“Carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God's love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:20-21 MSG)
Have you ever had to use your computer, tablet, or smartphone offline or in airplane mode? Tablets and smartphones were made to be used online; without internet connection, these devices have limited functionality. You can only access music, videos, and games that you have already downloaded onto the device. You can type documents, but you can’t transmit any information.
The Holy Spirit is the medium through which we are meant to connect with God. When we pray with the Spirit, we are integrated with the divine. The Spirit keeps us in God’s presence, influencing our thoughts, motivating us to seek God, and transmitting our wordless intercessions through the proper channels. Without the Spirit, all we can do is occupy ourselves with the information we already have. This might make us feel like we are doing something, but it is an ineffectual way to communicate.
When we pray with the Holy Spirit, it is as if we are singing along with a wonderful singer. Our inadequate notes are harmoniously blended with the most powerful and perfect voice. In the atmosphere of the Spirit, we become more receptive. We are granted supernatural insight and discernment. We recognize our dependence on God and lean on Him completely.
streams
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Voluntary Detachment
“The Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says to the people, ‘Come back and quietly trust in me. Then you will be strong and secure.’" (Isaiah 30:15 GNT)
Every day, we are faced with hundreds of opportunities to choose detachment over indulgence. If given the choice, most of us would choose comfort over discomfort. Like dogs with leashes attached to choke collars, we are controlled and limited by our impulses and desires. We choose pleasure over pain, warmth over cold, distraction over stillness, and fullness over emptiness. In many instances, pursuing immediate gratification of our desires can be harmful--physically, mentally, and spiritually. However, we allow our cravings to lead us into temptation. This is the way of the world.
There is a different way. Instead of being controlled by our desires, temptations, and evil influences, we can return to God and settle down in complete dependence on Him. This is not easy; we have grown accustomed to indulging in sensual pleasures. We have been raised to believe that it is our human right to seek immediate gratification of all our desires. Thus, voluntarily detaching from what we have always held dear may seem counterintuitive. If you would like to change your ways, it’s best to start small. Take tiny breaks from that which binds you or takes your focus away from God. Take it one choice at a time. Voluntarily detach from comfort, turn your back on worldliness, be still, and trust God.
Every day, we are faced with hundreds of opportunities to choose detachment over indulgence. If given the choice, most of us would choose comfort over discomfort. Like dogs with leashes attached to choke collars, we are controlled and limited by our impulses and desires. We choose pleasure over pain, warmth over cold, distraction over stillness, and fullness over emptiness. In many instances, pursuing immediate gratification of our desires can be harmful--physically, mentally, and spiritually. However, we allow our cravings to lead us into temptation. This is the way of the world.
There is a different way. Instead of being controlled by our desires, temptations, and evil influences, we can return to God and settle down in complete dependence on Him. This is not easy; we have grown accustomed to indulging in sensual pleasures. We have been raised to believe that it is our human right to seek immediate gratification of all our desires. Thus, voluntarily detaching from what we have always held dear may seem counterintuitive. If you would like to change your ways, it’s best to start small. Take tiny breaks from that which binds you or takes your focus away from God. Take it one choice at a time. Voluntarily detach from comfort, turn your back on worldliness, be still, and trust God.
Monday, February 26, 2018
Lenten Fasting
“The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him.” ( Mark 1:12-13 NLT)
Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to enter the isolation of the desert and fast for forty days. He faced the wilderness outside and the dryness inside of Him. He depended on the angels to take care of His needs.
“Lent invites us to stop eating whatever protects us from having to face the desert that is inside of us. It invites us to feel our smallness, to feel our vulnerability, to feel our fears, and to open ourselves up to the chaos of the desert so that we can finally give the angels a chance to feed us.” (Ron Rolheiser)
Facing our internal wilderness is unpleasant and complicated. We would rather not open up that can of repressed emotions. There are a myriad of ways to numb or distract ourselves: food, alcohol, drugs, technology, socializing, diversions, etc. We use these pacifiers to soothe and draw our attention away from the emptiness and pain we feel in our souls. Lent invites us to face the chaos, to abstain from distractions long enough to shine the spotlight inwards. It gives us a chance to admit we are powerless, vulnerable, and afraid. Once we are aware of our need for healing, we can rely on God to minister to us through His angels.
Friday, February 23, 2018
Clearing a Path
“A voice of one is calling out, ‘Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness [remove the obstacles]; make straight and smooth in the desert a highway for our God.’”(Isaiah 40:3 AMP)
When you live in Iowa, clearing your driveways after a snow is part of the winter ritual. An accumulation of snow becomes an obstacle for those going in and out of your home. It’s best to remove the snow before it builds up or gets compacted. Thus, we put in the effort to clear the pathways in front of our homes as soon as we can.
Similarly, clearing a path for the Lord is part of my Lenten ritual. There is an accumulation of obstacles in the way. This is the time to shovel my compulsions, long-held attitudes, pet sins, mistrust, anxieties, and personal desires to the edges.
Holy Spirit, may Your light shine upon me, melting anything that is still in the way. Come, Jesus, come.
When you live in Iowa, clearing your driveways after a snow is part of the winter ritual. An accumulation of snow becomes an obstacle for those going in and out of your home. It’s best to remove the snow before it builds up or gets compacted. Thus, we put in the effort to clear the pathways in front of our homes as soon as we can.
Similarly, clearing a path for the Lord is part of my Lenten ritual. There is an accumulation of obstacles in the way. This is the time to shovel my compulsions, long-held attitudes, pet sins, mistrust, anxieties, and personal desires to the edges.
Holy Spirit, may Your light shine upon me, melting anything that is still in the way. Come, Jesus, come.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Lenten Realignment
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7 KJV)
How do you know when a car needs to be realigned? The first thing most drivers notice is that the car starts drifting to one side, even when it’s supposed to be going straight. If you look closely, there will be uneven wear on the outside of the tires. Many of us assume that the tires are the issue, but the source of the problem is much deeper. It’s not the wheels, but the suspension that needs realignment.
Is your life off-kilter and noticeably drifting in the wrong direction? Do you recognize something needs to change? It’s tempting to look at the external symptoms and assume that the problem can be solved by making superficial changes. This is a misconception.
I find that when my life feels off-track, my mind has strayed from God’s purposes. This drifting happens unwittingly, even for the most well-intentioned Christians. The season of Lent is a good time for a scheduled tune-up. It gives us a chance to retreat from worldly diversions, realign our spirit with God’s Spirit, readjust our perspectives, reevaluate our priorities, and repent for our waywardness. We cannot do this on our own. We must allow the Holy Spirit to lift us up and do the necessary recalibration.
Lord, please take my disoriented soul and realign it in accordance with Your purposes. Let me not depend on my willpower, but on the power of Your Divine Will.
__
How do you know when a car needs to be realigned? The first thing most drivers notice is that the car starts drifting to one side, even when it’s supposed to be going straight. If you look closely, there will be uneven wear on the outside of the tires. Many of us assume that the tires are the issue, but the source of the problem is much deeper. It’s not the wheels, but the suspension that needs realignment.
Is your life off-kilter and noticeably drifting in the wrong direction? Do you recognize something needs to change? It’s tempting to look at the external symptoms and assume that the problem can be solved by making superficial changes. This is a misconception.
I find that when my life feels off-track, my mind has strayed from God’s purposes. This drifting happens unwittingly, even for the most well-intentioned Christians. The season of Lent is a good time for a scheduled tune-up. It gives us a chance to retreat from worldly diversions, realign our spirit with God’s Spirit, readjust our perspectives, reevaluate our priorities, and repent for our waywardness. We cannot do this on our own. We must allow the Holy Spirit to lift us up and do the necessary recalibration.
Lord, please take my disoriented soul and realign it in accordance with Your purposes. Let me not depend on my willpower, but on the power of Your Divine Will.
__
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Raising My Ebenezer
“Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means ‘the stone of help’), for he said, ‘Up to this point the LORD has helped us!’" (1 Samuel 7:12 NIV)
Technology has made private worship and study much easier. My favorite form of praising God is by singing along to lyric videos on YouTube . Although I like listening to old hymns, I rarely know the proper words to them. Recently,I was listening to the classic “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” (written by Robert Robinson in 1758). When I came to the following verses, I was confused about the meaning:
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here by Thy great help I've come
I remembered that the word Ebenezer had some sort of significance in the Old Testament, but I didn’t have a chance to look it up at that time. However, for the next two days, I kept feeling the nudge to understand these lyrics. I checked an online Bible concordance and found the scripture reference in 1 Samuel 7:12. The Israelites had just won a battle against the Philistines. Samuel set up a stone in the battlefield and named it Ebenezer (Hebrew for ‘stone of help’) to commemorate God’s preservation of the Israelites.
Our own choices and actions may bring about some positive results or negative consequences, but the majority of all that we have and all that we have become is from God. Many of us imagine that this world turns by human skill, good luck, and hard work. Perhaps, like me, you need daily reminders that God sustains and preserves everything. Maybe we all need to raise our own Ebenezers--visual, tangible memorials that bring to mind the following truth:
WE HAVE COME THUS FAR BY GOD’S GRACE.
Technology has made private worship and study much easier. My favorite form of praising God is by singing along to lyric videos on YouTube . Although I like listening to old hymns, I rarely know the proper words to them. Recently,I was listening to the classic “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” (written by Robert Robinson in 1758). When I came to the following verses, I was confused about the meaning:
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here by Thy great help I've come
I remembered that the word Ebenezer had some sort of significance in the Old Testament, but I didn’t have a chance to look it up at that time. However, for the next two days, I kept feeling the nudge to understand these lyrics. I checked an online Bible concordance and found the scripture reference in 1 Samuel 7:12. The Israelites had just won a battle against the Philistines. Samuel set up a stone in the battlefield and named it Ebenezer (Hebrew for ‘stone of help’) to commemorate God’s preservation of the Israelites.
Our own choices and actions may bring about some positive results or negative consequences, but the majority of all that we have and all that we have become is from God. Many of us imagine that this world turns by human skill, good luck, and hard work. Perhaps, like me, you need daily reminders that God sustains and preserves everything. Maybe we all need to raise our own Ebenezers--visual, tangible memorials that bring to mind the following truth:
WE HAVE COME THUS FAR BY GOD’S GRACE.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Prayer of Jesus
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.” (John 17:22-23 NIV)
What does Jesus want for us as followers?
He wants us to have experiential knowledge of God and to glorify Him. He asks the Father to protect and sanctify us. He prays for shared purpose and unity in divine consciousness.
How much of what Jesus wants has manifested in my life?
I know of God. I hear, read, sing, and speak about Him frequently. However, my experience of the Holy is limited. I cannot claim to have a unified purpose with the rest of humanity. I’ve got a long ways to go.
How can I do my part in doing what Jesus wants?
I can pay attention. I can live in a way that Christ is revealed through me. I can allow the Holy Spirit to use me as an intercessor. I can detach from worldliness and immerse my mind in truth and goodness.
Lord, help me to experience all of You. May everything I say and do magnify You. Unify me with your divine consciousness, so that nothing separates us.
What does Jesus want for us as followers?
He wants us to have experiential knowledge of God and to glorify Him. He asks the Father to protect and sanctify us. He prays for shared purpose and unity in divine consciousness.
How much of what Jesus wants has manifested in my life?
I know of God. I hear, read, sing, and speak about Him frequently. However, my experience of the Holy is limited. I cannot claim to have a unified purpose with the rest of humanity. I’ve got a long ways to go.
How can I do my part in doing what Jesus wants?
I can pay attention. I can live in a way that Christ is revealed through me. I can allow the Holy Spirit to use me as an intercessor. I can detach from worldliness and immerse my mind in truth and goodness.
Lord, help me to experience all of You. May everything I say and do magnify You. Unify me with your divine consciousness, so that nothing separates us.
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