Do NOT Trust Your Instincts

Psalm 146: ¹ Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

² I will praise the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
³ Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.
⁴ When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.
⁵ Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

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Running had never made me excited and this particular day it was no exception. It was “time to run” and I didn’t feel like it but I started on my trek anyway. “Why are you doing this?” popped in my mind as I approached the first mile. “You can’t make it” was the thought at mile five. “Everyone is faster than you and you will not finish” was the thought at mile fifteen. “Just give up” was the inclination when I hurt my ankle at mile twenty two. With 4.2 miles left I had a decision, press on or give up.

• Sometimes I feel like giving up.
• Sometimes it seems like the task in front of me is too great.
• Sometimes my thoughts are full of fear and my answer to fear is fear.

Fortunately I pressed on. I walked three miles with a slight limp and it seemed like even the slowest people who I passed hours earlier had caught up and passed me. My “comparison to other runners” thinking was thrown out the window and my pride was adjusted to simply finishing the race. As I approached the last mile I developed a trot that turned into a gallop. I crossed the finish line before they shut everything down and I was elated.

• GOD wants me to trust HIM rather than trusting in my abilities.
• GOD wants me to trust HIM rather than thinking I have all the answers.
• GOD wants me to trust HIM rather than paying attention to the stuff that pops in my head.

My thoughts can question GOD and sometimes the thoughts of others can be confusing. I mean my fears mixed with another person’s fears create a super fear that GOD allows me to hold onto. HE wants me to grow up and have trust, drawing on the many great and marvelous experiences HE has taken me through in the past. HE wants me to rebuke fear and trepidation while grabbing onto compassion for others as well as myself. GOD does not want me to trust any instinct but HIS and HE provides HIS word, HIS SPIRIT and HIS people to guide me.

• Are you listening to yourself?
• Have you been listening to your own instincts too long?
• Can you ask GOD to break down what you have been holding onto for years?
• Will you allow HIM to guide you by reflecting on what HE has brought you through in the past?