The disciplined life

The Christian who lives a disciplined life is a Christian that recognizes the holy. Allow me to explain, in order to stay healthy I decided to take an opportunity that came my way to start seeing a nutritionist for this coming year, I knew I needed help with eating right for a while now and though I was doing the best I knew to do I still wasn’t getting it right. In just one day I felt a big change in my energy level and alertness, which were two of the biggest issues I wanted to address but in spite of that I found the urge to search and destroy a bag of chips my wife brought home almost irresistible. Now before your eyes get too big it was a medium size bag and my youngest son liked them as much as I did but still within 24 hours I ate half a bag of chips! Then the Lord reminded me of something in a dream last night…

"This is amazing," Moses said to himself. "Why isn't that bush burning up? I must go see it." When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" "Here I am!" Moses replied. "Do not come any closer," the LORD warned. "Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
(Exodus 3:3-6 NLT)

It wasn’t for the burning bush that Moses covered his face and removed his sandals but it was because of God’s presence and the holiness that surrounded Him. Then the Lord reminded me my own heart, soul, mind, and body are holy too because He dwells there and I am also required to remove what is not holy. I knew instantly that meant things I’ve been spending time with like video games and Facebook, I also knew it was things I wasn’t doing like the pile of paper work on my desk that needs to be filed and more importantly spending more time with my wife and children. It seems we, God’s people, get so caught up in the rewards of this life that what seems mundane or boring gets pushed off to the side but these things that entertain us also trap us like a drug and we keep returning to feel that high but in the end everything becomes a chore. The needs pile up while we search for more ways to be in a continual state of bliss but even the highs eventually become just moments of normalcy. However, if we were disciplined enough to keep up with the “mundane” like paperwork we would find so much freedom to come into God’s presence, can you imagine finding God even in the little things all throughout your day instead of just an hour in the morning? Like eating right all day long makes you have more energy and allows you to be alert, being in God’s presence all day long would surely have a dramatic impact on your life that not only is noticed by you but by everyone you come in contact with! Yes, it is the disciplined life that I am searching for but the world’s enticements have a very real pull and this is part of the battle that we followers of Christ Jesus must face, for the battle is unknown by us until our eyes have been opened. Is it any wonder why this unseen journey is described as wild and adventurous? I may never climb a mountain or dive in the deep but my spirit has fought battles unseen and my soul recognizes the still quiet voice of the invisible God, for He has given me spiritual ears to hear His call and spiritual eyes to see the path He has placed me on but it remains my choice to follow and for that I pray for His strength, wisdom, understanding, and faith to do the things He teaches me is right, at all times.