Hi, ladies! My name is Lynn, and this week, I'm writing about tools for surviving (and thriving) as a single woman. On Monday and Tuesday, I wrote about the meaning and importance of submission and specifically about how to practice it while we are single. Today, I'd like to take a look at the next item in our survival handbag, the flashlight, which has the important function of guarding and revealing our hearts.
I like to picture the heart as a tower with guards posted at each entrance. Believers are instructed to take every thought captive, so like a soldier on duty, I imagine pointing my flashlight at the thoughts seeking entrance to my heart and saying, "Halt! Identify yourself! Who do you work for and what do you hope to accomplish here?" Some of the thoughts trying to sneak into my heart were sent by the enemy and were meant for my destruction. I need to expose their source, but that can be difficult to do. How do we sort out which thoughts are ours, which are God speaking to us, and which are traps planted by the enemy? Thankfully, we have a fellow soldier with specialized training in this area. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit as a guard for our hearts. We can ask for his help as we try to discern what we should or shouldn’t allow to dwell there.
The second function of our handy-dandy flashlight is revealing our hearts. One of the ways God reveals my heart to me is by asking questions that cause me to evaluate my feelings and motives. One day while I was puttering around at home, I heard the Lord ask me, "Do you see marriage as the ultimate form of acceptance?" That question stopped me in my tracks. I had to think about it for a while. I re-examined the way I'd been thinking about guys and the way I handled my feelings for them. I thought about why marriage appealed to me. Eventually, I had to answer that I did see marriage as the ultimate form of acceptance. The Lord replied, "Salvation, not marriage, is the ultimate form of acceptance.” The connection between my desire for acceptance and my desire for marriage was one that I had not seen. It was something God had to reveal to me about myself, which he did with grace and gentleness.
Friends, I am eager for us to use the tools God has given us to bless and honor him now and in whatever situation he sees fit to place us. In every stage of life, we have an enemy on the loose, against whom me must be on guard, and in every stage of life, we need someone to search our hearts and reveal what's hidden there. Let's learn now to recognize the enemy and avoid his traps. Let's ask God to reveal and refine our hearts.
And tomorrow, let's take a look at the last item in our survival handbag, the sword. Thanks for staying with me so far, ladies!
Going green!
Lynn Fleshman
I like to picture the heart as a tower with guards posted at each entrance. Believers are instructed to take every thought captive, so like a soldier on duty, I imagine pointing my flashlight at the thoughts seeking entrance to my heart and saying, "Halt! Identify yourself! Who do you work for and what do you hope to accomplish here?" Some of the thoughts trying to sneak into my heart were sent by the enemy and were meant for my destruction. I need to expose their source, but that can be difficult to do. How do we sort out which thoughts are ours, which are God speaking to us, and which are traps planted by the enemy? Thankfully, we have a fellow soldier with specialized training in this area. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit as a guard for our hearts. We can ask for his help as we try to discern what we should or shouldn’t allow to dwell there.
The second function of our handy-dandy flashlight is revealing our hearts. One of the ways God reveals my heart to me is by asking questions that cause me to evaluate my feelings and motives. One day while I was puttering around at home, I heard the Lord ask me, "Do you see marriage as the ultimate form of acceptance?" That question stopped me in my tracks. I had to think about it for a while. I re-examined the way I'd been thinking about guys and the way I handled my feelings for them. I thought about why marriage appealed to me. Eventually, I had to answer that I did see marriage as the ultimate form of acceptance. The Lord replied, "Salvation, not marriage, is the ultimate form of acceptance.” The connection between my desire for acceptance and my desire for marriage was one that I had not seen. It was something God had to reveal to me about myself, which he did with grace and gentleness.
Friends, I am eager for us to use the tools God has given us to bless and honor him now and in whatever situation he sees fit to place us. In every stage of life, we have an enemy on the loose, against whom me must be on guard, and in every stage of life, we need someone to search our hearts and reveal what's hidden there. Let's learn now to recognize the enemy and avoid his traps. Let's ask God to reveal and refine our hearts.
And tomorrow, let's take a look at the last item in our survival handbag, the sword. Thanks for staying with me so far, ladies!
Going green!
Lynn Fleshman
November 22, 2009 at 11:02 PM
"Salvation, not marriage, is the ultimate form of acceptance.” Wow! That's a powerful revelation Lynn! Thank you for sharing with us what God shared with you!!
I have so enjoyed your creative writing this week! Looking forward to someday reading about "the sword"!
As a side note, I find God speaks to me in a similar question-asking way. I'll have to share with you His latest question to me at some point... like during http://www.mobiliseusa.org (wohoo!)
November 24, 2009 at 11:08 AM
Yes! I can't wait to catch up with you at Mobilise! I love my Amie times. :)