4 Signs that expose your need for re-alignment with the LORD

need for alignment

 

Before you know it,  you can find yourself spilled open with a gaping need for re-alignment with the LORD.  Life happens and even when it’s all good stuff, you can still get into a funk.  Family demands, ministry commitments, maintaining friendships and other responsibilities can add up fast. It doesn’t take long to get sucked into a crazy cycle of your own making.

 

Alignment with the Father is so important, because that’s what it means to dwell with him.  Alignment means standing in agreement with the LORD, which requires trust.

 

“Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.” Psalm 37:3

 

I don’t know about you, but I try hard.  Even with careful planning and a firm commitment to self-discipline, I find that weariness can creep in.

 

I’m going to be really honest with you today…I need an attitude adjustment. I’m tired, cranky, and frankly I don’t like the conversation going on in my heart.

 

All last week I wrestled with thoughts and emotions.  I asked Holy Spirit to examine my heart and show me what the deal is. It took most of the week to walk through the process of sorting through so I could recognize what was really going on.

 

I finally realized last night I am overdrawn.  When you don’t stop to re-align regularly it catches up.  So today I’m going to talk about 4 signs that expose your need for re-alignment with the LORD and how you can bravely resposition the heart.

 

Sign #1:  Weariness

 

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

 

Two weeks ago this verse came before me on three separate occasions during the course of the week. I didn’t feel weary, as my husband preached on it one Sunday, but two days later when it showed up again in my reading plan, I felt a nudge to move beyond what was easy to feel and press into it more. And so I did, thankful for the invitation to let Jesus bear the weight.

 

I should perhaps add that I was in the middle of preparing for a couple of retreats, so I pushed through focused and believing God for provision and leadership.  As I led through two retreats, back-to-back, God showed up in some sweet and special ways. It was good and I thought I made it through unscathed and intact, but after all that output I discovered weariness had settled in.

Weariness is a tell-tail sign that exposes the need for re-alignment. It moves beyond tired and affects the whole body—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Tired is usually fixed with sleep, but weariness needs a more holistic approach.

 

Weariness manifests through fatigue.  Your body doesn’t react or respond like it should and you can expect difficulty thinking.  It’s usually the mental fatigue that usually tells me I’m in trouble.

 

need for re-alignment

 

 

The Antidote to Weariness is Rest

 

When I talk about rest, most people just sigh. I think they want rest, but don’t believe they have time for it. It’s a false belief that’s rooted in pride.

Here’s the thing, if you don’t learn how to rest in regular intervals, you will be overcome by weariness.  You don’t want that, because weariness opens the door to a whole host of other issues.  It can be a long road back, so learn to recognize the signs and let them be a cue for self-care.

 

So let’s talk about rest…

 

Rest is a funny thing.  When you feel weary you just want to check out, which is different from physical tiredness.  Tired is fixed by sleep, but weariness needs more than just sleep.  When putting your head to the pillow isn’t restful because it kick-starts a line of thinking that you just can’t stop, you might have to get creative!

 

You need to understand that rest means you have stop doing.  It means you take a break. Let go of the drive to finish out whatever you happen to be obsessed with.  Learn to establish regular intervals of rest.

 

What helps you unwind?  That’s the place you want to start.  Rest may come as you take a walk at the end of your day or it may settle in as you lean into creative outlets.  I love to crochet, play piano, and write—these all fill me up and bring rest.

 

When you are renewing from weariness, you also need to establish some boundaries.  There is always something to do and there is always someone who needs something—learn to say no.  You are not always the solution and this is especially true when you are working to replenish the need for re-alignment with the LORD.  God is always the best solution.

 

 

need for re-alignment

 

Sign #2: Irritability

The second sign that points to your need for re-alignment is irritability.  When you become easily frustrated and annoyed all the time that means you are struggling with irritability.  Call it out for what it is, so you can deal with properly.

Here’s the thing, there may be some justified reasons for feeling irritated, but you need to remember that unchecked irritation can become full-blown anger is the blink of an eye.

 

This is my new favorite verse regarding anger:

 

“Don’t sin by letting anger control you.  Think about it overnight and remain silent.” Psalm 4:4

 

Irritability tells you that your heart is offended.  You need to work that through on the little seemingly benign stuff just as much as the big stuff.

 

When you find yourself in a season and everything feels annoying, you may want to start asking yourself: Why does this bother me so much? Don’t be afraid to examine your heart and dig deeper.  The good news is that irritability is something you can control.  Let Holy Spirit lead you in your need for re-alignment, because he doesn’t lead you wrong!

 

 

need for re-alignment

 

 

The Antidote of Irritability is Joy

You can choose joy.  If you struggle with this one, go ahead and read Nehemiah 8:1-10.  I love this passage because it reminds me to look at the LORD, not my stuff.  The very last line of this passage reads,

 

“…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

 

You need to lift your eyes off the situation and put them on Jesus, because He is the source of all joy.  Not only that, in the New Testament we are taught that Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

 

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23

 

I’ll say it again—you can choose joy.  Let Holy Spirit lead and I promise, joy will rise to the top, because that’s what he does.  You don’t have to work for it, you simple surrender to it.  Choose to trust the LORD and he will equip you.

How cool is that?  I love that in my need for re-alignment with the LORD, he gives me the ability to bridge the gap.  He makes the way easy if I will simple choose him.

 

Here’s the thing, he shines his light in our dark places and then teaches us how to use even a stinky attitude to expose the need for re-alignment. When you recognize irritability showing up, turn it around and choose joy.

 

 

need for re-alignment

 

 

Sign #3: Intolerance

Intolerance is another sign that points to the need for re-alignment.  Listen friend, this one is hard.  Can I be honest?  I don’t like to acknowledge intolerance in my heart, because it’s ugly.

 

Intolerance holds an un-moveable mind-set.  This is the root of bigotry, racism, and prejudice.  I’m sorry, too harsh?  Well, according to dictionary.com  intolerance is also manifest in dogmatism, narrow-mindedness, favoritism, one-sidedness, preference and the list goes on.

Yep—U-G-L-Y!  Intolerance partners with pride to set to itself above another.  In this place, it’s only my opinion that matters, which is selfish and immature.

Look at that list. Do you struggle to relate because you can only see the extreme versions of these?  Don’t back down because it’s hard. Ask the tough questions.

Learn to see it and call it out for what it is so you can move beyond your need for re-alignment into right standing with the Father.  It’s about standing in the position of agreement with the Father.

 

 

need for re-alignment

 

 

The Antidote for Intolerance is Love

Love is manifest in a lot of ways, but the best demonstration I have ever seen is Jesus.

 

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in the while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:8

 

If ever there was argument for justified intolerance, I think God’s heart toward sin covers it.  But even though God hates sin (the action) he separates it from the person.  God shows unrelenting love through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Jesus died, spilling his perfect blood over all sin, and then rose again, overcoming death. This is the gospel message.

The antidote of intolerance is in the application of love.  Love can be manifest through acts of kindness, grace, and mercy.  Your need for re-alignment is overcome as you knock down the strongholds of pride, which is a core issue.

 

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.  Remember, the LORD forgave you, so you must forgive others.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:12-14

 

This is a powerful directive from God’s word.  There is no room for pride and ego in the kingdom, Friend.  Knock down the idol of self and clothe yourself with love…

 

need for re-alignment

 

 

Sign #4: Impatience

This one is fairly self-explanatory, but it shows up in a million different ways.  Sometimes impatience can spill into irritability and intolerance, but it is still its own indicator for the need of re-alignment with the LORD.

Impatience doesn’t like to wait.  It manifests itself through agitation and frustration.  Can you relate?  I know I can.  When my soul is out of alignment with the LORD, impatience quickly becomes a big thing.  I see it in my attitude toward heavy traffic, last-minute changes, or delays. I hate waiting.

 

 

need for re-alignment

 

 

Impatience can how up in relationships at home, work, and church. This is a hard place, because you have to recognize that the core issue is you and your desire for instant gratification.

I know, that feels harsh, but we do not need to resign ourselves to this attitude.  Remember the Galatians passage?  Praise God—Patience is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit!

 

The Antidote of Impatience is Forbearance

Let’s be honest, waiting is hard.  We live in a world where in most instances we can get what we want pretty quickly, which is probably why impatience can flair so quickly.  We are not practiced in forbearance.

 

The LORD showed me a while back that difficult does not equate impossible.  I can choose to be still and wait.  This is what forbearance means.  And not only that, I have access to self-control because the Holy Spirit lives in me and produces it!  That means the Holy Spirit produces in me the ability to control my attitude and desire for instant gratification.

Patience rises to top as you practice waiting. I know that on the outside looking at it from impatient eyes, waiting can feel unproductive and lonely, but God is in the waiting.  That’s why he says,

 

“Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalm 46:10

 

 

It’s in the waiting that God works, renews, and reveals.  It’s a pretty awesome place to be, so the next time you are tempted to give way to impatience, remember that God is in the waiting.

 

 

need for re-alignment

 

 

The need for re-alignment

 

True freedom is birthed out of a surrendered heart and you cannot maintain surrender when you entertain pride. Do you see how all these signs are rooted in pride?  Cut it down and lean into the LORD because His best for you is always his presence.

 

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-6

 

 

need for re-alignment

 

 

Do you see it?  He seated us with him because of Jesus. I don’t know about you but, when I read about that kind of access to God, I am motivated to deal with my crap, I mean stuff. What about you?  How are you doing?

 

From one broken soul to another, be brave!  When you see these signs in your life, take them out. The Holy Spirit is promised to help you turn away from the hurtful attitudes and false beliefs that drag you down.

 

Do not neglect your need for re-alignment because it’s the way back into the presence of the LORD.  Jesus went to the cross to secure your place.  Trust Him and believe him—that’s how you hold your place.

 

 

 

 

 

5 comments

  1. Danielle Healey says:

    This post is great! As a chronic “ doer” im finally learning the art of rest! Sometimes life can try to lie to us about what we “need” to do. This post realigns us to what matters. Thank you for that reminder today.

  2. Tammy Dunlap says:

    WOW you shared some great wisdom here ! I intend to pin on my Christian living blog! Keep up the great work. It is beautiful and meaningful.
    https://grandmamarymartha.blogspot.com

    1. Thank you, Tammy! Such kind words…and thanks for pinning it on your board.

  3. Emily J. M. says:

    I feel like I am constantly in need of re-alignment! Spending an extended time with God once a week has been really helpful lately in setting my heart where it ought to be. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    1. I understand what your mean…Isn’t it good to know that the LORD is relentless in his invitation to come close? Praying for you as you continue to press in and trust him! One thing at a time, right? Blessings:)

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