What Exactly Does Satisfy the Soul?
My soul and flesh long not for the things of this world but to be satisfied from above!
A sweet friend recently asked me to pray that the Lord would increase in her the fruit of the Holy Spirit of self-control with food. I so get this request! If you’ve read this blog for long, you are acutely aware of the life-long battle I’ve fought with food and body image. But that’s not what this post is about! So even if food isn’t an issue for you, keep reading!When the Lord brought this friend to mind to pray for her recently, He reminded me of an index card I made with a compilation of scriptural truths He gave me to redirect my thinking away from food to true satisfaction. When I find myself seeking from food what He alone can give, the words on this card give me a different path to follow: the path to God’s truth, worshiping Him and seeking Him for the fullness that He alone delivers. Here’s the card:My soul and flesh long not for the things of this world but to be satisfied from above!Maybe food isn’t your thing. Awesome! Is there something else you could name in its place? Something you habitually turn to for satisfaction, comfort and/or distraction instead of turning to Jesus? A heart desire that rules your thoughts, words and behavior? What is that thing for you? What would the first words of your card say?If you find yourself repeating the same defeating thoughts or behavior regardless of your good intentions and efforts, it’s time to retrain your brain with God’s word so your actions follow truth! When we turn our attention and our hearts to the Lord, He turns us in the direction He wants us to go.Can I invite you to make your own card?If I am to have the mind of Christ, if I am His ambassador and representation in my time here on earth, then shouldn’t His food be my food?
Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34).
Fill in your blank:
My is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
My drug…
My entertainment…
My pleasure…
My addiction…
My consolation…
My reward…
My obsession…
My distraction…
When dissatisfaction, discontentment, uneasiness or restlessness stirs in my soul, where will I turn?
A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips (Psalm 63:1-5).
Add these truths to your card:
My soul is satisfied with
His lovingkindness
Joyful praise
Lifted hands
When I want what I want when I want it, where will I find true satisfaction?
The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied from above (Proverbs 14:14).
Now finish your card with a choice to pursue God:
Soul thirsty?
Flesh longing?
Be satisfied from above.
My soul is satsifed with His lovingkindness, joyful praise and lifted hands!
This isn’t a formula for successful behavior modification. It is a means for cooperating with His work to transform our backslidden hearts! I don’t know about you, but I find myself filled with my owns ways all the time!When we become aware that our minds and hearts are being drawn away from God to other controlling desires, we can intentionally redirect our focus to the Lord using tools like this card to remind us to do things His way!Do God’s will.Finish the work He’s put before you – that thing He’s already told you to do.Think on His lovingkindness. Share it with someone else.Offer up joyful praise. We always have a reason to joyfully praise God because God is always good. He is always working His redemptive plan in our lives and the lives around us. If our praise isn’t tied to Him doing what we want Him to do the way we want Him to do it, then we can focus on what He is doing according to His perfect kingdom plan and find reasons to joyfully praise!Lift up your hands to Him. Literally. Worship Him.When I first wrote out my card, I would turn to it after I failed to take the way out of temptation. Repeatedly. But even in my “failure,” I would grab my card, read and repeat. Then occasionally, at the moment of temptation, I would remember its truth before succumbing to desire. Eventually, I had it memorized. I didn’t need the card to remember what God says about my satisfaction. Now, at times, I find the desire is completely absent. The same circumstances for temptation exist, but what I desire for satisfaction is changing, not because of a method or the success of my own efforts, but because God is faithful to His word and His promises. As I hide His word – His truths – in my heart and it becomes my thinking, I am sinning less against Him in this area (Psalm 119:11).When you make your card, will you share it with me either in the comments below or post it on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and tag me so I can see? We could even use the hashtag #SoulSatisfaction so we can all be encouraged by how the Lord is speaking to us.I pray this helps you in some area of your life, or perhaps it’s something you know someone else needs to hear today. Please feel free to share it either through email or social media.May the Lord bless you today.Much love,Shauna#loveJesusmore#drawnearer#godeeper#believebigger#livefreer