***Heat Control***


*The girl in this story is me*

Tonight, it was unusually more freezing than at other nights. She was lying right there on the couch in the living room, a little bit noxious and a little bit drowzy. She had been doing her homework on the desktop, and too tired to go anywhere else to sleep she simply took the next best thing, the couch. Too tired to get up to adjust the temperature of the room, she moved her head to a softer part of the red fluffy pillow and drew the blanket higher up towards her chin. She tossed and she turned several times, until she finally got pulled into the sweet embrace of the unknown...sleep! Slowly, but surely...she was drowning in the luxury most workaholics don't seem to have.

When she's asleep, she gets into this mini-unconscious state where she can't feel any part of her five senses: she can't feel, smell, hear, or taste anything..but most importantly she can't see anything. The only thing she can see is the lover in her dreams, the fairy-tale mansion, and the dreams of a blessed, joyful, energetic, vibrant, peaceful, and blissful future. She usually smiles towards the end of the dream...or frowns, depending on the dream. Tonight though, she woke up to the sounds of footsteps drawing closer and closer to where she was lying. She opened her eyes and saw someone adjusting the honeywell thermostat in the living room. It was her older brother...and he said, "aren't you cold down here?" And she replied, "not really." He said he was freezing, adjusted the thermostat and walked back upstairs to his room.

No, this is not a thriller or a horror movie. Neither is it a poem or a prose. But my focus is on the word "thermostat." A thermostat is a device that regulates the temperature of a system so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired "set-point" temperature. It's function is to control the existing temperature. On the other hand, a thermometer measures whatever temperature is available to be measured.

I read this scripture this morning, and it is what is responsible for my comparisons: Proverbs 18:14
"The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?"

After thinking I came to the rightful conclusion that as children of God we have thermostats inside of us. We have something that can always regulate our spiritual temperatures, and that thermostat inside us is called the "spirit." When your spirit is strong, then though storms, famines, and all sorts of things may throw themselves at you, yet you will still be willing to look over those things and realize that they can't take you out. Like the scripture said, in sickness a man's spirit can still sustain him. The only time you should have a broken spirit is unto repentance, for psalm 51:17 says, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart." Yes, your spirit needs to be broken so that you can buy a brand new spirit from God. But when you have your new spirit, it must remain strong, because proverbs 25: 28 also says, "For whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls."

But if your spirit is broken, then your thermostat is damaged and you cannot control your temperature. Instead like a thermometer you begin to measure every adversity and focus on the present instead of the future..


As my "S" said to me this morning as I tried to describe this imagery, I will also say to every one who comes across this post, "make up your mind to train your spirit into becoming a thermostat and not a thermometer." When your spirit is strong, you can move mountains, you can control emotions, and you can focus on the prize and run your race well. Wouldn't you rather be a thermostat?

22 comments:

Eyin'ju Oluwa said...

Truth. I always tell myself, God and I make an unbeatable team,im unshakeable, unbreakable, unstoppable.

The spirit of God in the heart of man is indeed something more than gold!

LOL@you dreaming about your lover and all, it's good jare!

♥♫♪nyemoni♫♪♥ said...

I would so rather be a thermostat than a thermometer! I like your comparison Jaycee....This is very well thought out indeed....Thanks for the encouragement....Bless your heart!

Jennifer A. said...

Omosewa...for real, treasured more than gold def!!! Lol, I must dream before I get there o...one of the joys of a yet-to-be-married person I guess (lol).

Nyemoni...u're welcome, Amen! (thank u so much for ur little cheerleading snippets...may u never lack a cheerleader). May ur home and marriage to hubby continue to be blessed!!!

Anonymous said...

i'll definitely rather be a thermostat than be a thermometer. Ohhhhhh i love ur blog....very different and inspring. Thanks for this priceless message! and thanks for stopping my mine......do ur reminiscing post too o..............

Remi, United Kingdom said...

Lovely post... Really, thanks for this... where I am right now, that is the very reminder I need and the very fix, the very explanation of the reminder I needed... at this point in time..
yes I need to further train up my spirit to be a 'thermostat' that it should be! God bless you.
Much love

Unknown said...

This is very true. :-)

thanks.. I needed to read this.

The Life of a Stranger called me said...

anytime.. is my answer to your question.

Once you asked how Ester must have felt prior to becoming a queen.. now I can say I am akeen to metal. It must have been hard, but trully, with God it is always worth waiting on HIM.

Great post as always.

Anonymous said...

Perfect! ....the Spirit in us is to be continously trained & disciplined by the Word of God. I think i'd like mine to be on full blast heat anytime ...

Jinta said...

thank you. i was getting cold too. just turned my thermostat up

Jennifer A. said...

Chicala...u're welcome...ha ha, I see u've indirectly tagged me...woohoo...I'm behind on tags! I think this one would be a very fun one to do (even if its not an official tag)...I'll ask my brain if it can remember all those boarding house memories...lol.

Remi...I'm really glad this was the very fix u needed at this point in ur life.

Pamela...I'm doubly glad now...sometimes I wonder who these messages are for, but somehow there's always confirmation that at least one person needs to be reminded of a word God spoke that must come to pass in their lives. Whatever you got out of this, may it not just be a seed that was sown, but may it GROW bountifully and produce fruits in ur life in Jesus Name, Amen.

TheLife...if time could be measured in dollars, then "waiting" for the right time is definitely WORTH every dollar!!! Yeah baby!!!!

Jem...I def like that analogy...Lord I want to be on full blast heat for You too, so nothing can get in my way...I can just imagine the fiery temperature of the passion that will come out of that...

Jennifer A. said...

Jinta...I just put mine on "full blast" after reading what Jem said...so dude...u dey for d right track!!! Turn it up higher!!!

webround said...

They say when things are not going so good, remember the past tough times and how God saw you through, and focus on them. it really works. I believe that is the equivalent of a thermostat.

I like the way you pass across your messages using illustrations one can relate to.

Uzo said...

Again;...A thermostat is inspiration?

Fantastic...

UndaCovaSista said...

The song Still I Rise by Yolanda Adams comes to mind after reading this. Off i go to listen to it...Nice post (as always)

Sara said...

This was a great post, thanks Jaycee

Jennifer A. said...

Webround...I totally concur. Sometimes when I'm going thru stuff, I may just randomly think abt something good that happened a day or two ago, and just start smiling. But what has been doing it more for me though is just reflecting on the fact that there are no "impossibilities" with God. I just keep repeating it to myself again and again. My predicament may be a REJECTION for a moment, but in a split second it can change to ACCEPTANCE. (I just had one of those split second changes/testimonies today myself, maybe thats why I'm even bolder to say that right now....ha ha ha).

Uzo....LOLLLLLLLLL!!!

Undacova...awww...that song just strikes a chord with this post! Hope u were dancing and nodding ur head while listening...:)

Sara...u're very very welcome! My pleasure...so how have u been doing? :)

God's child said...

Absolutely love this comparison! I'm a thermostat, and I'm burning HOT for the Lord, the unquenchable Holy Ghost Fire!! My key to raising my temp is confessing daily His promises.

Atutupoyoyo said...

A very good analogy. You continously provide fresh angles with which to approach the scriptures.

Unknown said...

na wa ooo...
would never have thot i have to be a thermostat...lol
thanks jaycee...
enjoy ur week...

i am applying to MPH programs..
God dey....

Lindah said...

True...

Unknown said...

Jaycee

To say you are more than a blessing to everyone of us
Everytime I come to your blog,
I leave holding on to something that carried me through rocky days.

GOs bless ya

Jennifer A. said...

God's child..."My key to raising my temp is confessing daily His promises." I really loved that phrase!!! Amen.

Atutupoyoyo...:)

MyStories...wow, genius u...I'm soooo proud of u! Lolll...Na wa for the combination of degrees u will be using to glorify God at the end of the day o!!! Lolll!!! Ur story will be a BIG testimony! I pray for God's guidance in ur applications, and may He give you the desires of ur heart, according to His will...:)

Lindwee...*hugs*

Olamild...I'm sooooooo glad for these things....like woah!!!! God is good.