Mysty PfefferI, like you, have the opportunity and privilege of praying for my family, friends, and clients. It is the joyful foundation of our faith and where our hope lies. Plus, it draws us closer together. Although prayer for guidance, healing, and strength is commonly requested, I find inviting the Holy Spirit into our decision process is another matter.
Let me give you two examples of Christian women seeking wellness coaching to show you what I mean. Just for fun, I’ll call the first woman Mary and the other, Martha. Both Mary and Martha are struggling with their weight and health issues.
Mary explains to me how she sets her mind to lose fifty pounds and trudges through until she meets her goal. Once met, she slowly goes back to her previous eating habits and gains more than she weighed before. However, her struggle with chronic pain, prediabetes, and depression are now taking their toll on her health. She says, “I’ve never invited the Holy Spirit into this process, and I’m ready to do that now.”
Martha also shares with me her past attendance at weight loss programs and final success of weight loss after gastric bypass, only to gain it back with emotional eating. She says, “When I leave work and see that fast food restaurant, I don’t pray because I know it will stop me from going through that drive through.”
Inviting The Holy Spirit Gives Us Clarity
I paint the picture of these two differing mindsets because it is a common struggle in every decision process for myself, and maybe you, too. The underlying tension lies in trusting God enough to meet our emotional, physical, or financial needs rather than the things in this world. Not just in weight control, but in our service to God, our physical health, occupation, and relationships.
I believe inviting the Holy Spirit into situations like these not only gives us clarity, guidance, and power, but an opportunity for submission, true freedom, and trust. My Sunday school teacher, Gayle, always says, “We have to remove ourselves from the throne and put God back on the throne where he belongs.”
What a simple biblical view of describing Martha’s dilemma with emotional eating and my struggle with decision making!
Therefore, when I am facing a crisis in life physically, emotionally, or relationally, I benefit more by putting my will and desires beneath God’s will and desire for my life. Gayle’s reminder is a gift sticking with me as I review my options, and so is Mary’s. I hear the soft whisper of conviction begin to wrestle with my soul.
The sad truth is, when I do things my way instead of inviting the Holy Spirit into every decision, I love myself, my lifestyle, and my habits more than God.
I don’t receive power because I don’t submit to him.
I don’t experience freedom because I enjoy pleasure or comfort over sacrifice and possible long-term benefit.
So, how does inviting the Holy Spirit into my choices make a difference?
Here are 4 Ways Inviting the Holy Spirit into My Choices Makes a Difference
- Power
When I understand fully, and remind myself regularly, of God’s amazing power through the Holy Spirit, to live victoriously, I crave him more! His power, living in me, overcomes indecision, casts out harmful lies, gives grace to others, and places my impulses in their proper place.
I welcome the inspired words of the apostle Paul as they flow into my mind and transform my thinking. Moreover, I invite you to do the same in your area of struggle. He says:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
“My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;( 2Cor 4:7)
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, (2Cor 10:4-5)
3 Results Taking Place When We Invite the Holy Spirit
- Submission
Submission to God, rather than obedience looks a little different too. Submission is doing what I know is right out of love and respect for God rather than fearing his punishment. So, to remind my flesh prone decision-making processes again; obeying is having to do something; submitting is wanting to do it.
The whole point of salvation is God changing my selfish heart. When my desire is to please God with my decisions, my impulses, and my behavior, I remove myself “from the throne” and put him there where he belongs.
Scripture is clear, you and I are not our own, we were bought with a price. (1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23).
Our precious Savior stepped into time to redeem and restore us to the Father with his own body and blood. Paying the debt, you and I could never pay, he earns the respect, love, and admiration necessary to happily surrender our will.
We count it all joy to face trials of various kinds, and we walk by the Spirit and do not gratify the desires of the flesh because they oppose each other. (James 1:2, Galatians 5:16-17)
What sweet joy submission is! The more we dip our toes into its intoxicating power the closer we are to freedom!
- Freedom
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)
Once we have experienced the power, and submitted to the Spirit of God, we begin to feel the freedom from sin. We’re not deceived by false prophets who come along and promise freedom in sinfulness. “For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.’ (2 Peter 2:19b).
Humility fills our hearts and we resist using our freedom as an opportunity for pleasing ourselves; we instead use it to serve others. (Gal. 5:13)
The burden of control, the weight of guilt, and the heaviness of shame are lifted as we give, master self-control, and serve. We are also empowered to make better choices for our health, livelihoods, relationships, and careers. As we walk in this newfound faith and God continually shows himself faithful, we learn to trust him more. - Trust
“The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” (Psalm 9:9-11)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Trust in the Lord is at the heart of our worship to him. In the example of Mary and Martha, Mary recognized the power of the Holy Spirit and submitted her health to him. Not her weight loss, her health.
Since she applies a biblical view to her relationships and life decisions, applying it to her health made sense, too. She was able to recognize her food addictions as sin, and submitted her life to Christ all over again.
Martha, on the other hand, is not quite there yet. I’m afraid, I’m not either…in the life decision department, anyway. She is still on the throne of her health and her emotional eating patterns, and I resist toppling myself from my throne of career decisions.
However, with prayer and influences like Mary’s, I’m confident she, and I, will come to that place of surrender, where we invite the Holy Spirit into all our choices. There, in the calmness of submission, we will fully trust God to meet every physical, emotional, and financial need.
I am here for you any time you want to talk about your struggles with health! Click the booking appointment link and we’ll see how to get started with the strength God gives you!
