Do you ever feel like you get a spiritual spanking? Well, God’s word does say, “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” God doesn’t want his girls to be self-indulged, spoiled brats. So he uses his rod to protect and discipline us.

A shepherd carried 2 tools, a rod and a staff. The rod was a wooden club used to ward off any predators seeking to harm his sheep. The rod was also used to correct a sheep that refused to listen. Why? Because the sheep would no doubt get himself in trouble if he didn’t stay close to the shepherd. The shepherd’s staff was a long stick with a curved end, used to guide and gently move the flock.

So, when David says in Psalm 23, “Your rod and staff protect and comfort me”, he’s referring to the ways God shepherds us. Not because he hates us, but because he loves us. Because he knows the way to get to where we need to go. Because we are but clueless sheep and he is the great shepherd.

The past few devotionals have felt like the rod of discipline, but they’ve been so much more the rod of protection. God is warding off the threats to our hearts. He’s beating down the dangled temptations of the enemy. Oh what beautiful work he has been doing for us as we stay close to him. We’re not being punished, we’re being protected.

This morning, I asked God is there was a little more of a “staff” type teaching than a “rod”. Can we balance out the week with something sweet, something encouraging, something to cuddle up to along the journey. Girls, I’m telling you, God hears every prayer and he responds directly. Our God is absolutely so cool. The way he works is no doubt grand and mysterious, and also sometimes quirky and comical. Let me tell you how he answered me today.

As you know, we’ve been studying the book of Romans. This morning, I sat down to that most highlighted and filled chapter in my Bible, seeking one last teaching to wrap up our study, but again hoping it would be a comforting staff instead of a rod for another spiritual spanking. And there I saw a scripture highlighted in my favorite color of pink, jumping off the page. As I read the scripture it came alive and I immediately saw the map to each point.

See, that’s how it happens for me. God shows me how his word comes alive and flows to other scriptures and practical teachings. I see it. You know how in those crime documentaries police have a bulletin board with photos and clues and they start putting the pieces together. They put a push pins in each piece of the puzzle, then they connect them with red yarn, so it all links together visually. Well, yeah, that’s how devotionals happen for me!

I read a scripture and it starts linking with personal stories, songs, movies, other scriptures. I can see the push pins and follow the red yarn. Then, all I have to do is sit down and start writing furiously as God’s Spirit guides me in putting in all together. 1 hour later, I’m recording live to share the findings with you in the day’s devotional.

So today after asking God for a sweet, refreshing devotional, I open the book of Romans and see it there in pink highlighter, just waiting, and as I read the scripture, all the pieces start connecting perfectly. There’s red yarn everywhere, tying together the perfect devotional.

So, I start writing. Writing what you’re hearing right now. And I get to this point to whip out that scripture God showed me so I can quote it word for word … and it’s gone. Like literally gone. I flip all through the book of Romans searching for those 2 verses highlighted in pink that got me so excited just minutes before, and I can’t find them. I’m on a timeline, God. We go live with our work together in 1 hour, now where did that scripture go?

Finally, in desperation, I go to the Google and I do a search for key words I remembered from the scripture God had led me to earlier. Guys, it wasn’t even in the book of Romans. It’s 48 pages after where I had been reading. 3 entire books later. I have no idea how I was somehow in the book of Galatians, I promise you I had opened to my bookmarked spot in Romans where we left off yesterday. It’s so bizarre!

I’ve learned when odd things happen, maybe it’s not odd, maybe it’s God. I asked God for a comforting sweet devotional today and he’s giving it to us in the sweetest of ways. Bizarre, but sweet. Not odd, but God!

So, here’s the scripture he took me to in the wrong book, 48 pages beyond where I opened my Bible. Galatians 5: 24-25, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”

I see push pins and red yarn going EVERYWHERE, y’all! Thinking about our own passions and desires being sacrificed isn’t exactly a warm fuzzy thought, is it? What if I don’t want to give up what I want? Does this mean all the passion in my life has to be sacrificed for some sort of buttoned down, boring life? NO! Because something radically different happens when things are nailed to the cross of Jesus and crucified.

Do you know what happens? Those things don’t stay dead. THEY ARE RESURRECTED.

Jesus died on that cross, but he was resurrected to life! When we allow all our passions and desires to be nailed to the cross of Jesus, they die and come back to us better than ever before. Our desires are sanctified. Our passions are aligned with the divine. We have a resurrected fire burning within us according to God’s best plans.

My friend, you can trust God with the desires of your heart. You can trust him fully with the things you dream about. You can confidently give him everything you’re passionate about. Nail all of that to the cross. When you do, only God’s best will be resurrected within you. All those lesser than plans and worldly desires will die, while God’s greatest plans and eternal desires will come to life fully.

When you crucify your passions and desires on the cross of Jesus, you allow God to breath his life and power into only the best of them. God’s approval is stamped on the resurrected desires and passions. God’s power is assigned to the resurrected dreams.

Will you allow them to first be crucified with Christ? I mean let them go. Give them up. Release your grip. Trusting God will resurrect his best appointed dreams and desires for your life and do something greater through them than you ever could have. You can trust him with this.

Jesus didn’t stay on that cross. He died there, but he was resurrected in his full glory. Our passions don’t stay on that cross when we surrender them. Our desires aren’t hanging there forever in a crucified state. They die, then God brings them back in his full glory. RESURRECTED TO LIFE AGAIN!

Do you have some old dreams that have died? God could breath new life into them again.

Do you have some old desires that have gone cold? God could resurrect them.

Lord, breath your life into every desire and passion that aligns with your best plans for my life. If you’re in it, I want it. If you’re not, I don’t. That’s what crucified desires and passions really look like. We will only cling to what God resurrects.

When we live by the Spirit, the Spirit will literally lead us in every part of our lives. Those are not my own made up, feel good words – those are straight from that pink highlighted paragraph in my Bible. The scripture God wanted his girls to hear today.

I used to feel guilty if I didn’t pray about where to park and which store to walk in. I felt like I had failed God when I didn’t seek him in every little thing. And even more than that, I feared what horrible thing might happen if I didn’t pray about it first. Now, I’m seeing the push pins and the red yarn connecting. Ohhhhhh, when we LIVE by the Spirit, meaning we’re open to the Spirit of God continually and we’re in close relationship with him, then the Spirit will lead every part of our lives. IT’S ALREADY HAPPENING!

That’s how we end up in the right place at the right time. The Spirit of God is involved in the details of our lives. He’s been invited to lead. And when he leads, he aligns the supernatural. When he leads, he puts us in front of the right people. When he leads, he creates opportunities, connections and confirmations in the most ordinary places. A trip to the grocery store becomes a spiritual adventure when the Spirit of God leads us!

The Spirit of God lead me directly to Galatians 5:24-25 today, and he asked me to share it with you. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”

May you see the push pins and the red yarn connecting all the details of your life to this truth. God is working in you, through you and for you! His Spirit is guiding you. He’s breathing new life into your surrendered desires and passions.

Ahhhh, God, you are so good! Thank you for your sweet staff today!

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