The Spirit's Nudging

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. – Ezekiel 36:26

When I meet a guy, I’m always the one calling, texting, sending Facebook messages, making plans, and posting cute updates about our time together. And it feels like every one of these relationships ends in “Let’s just be friends”.

But I started to hear that inner voice nudging me, saying “It’s not him. It’s you”. I’ve had to reexamine the way I work in relationships. I’ve always made it too easy for a date to get to know me. Once the mystery is gone, so is the guy. And when I really need a friend, I can’t count on him to be there. It took a lot of getting my heart smashed into pieces before I was forced to put an end to these bad habits. No more changing a guy to fit my mold. That was the Holy Spirit’s job. My role was to respond and wait!

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). When we listen to the flesh, we will give in to the enemy’s attacks and succumb to temptation of the flesh. But when we live the words of Christ and apply them to our lives, we are promised new life when we listen to the Spirit’s urging – that little inner voice, nudging us become better than we could be alone – we can be certain of receiving Christ’s healing and restoration.

Prayer: Teach me how to be secure in my relationship with you first. Don’t let me compromise the way you taught me to live just so that I can be in a relationship. Help me to recognize the Spirit’s voice when he speaks in my heart. Amen.