“I have kept my feet from every evil path
 so that I might obey your word.
I have not departed from your laws,
 for you yourself have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
 sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:101-103, NIV)

This thought, a reality, brings such comfort in life and the struggles, hardships, even in the joy’s. In seeking God, His law or way through…., “God Himself becomes my teachers.”

Does it get any better than that?!

This morning in my “God Seeking,” I was reflecting on the previous day, honestly, the whole experience is connected to a very real life long battle that’s been debilitating at times.

The words I wrote, the dilemma, the memories that were triggered:
“Thank you Lord for bringing me through another day; getting things I’ve been apprehensive about, for a boat job I’m questioning, though it’s a must do type of job. A lingering fear of being yelled at if I messed up. Childhood flash backs! The job, a complete rebuild of an old sailboats sanitation system.”

“Amazing Lord how you move in and through life interactions, circumstances! Thank You Jesus!”

Me, grateful for Christ’s faithful presence meeting me so personally in the dilemma…

“I appreciate how you make me better! Praise, Glory and Honor, ALL OF IT, belongs to King Jesus!”

“I can sense the resistance in my being as I thought and wrote those words of Thanksgiving and Praise to you Jesus! The flesh certainly doesn’t want to submit! In the quiet of this morning I felt the battle, Spirit of God vs. flesh (Me apart from God), for real — ideal to real, Wow!”

Right out of Paul’s letter to the folks of Galatia, listen:

“So I say, walk by the Spirit (God-Holy Spirit), and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (old destructive way of thinking, feeling, and doing). For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” (Galatians 5:16-17, NIV)

The last phrase, “So that you are not to do whatever you want,” to take a word from last weeks post, Hits!

Well that’s exactly what “I,” my flesh WANTS, “to do whatever you (I) want.” God’s got me cornered right in the middle of my problem. In His Spirit, I want to give thanks, and want to give praise, I want to ascribe Him all the glory and honor; but my flesh, mind-emotion, are in Conflict!

“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15, NIV)

James nails it! He describes exactly, my conflict.

As I sought God this morning, God found me in my struggle with fear, and old nemesis, the temptation to surrender to the flesh was real…. “You don’t have the skill, or know how to do that boat job.” “Forget about it!”

Then, God, who promises to be my teacher, cuts through the lies (temptation) and brings His TRUTH to my morning moment:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV)

What?!

God, “will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Back to the choice that God provided, His way out, or my way out? His Spirit, or my flesh?

Forget about even attempting the boat job, I’m not good enough to get it done; or with God’s help I will get it done?

So, I drove to several boat supply stores and picked up supplies, next into the bowels of the old, 1986 Hunter 28.5 sailboat to tackle the job that brought to light old fears of failure.

Any memories surface, or past circumstances God wants to meet you in…let Him be your teacher, as you seek His way out, and do His way out see:

“How sweet are your words to my taste,
 sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103, NIV)