Freely Speaking Audio Devotion

LOVING GOD WITH ALL YOUR SOUL by Sharee Gaiser

Welcome to Freely Speaking, an OHSOFREE devotional ministry where we share our hearts and trust God for transformation. Today’s devotion, Loving God with All My Soul, was written by Sharee Gaiser.

Let’s begin with today’s scripture from Mark Chapter 12, verse 30: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" Mark 12:30 (NIV).

A brand-new calendar graces my kitchen wall. The blank squares mark day after day in the month ahead. A gnawing feeling reminds me that it won’t be long before appointments and activities fill those empty spaces. Deep inside, unrest settles in my soul. I know it is up to me to keep as much white space in the days ahead, but I am not good at saying no.

Eager to please, resisting laziness, and driven to earn the approval of man and God, “no” was not a word I used until I needed to because my life depended on it.

Discouragement, disappointment, and despair were all indicators of an internal problem producing external consequences. In admitting a crisis point was reached, I took the first step toward healing and transformation. I was no longer bearing good fruit, and my health and family were suffering. Change was needed.

Was it as simple as not raising my hand when a need arose? Did I have to say “no” more often, and I’d be okay? And what was driving this need in me to do it all?

Author John Maxwell said in his book Failing Forward, “People change when they hurt enough that they have to, learn enough that they want to, and receive enough that they are able to.”

I was hurting, and my soul, that space occupied by my mind, emotions, and will, needed change. Fixing outward behaviors was not going to result in lasting change. I had an internal problem that only God could heal.

Through time in God’s Word, I understood that my identity in Christ is the foundation of a healthy soul. What I believe about myself directly impacts my maturity, peace, and soul health. It was hard for me to love God with all my soul when I was driven to impress Him with my performance. I loved what I could do for God more than I loved who I could be with God.

Times of solitude and silence were healing. The more I said “yes” to God and received from Him, the less inclined I was to say “yes” to the things that had once affirmed my value. I purposefully made space to rest, rely on, and receive from God. These daily rhythms found me exchanging striving for surrender and trust. As I learned to love God with my whole soul, I received the gift of a more abundant life.

Do you need to discover a new way to love God with all your soul and be loved by Him? Please share in the comments below.

Thank you for joining us today. If you would like to learn more about OhSoFree Ministries, please visit us at www.ohsofreeministries.com/