We ask for the Holy Spirit when we come to believe, and when we feel his presence we rejoice, because we think we have received him in his entirety, but is there more yet to come? Are we missing a greater dispensation than what we received during our first encounter? Will God send His Holy Spirit to us in even greater portions, or frequency, if we ask Him?
We suffer in this world, and sometimes do so unto death, and the dark one would have us believe that our physical struggle, and eventual death, indicates a spiritual defeat, but that is not true. We overcome the world in the fact that despite the pain, suffering, and even death we experience in it we love, and are loved, we know God and are strengthened against all fear, and Jesus abides in us... filling us with His peace, and a calm beyond all measure. Just as none could take the life of Christ without His laying it down, so it is with the Christian who’s life can only be forfeit if he yields it in fear and defeat... not the body which is meant to die, but the soul which is eternal.
What can we do to keep from sinning? There is only one way, and that is to abide in Jesus. It stands to reason that since He is without sin then if we are in Him we would be too. This is a bit of a paradox isn’t it because scripture tells us that all men sin... so how can this be? Well scripture gives us the answer to this question as well. It is by the transformative power of Christ. In Him we become new creations.
We enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ who suffered terribly as He obeyed the will of God, and redeemed us from sin, yet so many believers think that we should not face tribulation in our lifetimes. This is far from what scripture tells us, but even in our storms we will find hope, comfort, and protection in the Lord. Then, when the storms subside, the light of God will shine upon us and we will find ourselves to have grown in faith and our relationship to have been made all the stronger.
Today I want to pray a blessing over you; the same prayer of blessing that was prayed in Hebrews. Many of you are Pastors, Saints, and Missionaries, who have prayed this blessing over others, but it is especially relevant to your calling, and your lives. Today I ask for God to equip you with every good thing you need as you go about doing His will, and the good work in us that you have been called to do. For some this equipment will be new, but to most it has already been given... if you will only open your eyes, and trust in His provision as you witness to others, and save souls with these tools of faith.
How strong, and fervently, do we intercede for others? Do we save our most sincere prayers for ourselves, and our family, while praying lesser blessings, or asking for things not quite as grand, when it comes to those around us? What about praying for our enemies; can we bring ourselves to pray God’s blessings upon them at all? Can we pray for others as sincerely as Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus?
God gives us hope, and the power that He used when He raised Jesus from the dead. If this doesn’t thrill your heart then you are stone cold and hard indeed. Let’s pray for one another so that our eyes will be opened, and our hearts circumcised in preparation for these blessings. In this way we will accept God’s strength, and power, as ours.
Jesus is coming, He is coming as certainly as any promise we have ever received, but will we be ready for His return? Will we have been sanctified, and held blameless in our preparation for His arrival? When we believe in God, and Jesus Christ, then yield ourselves by loving them and obeying their commandments, God promises to sanctify us. We can’t do this ourselves, but we can accept His gift of redemption and righteousness by our believing, and His grace. We will find the peace of Christ by our absolute faith in Him. Are we ready? Will God sanctify us... spirit, soul, and body?
Is there anything in our lives that we value more than God, and Jesus Christ? Do we turn our attention away from Jesus to concentrate on some desire, facet, or issue in our life? In all things good, bad, and indifferent, we should find ourselves in the presence of God, and our way through them all by following the teaching and commandments of Jesus.
We are lifted up in the hands of God, and in this way we are saved, redeemed, provided for, and blessed in each new day... yet it is so easy to feel lost, or abandoned to the hardships of the world, but if we look around ourselves it becomes clear that despite our fears, we have been in the hand of God all the while.
When we think of being crucified with Jesus, just where do we envision ourselves in that process? Are we entering Jerusalem, praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, being taken before the high priest, standing before Pilot, receiving a beating at the hands of the guards, being scourged and cut by the whip, stumbling under the weight of the cross as we walk the Via Dolorosa, crying out in pain as the nails are driven through us, hanging above the crowd as our life ebbs away, or have we taken our last breath, are we laying in the tomb, being resurrected, speaking once again to our disciples, or ascending into heaven? What does being crucified with Christ mean to us?
As Christians we are meant to believe in the absolute perfection of Christ’s redemption of our sins. We see his blood, and life being drained from Him, hear his final words, and exhale in our sorrow as He breathes out His dying breath, but we also must grasp hold of His resurrection and ascension... His eternal and forgiving nature. So why is it that so many of us fall back again into sin, remaining in the clutches of Adam’s imperfection? Why don’t we claim the eternity that awaits us in the risen Christ? Is it because the concept of eternity has become foreign to us?
When we pray in contrition, and confess our sins, do we ask God to not only forgive us, but to change our hearts as well? In the midst of our sorrowful and broken hearts, do we ask Him for help in cleansing us of the desire to continue on in sin? Are we looking for more than God’s pity and mercy as He forgives, and ask Him for His transformation as well? After He had forgiven someone Jesus said “Go and sin no more”, but don’t we need help in doing this? Yes, so Pray for God to make our spirits right!
Jesus loves me, and what an incredible declaration that is! We sing this in song as children, but it is more than a childish thought put to melody, it is the driving motivation for all that is our faith, and for God’s desire to redeem and restore us to Himself. Are you trapped in the obvious simplicity of the song, or have you matured in your faith as you have come to understand the interwoven complexity of loving Jesus, loving God, and in knowing how much they love you?
In today’s world filled with trouble, sickness, starvation, and war, it is easy to become anxious, and to be overcome by fear. We look back on times in our lives that were peaceful and calm, and wish for those “good old days” to return. We think that the world has changed from good to bad, when in fact it has always been this way since the moment of Adam’s fall. So how do we live in a world such as this? How do we overcome our fear?