The Ultimate Decision
July 7, 2014
As I get up to read and pray each morning it amazes me that I have no clue what I am going to write to you each day. That is until the Holy Spirit through the word of God gives me the lesson for the day. I take no credit as it is only God inside of me that in conjunction with the word of God gives me insight, power and revelation.
Have you ever noticed that before you were saved that the Bible was hard to understand. Then when you get saved God sends His Holy Spirit to Indwell inside of you. Then you devour the Bible. The Bible comes alive. That is because the author now lives inside of you and helps you interpret the words of Him.
Do you believe that God has your best interest at hand? Most Christians don’t. That is not to put anyone down but we need to start somewhere. So why the worrisome attitude? Lets go through a couple verses and that will hopefully help you understand how you can “Live In the Spirit”. Living In the Spiriod where there is peace and joy should not be some mystical, elusive gyration. God did all the work. It is when you and I try to make this hard that we falter.
Romans 8:26-30 "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified”
The Holy Spirit does not help us in our strengths as much as He helps us in our weakness. As I told you I don’t know what I am going to write each morning till God tells me. So how does He tell me? How does He tell you? Through His word and also by the promptings of what we hear by His Spirit. You get promptings all day long by the Holy Spirit. Many choose to cast away the thought and move on. If you really want to lead a Spirit filled life start doing what God says. It may be giving to that poor man, helping a widow, making amends with an enemy, asking for forgiveness from________ and many other things that the Spirit brings to your mind.
OK, now that we know God speaks to us daily we need to act. When we start to act on what God tells us to do then we will start to be in harmony with His plan. Why? Because “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” If you are saved then you are called a “Saint," yes a saint. Remember this is not what you have done as it is only what Christ has done to justify you before a Holy God. That is justification. Sanctification is then the process where we grow daily to be more like Jesus.
I heard this analogy. Lets say you want to make tea. You have hot water and then a tea bag. Lets say the hot water is us and the tea bag is the Holy Spirit. If you do not put the tea bag in then northing will happen. If you put it in for 2 minutes if will be pretty light. But the longer you steep the tea bag the darker the water becomes, the more of the characteristics of the Holy Spirt you will have. Most of us do not take on the characteristics of the Holy Spirit first of all because some have preached against the gifts. STOP. All the gifts available at Pentecost are still available to us today. How do you think he feels about people who tell others that these gifts are no longer working? Then we need to immerse ourselves in the word and pray. The more we do the darker and more filled we will be in the Spirit. Each new morning the water is clean and the tea bag is there. Each morning we need to start all over again. Having a one time experience with the Holy Spirit can be awesome but then most of us take that as we are finished and good to go. That this experience will carry us through life. No, it is just the opposite. Each day we are to SEEK God and immerse ourselves daily in His word and pray in the Spirt.
How do we pray IN the Spirit? First of all we ned to use the gifts of the Spirit that God has given us. They are just like the Talents. If we do not care to use them, then God will take it away and give them to someone who cares and believes. When we do not live BY the Holy Spirit then what we are saying to God is “I” will do this in my own strength. There is no “I” in the Christian faith. There is ONLY Him and we serve a mighty, Holy God who desire to have fellowship with us through His Spirit and His word.
We should have joy in the sanctification process. We should have joy “Being Still”. Psalm 46:10 says that in order to know God we must be still. We are texting, sending e mails, doing reports, having meetings, making calls, planning the future, planning on how to grow our profits and meanwhile the Spirit waits. At the end of the day for the most past the Spirt is waiting and we have left another day go to the flesh when we could have been changed.
We need to get back to Meditation of the word and prayer. I am not a fan of the Bible in a year program. Why? Because what if one verse grabs a hold of you and it just penetrates your soul so much that you need to keep pondering it. Well, if you need to read so many verses in a day to get through the Bible then you have missed what God is trying to teach you. I think it is great to read the entire Bible but maybe it takes you 5 years or 5 months. Let God lead you and when He speaks, listen and then write down what He said to you and what you need to do. THEN ACT!
Mediation is not some far eastern mystical experience but it could be if we do not meditate the right way. We need to FOCUS on the word of God. We need to pray, ask God how to pray and allow God through His Holy Spirit to teach us. We need to be still. That means no phones, no interruptions and putting God first. He is your most important call for the day. Once you can grasp this then you will have a solid foundation on which to build your faith in Him. If you are worried and have anxiety today it is because
1. You have not sought the Lord and are not mediating upon His words.
2. Then you think of yourself more than the One who created you.
3. God knows what you need. He will not withhold good from you.
Matthew 6:27 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?“
No one can. So let is throw off the worries and desire of the flesh (IT IS YOUR CHOICE). Seek God , listen and Be Still and your tea will be dark, refreshing and strong. People will see Jesus in you. If they see Jesus in you then that is a by product of you having joy , peace and happiness in the Lord; not in self.
Have a great day seeking, praying and glorifying the Lord in all you say and do. Stop just thinking about the Christian faith and DO in the Spirit!!!!!!!!!
Brad
