Knowing God Through The Spirit

We can gain quite a bit of insight from what we read in the Bible. The ultimate test of truth in any arena of life is the written Word of God. There are many things that we can pick up from observing other people. It is undoubtedly valid that persons further down the road of experience than we, can teach us without even knowing they are doing so. I have learned a ton from just simply watching people that I admire. Having said those things, there is a greater reality in terms of our knowing God which cannot be picked up in either of the ways I have mentioned above. Mental knowledge and experience in spiritual things are not the same. Our bodies are literally temples of the Holy Spirit. To put it another way, God dwells inside of us and He can be personally known. The first step in this practical, actual, experiential relationship with God is faith. We must really believe that when Jesus said the Holy Spirit would dwell in us that He was talking about something real. God made the universe and He is all around us; but He also is a Spirit that has chosen to make His home inside of us. If we cannot cling to that reality by faith, as true as it is, we will never experience the power of it. The next step is simply becoming familiar with Him. He is relational. He can be grieved by our poor, ungodly behavior. He can be quenched by our reluctance to yield to His lead. He can also be intimately known as we take the time to sense and understand Him. There is not a friend, or loved one in your life that you did not have to take the time to grow relationally with. The Spirit of God must be learned through the development of a relationship. When you read the Word listen to hear what the Spirit wants to emphasize. When you pray and pour out all your requests, take some time to listen and see if the Spirit has something to say to you. He is the Great Revealer. His assignment is to lead us. How can that happen if He is not personally known? Believe He is there deep within you. Take the time to become acquainted with Him. You will be glad you did.

Work It Out!

Steel Will

I happen to be a huge Steeler fan and so the point I want to make today is not only relevant, it's fun. When down in the first half 21 - 7 things did not look very good. When in a must convert 3rd and 19 situation in the closing minutes of the game, once again things were pretty bleak. The championship pedigree of the Steel town crew prevailed. Victory was the outcome because of the determination of a team that just simply would not give up. It just so happened that a big play with flawless execution, facing that 3rd and 19 mentioned earlier, was the difference in the game. Life can be similar to athletic competition. We can make huge mistakes which can put us in the hole. We can then chose to give up, or we can keep on fighting until the final horn sounds. If you and I are still on top of the ground and not lying in a grave then we still have time to execute a big play. If there is no opportunity for a big play than grind it out bit by bit. Perseverance in football as well as in life is a valuable asset. Don't give up, or give in. Keep on pressing until the resistance breaks. Many times the determining factor in a thing is who will quit. The Bible says it like this: "And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary." (Galatians 6:9)

Work It Out!

A Rewarding Discipline

There are great rewards to the discipline of fasting. Moses received the Ten Commandments while he was fasting for forty days. The fellowship on Mount Sinai was so sweet that at the close of this session with God his face was shining. The evil plot to destroy the Jewish people in Shushan was reversed by the power of God after a three day fast initiated by Esther. Nehemiah was granted favor from the king, materials to complete an expensive task, and letters ensuring safe passage to Jerusalem. All of that happened after a season of fasting and prayer. There are many other examples that could be given, but I think the point has been made. I don't know why there is power in fasting and it really doesn't matter. The Lord responds to our faith that is intensified somehow through fasting. We will find some of our most precious times with God will come through this discipline. Everything does not have to make sense to us to work. Prayer with fasting yields rewards. The only way to know that is to do it.

Work it out!

An Action that Speaks Louder Than Words

Fasting is a practical way to show our stomachs that God really is in charge of us. That sounds like a strange thing to say, but when we examine the Word we find that the stomach is a challenger to God's authority. In paradise the temptation Eve faced was fruit from a tree that was "...good for food and pleasant to the eyes..." She ate the fruit disregarding the direct command of God to leave that particular fruit alone. In the Jacob and Esau story the stomach brought chaos into the household. Isaac loved Esau more because of the venison he prepared. Esau valued a pot of stew more than his birthright. Then of course there is Jesus. When tempted to turn stones into bread, which obviously He could have accomplished; He said "...man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Job expressed the same thought like this: "I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food." We should be more hungry for God than anything else including food. One practical way to prove that to ourselves is to fast.

Work it out!

A Bedrock Issue

When it comes to spiritual things these days there is much discussion about overcoming obstacles. We hear allot about gaining abundance. We are coached up on the rewards of wonderful relationships. The development of creativity is highly prized. All of these themes are important, but there is the strange absence of a bedrock theme in the discussions of our times. It may not be popular to think on the separation that God requires of His own, but it is forever true. The declaration from Leviticus 11:45 is, "For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy." This is further established in 1 Peter 1:16 as a New Testament principle; "because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" Holiness is simply being set apart for God's purposes. We belong to God and so we are to commit ourselves to do everything His way. If we really believed in the importance of this bedrock issue things would be much different in our homes, churches and society at large. There are too many people today that want to be double agents. They wish to love the Lord and be popular in a sinful world at the same time. Don't lower your lifestyle to the lukewarm standards of our age. Set your heart on God and let everything else flow out of your relationship with Him. He has made it clear what He is looking for.

Work it out!

A Clean Heart

Is there a better way to start off a New Year than with a clean heart? Is there a better way for us to impact our friends and loved ones, in these difficult days, than by acting from the motives produced by a clean heart? There is no doubt that we have not closed out 2010 with an unblemished record. There were things that we would undo if we could. We know however, we can't go back and change anything. One of the beautiful things about our Heavenly Father is the way He offers us the ability to begin again. We can have a clean slate. We can create the next chapter without having to overwrite new things on old mess. David prayed after a miserable failure in his life. His cry in Psalm 51:10 was "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Before too much time passes in 2011, pray a similar prayer from your own heart. I have. I don't ever want to smear the new things God intends to do for me on top of old mess.

Work it out!

We Are All Building

The choice that we have is not will we build, or refuse to build. We are building our lives every day. We are building our personal fitness. Either it's on fruits and vegetables, or we build it on ribs and potato chips. We are building our satisfaction. We can opt for fun outside of the will of God, or we can do the many things within God's will for pleasure. We are building our vocational lives. We can make our work primary and neglect other areas, or we can keep it in a proper perspective and still be excellent in it. We are building our families. We can model our home dynamics after the 'me first" ideal that is so prevalent in the world; or we can place the needs of our loved ones first as Jesus did. In fact that is really the whole point of this entry. When we build on anything else but what Christ demonstrated through precept and practice, the thing that we build will collapse. Building our lives on solid rock means we find out what Jesus says and then do it. Work it out!

Based on Matthew 7:24-27