It’s 6 am, and your alarm rings. Do you hit the snooze button several times only to be overwhelmed by the thoughts that flood your mind, saying, “ I have so many things to do and so little time?’ Or, perhaps, you enter the day with a smidge of dread and overwhelm before you have even left home. Or do you pause for a moment and take some time to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say to you about your day?
As moms, we can find ourselves attempting to do “all the things.” We run the kids to soccer, dance, or baseball practice and have to make sure homework has been turned in on time! Oh…and let’s not forget about the numerous birthday parties, appointments, grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning, and the list goes on and on. Often, at the end of the day, I am amazed at how my perfect plans did not pan out the way I hoped. With copious demands and pressures all around me, I go to sleep and think, “How in the world will I get up and do this again?”
Perhaps the beginning of many of our issues is that we are self-led rather than being spirit-led.
The holy spirit is the leader
"But whenever The Spirit of Truth comes, he will lead you into the whole truth, for he will not speak of his own will, but he shall speak whatever he shall hear, and he shall reveal the future to you."
John 16:13 (ABPC)
In the world we live in, there is a saying that you need to live “your truth.” The world tells us we need to take life into our own hands because “you only live once”. However, those statements could not be further from the truth. Whose hands would you rather put your life into? Yours? The news? Popular culture? Or the all-seeing, all-knowing, powerful, and mighty God? We, as mothers and Christians, are not to be guided by “our truth”. Instead, we are to be led and guided by God’s truth.
So, how does this connect to soccer, dance, and baseball? I am glad you asked.
Our entire lives are to be guided and Spirit-led, even when it comes to our daily decisions. When we allow God to lead us into the whole truth, we will not succumb to the half-truths, deception, and lies of the enemy and society that lead us to the belief that we can do “all the things” without involving the wisdom and grace of God.
Why is being spirit-led so important?
Being Spirit-led is vital because if we are not intentional about allowing God to govern us, we will begin to make decisions that can lead us down the path of overwhelm and anxiety. Have you ever made a decision that you regret? I have been there! I purchased a home many years ago, believing I needed to own a home – that’s the dream that society tells us we need. Well, the home I thought I needed ended up being a burden rather than a blessing. It was a horrible decision that I made, and it was all because I did not rely on the wisdom of God’s timing and God’s plan. In the end, the self-led purchase of this home ended up causing me ten years of pain and over $70,000 of problems. Yes, owning a home and building wealth for your family is a good thing. The desire for it seems innocent enough. But when we move without consulting the Lord on the decision, He won’t bless it, and often, we face more trouble than if we operate in obedience from the start.
So, how do we practically begin being led by the Spirit?
Here are a few questions to reflect on as you evaluate being led by the Holy Spirit:
1.) Are you spending time with god?
We need to ensure we engage daily with God’s word and spend time in prayer. Remember the words of Jesus:
"But whenever The Spirit of Truth comes, he will lead you into the whole truth, for he will not speak of his own will, but he shall speak whatever he shall hear, and he shall reveal the future to you."
John 16:13 (ABPC)
We, as His sheep, must spend time with Him to hear His voice. I am amazed at how many believers think they can go to church on Sunday and believe that one message is enough for them to live their lives. This is not true! We must create space for God to be the top priority.
2.) Are you in fellowship with other believers?
God has designed us for community. When we attempt to live life on our own and separate from people, we are being self-led rather than being Spirit-led. Remember what the author of Hebrews states:
“ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching,”
hebrews 10:25 (NIV)
Finding people to surround yourself with is critical, but it’s important to evaluate who you have pouring into you. Too often, we surround ourselves with people who will co-sign our anger instead of the ones who will speak the truth over the situation (no matter how we feel about it) and can pray with us through it.
3.) Do you invite the holy spirit into your planning?
We need to invite God into all our decisions and our planning. Inviting God into your planning is as simple as asking a few questions:
- Where does God want me to go in life?
- Where does God want me to be?
- What plans does God want me to make to get me from where I am to where He wants me to be?
After you ask the Holy Spirit these questions, He will help you see where you are being self-led rather than led by Him. Remember earlier in the article when I wrote about taking your kids to soccer, dance, and everything in between? Several years ago, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that changes needed to be made in my routine to fully walk in the things He has called me and my children to.
As I began to ask God about the direction He wanted to take my family, I discovered that I needed to pull my daughters out of dance. Both of my daughters were on competitive dance teams, and dance took up a large portion of their lives, including mine. My decision was not popular with family, friends, or even myself, but I had the decision to make: Would I be self-led or Spirit-led? At that moment, I decided to be Spirit-led and pull my daughters out of dance.
Although initially it was tough (and, of course, the emotions followed), the result of that decision allowed my daughters to have seeds planted in them by the local church that no amount of dance could ever provide. Am I saying that you must pull your children out of all their activities? Absolutely not! I am saying allow yourself to be guided by the Holy Spirit so He can reveal to you where your life may be out of balance.
Being Spirit-led is not always exciting, easy, or popular. However, being led by the Spirit allows us to submit to His truth and make wise decisions. When we actively spend time with God and invite Him into our planning, we walk in obedience, and the pressures and weight that we feel in our everyday lives are lifted. As we continue to walk with the Holy Spirit, He is able to take the burden, and we are able to walk fully in the peace and joy that only the Lord provides.
The Life of a Single Mom offers tons of free content just like this article! If you need more content on hearing the voice of God, managing your finances, healing from heart wounds, or more, be sure to check out our article to learn more about how we can serve you!
Has the Lord has placed it on your heart to start a single moms' support group? The Life of a Single Mom can help! Start by diving into our free article "Starting a Single Moms' Ministry: 3 Tips to Thriving" and then stop by our Ministry Leader Corner to see how we can help you get started!
Meet the Author
Sheree Cain-Jones is a coach, speaker, and lover of all things women. Sheree grew up in poverty and struggled with a sense of self-worth until she had her "superpower" moment with God. Her life's message is centered around empowering women to challenge the mindsets that hold them back so that they can finally get results. She believes you have what it takes to overcome the issues of life you're currently facing, and if you believe, you can turn your greatest pain into your greatest power!
For more info visit: www.shereecainjones.com.
The Life of a Single Mom is a national, faith-based, nonprofit that exists to see that no single mom walks alone. To date, the organization has worked with thousands of churches to start a single mom’s support group in cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, as well as having served more than one million single mothers with a variety of programs. Offering a large array of books, curriculum, training materials, online instructional videos, podcasts, newsletters, life skills education, and more, TLSM is one of the largest single mom organizations in the U.S. The robust selection of single mom programs focus on empowering single moms to grow spiritually, emotionally, financially, and parentally through Single Mom University®, Single Moms Across America, the National TLSM Single Moms Conference, boot camps, and a variety of other programs. For more information, visit thelifeofasinglemom.com.
