It’s A Soul Fight

Have you ever wondered why you did something particular as though you were on autopilot?  You have done this every day for the past five years and you do it without thinking about it, without acknowledging it.  But what happens when you intently start thinking about your everyday actions, encounters with others, habits, and thoughts?

This my friends is how you begin to change your mindset! Read up.

You thoughtfully and meticulously think about what you are thinking, how you are feeling, and physical actions you do without thinking about it. Then you analyze what you discover and make a conscious effort to change this behavior pattern.

I have been on a journey edifying my mind, life, and actions.  I simply want to be my best self – in my mind, heart, and spirit.  The LORD has laid it upon my heart to do such things and by His grace, love, and mercy – I will identify the areas that have been pushed under the rug so to speak and we (Jesus & I) will accomplish them according to His purpose and plan.

Sounds easy right? Well, it’s not. Sorry, y’all.

It’s hard.  It’s ugly.  It’s surprising!

---

Here are a few things I was surprised about: 

• Every morning I hit the snooze button for 55 minutes until I actually got up.  The LORD opened my eyes to how many minutes I wasted.

My solution: I am going to get an actual alarm clock and set it up on the other side of the room.

• I always checked my phone after getting out of bed.  It was the first thing I did for a good ten minutes.  All my notifications from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Email were checked and cleared.  But I didn’t accomplish anything of any real importance.

My solution: I’m fighting the flesh to keep my phone out of sight in the morning and turned on silent!

• FACEBOOK: This app is TERRIBLE.  I spent countless minutes that seem to turn into an hour strolling through the same posts. Why would I do this to myself and the day the LORD has given me?

My solution: I logged out of Facebook and only have access to the Facebook Page manager app for my blog Facebook page.  It’s quite nice.  I actually forgot my Facebook password and had to reset it.  You can laugh, it’s okay.

• Do you know that I make coffee 95% asleep? It’s okay. I didn’t either but I guess it’s one of those you have done so long, you just do it without having to think about it.

My solution: I’m still trying to figure that one it.

With this extra time, I have been spending so much more time praying and reading the Bible. When the urge to scroll Facebook came on, I read the Bible. It’s truly been an amazing experience!

Here is what I want to share with you:

---

The flesh wants to disconnect us from our life source but the soul desires to connect to our life source.  We have to say no to our flesh constantly throughout every day.  It’s saying no to social media, to that cookie, to that thought you shouldn’t have, to whatever takes your eyes off of what is good.

It’s a soul fight.

Why do we have to fight the flesh so much? It’s exhausting! My answers:

1. God wants us to choose Him every day. He wants us to desire Him and cultivate the relationship with Him.  He wants us to make choices that point toward Him.  Otherwise, we wouldn’t have free will to make choices we desire to make.

2. The enemy knows that we are weak to the desires of the world and uses the flesh to distract us.

In our choices, especially when the choice points to Jesus, He is with us. He doesn’t leave us. He doesn’t forsake us.  He gives us strength. He gives us everything we need to overcome whatever life throws our way.

When we acknowledge that His ways are better and we decide to pick up our cross and follow Him, He rewards us in our discomfort. I don’t mean that you will be given every desire of your heart but what I mean is that you will be given the needs of your soul. For example, peace, joy when the world tells you to be sad, hope when the world tells you it isn’t going to happen, and faith!

Jesus did the hard part. He just wants us to crucify our fleshy desires and follow Him.

And He still rewards us. He still gives us peace, reassurance, and love through every moment we face.

Start by committing to Him. Pray. Ask. Seek and you will find.

My favorite thing this past week has been praying this simple prayer:

Heavenly Father, Your ways are higher and far better than mine. You know my needs before I do, you know what troubles my heart even when I can not speak the words. I am seeking you and your desire for me and the word you want to give me.”

I will open my Bible to a random page and read what I find.

You might be surprised when you look down on the page.

Keep up the soul fight, y’all!

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

P.S. Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share in the comments below. I would love to hear from you. Be sure to check us out in all our social media networks and share in yours!