If you’re like me, you’re a little prone to, um, an overabundance of feelings at all times. But though the feelings you have are strong, sometimes they aren’t the right ones. Maybe you want to feel empathetic, but you feel defensive. You want to feel loving, but you feel selfish. You long to hunger for the Word of God, but the day was long, and you “accidentally” opened a different app like, say, TikTok. Ahem.
Sometimes we want to feel the right things but pursue them the wrong way. Second Corinthians 3:17 reminds us, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” We want to want the Spirit, right? Of course. But how can we have the Spirit and feel the freedom He brings when life is so full of distractions and pains and questions that get us wanting other things we didn’t want to want in the first place? How can we be people who embody the Spirit who lives inside of us? In Acts 2, Peter quotes what was once spoken through the prophet Joel.
And it will be in the last days, says God,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all people;
then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
—Acts 2:17
Did you notice that it’s God who does the pouring out? It’s God who is the Spirit. God is, and God pours out. We, on the other hand, are to receive. But we’re not going to recognize what is available to us if we’re distracted, looking at Instagram or news updates more than we’re looking to God.
In Isaiah 32, we’re reminded of the glorious benefit of being filled with God’s Spirit: “The result of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever” (v.17). We have the Spirit of God. We can be filled with the Spirit of God. We can have and experience His peace. We can live with “quiet confidence forever.” The Spirit who came upon the apostles “like that of a violent rushing wind” is available to all of us who follow Christ (Acts 2:2). We don’t have to conjure it up. We don’t have to strive forever for the feeling of Christlikeness. The Holy Spirit is being poured out. Open the Word. Obey its instruction. Focus on filling more than feeling, and remember this: the work of Jesus Christ has already made you pure. Your sins are already forgiven. You are loved. You are full of God’s power, God’s peace, God’s presence, God’s life, God’s hope. Wow.
@Kris- Amen to your post ♥️ your comments are always so thoughtful. I love seeing your heart. Keep posting and being you, sis :)
@Laura Dianne- you purchased my song?? Lol. It is free to hear already, but wow, thank you :) that is so sweet of you and means a lot! I am praying it really blesses my family and those who need its reminder to not let the enemy divide us ♥️ God bless you and your family!
@Foster Mama ♥️ lol- thank you so much for taking the time to find me! Haha. That is also so sweet. Appreciate you. ♥️
@Theresa – loved your comment yesterday about asking God for peace in a stressful moment. Was thinking of you as I posted yesterday morning. Glad to see you here, always! ♥️
@Adrienne – glad you are here and listening to the Lord. ♥️ We know some other Shes here who are silent readers – God bless you all! ♥️
Love you Shes. I pray we all witness the Lord in our life, truly. That we see His presence goes before and behind and beside us. There is nowhere we go He isn’t. Thank you, Jesus, we love you. Thank you for our community and God bless the staff and writers of this company!! ♥️
Loved this devotional and scriptures today.
Filling over feelings and God’s presence and filling of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you, Kelly ( Neo) for your prayers of safe travel and time with my grandkids today going to Waco. It means so much to see your comments and affirmations of our prayer requests. I am praying for your requests as well. I am so thankful for our community! ❤️
Praying for more “filling”, and not getting in the way! Asking the Lord that you also might experience this today and for your needs.
So thankful for these promises of the desert places being lush with life and provision, streams of living water being poured out in the dry places. The promises of peace and quiet confidence. I envision a regal woman walking with her shoulders back, her head high. She is confident and at peace. She isn’t hurrying about, rushing to figure things out. She trusts. She’s disciplined. She makes good decisions because its right. She is at peace with her world. This is the woman I want to be. Obedient to God’s word, and therefore not anxious or worried. Confident in His care for me, therefore not flustered. Leaving a legacy of peace and confidence. I want people to say, “There goes Kris, a woman of peace and confidence because she trusts in her God”.
Amen! Me too, Kris!
Amen Kris! Me too!❤️
”The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.“
Isaiah 32:17 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.32.17.NIV
This verse really spoke to me! This is why we can live in this world and be free of worry and fear. We have the Holy Spirit with us to guide us. We something is robbing us of our peace, we need to talk to God about it. Give it to Him. He will answer us. Surround us with His love.
MIA FAITH – praying that you will be surrounded with God’s love and peace. Sending you hugs of comfort.
@DEE DEE So grateful we could pray for you last night and continual prayers for answers and treatment!
Mia Faith- Continual prayers as you and your family walk through this valley, but so glad you are here with us. You are a woman of God and give us such an example of faith and strength!
Focus more of filling then feeling! WOW! Needed to hear that! MIA FAITH…..love you sweet girl. I think and pray for you often. Happy Wednesday sweet She’s.
That was a good devotion Scarlet! Feelings! Yes, too many feelings, and oftentimes we fill ourselves up with social media to “lose ourselves” for awhile and look at other things and people’s lives, and then that just adds more feelings! lol. I don’t want all these feelings, they leave me tired. I love the tagline “filling over feelings,” YES, please!! But the RIGHT filling! Holy Spirit FILL me. I long for peace in my home. It has me up and down, and all over the place. While I should be living the dream, (I am!) I have a person that seems to be out of control with the attacks on him. Lord, fill him with your Spirit of peace. Make the devil flee, in Jesus name. I want for him to want you Lord, your Spirit to guide him in his emotions. It is exhausting Lord not living with your presence. You care about us Lord, you want us to dwell with you at all times. In the hum drum and in the busy, in the ups and downs, and the valleys and the mountains. In paradise, the dream.
I listened to a great message from Charles Stanley today of how we get in the way with the Lord’s working in other people. It was a good lesson today for the above comment in my house. I will try not to get in the way of what God is doing in my husband’s life. I can’t fix people, that is the Lord’s job, although I can be of help not hindrance. If you want to hear the message you go to his website, to radio message today.
@Laura-so good, I’m with you!
@Mercy-prayers
@She’s- pray as I come to your requests and comments, and for all of you silent as well.