Ever feel like life is draining your patience and seemingly working against your faith? Whether we recognize it or not we have “drains” on our faith that can be harmful unless identified. Sometimes we don’t want to see certain things or people in our lives as a strain which can make it even harder to identify. Drains can come in all forms and sometimes may surprise us: friends, work, media, possessions, money and sometimes family. Are there any parts of your life that work against your relationship with God? This is a question that only you can answer, perhaps in a quiet time.
When we choose to walk with God, our faith grows and other areas of our life may start to feel uneasy or unsettling. If we don’t filter out the impurities in our life, like fear, doubt, negativity and unbelief, it is hard to have complete faith in God. Instead of trusting God, we start to look at our circumstances. We begin to focus on our lives and all that is wrong. This can get in the way of our growth. Just as we filter our water that it will be fresh to drink, we need to filter a lot of the things we watch, and listen to that contaminates our spirit.
Some things may need to change in order to be in line with our new focus – God. I remember when I first started to deeply seek a personal relationship with Christ. Suddenly, certain language, songs, movies and other situations that seemed “normal” before suddenly felt unnatural. At first I didn’t identify what that little voice in the back of my mind was but eventually came to realize it was His Holy Spirit encouraging me toward a more wholesome path.
It’s beautiful how this works in our favor: gaining clarity for what needs to be eliminated or just moderated in order to draw closer to Him. A simple task of filtering out unnecessary distractions can create a deep peace within your heart and put your mind at ease. Now, I say “simple” but it may not always be an easy task to undertake, especially if people are involved. Take a deep breath and know that if the direction you’re receiving is truly from Him, then He will work out the details to help you filter out the drains in your life. Our job is simply to listen and follow His direction. He will handle the rest. With God all things are possible! Filtering your life is definitely one of those things that God can help you do!
