Gaslight

Over the years I have changed where I’ve prayed, how I’ve prayed, and when I’ve prayed. The one constant has always been that I pray. In fact, I started a relationship of prayer with God when I was seven or eight years old. I grew up in a big, loud Italian family, and religion is part of my heritage and the foundation God used to lead me to His Son.

Years ago, after becoming a born-again believer in Jesus, I asked God what it would look like if I stopped praying. Immediately he showed me the open shutter of a camera which slowly closed until the screen in my mind was completely dark. That picture frightened me so much that I have never asked that question again, and I never will, and I will always try to be consistent in my prayer time.

Recently, we sang a new song in church. One about sitting at the feet of Jesus. This has me pondering what exactly does it look like to sit at the feet of Jesus? We have the story of Mary-Lazarus’ sister-choosing the better thing and physically sitting at Jesus feet as an example. However, since Jesus is no longer with us physically does this mean we pull out an empty chair and sit on the floor next to it? Maybe.

As I was praying about this, this morning, the word gaslight came to mind. The last time I checked, one of the current meanings of this word can be when someone causes you to believe you’re wrong about something or how you remember an event happening, over and over again. Nefarious, isn’t it? And that is just it! This is what the devil engages in. He attempts to cause believers in Christ to believe that things aren’t how we remember them or that there is a wrong way to do certain things-like sitting at the feet of Jesus. I believe some of the devil’s most doubt causing words are, “did God really say?”

I, and I hope you do as well, try to be consistent in practicing spiritual disciplines. One of these disciplines in prayer. I have A LOT to say! No surprise there. This is the area that I have been pondering as it relates to simply sitting at Jesus feet. I feel Holy Spirit speaking to me to remember to make room for Him to speak too. For all you expressives out there, I got you! Regardless of our personality traits we ought to all engage in simply listening.

What are some ways you sit at the feet of Jesus? Please share!

I pray that you are so tightly connected to Jesus that the enemy of your soul cannot gaslight you.

Shalom.