Flying By the Seat of My Pants

When I was a younger adult, I had a sense of confidence that was fairly amazing.  And successes I enjoyed during this time taught me a very important lesson.  Often, confidence is the only thing I need going into a situation to come out successful.  But I also learned that sometimes it's not.  In my younger adult days I flew through life by the seat of my pants.  Now, this is not to say that I was reckless or random in my actions, it means that I went off my gut feelings of what I was supposed to do.  This morning, Chambers works from Luke 24:32 where the two disciples on the road to Emmaus say to each other, "Weren't our hearts burning within us as He spoke us, opening the Scriptures to us?"  He then gets at that "burning" within and how to respond to it.  He says go with it.

Now he points out that it is not something I can make happen, it is from the Holy Spirit.  I don't get to choose the timing of the burning.  Then he says to act on that emotion to the fullest extent, final conclusion.  But he also says to consider that conclusion first to determine ahead of time whether or not the emotion (burning in my heart) is really from the Spirit of God.  I often did the first, but not always the second.

Now I rarely do either.  But on the other hand, I rarely sense that burning in my heart from God's Spirit either.  I feel as if I have moved into the days of Samuel's boyhood, where a word from God was rare.  It isn't really, but my fear level is higher now.  It is somewhat because I have more to loose and more riding on me making the right decisions.  I have a daughter and a wife, who, believe it or not, like to have a house and food, and clothes (especially shoes for some reason).  Providing these things seems difficult if I am rash and just do whatever whenever.

While that may be true, what I forget when I am restrained by such fear is that my Master knows about those desires of my family and loves them even more than I do (shoes and all).  He does not only have my back, He has theirs as well.  That is a part of what is contained in my new statement in prayer, "and I am at Your service."  It declares that I am available to my Master regardless of the task.  I can say that only if I believe that He has control over the circumstances of my family as well as mine.

But fear is not my only enemy in determining to obey that "burning within" from my Master's Spirit.  The other piece of advice from Chambers is to consider the end-result of playing out the emotion.  I am not that great at that sort of pre-determination.  I say, "Oh, I hadn't thought of that" way too often to trust myself here.  But I have to.  I need to try to see ahead and determine whether the emotion burning within originates from my Master or myself (or the enemy).  Because if I don't check, and I because of that I don't act, I cut myself off from the purposes of my Master in my life.  These burning emotions, not expressed, will simmer at a low level in my life and burst out sideways.  Negative emotions as well as positive emotions left unexpressed can cause serious problems later.  I know that.  I still suffer consequences from this.  So, I see the need, and I need to fearlessly face it.

So, today, I will be open to the burning of the Spirit of my master in my life, should He bring it.  And I will consider the implications of expressing it.  And I will express it once I determine that it comes from my Master.  One practical way I can do this is one way I see these come on me.  I will sometimes be struck by an idea from a song or passage that plays on my mind and will not go away.  And while I am driving or just by myself, I will begin to formulate a sermon on it (as I once said, I believe I am a better preacher than pastor).  When those times come on me, I don't take the time to write the sermon out.  I know how, I just don't do it.  Perhaps that would be one way I could express such "burning within", at least that form.  I have a thumb-drive I keep with me most of the time, so there is no real reason I couldn't do this at work or home. 

So that will be one way I will seek to express the next "fire in my bones" as Jeremiah (another ministry buddy of mine) put it.  Perhaps if I like it, I'll post it.  Or perhaps, if it happens enough, I can make a new blog from them.  I'll bet they would be faster to read than if I preached them.  At least that has been my experience.  I am a preacher after all, so I am rarely without something additional to say.  Good day. :)