When we sit at the feet of Jesus are we spiritually and intellectually malleable and teachable? Do we humble ourselves and listen intently to His every word, or do we think we know it all, as we keep interrupting Him with our own two cents? Jesus was gentle and humble when He taught, and we are meant to be this way too as His pupils. So, how do we approach our spiritual instruction? Let’s think about how we approach Him and our lessons and then ask ourselves “Am I teachable?”
How are we walking through this life? Are we doing so while loving our families, perhaps some folks at church, and a few friends, but simply tolerating everyone else, or maybe even disliking some people we encounter? We divide ourselves into groups... we belong to this church and not that one, we are from this town and not that one, we believe this and not that, we are of this race and not that one, and the list goes on, and on. We love some, tolerate others, and dislike or even hate the rest. Does this describe us? Let’s step back and take a good look in the mirror and be honest about what we see because our salvation depends on it.
What does it mean when scripture tells us to rest, be quiet, and trust the Lord? How does it sit with us when it says that this is our strength, and our salvation? To us this sounds so foreign because we feel like there must be something that God would have us do. We want to be actively involved like the young David who used his sling to slay Goliath. Yet in many scriptures we are told that by just sitting in the presence of God, and waiting on Him we will experience our greatest strength... and so often we resist this... we are unwilling.
Does waiting on God seem tedious to you? Perhaps it has become this way because you have the idea that He is doing nothing while you wait, and that He continues to do nothing until at long last, in a moment suited to His own good pleasure, He suddenly cares enough to act. Well, nothing could be further from the truth, and waiting should be an active effort on our part in which we patiently watch Him at work.
When we have fully accepted the Holy Spirit to reside within us we are declared to be a child of God... not by our human birthright, but by the power which comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is at that amazing moment of acceptance that our spirit receives the entirety of the power promised to Christ’s disciples, and now to us. Are we prepared to submit fully to The Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, and to our Father’s will; or perhaps we have already done so?
We think we are righteous, after all we have been working at it diligently for quite some time, maybe all our lives, and yet we are failing at pretty much the same frequency that we always have... so what is wrong? Why is progress in our faith so slow, or stalled? I am going to ask each of us to consider a simple question that might possibly drill to the heart of this struggle... Are we continuously seeking Jesus on our own, or have we said to him “here I am Lord, teach me, I am yours.”?
Spiritual gifts, they are so misunderstood. Are you one of those who believes that you have no spiritual gifts? Do you watch as others exercise the gifts they have been given, and become despondent because you think that you have been passed over? Well, I pose this question to you... what have you prayed for? Have you asked God to show you His will for you, and then after receiving that answer, asked for the ability to accomplish it? As part of giving you the ability to do His will you will receive spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit to help you along the way.
Are you in need of a comforter today? Is your heart broken, are you filled with sorrow, or perhaps a fear that deflates your sails? Whatever brings you to that place where you need an arm on your shoulder, and a comforting embrace from God... know that He is there, and will ease your burden, and that He will lift you once again to your feet.
08/16/2026
Do we realize that the fullness of God is available to us? Has anyone ever prayed for us and asked that we be granted spiritual power? Have they asked in prayer that Jesus dwell within us and that we be filled with the fullness of God? Well, if we are to follow the example set by the Apostle Paul then we should be praying and receiving that prayer, because this is precisely what he prayed for all those at the church in Ephesus. Fellow Saints, Pastors, Priests, Reverends, and Deacons, you should pray in this way for your fellow believers, parishioners, members, and churches today! Let’s listen to the apostle Paul…
How great is our dependence on Jesus Christ? Is He the source of everything in our life; spiritual and physical sustenance, a firm foundation amidst the storms, the basis of emotional and mental wellbeing, and our guide to eternity with God? We should look to God for all things, and to Jesus, His Son and our intercessor, to bring us, and each of our prayers, before the Father. Do we do that in every aspect of our lives, or do we envision ourselves to be like a self-sufficient plant that is growing alongside Him?
In the midst of our own troubles do we think to pray for others? When we are suffering, or the enemy is knocking at our door, do we ask God for help, and then include our neighbors in that prayer as well? It is hard to think beyond our own circumstances when the situation is dire, because our true nature is a selfish one. Can we overcome the “ME” in our prayers long enough to lift up a stranger as we ask for personal deliverance? While we are waiting on God, we should try spending some of that time in prayer for others who are facing trials and hardships of their own... maybe while we are waiting on God He is waiting on our intercession for another.
What is it about praying that we value the most? Is it the time spent with God? The comfort that it brings us? Knowing that we are being heard? Realizing that we are never alone? Or perhaps in the way we find joy in praying for others? The list goes on and on doesn’t it... but the one thing that will stifle our spiritual lives more than any other is making the answer to our prayers paramount as we gauge their success according to how they meet OUR expectations. What if I were to tell you that success in prayer is not just receiving the expected results we have dictated to God while praying OUR will as we direct Him in exactly how to answer us?
Do we fear for the souls of our children? Does the strength of their faith as it is opposed by all the sin and evil in this world worry us? No matter who we are, the love we have for our children brings us concern for their salvation. Given this, if one of our children died and Jesus miraculously healed them, what would our immediate reaction be? Wouldn’t it be to fall at His feet in gratitude, and then to tell everyone about what He had just done to make believers of them! Wouldn’t it be to shout to the world that this man Jesus Christ was a miracle worker, and to tell them that He was the Messiah? Well, what if He told us to keep that amazing miracle and revelation to ourselves… how hard would that be?
How strong is your faith? Is it strong enough that you can face the hatred of those around you? Is your faith firm enough to withstand the trials and persecution that nonbelievers will put you through? Is it like steel when Satan comes against you because of it? Is it invincible even when those who you love, and that you thought loved you, turn against you for it? When your faith has grown, and becomes like an adornment of shiny armor, that is when the evil one will test you most, using every weapon at his disposal. It is then that you must trust wholeheartedly in the Lord because at that moment the very survival of your soul lies in the balance.
Before we come to the point in our faith at which we understand that our relationship with God and Jesus Christ is what is of paramount importance, we seek the ancillary things pertaining to the promises in God’s Word. We search for such mysterious ingredients as knowledge, wisdom, eternal life, power, joy, and peace, but in doing so we are like any child who prefers eating the icing over enjoying the cake. We see those things that are the fruits of an intimate relationship and mistake them for its purpose.