Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

Reunion

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Blogs, Faith, Hope, Relationships

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Tuesday, something amazing happened – something wonderful and quite unexpected. Doors of communication, that had been locked shut for nearly two and a half years, opened up again between me and my sister. (For background, see this post). Over the past few days, we’ve talked a couple of times on the phone; and I can’t even begin to express how excited I am that we are back in contact with each other. As far as I’m concerned, this is a miracle!

Over the years, I have hoped and prayed with faith that one day we would be reconciled. I have hoped and prayed for our relationship to be restored. I didn’t know when it would happen; and there certainly weren’t any signs of encouragement to grab onto. Even so, I waited expectantly, knowing that this day would eventually come. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb 11:1).

I’m not saying that the waiting was easy, because it certainly wasn’t. In fact, there were times when it was not only frustrating, but very discouraging. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” It is heartbreakingly difficult to keep believing for something when all the signs seems contradictory. Even so, that spark of hope that was in me could not – would not – be extinguished. Whenever I felt weary, as if the hope in me had begun to grow dim, I would simply pray about it. The Holy Spirit would breathe on me and my hope would ignite, burning brighter than before.

I am overjoyed that we are finally talking again! It’s an amazing feeling. This got me thinking about God and His feelings. If I’m this happy and this excited about being reunited with my sister, then I can only begin to imagine the elation that God must feel when one of His wayward children returns and is reconciled to Him. I recently happened upon the following scripture. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Rom 12:12). This is an exhortation to believers; but what stood out to me about this verse, is that these are all character traits of Christ. As believers, we have received the Spirit of Christ; and as we continually allow His Spirit to lead us, we become more like Him (see Rom 8:10-11). Another thing that struck me as I read this, was that it seems to be a sort of “recipe” for cultivating patient long-suffering.

  • 1. “Be joyful in hope.” – Be happy, cheerful, positive about the things that you have hope for.
  • 2. “Be patient in affliction.” – When it seems like you may lose hope, when it hurts, when you’re in pain. . . Submit. This is hard, but don’t fight it. Just relax and wait.
  • 3. “Be faithful in prayer.” – Keep communicating with God throughout the whole thing. He will sustain you. He knows exactly what you need. Ask for His help, and trust Him to come through for you. God knows how to fan the flames of hope in you and ignite your heart better than anyone else.

So, no matter what you may be going through, I’d like to encourage you to “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.”

 

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Cultivating a Thankful Heart

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Blogs, Identity, Joy

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This morning, I awoke overwhelmed with so much joy in my heart that I wondered, “Could I ever be happier than I am right now?” I spent the next couple of hours writing in my journal and thanking God for several different people who have impacted my life and encouraged me along the way in my journey with Christ.

To the natural eye, my life is far from perfect. My employment situation is unstable at best. I’m slightly overweight, and at this time, I’m not in optimal physical condition. On top of this, I am a single woman in my thirties, without a boyfriend, who has never been married. Gasp! How ever do I go on from day to day? (I am laughing my head off as I write this!)

You must be wondering why I am so happy. You know what? It’s an ancient secret and I’m not going to tell you anything about it! Just kidding. There’s no secret; and there’s really no mystery to it either. In fact, it’s quite simple. Here it is: I am happy and full of joy because I have learned to cultivate a heart of thanks. Here’s how: Every day, I spend some time thinking about blessings that I have received and thanking God for them. Honestly, it’s really hard not to be happy when you’re full of the gratitude that comes from an awareness of your many blessings.

All too often, especially in the entitlement culture of this age, people are so focused on what they want and what they don’t have that they fail to recognize all of the unique and special things that they DO have. They are so focused on lack and trivial desires that they eventually become miserable embittered people consumed by envy and greed. This is unacceptable for the people of God! We are called to stand out from the current culture, and to impact it for the better.

Depression is not of God.

Insecurity is not of God.

Fear is not of God.

Envy, striving, greed and the like, are not of God.

All of these things, among many others not listed, only serve to hinder the development of your relationship with God and to deter you from reaching your full potential as a powerful, blood-bought child of the King. Don’t fall into this trap!

Know who you are as God’s beloved child! Know the Spirit who resides within you, and yield to His guidance. Take the time to know the Father intimately, and learn how He sees you. Ask Him to tell you who you are, and who He created you to be. God’s words are the only ones that can define you. Open your eyes! Look around at everything and everyone that you have in your life that has blessed you in some way. Recognize God’s loving intervention and provision in your daily life.

And GIVE THANKS!

  • Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
  • Colossians 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
  • Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

 

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The Power of Perspective

27 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by in Blogs, Faith

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“Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23

Something that I’ve been thinking about for the past few weeks is perspective and the importance of having a positive outlook. One of the things that got my wheels turning on this subject has been the weather we’ve had this winter. About a week into January, we were experiencing sunny, warm temperatures in the mid to high 40’s; and we still didn’t have snow here in Otter Tail County. It has been an unseasonably warm winter. And I, personally, have really been enjoying it.

One of the things that struck me was how much complaining I was hearing about the lack of snow. Now, I enjoy snow as much as anyone else – maybe even a little bit more than some, since I didn’t get to experience it growing up in South Florida. Even so, I didn’t agree with the complaints that I was hearing, namely, that the world outdoors looked “brown and ugly” and that we needed snow in order for it to look beautiful.

Chock this up to perspective, but seriously, how anybody could think that this place is ugly – EVER . . . Well, I don’t understand it, and in my opinion, they need to open their eyes. Minnesota is gorgeous! Snow or no snow, I see beauty everywhere I look. I also find it quite interesting that I didn’t hear any complaints about the good roads, sunshine, and warm weather we were experiencing. It seemed as if these traits were simply taken for granted.

I must admit, I have very little patience when it comes to complaining. I don’t want to hear it. Frankly, I don’t see the point of it. It is a completely unproductive waste of words that only breathes negativity out into the atmosphere. Often times, I feel that people choose to complain simply because they enjoy the sound of their own voice. I think with many, it is merely a habit – a destructive habit – though they mean no harm. As believers, we must remember that there is power in our words – specifically, the power of life and death! (See Proverbs 18:21) We need to think before we speak, and choose our words wisely.

Jesus said, “The things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.” (Matthew 15:18) Having the right perspective is key to keeping our tongue in check, because it is what’s in our heart that comes out of our mouth and pollutes us. What we think about, our overall outlook, permeates and affects every area of our life either positively or negatively. This is why Romans 12:2 exhorts us to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Where the mind goes, the body will follow. Although this verse in Romans is speaking of the mind, and not specifically the heart, the two are often interconnected in matters of perspective. Also, in scripture, the heart and mind are often mentioned together, because they are so closely related. What is in our heart affects our mind and thought-life; and what we allow to enter our mind, affects our heart.

“Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23

So, how do we do this? How do we guard our heart? One of the keys to guarding the heart is guarding the mind. We need to be purposeful in our thoughts. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy –  think about such things.” Another key is humble surrender to God. Like David, an ongoing prayer of ours should be, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51.10) We need to live out of a place of dependence on Holy Spirit. As we allow Him to move us, guide us, and change us, we begin to look more and more like our savior, Jesus.

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