psalm

I am so thankful we are on this journey together.

We are learning to walk with God on His path of joy.

We have been discussing the benefit of conversational prompts with God. We simply ask Him to reveal what is happening in our inner life. He does the rest. It is supernatural, beyond our natural abilities.

This week we will explore another prompt for a conversation with God. In my case, it was my outer life, my physical body, sending signals to stop and have a heart to heart talk with God. This gift came in the form of abscessed tooth pain.

You can’t ignore an angry tooth!

If we delay facing unpleasant things for too long, it can really hurt.

Our wonderful brains

God gave us a helpful mechanism in our brain that helps us put things on a back burner while we concentrate on other things. He also gave us the free will to decide what things we put on the front burner. This all changes when our bodies scream so loud, we can’t ignore it any longer.

Who would have thought an abscessed tooth could be the gift that helped me move forward?

Let me explain

I knew my dental situation needed attention several months ago with the last abscessed tooth. The situation just seemed too big to handle. I had a variety of options and different dentists to consider.

I didn’t want to deal with this situation.

So instead, I found lots of “good” things to do. I have been enjoying writing these blog posts, facilitating workshops, small groups. listening to and praying for friends. What I didn’t realize is that I was also using these “good” things to hide from facing something that needed to be dealt with.

  • Have you ever found yourself avoiding something?
  • Have you ever hid behind doing “good” things?
  • Are you currently avoiding something unpleasant now?

 What do you need from God in order to face this difficult thing?

Years ago, I made a list of Bible verses that remind me to rely on God’s strength, not my strength. I dip into this list often for encouragement. Feel free to reply to this email if you want a copy. Here are two verses you can write out and dwell on this week.

It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. Psalm 18:32 NIV

For, God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Phil 2:13 NLT

Enjoy your conversations with God this week. Be bold. Ask Him to reveal what is hidden. And then ask for His strength to face it with Him.