In the Spirit’s Flow

Well, hello there, friend! Come right on up here on this front porch and settle yourself into that wobbly ol’ rocking chair that sounds plum like a cranky lil’ cricket with a real bad attitude. Go on now and flick that nosy lil’ fly buzzin’ round here, too, because we’re about to take a lil’ ol’ ride into a truth so rich it could make a startled ol’ armadillo git to rethinkin’ its whole life choices. Ephesians 5:18 says, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” And to deepen this truth even more, we’re gonna be weavein’ through Psalm 16:11, which tells us, “You make known to me the path of life. You will fill me with joy in Your presence.” Now, friend, that pairing is like discoverin’ the skinniest barn cat has been sneaking off to take secret karate lessons right over behind the feed sacks. It plum changes everything.

Let’s talk about what’s controllin’ you and me. Paul ain’t just saying, “Don’t drink.” He’s saying, “Don’t be handin’ the steering wheel of your life to anything other than the Holy Spirit.” Folks who are plum drunk will say things, do things, and act in ways they’d never dream of when they’re sober because something else is doing the driving for ‘em. And the truth is, you and I are always goin’ in some kind of flow. We’re either in the flow of the Spirit or the flow of the flesh. Something is is gonna be nudgin’ you along. The question is: what is gonna be?

When you’re in the Spirit’s flow, you’ll find courage you plum didn’t even know you had. You’ll feel real peace that makes no kind of earthly sense. You’ll love people you used to be avoidin’ like a ol’ stinky skunk that wandered right on into the barn. The Spirit don’t numb you. He plum transforms you. Romans 8:26 reminds us, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” And Psalm 16:11 tells us, “He fills us with joy,” not the temporary kind that fizzles out like a firecracker in a big rainstorm, but the deep kind that plum settles real deep down into your bones.

So, what’s controlling you today? A habit? A distraction? A substance? A pattern you keep on slipping back into like a lil’ ol’ rascally raccoon that can’t resist comin’ back to the same trash can every night? Trade it for the Spirit. Step right on into His flow. Let Him be shapin’ your words, your actions, and your responses.

Father, fill me with Your Spirit. Help me release anything that tries to control me. Give me strength where I am weak and courage where I am fearful. Teach me to walk in step with Your Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.

Now. friend, as you head on back into your day, remember that life will always try to hand you poor substitutes for the good choices, but substitutes don’t never satisfy. The Spirit sho’-nuff’ steadies you like a towering pine tree that’s done stood through more than a hundred storms. He plum guides you like a wise ol’ owl perched high up above the forest floor. He strengthens you like a winding river carving its way right through solid rock. And He reminds you that you were never meant to be controlled by anything less than the living God. So, go right on now. Walk real tall. Keep right in step with the Spirit. And let His holy flow be carryin’ you farther than you ever thought you could ever go!

With joy,

Gwen