Defining Moments

When I heard “and the moment before” it was one of those defining moments that declares God is in charge and that He has the last word on all that concerns me.  (The fact that He takes time to define a moment in our life is a shot of impacting love.)  Those defining moments bring a clarity that pierces every other influence we may be under.  The subtle snare is how easy it is to come under the influence of a thought, an emotion or an atmosphere and be in agreement before we even realize we had a choice not to.  Recently, I realized this as I was packing to leave for a few days of meetings.  The phone rang and the host pastor mentioned something in passing that really had nothing to do with the meetings, but it bothered me.  My excitement for the trip was slammed.  A slammed, emotional state is an open window for an unwanted wind of influence to enter and preside.  Of course, we can choose not to allow the influence over our mood or our day, but emotion can swing from excitement to dread so quickly that the will does not get involved until it too is under the same influence.  Then once the mind is under the influence of a negative atmosphere, it is amazing how your whole world is suddenly mulligrub grey.
(This is the third excerpt from Kathy’s article “Clear The Air” which was published in Volume 18 Issue 4 of their ministry magazine SEEC Magazine. Excerpts will be posted Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Previous excerpts may be read by scrolling down this page.)