Who's Leading You?

We recently got a new puppy. Rachel my youngest daughter got him as a birthday present. She named him Tux. She has done an incredible job taking care of him. Her name means motherly and she has really taken on that roll with this pup.  He is in the stage of wanting to chew on everything and play non stop  She is at school all day so guess who gets the roll of saying "NO" ummm that would be me.  One of the biggest struggles I had growing up was saying no. I would morph into whoever others wanted me to be. From dressing like others, to going places outside of my mom's rules. I participated because saying no was to hard. We can't see the big picture and only strive to satisfy the desire we currently have. 

Galatians 5:22/23 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives; love, Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!  

I have found myself really trying to be conscious of my words and how I respond in all areas of my life including waiting on God to respond to my prayers and dreams.  I am learning every day that Satan's plan is to distract believers, to confuse and to ultimately lead them away from God’s heart.   I look at magazines in line at stores and they are all consumed with outward beauty.  They push girls to lose weight and also encourage girls to show more skin and to do it well.  I talk to teenage girls a lot and their pain is so deep that it causes them to cut, smoke weed and drown themselves in music and relationships that are toxic.  I see women of all ages desperate for attention from their husbands and they are crying out with all they have and they feel hopeless numb and praying for a miracle.  I know men who are working with all they have to just pay the bills and yet their wives still want more at the end of the day.  Men consume their eyes  with porn addiction and yet they have no idea how or what it looks like to pursue the daughters of the King.  Satan wants your attention and he will stop at nothing to get it.  Struggles often become normalcy and then before long you no longer try to kill the addiction but try and live with it as a crutch.   In Galatians I also noticed something that has never stuck out before.  In verse 16 it says this.. Galatians 5:16 So I say, let the Holy spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  Let the Holy Spirit lead our lives… How does this happen? I believe that the main instrument that God uses to connect His people to His heart is His word and yet we often miss His leading because of distractions.  God wants to lead us away from those sinful cravings and lead us into freedom, forgiveness and a life filled with hope.  Who has your heart has your time, money and relationships. If God is leading you then you can’t sit in front of a computer screen and look at His daughters with lustful thoughts. If God is leading you then you will pursue your wives like Christ pursues His church.  If God is leading you then you will not nag and push your husband away but embrace His love and leadership and allow him to lead NO MATTER what.  IF God is leading you sweet girl you will look in the mirror and see a reflection of a masterpiece starring back at you. God’s says you are His and He wants your heart protected within His.   We are His and He has purposed us to live a life that is often not easy and sometimes overwhelming but when pushed in the corner satan doesn’t get the glory it’s our fruit that blooms and people get to see a glimpse of hope in us.  Is God waiting on your return, your willingness to go deeper, your step of obedience, your heart to position?  He wants you to be filled with new life.  Which word will you start with Today? Will it be Love, Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Get ready to bloom….