So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

Galatians 5:16

Every day we wake up behind closed doors, in our own home, and we decide that day to be an obedient servant of God. Then we walk through the door and life happens! Our good intentions get smacked upside the head by other people‘s drama! We trip over their impatience. We stumble over their anger. And we allow ourselves to fall right into sin along with them. Before we know it, we are knee deep in gossip, complaining, bitterness, pride, selfishness, crude jokes, hurtful words, and jealousy. And so goes the day until we try again tomorrow.

Obedience is much easier when we’re alone! When we don’t need to be face to face with those who push our buttons. When we don’t need to avoid those who seem determined to ruin our day. Following Jesus well, when we are out in the real world interacting with humanity, is very hard work! On our own, we don’t have the power to obey Jesus at all. But as believers, we have the Holy Spirit within us, and He gives us the self-control we need and the ability to walk in obedience to God. If we are too busy with all that tripping and stumbling and sinking and falling to connect with God, we won’t recognize His voice when He redirects our hearts. We won’t hear His words correct our wonky thinking. But when we take the time to meet with Jesus, the ugliness around us is far less likely to reach our hearts and scratch at our souls. 

Before you interact with the rest of the world each day, stop. Read the words from God’s own heart and spend a few minutes in prayer. You will be better equipped to dodge someone’s unnecessary, uninvited drama. You will watch your step around others’ impatience, and you’ll leave a little distance between yourself and someone else’s anger. You always get to decide when to speak your mind and when to keep your mouth shut. You always have a choice to sink or obey. Connect with Jesus behind closed doors before you ever walk through them, and ask Him for extra help to keep your heart scratch-free. And so will go your day—today, tomorrow, and forever! You are loved!