around in my head, the unfairness, the dishonesty, whatever pebbles are scattered in my path at that time don’t let up and I find myself brooding about those things at work, at home, when I’m trying to sleep, as soon as I wake up... Always there, demanding to be let out…  

I know that I have to be particularly careful with loved ones during these times of stress, yet I invariably fail and my tongue gets to have its way.

Admittedly, it brings a very brief satisfaction, but only very briefly and then I feel awful. A huge emotional mud slide of self-reproach and regret invariably floods over me and I wish I hadn't said a word, almost immediately afterwards. My stomach tenses and then I know I will function with the hollow feeling of shame and remorse for a few days before I start to feel better.

Thankfully, I serve the God of new beginnings who doesn't leave me in that place but has provided for me a way out of that horrible place. I’m comforted to read in scripture that I am not the only person plagued by relentless thoughts and an uncontrollable tongue.

However, I am more comforted by Grace…God’s Grace and Mercy that follows me and picks me up again…Precious Holy Spirit folds me in endless layers of Grace and Peace, while directing me to God’s Word and after spending time relating to the people and their sins that are so familiar to me, and then finding God’s solutions to these sins…chewing on them...and feeling better as I do. Restoring my soul....

I found that instead of brooding on all the perceived injustices and irritations I should rather……….focus on....

Philippians ^4:8 For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]."(AMP)

When I do those things…I can avoid the unpleasantness and rather mend my bridges instead of burn them….I can build up instead of break down…..

How about you? How do you manage your tongue? Do you succeed or are you more like me…

*Hugs* till next time.

Ariéte