Are you striving in the Spirit or the flesh? Many times we strive in our own efforts to make something work and then go to God once we’re tired and worn out.
In today’s Godly Gain segment, we encourage you to stop striving and let God work in you and through you.
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Striving in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
CJ: Hey guys, welcome to this week’s edition of Godly Gain, I’m CJ Hitz.
SHELLEY: Hey, I’m Shelley Hitz.
CJ: Today we want to ask you; “Are you striving in the flesh, or are you striving in the Spirit?”
We’re going to talk about that here in this short episode, regarding something we all deal with.
SHELLEY: This is a very personal teaching because it’s something that God has really spoken to us recently.
CJ: Definitely. I think so many times we can get up in really striving. When we say strive we’re talking about doing stuff out of our own effort.
Now, you can also strive to do things out of the Spirit, but we want to focus on how often we strive in our flesh in order to get things done and make something happen; it’s like forcing things in order to make something happen. We’re so satisfied with results that aren’t eternal that we’ll do anything and resort to anything, in order to get something done, and to be productive as the world so often demands.
SHELLEY: And the world applauds that; the world applauds productivity. I teach it! I teach productivity, I teach taking action! But we want to really fine tune our focus when we’re thinking about that productivity.
CJ: So I’m going to start off with a scripture that came to mind about this topic, striving in the flesh versus the Spirit. Many of us are familiar with Psalm 46:10 which simply says,
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”
Those words, “Be Still,” are literally translated to “cease striving”, or to “relax, let it go.”
So there is a huge comfort and peace whenever you let go and let God. I think so often we try to force something, and then we go to God and say, “Do you approve?”
SHELLEY: Or once we’re tired and worn out, we say “It’s not working, God what do I do?”
CJ: So, here’s what Psalm 46:10 means; to be still and to put yourself in that position where you’re literally not striving, you’re resting and continuing to commune with the Lord. You’re seeking Him and His direction.
When you feel a nudge from Him, when you do have an idea, go for it! Seek him first and rest in knowing that you’re seeking His counsel, His wisdom.
You know James said that “if anyone lacks wisdom he should come to God who generously wants to supply that” (James 1:5).
Yet, many times we even miss out on that. We’re not still before the Lord, we’re not hearing, and so we just sort of run with what we want to see happen before consulting the Lord.
SHELLEY: Recently we had a real life situation, or at least I did. I’ve talked about it before, on the Strengthfinder test I’m an AA, Activator and Achiever. I’m a doer, I’m a striver, if that’s a word.
CJ: Yes.
SHELLEY: I strive a lot, and so I’ve been a workaholic in the past. So this really hits home for me.
Recently I was doing some marketing for my ColoradoWritingRetreat.com—it’s where I’m going to have a small group of women and help them get their first draft done and get that book done!—and I didn’t see the results I wanted to see.
I think what happens is when we’re taking action and doing things, then we do not see the results we wanted to see, we get disappointed or we think, “What else am I supposed to do?”
We get into that striving mode and say, “I need to do something else!”
So I thought, “What do I need to do? How can I market this?” I remember, was it last week or the week before?
CJ: Last week.
SHELLEY: I got to this point where I was in tears, literally, because we had a couple sign ups but we weren’t at breakeven yet for our expenses. None of my efforts and my striving were working. It seems that it’s not getting the results that I wanted.
I remember sitting in the bedroom crying and CJ walked in, and what did you say to me?
CJ: I just felt like the Lord was saying, “Shelley, you need to quit striving in your own effort and allow God to do what He wants. We’ll pray, we’ll give it to Him, we’ll submit this retreat to Him, but then just let God answer in the way that He feels best.”
SHELLEY: I was in a moment of desperation but I remember you said, “Shelley I really feel like the Lord has told me that we need to stop striving.”
I’m wondering if there is anyone out there, right now, who is at the point of being overworked. You’re tired, or you’re working so hard but you’re not seeing the results you really want or need, and you just needed to hear that.
That verse, in one of the translations, it says “cease striving and know that I am God;” (New American Standard Bible). So, I had to confess to God that I was trying in my own strength and I wasn’t trusting Him.
I remember God giving me some very specific things for me to do to cease striving. Personally it was that I got to let go of the results.
Wouldn’t you know it? In the next week two people already signed up for the single room, which is a little bit more than expected. Our expenses are now covered and I’m breathing a sigh of relief.
You know when it happened? It happened after I ceased striving and I said, “OK, I’m not going to do anything more. Lord this is in your hands and I’m going to trust you.” CJ and I had both been praying.
Then, I sensed that God had led me into another action. Right now I’m going into an intense season of Beta project for my next book project. It’s going to be a video series. I’m going to have a live video that I will be creating and giving every week so it’s going to be intense.
Sometimes when you’re in an intense season you have to let go of something in order to pick up something new. I felt like the words that God gave to CJ to say to me was also to apply to this season.
To start automating my most popular, best converting webinars instead of hosting all my live promotional webinars. I started that last week. I took action and I did what God had prompted me to do.
When you cease striving it doesn’t mean you’re going to stop working. It means that you’re going to cease doing it in your own efforts, in your own flesh, and you’re going to seek God to give you directions.
You know what? We already have two new Author Audience Academy members as a result of those automated Author Audience Academy webinars. It’s really good training, really good content, and I just had to trust God, because in my thought, “if it’s not live I’m not going to get the same results!”
But it’s like God saying, “Shelley, breathe.”
CJ: Yeah, breathe. So I want to leave you with another passage that many of us have read many times. Matthew 6:25-33
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries [striving] add a single moment to your life?
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Unbelievers is a key word there, at the end. They should not dominate the thoughts of we who trust in Christ, we who have an eternal perspective and we who look beyond this world.
Yes, we’re here. We’re working for food and clothing, and those things He provides, but we have a much grander perspective. We can see into eternity.
Another translation says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God” (ASV, KJV), so I wanted to ask you;
Are you being still before the Lord?
Are you seeking his counsel first?
What will build his kingdom first?
Even through your book project, your new business project, whatever it may be.
What is the motive behind all of that?
And are you seeking the Lord’s motives in all that you do, all that you say, and the people that He brings you across in terms of paths?
That’s just a word to challenge us all; myself, Shelley, regarding our striving and ceasing that stuff as God tells us in Psalm 46.
SHELLEY: Amen.
It was very convicting when CJ said that to me, and I knew immediately that it was from the Lord. I’m so thankful that God brings us what we need when we need it, and that I have someone that helps balance me out. We’re kind of opposites, he’s so laid back.
CJ: She’s balanced me out many times.
SHELLEY: We were in church last night, we usually go to church on Saturday nights, and we were singing a worship song called Good Father. I just had tears in my eyes because it said, “You’re a good, good Father,
It’s who You are,
It’s who You are,
It’s who You are
And I’m loved by You
It’s who I am,
It’s who I am
It’s who I am.”
I sometimes wonder if we still keep our perspectives in the midst of all the things we do;
In the striving.
In the day to day.
In all of the tasks that we’re doing.
In the business of building an author platform.
In writing books.
In helping those that God has given you to help.
In serving those that God has given you to serve.
Sometimes we might lose perspective on that.
We might not see Him in the way that He truly is. When you were reading that from Matthew 6, that worship song came to mind. He’s going to provide what we need. It doesn’t mean He’ll provide everything we want, but He provides.
So why do I worry? I shared earlier, I was so worried about the writing retreat, and we still have two spots open, but I’m just totally OK with that.
Whoever God is going to bring, if it’s these women and no more, then that’s who is supposed to be there. So why would I worry? Why spend that time worrying?
We’d love to just pray over you now.
CJ: Lord I thank you so much for all those who are live with us, but also those who are going to actually be checking out the recording of this Godly Gain segment. Lord we ask that you would help us to truly be still, to cease striving, to relax and just let it go. Lord I pray that there would just be a peace that would flood over every single person. That we would take You at Your word and live that and be able to rest knowing that You’re the provider, the one that gives us these great ideas, and the one that inspires us and encourages us. You bring people across our paths to be sharpeners for us and help smooth out some of those rough edges. Lord I pray that each of us would be tuned into your voice and hear you so clearly; for each direction to go, the left or to the right, and on what should be done here and there. Each day when we wake up Lord, You’d be the first thing on our thoughts, and when we go to bed at night You’d be the last thing. I pray that each of us would really practice those things and become good at being still and sitting before You and seeking You first. We thank You and ask this in Jesus’ wonderful name, amen.
SHELLEY: Amen.
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Thank you guys so much for joining us today. I pray that you feel that peace, that you feel that weight lifted off as you stop striving and know that he is God.
CJ: Amen.
SHELLEY: See you guys next time.
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CJ & Shelley what a pleasant surprise and a timely word of encouragement. Love you guys.
Art Butler
I’m so glad to hear it encouraged you Art!