If my seven year old says something negative, usually my nine year old quickly responds with, "Watch out because you have what you say!" Proverbs 18:21 tells us that both life and death are in the power of our tongue.
Jesus said in Mark 11:23:
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he SAITH shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he SAITH.
Your words are important. Your words carry weight. Your words change things.
This truth applies to every area of our lives, and I have put it to work for myself concerning my walk with God, particularly lately by using Psalm 119. Meditating on the Word - thinking about it, musing over it, pondering it, picturing it coming to pass in your life - is a powerful thing. I urge you to meditate on Psalm 119 and watch as your desire for the Lord grows. It's a beautiful thing!
Below are some powerful confessions that I took from the first 40 scriptures of Psalm 119 (AMP). Confess them out of your mouth, speak them over yourself, and your faith will increase.
-I am blessed - I am happy, fortunate and to be envied - because I walk uprightly according to the Word of God.
-I seek - inquire of the Lord and crave Him - with my whole heart.
-I do not willfully wander from God's precepts; I walk in His ways.
-I observe God's statutes: I hear them, I receive them, I love them, and I obey them.
-I will not be put to shame because I have respect for all of God's commandments.
-I take heed and keep watch on myself according to God's Word, and I conform my life to it.
-I lay up God's Word in my heart so that I might not sin against Him.
-I rejoice in the way of God's testimonies as much as in all riches.
-I meditate on God's precepts, and I have respect for His ways, the paths of life marked out by His Word.
-I delight myself in God's statutes, and I do not forget His Word.
-God opens my eyes so that I can see wonderous things in His Word.
-Reproach and contempt are taken away from me because I obey God's Word.
-God's Word is my delight and my counselor.
-I am revived, stimulated and strenghtened by the Word.
-I meditate on and talk about God's wonderous works.
-I choose the way of truth and faithfulness.
-I set God's Word before me, and I cleave to it.
-I do not merely walk, but rather run, according to the way of God's Word.
-I incline my heart to God's Word and not to covetousness.
-God's Word is established and confirmed in my life.
-My life is renewed according to God's Word.
-I keep God's Word steadfastly to the end.
I encourage you to make personal confessions based on the Word for whatever you're dealing with. Keep standing because God Himself is watching over His Word to perform it in your life, and He is faithful!
Need Some Help?
I don't know about you, but I could always use a little extra help in my life. What if someone offered you a HELPER who was available to you 24 hours a day, who could take your limited understanding and broaden it, who could tell you exactly which path is the best for your life, who could give you specific directions to keep you safe and so much more? Well that's exactly what Jesus offered to us when he ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit isn't a spooky ghost or something that turns you into a crazy person. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us - sent to help us - while we are fulfilling our mission here on earth. I'm not going to include all of the ways the Holy Spirit can function in our lives (and trust me, there are more than I could say) but I would like to share with you how He wants to provide us with very practical help in our everyday lives.
Ephesians 5:18,19 says, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." The word "be" in this verse actually means to "be being" filled, as in something that happens more than once. If someone wants to get drunk, they will drink as much alcohol as it takes to get there, and the first step is to open up their MOUTH. But if they want to stay in that drunken state, then they must CONTINUE opening their mouth and drinking, right? The same is true with us as Christians who are filled with the Spirit. We must open up our mouths - praising Him for who He is, thanking Him for what He has done (and will do) and declaring His Word over our lives - AND we must continually yield and be obedient to the Holy Spirit on a daily basis in order to stay filled up!
Smith Wigglesworth said, "Your only safeguard from dropping back into your natural mind, in which you can receive nothing from the Lord, is to be filled and filled again with the Holy Spirit." I have found this to be infinitely true in my own life. How many times have we enjoyed anointed teaching on Sunday morning but by Wednesday, we're being short with our husband or inpatient with our kids? Because we leak, the answer is to "be being" filled: to pray without ceasing, to daily renew our minds according to the Word, to stay in close fellowship with the Father!
I have a friend who has a contagious zest for living the Spirit-filled life. I love hearing her tell stories of how the Holy Spirit leads her in the big matters of life and also in the smaller things. As she was heading out the door one day, the Holy Spirit prompted her to put a red crayon in her purse. I'm sure she thought this was an odd instruction, but she did it. (Many times we need to bypass our own reasoning, and just be obedient!) Later on, she was eating at a restaurant, and there was a kid at the table next to her screaming and throwing a fit because they didn't have a red crayon. Since she listened earlier, she was able to provide much needed, well-timed help for that kid...and for that mom! While that might seem insignificant to you, it's a fun, practical example of how God wants to lead us in our daily decisions and how He wants to use us to be a blessing to those around us.
When you're driving a car, you can't just go wherever you want, whenever you want. You must YIELD. If you pull out into oncoming traffic, you could get into a serious accident that doesn't just affect you but could cause harm to others too. In the same way, it's our job as Christians to yield to the Holy Spirit - to heed His instructions and submit. When we do, we keep ourselves safely on the perfect path God has for us. This not only brings life and blessing to us but also to those around us that we are called to minister to.
God wants the best for us, just like we want the best for our own kids. His desire is always for us to be growing and changing, going from glory to glory, and continually becoming more like Him. If we're going to do that, we must be Holy Spirit FILLED and Holy Spirit LED. Purpose in your heart to take that step of faith and obey the Holy Spirit today...it's a decision you won't regret!
The Holy Spirit isn't a spooky ghost or something that turns you into a crazy person. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us - sent to help us - while we are fulfilling our mission here on earth. I'm not going to include all of the ways the Holy Spirit can function in our lives (and trust me, there are more than I could say) but I would like to share with you how He wants to provide us with very practical help in our everyday lives.
Ephesians 5:18,19 says, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." The word "be" in this verse actually means to "be being" filled, as in something that happens more than once. If someone wants to get drunk, they will drink as much alcohol as it takes to get there, and the first step is to open up their MOUTH. But if they want to stay in that drunken state, then they must CONTINUE opening their mouth and drinking, right? The same is true with us as Christians who are filled with the Spirit. We must open up our mouths - praising Him for who He is, thanking Him for what He has done (and will do) and declaring His Word over our lives - AND we must continually yield and be obedient to the Holy Spirit on a daily basis in order to stay filled up!
Smith Wigglesworth said, "Your only safeguard from dropping back into your natural mind, in which you can receive nothing from the Lord, is to be filled and filled again with the Holy Spirit." I have found this to be infinitely true in my own life. How many times have we enjoyed anointed teaching on Sunday morning but by Wednesday, we're being short with our husband or inpatient with our kids? Because we leak, the answer is to "be being" filled: to pray without ceasing, to daily renew our minds according to the Word, to stay in close fellowship with the Father!
I have a friend who has a contagious zest for living the Spirit-filled life. I love hearing her tell stories of how the Holy Spirit leads her in the big matters of life and also in the smaller things. As she was heading out the door one day, the Holy Spirit prompted her to put a red crayon in her purse. I'm sure she thought this was an odd instruction, but she did it. (Many times we need to bypass our own reasoning, and just be obedient!) Later on, she was eating at a restaurant, and there was a kid at the table next to her screaming and throwing a fit because they didn't have a red crayon. Since she listened earlier, she was able to provide much needed, well-timed help for that kid...and for that mom! While that might seem insignificant to you, it's a fun, practical example of how God wants to lead us in our daily decisions and how He wants to use us to be a blessing to those around us.
When you're driving a car, you can't just go wherever you want, whenever you want. You must YIELD. If you pull out into oncoming traffic, you could get into a serious accident that doesn't just affect you but could cause harm to others too. In the same way, it's our job as Christians to yield to the Holy Spirit - to heed His instructions and submit. When we do, we keep ourselves safely on the perfect path God has for us. This not only brings life and blessing to us but also to those around us that we are called to minister to.
God wants the best for us, just like we want the best for our own kids. His desire is always for us to be growing and changing, going from glory to glory, and continually becoming more like Him. If we're going to do that, we must be Holy Spirit FILLED and Holy Spirit LED. Purpose in your heart to take that step of faith and obey the Holy Spirit today...it's a decision you won't regret!
Beware of the Drift Factor
I don't know about you, but I'm in this "serving God" thing for the long haul. Peter had it right when he said, "Lord, only you have the keys to life. Where else would I go?" When you've truly experienced the genuine freedom that comes from doing things God's way, you don't want to go back to the bondage that is created by doing things your own way. Isaiah 55:9 reminds us that God's thoughts and ways are infinitely higher than ours, and like B.B. Hankins said, "The Holy Spirit is a genius. If you'll listen to Him, He'll make you look smart!"
My goal is to literally accomplish all that God has created me for, and that's my prayer for you too! Just think: we have the opportunity to know why God created us and the ability to accomplish everything that He's planned for us to do. In order to take part in this daily adventure with the Holy Spirit, we must keep our eyes and our hearts fixed on Him because if we don't, we will most certainly end up drifting from our call.
I really enjoy the opportunities to travel and minister with my husband, and I cherish the company of believers that we get to be a part of. A few weeks ago, Pastor Stan Pody shared an awesome insight with us about how easy it is to drift off course. If you've ever played in the water and waves at the beach, then you understand how you can get in the ocean at one place but end up in a totally different place once you get out. Unless you're alert, aware and fighting against the pull when you're busy jumping in the waves and sucking down saltwater, you'll end up drifting far away from where you should be. When you get out and look around for your stuff, you might think someone took it...it's nowhere in sight. In reality, the water pulled you away from where you were suppose to be because you weren't doing what needed to be done to fight off the drift.
The same is true for us as we're serving God. Unless we do our part to keep our eyes fixed on Him and unless we're deliberately fighting the good fight of faith (that we always win in Christ by the way), we'll end up somewhere that we never planned on being...out of the will of God.
The dictionary has a few good definitions for the word drift: to wander aimlessly, to deviate from a set course, and (my favorite) to be carried along by the force of circumstances. Unfortunately, that's exactly what will happen to us if we don't focus on God and if we don't fight off the drift...our circumstances will call the shots in our life. God never intended for us to live that way. He didn't send His Son to die so that we could be pushed around by sickness or lack or fear. He sent Jesus so we could become a part of His body and share in His authority. When we're in Christ, we're not fighting for the victory - we're fighting from a place of victory!
People who are drifting have no purpose because a person with purpose does things intentionally. We must intentionally seek God. We must intentionally open our Bible and dig into the Word. We must intentionally talk to God through prayer. We must intentionally take ourselves to church. We must intentionally seek out the call of God on our lives. We must intentionally be obedient. All of these things are necessary for us in order to do and be all that God's created us for, but they aren't going to happen unless we do them on purpose. God needs our cooperation.
If the tires on a car aren't aligned correctly, it can cause that car to drift to one side or the other. If the car isn't put back on course, it won't get where it needs to be. The Bible tells us not to look to the right or to the left but to keep our eyes focused on Jesus. If we don't align ourselves with God and His perfect way of doing things, we will eventually drift off course, and sadly we won't end up at our desired destination. However, if we will listen to the Holy Spirit, He will keep us on track!
I love the lyrics from the popular worship song that say:
I will seek you in the morning,
and I will learn to walk in your ways.
And step by step you'll lead me,
and I will follow you all of my days.
As long as our focus is on Him and we are obedient to Him, the drift factor cannot derail us from fulfilling all that God has created us for!
My goal is to literally accomplish all that God has created me for, and that's my prayer for you too! Just think: we have the opportunity to know why God created us and the ability to accomplish everything that He's planned for us to do. In order to take part in this daily adventure with the Holy Spirit, we must keep our eyes and our hearts fixed on Him because if we don't, we will most certainly end up drifting from our call.
I really enjoy the opportunities to travel and minister with my husband, and I cherish the company of believers that we get to be a part of. A few weeks ago, Pastor Stan Pody shared an awesome insight with us about how easy it is to drift off course. If you've ever played in the water and waves at the beach, then you understand how you can get in the ocean at one place but end up in a totally different place once you get out. Unless you're alert, aware and fighting against the pull when you're busy jumping in the waves and sucking down saltwater, you'll end up drifting far away from where you should be. When you get out and look around for your stuff, you might think someone took it...it's nowhere in sight. In reality, the water pulled you away from where you were suppose to be because you weren't doing what needed to be done to fight off the drift.
The same is true for us as we're serving God. Unless we do our part to keep our eyes fixed on Him and unless we're deliberately fighting the good fight of faith (that we always win in Christ by the way), we'll end up somewhere that we never planned on being...out of the will of God.
The dictionary has a few good definitions for the word drift: to wander aimlessly, to deviate from a set course, and (my favorite) to be carried along by the force of circumstances. Unfortunately, that's exactly what will happen to us if we don't focus on God and if we don't fight off the drift...our circumstances will call the shots in our life. God never intended for us to live that way. He didn't send His Son to die so that we could be pushed around by sickness or lack or fear. He sent Jesus so we could become a part of His body and share in His authority. When we're in Christ, we're not fighting for the victory - we're fighting from a place of victory!
People who are drifting have no purpose because a person with purpose does things intentionally. We must intentionally seek God. We must intentionally open our Bible and dig into the Word. We must intentionally talk to God through prayer. We must intentionally take ourselves to church. We must intentionally seek out the call of God on our lives. We must intentionally be obedient. All of these things are necessary for us in order to do and be all that God's created us for, but they aren't going to happen unless we do them on purpose. God needs our cooperation.
If the tires on a car aren't aligned correctly, it can cause that car to drift to one side or the other. If the car isn't put back on course, it won't get where it needs to be. The Bible tells us not to look to the right or to the left but to keep our eyes focused on Jesus. If we don't align ourselves with God and His perfect way of doing things, we will eventually drift off course, and sadly we won't end up at our desired destination. However, if we will listen to the Holy Spirit, He will keep us on track!
I love the lyrics from the popular worship song that say:
I will seek you in the morning,
and I will learn to walk in your ways.
And step by step you'll lead me,
and I will follow you all of my days.
As long as our focus is on Him and we are obedient to Him, the drift factor cannot derail us from fulfilling all that God has created us for!
Be of Good Cheer
I don't know about you, but for me, some days are harder than others to be of good cheer. In John 16:33 Jesus says, "These things I have spoken unto you, that IN ME you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of GOOD CHEER; I have overcome the world." At first glance, we might think being of "good cheer" is simply slapping a smile on our face as we go through our day, but if we dig a little deeper, we'll find that it is so much more than that!
Many other versions translate being of "good cheer" as being courageous and some use the command "take courage." We know that it is Jesus talking to us in this verse, so I picture it as Him standing there with courage on a platter and handing it to me. He's doing that same thing for all of us, but it's up to us whether or not we take it. After all, a gift only benefits the recipient when it is received!
Other translations interpret being of "good cheer" as being confident and brave, and when we look at the next part of the verse, we know why we can live in this crazy world with such confidence and bravery: Jesus has overcome the world! The Amplified version says, "But be of good cheer - take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted! For I have overcome the world. I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it FOR YOU." Like I've heard taught so many times from Pastor Mark Hankins, everything that God did in Christ, He did FOR US and set it to the credit of OUR account. Think about that for a minute. Jesus didn't come to this earth because He needed redemption for Himself. He came, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, gained victory over the devil, and rose again so that WE might have redemption and become one with the Father through Him. Everything that belongs to Him now belongs to us. We know that according to Romans 8:17, we are JOINT HEIRS with Jesus!
Usually in the world, victory is short lived. Look at the winners of the Super Bowl or the World Series. They work hard gaining win after win throughout the season in order to take the big title, but after one short year, they're not guaranteed to be the champions again. Our victory in Christ is not like that. One translation of John 16:33 puts it this way, "I have come off victorious over the world with a PERMANENT victory." As we line ourselves up with the Word, it's only a matter of time before our victory is manifested. When we're in Christ, we're not fighting FOR the victory in whatever situation we're facing but rather we're fighting FROM a place of victory.
When we really understand this truth, our outlook on life changes. No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, we can CHOOSE a good attitude because according to Galations 6:9, we WILL reap if we refuse to give up. Instead of slapping a fake smile on our face, we can live in the power of genuine joy that produces a genuine smile. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and without joy, we have no strength.
Let's be of good cheer today. Let's take that courage that Jesus is handing us and use it. Let's be confident in what Jesus has already accomplished for us. Let's be brave and undaunted as we stand on the Word because we know the final outcome: victory!
Many other versions translate being of "good cheer" as being courageous and some use the command "take courage." We know that it is Jesus talking to us in this verse, so I picture it as Him standing there with courage on a platter and handing it to me. He's doing that same thing for all of us, but it's up to us whether or not we take it. After all, a gift only benefits the recipient when it is received!
Other translations interpret being of "good cheer" as being confident and brave, and when we look at the next part of the verse, we know why we can live in this crazy world with such confidence and bravery: Jesus has overcome the world! The Amplified version says, "But be of good cheer - take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted! For I have overcome the world. I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it FOR YOU." Like I've heard taught so many times from Pastor Mark Hankins, everything that God did in Christ, He did FOR US and set it to the credit of OUR account. Think about that for a minute. Jesus didn't come to this earth because He needed redemption for Himself. He came, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, gained victory over the devil, and rose again so that WE might have redemption and become one with the Father through Him. Everything that belongs to Him now belongs to us. We know that according to Romans 8:17, we are JOINT HEIRS with Jesus!
Usually in the world, victory is short lived. Look at the winners of the Super Bowl or the World Series. They work hard gaining win after win throughout the season in order to take the big title, but after one short year, they're not guaranteed to be the champions again. Our victory in Christ is not like that. One translation of John 16:33 puts it this way, "I have come off victorious over the world with a PERMANENT victory." As we line ourselves up with the Word, it's only a matter of time before our victory is manifested. When we're in Christ, we're not fighting FOR the victory in whatever situation we're facing but rather we're fighting FROM a place of victory.
When we really understand this truth, our outlook on life changes. No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, we can CHOOSE a good attitude because according to Galations 6:9, we WILL reap if we refuse to give up. Instead of slapping a fake smile on our face, we can live in the power of genuine joy that produces a genuine smile. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and without joy, we have no strength.
Let's be of good cheer today. Let's take that courage that Jesus is handing us and use it. Let's be confident in what Jesus has already accomplished for us. Let's be brave and undaunted as we stand on the Word because we know the final outcome: victory!
Soak It Up
After I took my daughter to preschool one morning, I only had a few minutes to eat breakfast with my son before we had to leave for church. Thinking I could save precious time, I put the oatmeal on the stove before we left for school. It's the quick-cooking kind, but since I make it almost everyday of my life, I didn't think there would be a problem, especially since I left it on low. In the end, my son and I had to eat soggy, pasty oatmeal, and the entire bottom of my pan was coated with burnt oatmeal. I covered it with water to let it soak as I headed out the door to church.
After lunchtime I was preparing myself for a good scraping session because, as we all know, dishes don't clean themselves; it requires action on our part. I was pleasantly surprised when most of the unappetizing leftovers just slid right off into the sink. I thought, "Wow...soaking in that water made this clean up so easy!" And then I thought how the same is true for us when we soak ourselves in the water of the Word of God.
Think about it...when you've been soaking in the Word on a certain subject, like healing or peace or provision, you get a revelation of who God is and your faith builds. James 1:22 says, "But be doers of the word (obey the message), and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth." When our faith has been built up and we've applied the Word to our situation, then the gunk from attacks that come can be removed more easily.
As most of us know, some pans only need to soak for a few minutes in order to loosen the crud while others require an extended soak. When we're facing a storm in life, sometimes our breakthrough comes relatively quickly while other times it's longer before we see the manifestation of our promise from God. Either way, it's our job to stay immersed in His Word. We can't just look at the Bible as a nice storybook. Instead, we must stand on it, claiming what rightfully belongs to us as joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
Joshua 1:8 says, "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." James 2:17 tells us, "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." Again we see that in order to be successful, we must meditate on the Word, speak the Word and take action in faith.
Saturate yourself and your situation with the Word. Soak in it. Submerge your mind in it. Allow it to permeate every fiber of your being. Speak it over your circumstances. Be vigilant to back it up with action, and watch it go to work for you, removing the gunk from your life.
After lunchtime I was preparing myself for a good scraping session because, as we all know, dishes don't clean themselves; it requires action on our part. I was pleasantly surprised when most of the unappetizing leftovers just slid right off into the sink. I thought, "Wow...soaking in that water made this clean up so easy!" And then I thought how the same is true for us when we soak ourselves in the water of the Word of God.
Think about it...when you've been soaking in the Word on a certain subject, like healing or peace or provision, you get a revelation of who God is and your faith builds. James 1:22 says, "But be doers of the word (obey the message), and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth." When our faith has been built up and we've applied the Word to our situation, then the gunk from attacks that come can be removed more easily.
As most of us know, some pans only need to soak for a few minutes in order to loosen the crud while others require an extended soak. When we're facing a storm in life, sometimes our breakthrough comes relatively quickly while other times it's longer before we see the manifestation of our promise from God. Either way, it's our job to stay immersed in His Word. We can't just look at the Bible as a nice storybook. Instead, we must stand on it, claiming what rightfully belongs to us as joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
Joshua 1:8 says, "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." James 2:17 tells us, "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." Again we see that in order to be successful, we must meditate on the Word, speak the Word and take action in faith.
Saturate yourself and your situation with the Word. Soak in it. Submerge your mind in it. Allow it to permeate every fiber of your being. Speak it over your circumstances. Be vigilant to back it up with action, and watch it go to work for you, removing the gunk from your life.
Do You Have Fruit?
I've had the fruits of the Spirit memorized since childhood thanks to a catchy camp song, but my understanding of them and how they worked was definitely foggy. Even into adulthood, I thought that these nine fruits were simply personality traits or things I needed to strive to accomplish in my own power. When I would fall woefully short of successfully displaying them in my life, I would beat myself up, just like so many do.
But then the Holy Spirit illuminated part of Galations 5:22,23 to me as I was reading it in the Amplified version. It says, "But the fruit of the Holy Spirit (THE WORK WHICH HIS PRESENCE WITHIN ACCOMPLISHES) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence)."
Wow! I was going at it all wrong. Instead of putting my confidence in myself, my abilities and my strength to do good (which wasn't too impressive), I should've focused on teaming up with the Holy Spirit in order for these fruits to manifest in my life.
In John 15:4,5 Jesus talks to us about what our own self reliance will accomplish. He says, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING."
This truth applies to every area of our lives, including walking in the fruits of the Spirit. Our job is to stay connected to the vine, and then the result of that connection will be more love in our lives, more joy in our journey, more peace in our minds, more patience with ourselves and others around us, more kindness displayed through us, more goodness flowing out of us, more faithfulness to God, more gentleness in our words and actions, and more self-control demonstrated in our everyday lives. I like what Gloria Copeland said, "When we focus our efforts on doing what it takes to stay in union and communion with Him, we will bear fruit abundantly."
If you ask my husband, he can tell you how even the little things used to set me off. I would get so upset and annoyed if one of the big kids would spill something or break something, even if it was an accident. I've noticed how that stuff doesn't even phase me now. At first I thought it was just the natural progression of having little kids of my own or getting used to the almost daily mishaps in our house, but that's not what it was. It was the result of abiding in the vine and the continual work of the Holy Spirit within me producing an even temper, and I know my husband and kids are grateful for that!
Let's do our part of keeping our union with God solid, and then let's allow Him to produce His fruit on our vine!
But then the Holy Spirit illuminated part of Galations 5:22,23 to me as I was reading it in the Amplified version. It says, "But the fruit of the Holy Spirit (THE WORK WHICH HIS PRESENCE WITHIN ACCOMPLISHES) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence)."
Wow! I was going at it all wrong. Instead of putting my confidence in myself, my abilities and my strength to do good (which wasn't too impressive), I should've focused on teaming up with the Holy Spirit in order for these fruits to manifest in my life.
In John 15:4,5 Jesus talks to us about what our own self reliance will accomplish. He says, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING."
This truth applies to every area of our lives, including walking in the fruits of the Spirit. Our job is to stay connected to the vine, and then the result of that connection will be more love in our lives, more joy in our journey, more peace in our minds, more patience with ourselves and others around us, more kindness displayed through us, more goodness flowing out of us, more faithfulness to God, more gentleness in our words and actions, and more self-control demonstrated in our everyday lives. I like what Gloria Copeland said, "When we focus our efforts on doing what it takes to stay in union and communion with Him, we will bear fruit abundantly."
If you ask my husband, he can tell you how even the little things used to set me off. I would get so upset and annoyed if one of the big kids would spill something or break something, even if it was an accident. I've noticed how that stuff doesn't even phase me now. At first I thought it was just the natural progression of having little kids of my own or getting used to the almost daily mishaps in our house, but that's not what it was. It was the result of abiding in the vine and the continual work of the Holy Spirit within me producing an even temper, and I know my husband and kids are grateful for that!
Let's do our part of keeping our union with God solid, and then let's allow Him to produce His fruit on our vine!
God Wants to Carry Your Bags
Have you ever been to a nice hotel, the kind where they open the door for you and offer to carry your bags? It's nice, isn't it? I was reminded of the service the bellman provides when I was reading 1 Peter 5:7 in the Barclay's translation. It says, "Bring all your worries to him to carry for you, for he is always concerned about you."
In these upscale hotels, the bellman is consistently there waiting for the guests to arrive so he can assist them with their luggage. However, when the guest enters the hotel, the bellman doesn't automatically take their bags from them. He asks them first and then waits for their response because not everyone wants his assistance.
It's the same way with God. He's always there, ready and willing to help us with our baggage, but He won't automatically take it from us or force us to give it to Him. He too is waiting for our response. Once we agree and hand over the stuff that is weighing us down, we are then freed up to do other things, like accomplishing the assignments He's given us!
You might say "Well I don't want to think of God as a bellman who is at my service" but in this scripture, that is what He is asking us to do. He instructs us to bring all of our worries (a.k.a. baggage, heavy things, stuff trying to weigh us down) to Him so He can carry them for us because He is always wanting to help us!
Try it today, and see for yourself how much easier it is to run your race without the extra load.
In these upscale hotels, the bellman is consistently there waiting for the guests to arrive so he can assist them with their luggage. However, when the guest enters the hotel, the bellman doesn't automatically take their bags from them. He asks them first and then waits for their response because not everyone wants his assistance.
It's the same way with God. He's always there, ready and willing to help us with our baggage, but He won't automatically take it from us or force us to give it to Him. He too is waiting for our response. Once we agree and hand over the stuff that is weighing us down, we are then freed up to do other things, like accomplishing the assignments He's given us!
You might say "Well I don't want to think of God as a bellman who is at my service" but in this scripture, that is what He is asking us to do. He instructs us to bring all of our worries (a.k.a. baggage, heavy things, stuff trying to weigh us down) to Him so He can carry them for us because He is always wanting to help us!
Try it today, and see for yourself how much easier it is to run your race without the extra load.
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