Don't Let Anything Bother You

"People are not interruptions, they are our ministry.  Interruptions are holy moments to minster to someone in need"

What bothers you?  One of the things that the Holy Spirit is teaching me to be let nothing come between my peace with God and others around me.  When my children act up, do I come to them as a loving Dad or a scolding Father?  When people say and do things we don not like, do we let it get to us or do we let the Spirit of God inside of us get to them? 

One of the marks of walking in the Holy Spirit every day is to die daily and let nothing bother you.  If the pounding of the Holy Spirit on the door of your heart is bothering you then that is a good thing.  But too often I am bothered by other people.  I let other people rob me of my joy and peace.  There are even books and articles written about joy thieves and joy stealers.  How to avoid people who wear us out and wear us down.  But if we are walking in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, nothing and I mean nothing can rob or steal our joy.  Nothing can take away our peace.  If others take our joy.  If others rob us of our peace then you gave it to them.

To walk every day in the Spirit and presence of God is to live above our circumstances.  To live above the clamor and commotion of the world.  If things bother you, give them to the Lord in prayer.  If things bother you, take a deep breath, slow down and surrender yourself anew to God.  If something bothers you, stop and listen to what God may be trying to teach you in the things that bother you the most. 

If there is another spiritual discipline we need in our lives it is the spiritual discipline of self examination.  When we see faults in others, examine yourself, take a good look in the mirror and ask how this fault may be hiding within your own life.  When we come to God in prayer, stop, look within, and listen to what the Holy Spirit may be trying to tell us about something in our heart that needs correction or needs removed.  Unless we give our own souls the kind of care and concern we give to others, we may find ourselves running on empty with nothing else to give because we can not even help ourselves at the moment.

Self-examination takes spiritual inventory of what is in our hearts.  Self examination examines our lifestyle choices and priorities and always tries to keep us in tune and in step with the Holy Spirit.  Self-examination may lead us to a place we really don't won't to go but we must go there if we are to be made holy for the Lord.  Self examination always reminds me that I belong to God and I must fight for the heart of the King if I am to have His heart in my heart.  God is wanting to ignite a fire in His people and this will only happen when we allow the magnifying power of the Holy Spirit to shed light on our reckless ways so that we can live in reckless devotion to Almighty God holding nothing back from Him.