The soul can function kind of like a traffic light for our body—stop here, slow down there, ready to go. Today’s excerpt from The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart is found on page 168:
“As we come to the Scriptures submitted to them as the very Word of God, seeking Him, and His will by savoring every word and truth, and searching the Scriptures and the great teachers of the Christian tradition, something happens in our soul.
“Lights begin to come on – some red, some yellow, some green.
“When this happens, you know the Spirit of God is at work. He flashes red lights on certain aspects of our thinking, or certain of our attitudes or ways, that simply must stop. We can plainly see, in the light of God’s Word, that these thoughts or feelings, this way of treating others or that bit of conduct – these are not in line with what God wants us to be or do.
“Some yellow lights may flicker as well, warning us that this way be dragons. Something we’re pondering, some fear or doubt we keep avoiding, some otherwise harmless preoccupation we indulge – these could lead to sin if we’re not careful. Pay attention here; don’t fall through these situations or temptations into sin but learn to deal with them so that you will continue to grow in the Lord.
“And then there are green lights: “Go ahead, do this,” “Obey the will of the Lord,” “You’re free to speak or live this way,” “This person needs a word of witness,” “Go and do likewise,” and so forth. All these lights come flashing on, sometimes all at once, and then we can know that the Lord is really unfolding His truth for us, and we’re in a very good position to get the most out of our time in God’s Word.
“But for that to happen, we need to move quickly into the next facet.
“We must be willing to surrender to the Lord whatever is required by the various lights His Spirit shines into our soul.”
For reflection or discussion
1. What “red lights” have you encountered in Scripture recently? How did you respond?
2. What “green lights” from Scripture are you obeying today?
Studying God’s Word to truly hear it is obviously not rocket science, but it takes some work. Only by taking our time and working our way ever deeper into God’s Word can we discover those rich truths and careful directions that keep us in the path of righteousness. Make sure your study of the Bible is going deeper all the time. Share today’s podcast with a friend, then get together to discuss it. Your copy of The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart is waiting for you at The Ailbe Bookstore, either in book form or a free PDF download.
T. M. Moore
