Wanting More

In a couple of previous posts I talked about my lack of devotion times the last little while.  Last night I had a bit of a ah-ha moment.  While I’m not trying to make excuses (just gain insight) I realized why things haven’t been that great in the spiritual discipline department and while things aren’t great they aren’t as bad as I was thinking.  

Let me explain. I’ve spent the last 3 or so years in ministry. When you’re planning services or teachings, preparing to meet with people or do long term planning it’s very easy to stop and take time to pray right there in that moment. After all you’re planning worship of God and ministry for people.  You want every aspect of it (including the planning) to be God honouring. 

I’m not currently planning services or things like that. This morning I’m trying to decide if I start my day by doing some drum tracking or doing some piano practicing.  In this context it’s very easy to forget that God has an interest in each of these details. He knows what the plan for today should be.  He wants the best for me and is willing to lead me there if I just ask Him.  Just because it’s not help with a specific ministry doesn’t mean I shouldn’t go to God for help with each aspect of my life. 

I need to be turning to Him more and more with each part of my day. I haven’t been doing that and I am feeling the affects spiritually. I feel like I’ve been failing spiritually when really God is just revealing some areas of my life that I need to turn over to Him.  I can’t let the enemy try and convince me that things are worse than they are or create a feeling of guilt in me. 

On Sunday we heard a great sermon on Hebrews 10:19-25. This includes the passage on needing to spur each other on. The speaker shared very passionately how we as believers and churches need to take this passage much more seriously than we do. So with this post I wish to spur you on in your walk with God. May you trust Him with each and every detail of your day.

So today I’m continuing the Monday series we started about fighting resistance. If you missed the first few posts you can look at the categories section on the right side of the site. I have this whole series in it’s own category. Like I mentioned in the introduction to this series I can’t recommend highly enough Steven Pressfield’s book the War of Art. It’s fantastic and serves as the framework for this series.

 

Last week I talked about some of the specific things in my own life  that resistance uses to beat me. This week I want to look at some of the things that causes resistance to come after us. 

 

The first thing to know is that resistance has no interest in those who are comfy or complacent. Resistance does not interfere with a person whose life is void of dreams or ambitions. 

Resistance is interested in those who are interested in grand things. 

 

Do you feel the calling on your life is to create some grand masterpiece? It could be a novel, songs, poetry or visual art. 

Do you plan on starting a new business? Or embarking on a new and exciting career? 

Do you plan on getting in shape? Or improving your physical health?

Do you have any addictions you are trying to over come?

Are you in school trying to better yourself?

Planning on standing up for a cause of some sort? Want to change the world for the better?

Lastly, are you trying to grow closer to God? 

If you answered yes to any of these things be prepared for a battle. These are the types of things that draw resistance.  In Pressfield’s words resistance is drawn to “any act that rejects immediate gratification in favour of long-term growth, health or integrity. Or, expressed another way, any act that derives from our higher nature instead of our lower. Any of these will elicit Resistance.”

 

In my own life right now I feel like the battle with resistance has been constant and unfortunately in a number of areas resistance is currently kicking my a$$.  

Some of the specific areas in my life that I’ve very much been battling are:

This blog (I have not been working at it the way I had hoped)

Practicing (I’ve been playing the piano around 90 minutes a day right now which isn’t horrible but it’s the way I’m practicing and letting myself get distracted during it)

My relationship with God (I mentioned last week my devotion times have been sparse. I’ve been working harder at not letting the little things of the day get between God and I)

Writing (specifically music.  Currently I’m not doing any so I guess you can say resistance has temporarily won. But not for long!)

 

Like I said last week there are a number of different things resistance uses to distract me.  Some of them are good things but they are not the right things.  

 

If you’re comfortable feel free to post a comment with areas in your life right now where you feel the battle with resistance raging. Perhaps battles you’ve even been afraid to start.