Yackity Yack

I talk and talk and talk all day long. I talk about quadratic equations, Geometry proofs and standard deviation. I talk about homework and accuracy and attention to details.

Yackity Yack

And when I'm done talking about math, I talk about responsibility and kindness to siblings, cleanliness and healthy eating habits. I talk about how the day went and I talk about trials and blessings. I talk about me and then I ask about his day too. Talk, talk, talk

Talk on its own is pretty meaningless though and I wonder how much of my talk is sweetened with love.


If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1



I know the Gong show hasn't been on TV for a very long time, but we still remember how silly that gong was when someone's act was going poorly. When I think of a gong - I think, that's ridiculous. When I blabber on and there's no love behind my words, I sound totally ridiculous.


Clanging cymbals can be pretty annoying and harsh on the ears after a while. There are nice as a song reaches its crescendo, but repeated clanging would get on my nerves very quickly! If I open my mouth and love is not my motivation, I'm just as annoying as a toddler banging on cymbals.

I'm beginning to think that if I don't want to sound ridiculous or annoying, I ought to just shut my mouth up tight. Unfortunately, that isn't a real solution, so instead I need to think about how I can monitor when I am speaking in love and when I'm not.

"I can't believe she would wear those shoes." GONG!!!

"I would never plan it that way." CRASH!

"He really doesn't know what he's talking about." BANG!

Well, now that I'm starting to get a headache, I think I'll sit back and just listen to someone esle talk for awhile.

Aha! Maybe that's the solution - listen up! Quiet down. Speak after you're spoken to. Those will be words spoken in love.

Are You in a Dry Spell?

I've heard people say concerning their walk with Jesus, that they are in a "dry spell." In other words, they "don't hear the Lord," or "don't feel anything," or "don't get anything out of the word."

I don't meant to be a party-pooper or disqualify what you might be feeling, but let me offer another suggestion:

Maybe the reason you're feel like you're in a dry spell is because of...you.

Remember the Israelites back in the Old Testament? They had to wander around the desert, not because God wasn't speaking, and not because they didn't hear a word from Him, but because of their unbelief and disobedience.

Fast forward to Jesus. He said, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." The next verse lets us in on the secret to the living water, "By this he meant the Spirit whom those who believed in him were later to receive." John 7:38, 39

When we feel that we are in a dry spell and can describe our walk with Jesus as quiet, dry, uneventful, unproductive, and simply at a time when we neither learn nor desire to learn, this my friend, is not of the Spirit, but of us. It is a red flag, a sign for us to check ourselves.

Here are some tips to staying out of the desert!

1. Humble yourself before the Lord and consider what confession you might need to make. Are you meeting with Him? Are you aware of His presence? Are you walking in habitual sin? Are you reading His word?

2. Begin afresh the discipline of quieting yourself with Christ sometime during the day and making it a point to humble yourself to His Spirit within you. He never stops working. We are the ones who gauge His work based on how we feel.

3. Get your face back in the Word and go to it with expectancy and respect. It will judge your thoughts and minds and motives, but will also teach you, encourage you, and give you insight and discernment that you just don't have all by your onesie.

4. Ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit to come again! Ask Him to bring that water regardless of your situation or circumstance. He is LIFE! He is the living water and He will be faithful!

5. Get others involved. Find a friend that will ask you if you have made your relationship with Christ your number one priority. Those friends are priceless, and are also fun to shop with.

Now, are you in a "dry place"? I challenge you to take a good look at yourself and realize that our God is never far and certainly never with holds good to those who seek His face. Go back to the living water right now!!

Living in the Water,
Natalie!

Enjoy Natalie's other blogs

and