"Follow Your Heart" is a LIE

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ZZZzzzz...

The alarm went off for twenty minutes this morning before I heard it. I hit snooze. For an hour, every nine minutes that alarm went off. Ever nine minutes I hit snooze once more. 

I was tired. Still am, but I have lots to do. I have spent the last two hours catching up on morning chores and now, I am at least three hours behind my day. 

This morning I was a serial snoozer. This is a dangerous thing to be. 

But isn't that just human nature? To put off all the things we know we need to do, just for a few more minutes of something else? A few more minutes of fun, of sleep. or of peace? 

But we don't just apply this habit to our sleeping patterns, or at least I don't. No, I run the risk of applying it to my spiritual life too. All too often I hear God telling me to do something about an attitude or a habit. My response is too often a lazy one. I hit the spiritual snooze button. 

I know I have to eventually get to it, but I do not want to deal with the pain of doing it right now. And sometimes there is pain when we obey. 

Me versus God

The truth is no one likes the process of self-discipline, but the concept is even more strenuous when you add in God's discipline. I want to get up at eight, which is hard enough for me at times. God wants me up at five. I want to have a second portion of dinner (hey, I am a great cook!) and God wants me to cut the first portion in half. These may seem like self-discipline issues, but they are really heart issues.

"Heart Issues" is a phrase I used to hate to hear. It sounded so judgmental coming from pastors and teachers, but in reality, if we are ill in our physical body, don't we want to know what the root problem is? Wouldn't we want to fix that? 

So I have to apply the same logic to my spiritual life. I have to go to the "heart" of my issues. I have to deal with my disobedience and rebellion. 

That is what it is and it isn't easy or pretty to say. Like an alcoholic in an AA meeting I feel like I should stand up and say, "Hi, my name is Dayna, and I have a rebellion problem." 

The battle of self-will versus God's will has been going on since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, but I somehow isolate myself and think it is just a "Dayna" thing. This rebellion may manifest itself in small ways, but with big and sometimes dire consequences. 

After all, I did not just wake up one day overweight battling health problems because I hit a snooze once or had a second helping a few times. No, I ended up this way because I served myself for years instead of serving God. 

I am in Recovery (TWEET THAT)

The remedy is not easy. When I perfect it, I will let you know. Until then, I will stay on my face repenting, trying again, and choosing to let God lead me. Recovering the life He means me to have, not the one I buildt for myself. 

I want the stuff that will last: treasure that remains. Burn off the dross and let my life be made to be a perfect reflection of You Lord. 

"A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." Matthew 12:35 KJV

Father, hear my cry. My heart is wicked and it always chooses itself. "Follow your heart" is a lie I have believed for too long, and I know that there is no one and nothing I should follow more than you. Forgive me for being stiff necked and insisting on doing things my way. Help me to be obedient the first time you tell me something. Help me to abandon myself and lean into you with all I am. I choose you over my own desires. You are worth it all. In Jesus name. Let it be. 

Join the Conversation

Do you have a bad habit God is leading you to break? 

The 7 Rules of Self-Discipline

"Pouting" Photo Credit: Creative Commons

I don't wanna. 

That is how I feel in this moment. 

I don't want to write, I don't want to read. 

I just want to be left alone to chill (aka be lazy) and to rest on my laurels.  

Then I hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. He talks very plainly to me. He says one word: "tough". 

I get the message. 

Sometimes we have to do the things we don't want to do in order to do the things we want to do later. This is called discipline. 

This is not a fun word: discipline. 

 

Paul told Timothy in his second letter to him these things: 

"So, my son, throw yourself into this work for Christ. Pass on what you heard from me—the whole congregation saying Amen!—to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others. When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did. A soldier on duty doesn't get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders. An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere. It’s the diligent farmer who gets the produce. Think it over. God will make it all plain." 2 Timothy 2:1-7 The Message

Overcoming Distraction

Let's face it. We have all been distracted in our lives before, or have felt lazy. I get it: we are human, but there is work to be done. The fields are ripe with harvest. 

This is a heart issue. My body may be tired, but my heart (my inner will and person-hood) is the thing that drives me. If I have the will, the discipline. then I can get over being "tired" and do what I have to do anyway. 

Proverbs 4:24-27 says "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust." 

Let's Break it Down

1) Guard our Hearts- our Spirit, the core of our essence. This is the innermost part of us and the thing that God longs to possess. If we give it over to lusts (and laziness is a lust of the flesh) then we lose life. We begin to die from the inside out. Jesus came to give life, and life that is abundant, overflowing, and never ending. 

2) Do What You Say You Will Do- let your yes be yes and your no be no. I have been guilty of breaking this rule. I call it the "big talk, small walk" syndrome. We are afraid of displeasing people, or we want to impress them, so we say yes to things we have no business saying yes to. This sets us up for failure when all God wants for us is success. 

3) Avoid the Big Three: Careless Banter, White Lies and Gossip- What comes out of our mouths can either help us or harm us. No name it claim it here, just a spiritual law God put into place. Our words have power to create. "God said 'Let there be....and there was'"   We are made in His image. He tells us over and over to pay attention to what comes out of our mouth. The carelessness with which I so easily say things then quickly add "just sayin'" at the end is ridiculous. I know better. Saying ugly things, even in jest, should not be a habit I keep. Then there are the 'white lies' we tell. These are little seeds. They grow into choking vines that squeeze the life out of us: cutting off the supply of TRUTH directly to our hearts. Finally, there is gossip. Veiled as a prayer request, or just shared over coffee, the little "did you hear's" are dangerous territory. They give others the chance to be offended, they weigh us down and if we participate too often in this kind of discourse we lose credibility as Christians. 

4) Eyes on the Prize- I am not a runner, but I am familiar with goals. I know that the finish line is ultimately the goal for every runner. Yet, in a race, as in life, there are markers that let us know where we are in the race, and how far we have yet to go. If we do not keep the ultimate goal in mind, (the finish line) then we can run the chance we get distracted with the "this is far enough" mentality. We are on a journey. Paul says he presses toward the prize at the end of the race. 

5) Stay on Target! Stay on Target!- If you are a Star Wars (TM) fan you just got that reference: congrats! We have a path to victory. Is is a narrow path, but it leads to some amazing adventure. Your path can be illuminated and clear. You do not have to walk around feeling in the dark and wondering where to go next. Psalms 27:11 says "Point me down your highway, God; direct me along a well-lighted street" (The Message)
Follow the path God has for you and you will always be in the will of God for your life. 

6) No Turn Signal Needed- Not right, not left, but straight ahead. Be wary of distractions. Where our eyes look, the rest of us follows. You learn this principle in driver's ed. The many trials and errors of learning to walk resulted in falls, scrapes, and even some bruises. So why do you think your life would be any different? The most successful athletes, business people, and even movie stars will tell you that focus is essential. Don't look right, don't look left...just keep looking toward the goal. 

7) Leave Evil Behind- Do good. Love with your actions. Do the work of Christ. Love the widow and the orphan. Stop talking about your neighbor, or coveting her husband. Walk away from the things that entrap and ensnare us. Evil is fun....for a season, but it always leads to death. Shake the dust off your feet and leave your old ways behind you. 

These seven "rules" can be summed up if we live one verse above all others: "For in him we live, and move, and have our being" Acts 17:28a 

Dwelling in God's presence everyday is the ultimate way to overcome distraction. When we are focused on Him, everything else fades. 

Join the Conversation: 

What things distract you?