I have a confession to make. This girl has been having a serious struggle with obedience. So much so that I’ve been arguing with God. Yes, arguing. With the living God!

Have you ever done that? Known that God was telling you to do something, and you, in all your “infinite” wisdom, attempted to explain to Him why His idea was not the best? Well I hope you haven’t, but I have. And I’ve been doing it a lot lately. Sad. I know. Thank goodness for His mercy!

Anyway, the argument, was (in mind) over something quite silly. Coffee. Yes, coffee. Silly, right? Why does God care about coffee? He probably doesn’t. This whole dialogue going on inside my head was probably a complete figment of my imagination. Coffee. Yeah, right. Like God cares about coffee… Or does He?

You see I drink a lot of it. Probably a few gallons a week. And these gallons of heaven-on-earth often… scratch that… always take the place of the gallons of water I should be drinking. I know all about that eight-glasses-of water-a-day thing, but who wants boring water when they could drink dark, bold, glorious coffee? Not me! Give me coffee!

Do you get the point yet? I really enjoy my coffee.

And then yesterday, the Holy Spirit started telling me to lay off this wonderful morning (and noon and evening) beverage. What!?! Why? I couldn’t figure it out. No, I didn’t want to figure it out. I’d rather stick my head in the sand, ignore all the horrible side effects of dehydration and caffeine overload, and pretend there is not a single thing wrong with my massive intake of this black, liquid gold.

So I argued.

I questioned whether or not I was even really feeling the nudge of the Holy Spirit, I rationalized why I need at least one morning cup, I doubted whether or not this should even be on God’s radar. And I attempted to dismiss this little conversation with my King altogether.

I poured myself a cup, took a sip, and sat down to read my Bible.

(Here’s a tip for you. Never open your Bible when you are trying to win an argument with our God Almighty.)

And do you know what words I read? Do you know what not-so-subtle-sign He gave me to confirm it was actually His Spirit nudging my heart to give up my coffee-idol? “His way is perfect” and “The word of the Lord is proven” (2 Samuel 22:31). Yep, that’s what I read and I was quickly reminded that He knows what He is talking about, no matter how trivial the subject may seem.

Now, if you’re familiar with this passage, you know that David was not writing about any coffee problem he was facing. You may even be about to accuse me of pulling this verse way out of context, and maybe I am but this verse got my attention. It told me that God wants to shield me. No, not necessarily from coffee, but He does want to protect me, even from my own unhealthy nutrition choices.

So who am I to argue with Him!?! His way is perfect. And His word has been proven time and time again. There is no room for my doubt.

Now, despite the frequent mention of the word in this post, I’m not writing about coffee. I’m not writing to point out the evils of coffee or convince you to give it up. My main point isn’t even that God wants me to give it up (though it’s obvious that He does). My main point is this:

God’s ways — not your’s and certainly not mine — are perfect.  His word — not ours — have been proven. And He — not we — is our shield against all enemies.  Foreign, domestic, spiritual, mental, physical, and even ourselves. He desires to protect us from them all. And all He ask from us is that we trust Him.

So, I encourage you to let go of any doubts you have swimming around in that pretty little head of yours. Lay down your argument and believe that whatever He is asking you to do — whether it be to give up coffee, sale your house, put your kids in public school, prayer for your arch nemesis, or become a missionary to India — is the best, most perfect, and proven way for your life right now. Just trust.

What about you? Are you arguing with God? About what? Is He using Scripture to confirm what the Holy Spirit has been speaking to you heart? Which ones? Let me know by leaving a comment or shooting me an email. I’d love to pray with you.a

Only by grace,

Kelli