Isn’t it amazing how fast summer has gone. It seems like during the month of August we cram as many things into our days as we can before summer is completely gone. Along with the things we plan, there are lots of things that start back up again. In our house one of those things was preparing our youngest son to head off to college.
This year the preparation was different because it is his second year and he will be living in an apartment. He was so excited to also have his car with him this year.
We thought we had it all set, when on the morning he was to leave his fully loaded car didn’t start. This threw quite a wrench into our plans because there was a timing issue that was completely out of our control. It was a big one. He couldn’t get his key to the apartment if he didn’t get to Kansas by 6 that night.
Isn’t this how life can go? We have everything figured out and then something gets thrown at us. It happens in our relationships, our work and businesses, and in our finances. How do we deal with them? How do we face the unexpected and remain in peace?
Romans 8:5 AMP says, “For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit.”
Paul is giving us some insight into the two ways we can face our challenges.
One way is to deal with them from our flesh. We become frustrated and set our mind on the frustration or the difficult situation. This will keep us rolling around in the situation and getting more and more upset.
The other way we can deal with it is from the Spirit and truth. As we set our minds on truth and seek truth, we will gratify and please the Holy Spirit that is within us. He is peace, so we will remain in peace.
CLICK here to download my keys to walking out Romans 8:5.
I am happy to say that we remained in peace trusting that God would work this car situation out for us. My husband left Bible Study early to help and in the end, we unloaded Daniel’s car and put everything into his brother’s pickup. He left with a few hours to spare before the apartment office closed.
As he drove off, my husband and I were left standing in the garage next to the car that wouldn’t start. God did work it out for us. We were able to get his car towed and fixed so that we could drive it down the next day to Kansas. Would it have all worked out if we had stood there getting upset and thinking about everything that was going wrong? Possibly. But the biggest blessing was that we stayed in peace and pleased the Holy Spirit in the process.
Blessings to you my friend as you live out of the truth of the Holy Spirit within you. Don’t forget to click on the link to receive your keys to walking out Romans 8:5.
Elle Stahlhut Roetzel
