Tuesday, August 16, 2011


Listening to the Spirit

The Holy Spirit is able to teach you all things. What He teaches you is truth, and not a lie. I John 2:27

It’s spring. The flowers bloom in my garden, and sweet-gum balls litter the lawn.

Each year I spend hours raking the sweet-gum balls off the lawn and tossing them in the trash. Yesterday I raked them into piles, scooped them into the dustpan, and tossed them in the trash. When I re-examined the area, I found another one, picked it up and threw it away.

The further I walked, the more I found. I was surprised at how many I’d overlooked. How could I not have seen them? I’d already gone over the area, but had missed them somehow.

I realized this mirrored my spiritual life. It’s easy for me to go about my days and overlook some of my sins. I fail to recognize them even as I evaluate my life. So I need to pray continually, and pay attention to the Holy Spirit as He reveals my sins. Then I need to abandon these, and replace them with what glorifies God.

Just as clearing my yard of sweet gum balls is a process that takes time and has to be done continually, so ridding my life of sin is an ongoing practice that I need to make time for. Both require paying attention to detail and working to get rid of what doesn’t belong. Only by looking to Him, and listening for His voice, can I hear Him convict me of my sin.

How about you?  Do you go through your days simply moving from one task to the next and checking them off your to-do list? Or, do you stop to listen to the Spirit, learn what He wants you to do, and follow through with what He reveals?

2 comments:

Jennifer said...

Hi Ellen,
Nice devotion. Something we all need to remember :)

Allison Martin said...

Wow! Maybe if we all spent a little more time letting God pick out the "gumballs" from our hearts, "the yard" of our souls would never need raking again. Powerful insights. Thanks for sharing!