From The Crucible (by Pastor Linda Pugsley)

“Be still and know that I am God”…boy, that’s a tough one for so many of us. My schedule is often pretty hectic. For instance, within a recent two-week period, I was involved with an all-day prison visit that included seven hours of drive time; pulled out and cleaned up the old trailer and helped someone move furniture; spoke on a Monday evening to a youth group; did some Chaplain work with the cadets at MacDill AFB on two Tuesday evenings; preached two mid-week services and one Sunday service; worked on the current book I am writing; researched and worked on the blog; and spoke in two high schools on my experiences as an Air Force nurse in Vietnam. Add to that all the calls and counsel as well as the personal items of shopping, banking, yard work, etc…and I’m toast! EXCEPT—I wasn’t! Only with God at the helm of my ship, can I do anything required of me—and the same holds for you!

But the key is that quiet, personal, daily time with Jesus Christ. I don’t mean the going to church, sing lots of songs, passively listen to the sermon and then hit the lunch bucket kind of time. No—this is the shut everything off, steal away to a quiet room or area and just sit in His presence, listening for anything directly from Him to your soul kind of time.

If you don’t, you’ll end up like I have many times when that quiet time with Him starts to vanish in the whirlpool of duties; you’ll be frazzled, confused and exhausted. You don’t want to go there, trust me!

By being refreshed in the presence of the Lord, you’ll be able to think more clearly, prioritize more accurately and have the joy and energy to complete all that God asks of you each day. You’ll be able to stay focused instead of chasing those rabbits of triviality all over town. “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace…” 1 Corinthians 14:33. Endure the fire...it's producing pure gold!

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