Life has all kinds of challenges that require courage. Marriage, child-raising, travel, being self-employed, moving to a new city, taking a stand for what’s right, helping a person in need, all have hair-raising, “this feels out of control,” moments. The really brave person, however, is the believer who submits to the will of the Lord and lives by the Spirit. Courage is needed, not just for a certain moments, but moment-by-moment when Living by The Holy Spirit.
What the Spirit requires is also what the Spirit provides! When facing threats, it is the Holy Spirit’s guidance that provides resolute determination and courage. This truth is illustrated several times in The Acts of the Apostles. Most people just know the book as Acts, looking past the history of what the Holy Spirit did, and focusing only on what the Apostles did. But what the Apostles did was only possible because of what the Holy Spirit did (Indeed, a more accurate title for the book could be: The Acts of Holy Spirit through the lives of the Apostles).
One of the times that an Apostle needed courage was when Paul came to the gut-wrenching moment of leaving the leaders of the church in Ephesus. He realized that he would not see these men whom he loved again this side of death. In the moment of need, the Holy Spirit guided him.
And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. (Acts 20:22-23 ESV)
The word “constrained” carries the meaning of compelled or restricted. Paul, then, submitted to this control of the Holy Spirit over his life, even in knowing it would take him into difficulty and trouble. Because he was indwelled and filled with the Holy Spirit, blessed with the Spirit’s guidance, there’s no hint of fear in the Apostle’s words.
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24 ESV)
What was true then is true now. Believer’s can count on receiving courage from the Spirit especially when the guidance of the Holy Spirit leads a believer to terrifying situations and every day challenges. Since marriage isn’t for the fainted-hearted, God provides believers with the presence and direction of the Holy Spirit. Because parenting isn’t for cowards—believers can have the wisdom of the Spirit. And in the battle against ruler and authorities in unseen places, the Spirit’s power and guidance wins the struggle.
Believers can be courageous because the Holy Spirit provides and guides.
More to come!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Silence Is Golden
Isolation!
Most people are terrified when completely cut off from all other people. Even men and women of great faith sink under the weight of isolation. As painful, even destructive as being utterly alone can be, it is often when God’s people receive the wonderful gift of the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
That’s what happened to Elijah. He had the faith to believe that God would turn off heaven’s faucets and God gave no rain to the Kingdom of Israel for three years. He believed in the authority of God’s Word for provision in times of famine and the power to raise a boy from the dead and both happened. He had a God-given courage when he confronted, mocked, defeated and destroyed the 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. On that very same day, God released torrential rains after Elijah’s prayer. And then Elijah, well past his athletic prime, ran faster than King Ahab rode in his chariot to Jezreel (1 Kings 17-18).
It was, however, in those moments just after these incredible triumphs that Elijah’s stellar faith wilted. When the prophet heard the death threat from Jezebel, the wicked wife of King Ahab, he hi-tailed it into the wilderness. After he stopped running and sat down under a broom tree, he slid into the despair of loneliness and isolation. He prayed—“O LORD, take away my life,” but God didn’t grant Elijah his request. In fact, the Lord took him to a place of even greater isolation—Horeb, the mount of God. (1 Kings 19:1-8)
Elijah desperately needed to hear something from the Lord and he did. And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (1 Kings 19:11-12 ESV)
One would think that the magnificent Lord of the Universe would speak by the howling wind, roaring fire or rumbling of the earth, but no! It was in the still and quiet that the Lord spoke to Elijah words that reached down deep and spoke the needed message to the prophet’s heart.
Don’t resist times of isolation. Times of solitude and separation are a must! Getting away from the noise of relationships and daily routines is necessary for the Holy Spirit to have a believer’s exclusive attention that allows Him to reveal clearly His specific plans and desires.
The revelation of the Lord’s guidance is vital to Living by the Spirit.
More to come!
Most people are terrified when completely cut off from all other people. Even men and women of great faith sink under the weight of isolation. As painful, even destructive as being utterly alone can be, it is often when God’s people receive the wonderful gift of the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
That’s what happened to Elijah. He had the faith to believe that God would turn off heaven’s faucets and God gave no rain to the Kingdom of Israel for three years. He believed in the authority of God’s Word for provision in times of famine and the power to raise a boy from the dead and both happened. He had a God-given courage when he confronted, mocked, defeated and destroyed the 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. On that very same day, God released torrential rains after Elijah’s prayer. And then Elijah, well past his athletic prime, ran faster than King Ahab rode in his chariot to Jezreel (1 Kings 17-18).
It was, however, in those moments just after these incredible triumphs that Elijah’s stellar faith wilted. When the prophet heard the death threat from Jezebel, the wicked wife of King Ahab, he hi-tailed it into the wilderness. After he stopped running and sat down under a broom tree, he slid into the despair of loneliness and isolation. He prayed—“O LORD, take away my life,” but God didn’t grant Elijah his request. In fact, the Lord took him to a place of even greater isolation—Horeb, the mount of God. (1 Kings 19:1-8)
Elijah desperately needed to hear something from the Lord and he did. And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (1 Kings 19:11-12 ESV)
One would think that the magnificent Lord of the Universe would speak by the howling wind, roaring fire or rumbling of the earth, but no! It was in the still and quiet that the Lord spoke to Elijah words that reached down deep and spoke the needed message to the prophet’s heart.
Don’t resist times of isolation. Times of solitude and separation are a must! Getting away from the noise of relationships and daily routines is necessary for the Holy Spirit to have a believer’s exclusive attention that allows Him to reveal clearly His specific plans and desires.
The revelation of the Lord’s guidance is vital to Living by the Spirit.
More to come!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
For Better Vision
“Spirit Thing” is the title of a song by the contemporary Christian music artists, the Newsboys. The song can be heard at http://youtu.be/Be6IFyAyJTg.
The lyrics in the chorus describe how the Holy Spirit provides believers a particular blessing:
It's just a holy nudge
It's like a circuit judge in the brain
It's just a spirit thing
It's here to guard my heart
It's just a little hard to explain
Jesus made this promise about the Holy Spirit: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:12-13, underline added) The Holy Spirit will provide believers the blessing of guidance.
The primary way the Holy Spirit provides believers guidance is by illuminating the Word of God so that the things of the Lord can be understood. All of what believers need to know about the expressed will of the Lord is communicated in the Bible.
Yet, the Holy Spirit also provides the light of understanding in the matters of the unexpressed will of the Lord. Many believers can point to specific moments in their life when they have experienced the Spirit’s nudge—clear direction when facing two compelling, yet equal choices. Or, the guidance has come in the form of practical wisdom in a moment of crisis. For many, many believers, the Spirit’s guidance has been His quiet and unmistakable voice when the right words, proper action, or appropriate attitude were needed.
The Spirit’s inner promptings push many believers past the boundaries of experience and knowledge, and into uncharted areas. It can be more than a little unnerving! Yet, could it be that what many believers call intuition is, at times, the guidance and conviction of the Holy Spirit? Exploring that possibility isn’t easy…but it is important in pursuing what it means to Live by the Spirit.
When are some of the times a believer might expect the Spirit to guide?
More to come!
The lyrics in the chorus describe how the Holy Spirit provides believers a particular blessing:
It's just a holy nudge
It's like a circuit judge in the brain
It's just a spirit thing
It's here to guard my heart
It's just a little hard to explain
Jesus made this promise about the Holy Spirit: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:12-13, underline added) The Holy Spirit will provide believers the blessing of guidance.
The primary way the Holy Spirit provides believers guidance is by illuminating the Word of God so that the things of the Lord can be understood. All of what believers need to know about the expressed will of the Lord is communicated in the Bible.
Yet, the Holy Spirit also provides the light of understanding in the matters of the unexpressed will of the Lord. Many believers can point to specific moments in their life when they have experienced the Spirit’s nudge—clear direction when facing two compelling, yet equal choices. Or, the guidance has come in the form of practical wisdom in a moment of crisis. For many, many believers, the Spirit’s guidance has been His quiet and unmistakable voice when the right words, proper action, or appropriate attitude were needed.
The Spirit’s inner promptings push many believers past the boundaries of experience and knowledge, and into uncharted areas. It can be more than a little unnerving! Yet, could it be that what many believers call intuition is, at times, the guidance and conviction of the Holy Spirit? Exploring that possibility isn’t easy…but it is important in pursuing what it means to Live by the Spirit.
When are some of the times a believer might expect the Spirit to guide?
More to come!
Monday, May 14, 2012
For Better Vision
There is so much that the Spirit is able to reveal about the Lord. Most believers can scarcely grasp it all in head and heart. Yet, as believers are filled by the Spirit and follow Him, the Spirit does a wonderful work called, “Illumination.” Like a beam of light in a very dark place, the Holy Spirit gives understanding and clarity to the things of God that are hard—even impossible—to grasp.
This illumination of the Spirit took place for the Gospel writer John. As much as it might be tempting to think of John as some super-human Christian, he also was in need of the Spirit’s illumination. Prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said things that John didn’t understand. But after the Holy Spirit came to indwell (live in) John, the Spirit illuminated some otherwise confusing words spoken by Jesus. Read this following section of John 7, and consider the order of events John describes:
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39 ESV)
What happened in John’s life happens in every believer’s life. Believers need the Spirit to give understanding to God’s ways. Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth gives the assurance of illumination.
For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. (1 Corinthians 2:10b-12 ESV)
Read the last phrase one more time: “that we might understand the things freely given us by God.” While colleges, universities, tech and trade schools charge huge amounts of money for education, the Holy Spirit freely gives understanding of the most important subject of life—the Lord of the Universe.
Illumination is an invaluable gift of the Holy Spirit and is always available when requested. Ask then, for the knowledge and understanding of the Spirit when reading the Bible, meditating on a passage of Scripture, listening to a sermon, or talking about the Lord with friends, to name a few of the many ways and times the Spirit will shine Hislight.
Where else can believers see the Spirit’s light?
More to come!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Under The Control
Many believers have a picture of the “spiritual” person as an uncommon sort—placid face, eyes focused just above the horizon, plain clothes, soft voice and a simple, unhurried lifestyle. Who really lives like that?! Those who live by the Spirit are ordinary people engaged in the hustle and bustle of everyday life as the Holy Spirit fills and guides them to make an eternal impact for the Kingdom in the lives others. Believers under the control and direction of the Holy Spirit can be found in many, many walks of life, as illustrated by the following story from a member of the LLC congregation.
“I remember to this day a very special high school teacher named Dan. Dan had and still has a passion for Christ and youth. He taught three of my senior year classes. One of the classes being Bible, I remember very distinctly that one day during Bible he got up in front of our class and with tears streaming down his face he said, ‘I want all of you to know that I don't know specifically why, but the Holy Spirit told me at the beginning of the year to get up at 4 a.m. every morning and pray for each one of you by name.’ He prayed for all twenty-two of us each day...by name. I was touched and moved that he cared so much and was sensitive and obedient to the Spirit. This would be the first among many examples of the Holy Spirit revealing himself. Many times he would be told to pull a student aside because he knew they needed spiritual help. God used him in many mighty ways!
“What he didn't know is that beyond the obvious struggles, there were many broken and aching hearts in my class. Abusive homes, parents wanting a divorce, a father's passing, an alcoholic father, an absent father, a suicidal best friend, and depression to name a few. Soon after I graduated, I went through a very dark time of depression. One day I almost decided to end my life. I told my parents, and the first person they called was Dan. He and another pastor counseled me for months and called me every night to pray for and over me. I thank God over and over that this man of God's heart had been an open book to all of us.”
The story about Dan shows what the Bible teaches: Living by the Spirit is a matter of submitting to His filling and responding to guidance and direction.
How does the Holy Spirit guide and direct?
More to come!
“I remember to this day a very special high school teacher named Dan. Dan had and still has a passion for Christ and youth. He taught three of my senior year classes. One of the classes being Bible, I remember very distinctly that one day during Bible he got up in front of our class and with tears streaming down his face he said, ‘I want all of you to know that I don't know specifically why, but the Holy Spirit told me at the beginning of the year to get up at 4 a.m. every morning and pray for each one of you by name.’ He prayed for all twenty-two of us each day...by name. I was touched and moved that he cared so much and was sensitive and obedient to the Spirit. This would be the first among many examples of the Holy Spirit revealing himself. Many times he would be told to pull a student aside because he knew they needed spiritual help. God used him in many mighty ways!
“What he didn't know is that beyond the obvious struggles, there were many broken and aching hearts in my class. Abusive homes, parents wanting a divorce, a father's passing, an alcoholic father, an absent father, a suicidal best friend, and depression to name a few. Soon after I graduated, I went through a very dark time of depression. One day I almost decided to end my life. I told my parents, and the first person they called was Dan. He and another pastor counseled me for months and called me every night to pray for and over me. I thank God over and over that this man of God's heart had been an open book to all of us.”
The story about Dan shows what the Bible teaches: Living by the Spirit is a matter of submitting to His filling and responding to guidance and direction.
How does the Holy Spirit guide and direct?
More to come!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Positive Identification
Do you know someone who lives by the power of the Holy Spirit? Testimonies and stories about those in whom the Spirit is evident are being gathered. Please reply or post a story on the blog with only the first name of the person you know who lives by the Spirit. Your contribution will be much appreciated!
To help identify, or prompt recall of a person who lives by the Spirit, read carefully the following passage from 1 Corinthians. The letter was written to a church that broadly wasn’t living by the Spirit, though they thought they very much were. The passage begins with a contrast and comparison of a believer and unbeliever when it comes to the things of the Spirit.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16 ESV)
This passage is pretty intense. The natural person—literally, “a man of animal soul”—is unable to grasp the things of the Spirit. Specifically, the person without Christ has no ability to understand the wisdom of how God brought about salvation through Jesus Christ. The identifying characteristic of the spiritual person, however, is that he or she knows and understands the mind of Christ-the “why’s,” the “what’s,” the “how’s,” the “who’s” and more.
But even if a person believes in Jesus Christ, he or she may not be living by the Spirit. The next portion of the passage from 1 Corinthians makes a stunning observation. But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3 ESV)
In these two passages three kinds of people are described: the “natural person”—an unbeliever; “people of the flesh”—believers who don’t live by the Spirit, but rather only in the ways of common humanity; and the “spiritual person”—the believer who knows and understands the mind of Christ.
Who do you know that demonstrates the “mind of Christ” in how they live? Please submit their first name only and the way you have seen that person live by the Spirit.
More to come!
To help identify, or prompt recall of a person who lives by the Spirit, read carefully the following passage from 1 Corinthians. The letter was written to a church that broadly wasn’t living by the Spirit, though they thought they very much were. The passage begins with a contrast and comparison of a believer and unbeliever when it comes to the things of the Spirit.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16 ESV)
This passage is pretty intense. The natural person—literally, “a man of animal soul”—is unable to grasp the things of the Spirit. Specifically, the person without Christ has no ability to understand the wisdom of how God brought about salvation through Jesus Christ. The identifying characteristic of the spiritual person, however, is that he or she knows and understands the mind of Christ-the “why’s,” the “what’s,” the “how’s,” the “who’s” and more.
But even if a person believes in Jesus Christ, he or she may not be living by the Spirit. The next portion of the passage from 1 Corinthians makes a stunning observation. But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3 ESV)
In these two passages three kinds of people are described: the “natural person”—an unbeliever; “people of the flesh”—believers who don’t live by the Spirit, but rather only in the ways of common humanity; and the “spiritual person”—the believer who knows and understands the mind of Christ.
Who do you know that demonstrates the “mind of Christ” in how they live? Please submit their first name only and the way you have seen that person live by the Spirit.
More to come!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
And The Nominations AreŠ
Readers of Living by the Holy Spirit emails and blog entries are invited to be involved in an interactive endeavor. The way to participate is simple. Please send via email or through posts to the blog an answer to the question: Who do you know (first names only please!), and what incident in their life revealed the person was living by the power of the Spirit?
All nominations will be held in strict confidence except for their stories. The purpose behind this effort is to see in real life that the Lord’s Spirit does live in and works through real people in very real ways. It will be exciting to see the different ways the Spirit fills and moves in His people.
More to come!
All nominations will be held in strict confidence except for their stories. The purpose behind this effort is to see in real life that the Lord’s Spirit does live in and works through real people in very real ways. It will be exciting to see the different ways the Spirit fills and moves in His people.
More to come!
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