Category Archives: Holy Spirit

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March 16, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Faith & Hope, Holy Spirit, Knowing Him, Temptation & Sin

THE DEVIL NEVER TAKES A HOLIDAY

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” [Luke 4:9-12 (NLT)]     

Satan seeks out those most susceptible and appeals to them. Alone and weak from hunger after forty days in the wilderness, Jesus was vulnerable to temptation and Satan exploited his needs (just as he does ours). Rarely does temptation wear a label identifying it as such. It may be wrapped in a pretty package and even, as Satan did, use scripture to support it. Jesus recognized Satan and his offers for what they were and refuted each temptation by returning to the word of God.

Our character is continually being tested by the temptations in our lives. Satan doesn’t even take off on Sunday; he’s busy “twenty-four/seven/three sixty-five.” How then can we resist? Like Jesus, we must rely on God’s word for guidance. Knowing scripture, however, isn’t enough. After all, even Satan knows scripture. We have to live our faith and follow God’s word. We must pray for guidance. We must stand strong in our commitment. Finally, we must be alert and learn to recognize temptation when it stands before us.

Lord Jesus, may your Holy Spirit keep us alert and strong as we face the continual temptations and challenges of daily life. Stay with us; guard, guide, and reside within us.

“Abide With Me” [Henry F. Lyte (1847)]
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. [Luke 4:13 (NLT)]

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February 13, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Holy Spirit, Joy

INDEPENDENCE OR IN DEPENDENCE?

At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, ”My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. [2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (MSG)]

“I can do it all by myself!” the toddler exclaims as he tries unsuccessfully to tie his shoes. We continue with similar exclamations throughout our lives: “I can do it on my own! I don’t need any help! I’m just fine!” Real trials however, challenge that belief. They prove we can’t do it on our own, we do need help, and we’re anything but fine.

We rarely think of our troubles as cause for rejoicing, yet Paul did. He wasn’t a masochist; he was a realist. Our troubles, like his, teach us what is really important and what it is that we truly need in our lives. It certainly isn’t possessions, wealth, or status; more important, it’s not self. Hardships make us come face to face with our limitations and vulnerability. It’s when we’re at wit’s end, at the “end of our rope” and can tolerate it no longer, that we finally acknowledge our weakness: no matter how strong we are, we are simply not strong enough. We come to understand that there needs to be less of us (our inflated egos and feelings of self-sufficiency) and a whole lot more of God! Paul’s words teach us that we must live life not independent of God, but rather in dependence upon Him! It is only when we finally acknowledge our weakness and let God take over that we will find the strength we need.

Father, give us joyful hearts when we must endure adversity and difficulties. Reassure us that victory will only come when we admit that, on our own, we are defeated. May we live our lives in joyful dependence on you knowing that, when your Holy Spirit fills us, we will, indeed, be strong.

Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut down to size – abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks! I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. [2 Corinthians 12:10 (MSG)]

Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength! [Nehemiah 8:10b (NLT)]

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February 12, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Holy Spirit, Obedience, Temptation & Sin

WHO’S YOUR ROLE MODEL?

When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. [Deuteronomy 18:9 (NLT)]

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. [Romans 12:2 (NLT)]

2-12-15webJackie Robinson was an American hero. A man of enormous talent, good character, and tremendous courage, he broke the color barrier by being the first black player in major league baseball. This sports legend has been a role model for children of all colors. How sad that his name was recently dishonored by the actions of a few men who knowingly broke the rules of Little League baseball.

Last year, Chicago was thrilled to finally have a winning baseball team, even if it was a group of inner city youngsters from the Jackie Robinson West Little League. It was the heartwarming story of the summer as we learned about these disadvantaged kids who moved victoriously through the Little League International World Series tournament. They made it all the way to the finals before losing to South Korea. The city rallied around the team: money was raised for their travel expenses, watching parties were organized, parades were held and the team members even visited the White House. These children accomplished a great deal and no one says they didn’t play fair. The adults involved, however, cheated by placing players on the team who were unqualified because they lived outside the league’s boundaries. The team has now been stripped of its U.S. title and of all the victories that led to that championship.

This wasn’t the first Little League scandal; in fact, it’s the third time a team has had its World Series wins vacated because of similar rule infractions. Cheating and sports are becoming synonymous: doping scandals, DeflateGate, point shaving, gambling, and even using nondisabled players at the Paralympic games! It’s not just in sports either; respected newscasters are revealed as liars and we find scandals in the once respected institutions of the Secret Service, universities, government and even the church. As my Grandmother used to say, “It looks like we’re all going to Hell in a hand basket!”

The Israelites were called to live holy lives and warned not to imitate the customs of the pagan Canaanites. We are still called to live holy lives and warned not to imitate the sinful ways of the world. That’s difficult, however, when immoral, criminal and evil behavior seem to be an everyday occurrence. More important, we all know that children learn by imitating their elders. What kinds of examples are they getting in this fallen world of ours?

Father, show us how to live in such a way that we remain untouched by the evil of our world. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we follow the example of your son, Jesus Christ, and can become role models of Christian life.

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. [Ephesians 5:1-2a (NLT)]

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January 26, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Church & Worship, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, Holy Spirit, Knowing Him, Salvation: A New You

THE EVOLUTION OF FAITH

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. [John 1:12-13 (NLT)]

When we’re born again, we come into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ. This spiritual birth is a new beginning, but for some of us, it seems like we’ve had several new beginnings in our lifetimes! In my infant Baptism, my sponsors dedicated me to God and promised that I would be raised in the Christian faith. At my Confirmation in eighth grade, I made a public affirmation of those same promises and accepted Jesus. My teen years were rather troubled and I briefly lost my way. Once in college, I found my way back and once more accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Accepting Christ, however, is not quite the same as walking with Him. When my children were quite young, I again lost sight of the Lord. Serious doubts even briefly kept me from taking communion. God led me back and, once again, I ate at His table. Several years later, perhaps because I got too busy, comfortable and overconfident, I grew lax in my prayer life until a series of crises brought me back to Him.

There were times in my life when I floundered spiritually and others when I walked confidently with the Lord as my shepherd. Whenever I lost my way, once I turned back to Jesus, the Father welcomed me back into His family with open arms. Each time, I’ve been reborn in my faith and each time my faith has become stronger. I can only hope and pray that this time my faith is great enough to keep me firm and strong in my belief until my dying day.

We are so incredibly blessed to have a loving and patient Father in Heaven. Like the father of the prodigal son, He forgives us when we wander off and He patiently waits for us to find our way home to him again.

We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found! [Luke 15:32 (NLT)]

Being born again is a new life, not of perfection but of striving, stretching, and searching — a life of intimacy with God through the Holy Spirit. There first must be an emptying, and then a refilling … It is a highly personal and subjective experience, possible only if we are searching for greater truths about ourselves and God. This experience is challenging, even painful at times, but ultimately deeply rewarding. It provides answers to the most disturbing questions about our existence, the purpose of life, and how to deal with sorrow, failure, loneliness, guilt, and fear. In it, we come to know that our gifts from God are not earned by our own acts but are given to us through his grace … For me, it has been an evolutionary thing. Rather than a flash of light or a sudden vision of God speaking, it involved a series of steps that have brought me steadily closer to Christ. [From “Living Faith” by Jimmy Carter]

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November 25, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Plan, Holy Spirit, Salvation: A New You

HE WANTS CHANGE

If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new! [2 Corinthians 5:17 (NCV)]

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a musical comedy about love and romance. As the title suggests, it’s about how love (or lust) blinds us to someone’s faults. Once a relationship is established, however, people’s eyes open and they see their loved one’s defects and weaknesses. An attempt is then made to re-make him or her into someone who is neater, more stylish, richer, smarter, more successful or better looking and, therefore, easier to love! Those of us married for any length of time know that doesn’t work. We can’t remake our spouse; what we saw is what we got!

If we were going to write a musical about God’s relationship with us, however, it could be called I Love You, You’re Imperfect, Now Change. God loves us, imperfect creatures that we are; His eyes are wide open to our every fault yet He loves us anyway! Because He loves us so much, however, He wants us to become better people and reach our full potential. When we allow the Holy Spirit to run our lives, that change is possible. We’ll no longer be who were; we’ll become who God wants us to be. God won’t love the improved model any more than he already does, but the upgraded version will be able to love more and will be more like Christ.

But you were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God—made to be truly good and holy. [Ephesians 4:23-24 (NCV)]

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November 22, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Grace & Love, God's Plan, Holy Spirit, Obedience, Temptation & Sin

A FULL EXAMINATION

Examine me, God, from head to foot, order your battery of tests. Make sure I’m fit inside and out. [Psalm 26:2 (MSG)]

This last month, I’ve visited the internist, ophthalmologist, OB/GYN, dentist, and dermatologist. I’ve been tested, poked, prodded and thoroughly studied, inside and out. The most humbling experience, however, was the total body examination at the dermatologist’s office. Needless to say, I was uncomfortable having two people I don’t know peering at every inch of skin on my old body with a magnifying glass! They scrutinized every wrinkle, freckle, spot and scar, even in places where “the sun doesn’t shine.” Their inspection, however, found some things that shouldn’t be there: suspicious moles and actinic keratoses (pre-cancerous cells). These things that didn’t belong, these things that threatened my future health, were removed. I can’t say it was a pleasant experience but it was necessary. It was for my own good!

Like physicians, God also examines us closely. Unlike doctors, however, He doesn’t do it only once or twice a year; He does it continually. He knows our every thought and He scrutinizes both our strengths and weaknesses. He searches for the faults that, like pre-cancerous cells, can grow inside us and threaten our spiritual health. Like the dermatologist, He looks for the things that don’t belong in us and that need to be removed. God, however, looks way below the skin at things like prejudice, resentment, fear, anger, willfulness and pride. Unfortunately, it will take more than an hour in God’s office to remove our flaws, and often it will seem more painful. Nevertheless, it is for our own good!

Father, examine me and perform any necessary surgery on my soul. Let your Holy Spirit fill me with your guidance, strength and healing.

It’s harder to lose five negative thoughts than to lose five pounds. [From “Be the Miracle” by Regina Brett]

The people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and guide so that they’ll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God! [Revelation 3:19 (MSG)]

I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle. [Jeremiah 10:23-24a (NLT)]