In the last blog post, I wrote about an invisible foe pulling strings, keeping us from doing what we want, and causing us to do what we don’t want. It’s the battle between who we want to be and who we are. We know this battle well. The apostle Paul talked about it in Romans Chapter 7.

Cutting the Strings

What if we cut those strings? What would happen if we discovered and started cutting the strings that hold us back from God’s fullness? What would life be like if we were living God’s abundant life?

We can experience abundant life, but we must first defeat our invisible foe. When we have a battle plan, we begin cutting the strings that hold us from being all God created us to be.

I can’t give you a specific battle plan since our “strings” differ, but I can suggest some strategic steps to fight this foe.

Identify your strings:

Your strings will be different than mine. Some standard strings are:

The “Just five more minutes of sleep” string.

The “One more episode” string.

The “Quick email check” string.

The “Social media scroll” string.

The “Negative Thoughts” string.

The “Judging Others” string.

The “I’ll do it later” string.

Well, you get the idea. All these strings keep us from fully experiencing God’s presence and transformation. What are your strings?

Choosing Your First String:

What should be your first string? If you have the “five more minutes of sleep” string or the “one more episode” at night string, cutting it means you can get up, refreshed, and spend time with God. Putting our time with God at the beginning of the day has great benefits. It sets the priority and focus of the rest of the day.

We can be more compassionate and joyful by cutting the “Judging Others” or “Negative Thoughts” strings.

With so many strings to cut, consider what your day would be like without them and choose the one that will draw you closer to God.

Jesus-Centered Replacements:

We cut the “Five More Minutes of Sleep,” so we can replace it with the “I’m getting up, and once my feet hit the floor, I’m going to give thanks to God” practice. In this practice, we believe that in Him, this will be a great day.

In his book Micro Habits, B. J. Fogg has a similar practice. He gets up and says, “This is going to be a great day.”  On those days when he isn’t feeling well or isn’t quite sure about the day, he says, “This is going to be a great day…somehow.”

We know Jesus is with us and will lead us through this day. It will be filled with His blessings. We can always say, “Thank you, Jesus, for this day. I know it will be great with you.” Also, feel free to add the “somehow” if you want.

Find Your Battle Buddy:

Find an accountability partner. The Bible reminds us how important it is to have others. Ecclesiastes says, “A cord of three isn’t easily broken” (4:13). The same book asks if you’re alone and you fall, who will be there to pick you up?

If we want to exercise, having an exercise partner helps us stay on task even when we’re not thrilled about getting up and going to the gym. An accountability partner will help keep us focused and moving toward our desire, even during difficult times.

Celebrating String Snips:

When you cut a string, celebrate—even if it’s a small string: Pat yourself on the back, do a little dance, let your partner (see #4) know, and celebrate with him or her. Celebrations keep us motivated and remind us that we are having some, even if small, victories.

There will be times when we won’t have victories. This is all part of the growth. We’re not going to win every battle. So when we do cut a string we celebrate.

Desire

Remember, the desire to cut these strings is cutting a string. Many of us have the “My spiritual life will take care of itself” string. If you’ve gotten this far, snip, snip, snip. One string is cut!

The invisible foe wants to remain hidden. But you know his game; you’ve got his number. Now, the strings are not so invisible. You know what they are, and you are cutting them one by one. As you do, you fill your life with God’s presence, life, and blessing so that you can shine his light!

This is part of “The Formative Path” a 2024 Fall Sermon Series at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Bloomington, Indiana. For more information and the Weekly Reflection Sheets, go to https://ponderingpassages.com/category/path/