One morning I complained to God that I have to wait a whole half hour after taking my medication before I can have my cup of coffee. In my mind, I heard the word fetish. I was taken aback. “What, me have a fetish?” I had to look up the word. Meaning #2 in the dictionary said, “an inanimate object worshiped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit.”
I heard Him whisper gently to my heart, “You cannot serve two masters. If I took this away, you would begrudge me. Your heart isn’t really even open to stop right now.”
He was right. I ran through all my reasons why I couldn’t give up coffee right now. I will list a few of them here for your amusement. The holidays are coming and I want to drink coffee/tea with friends and family. It gives me an energy boost (supposed magical powers). It’s a comfortable daily habit, a ritual.
“Those are a lot of excuses.” He said.
“Reasons/excuses depends how you look at it” was my reply.
Then His directions were very clear. “I want you to decrease your caffeine intake by half now and half again in December so that in January we can work on attitudes and not addiction. We are on a straight path here.”
My heart was softening. This was my Savior’s call to change. My response was, “I’m glad You are calling me out on this. Thank you for giving me a plan to get healthy in this area again. I accept. Shine your light on my soul. Expose the darkness and sin in it.” Bad habits and sin like dormant places because they have a place to grow undisturbed. Dormant: Sleeping, resting, inactive by having normal physical functions suspended or slowed down for a period of time. That was my life this past year.
Prayer: Lord open up these dormant places in my heart. While I was in my health crisis I was only thinking about myself, my health and how to make it through the day. But I see where some coping mechanisms have replaced faith and now I have an unhealthy relationship with those things. Please shine Your light on those areas.
God’s Word to Us: Oh Sweet One, I am glad you are coming to Me with this. Let Me shine My light of truth on that area and expose the lies it keeps telling you. Your great weakness is energy, but for others it may be time or even something else. But all those things must be measured by the “Who Is Your Master Test?”
“No one can serve two masters.
For you will hate one and love the other;
you will be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
My Heart’s Cry is for us to allow God to shine His light into the dormant places of our soul. What is He showing you that has grown to an unhealthy level of dependence? Maybe it’s not money like it says in this verse or coffee like I struggle with. It may be a substance, a relationship or an activity. Let me encourage you to take the “Who Is Your Master Test?” Pit whatever it is with God. Would you begrudge Him if He took it away all of a sudden?
“Don’t you realize that you become the slave
of whatever you choose to obey?
You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death,
or you can choose to obey God,
which leads to righteous living.“
Several times a day I have to remind myself by song, scripture or thought that the Lord is worthy to be praised. My thoughts must be on Him first. He is who I love. And if He points out anything in my life that is coming between us, I must address it. For He is My Lord, My Savior and He is most certainly my Friend.
Have a blessed week.
Kim
Verses: Matthew 6:24 and Romans 6:16
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