Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here

     A very long time ago, when discussing a personal struggle with my mom, she told me to ask myself if the thoughts I was having were the Holy Spirit whispering to me. It was a very convicting thought, and I have tried to ask myself that question each time I feel my emotions (indignation, doubt, fear, caution, frustration, anger) running away with me. I have certainly failed countless times, but her advice has doubtless made all the difference in my life. I am terrified to think of the relationships and opportunities I would have destroyed or missed if I hadn't begun to make this a habit in my everyday life!
     I don't want to sound judgmental, but it saddens me to see so many professed believers leading everyday lives where they almost blush at the verbally spoken Name of Jesus...or never talk about seeking comfort from Scripture...or never speak of feeling (Yes! Experiencing!) the presence of the Holy Spirit moving in a situation or time of personal prayer. (Your corporate worship experiences are not enough.)
     Have you ever considered how sad it was that Eli had allowed so much sin into his life that it took little Samuel coming to him THREE times before he realized God must be speaking? Eli's sin was refusing to correct his adulterous sons. It kept him so busy that he had stopped hearing or even recognizing the voice of God. (Sidebar: Sin will keep you so busy covering your tracks or convincing yourself and others it is "okay", you won't have time for personal time with Christ. And if you do, it will be superficial, because until you repent, He will not hear your requests. But, that's a whole other blog...) Eli's story has always convicted me as a parent and teacher. I know that every thought and emotion is not from God, but shouldn't we be so acquainted with Him and accustomed to His ways that we immediately recognize what thoughts and feelings to dismiss and which ones to bring to Him in prayer for His guidance?
     Have you considered how blessed you are, if you are saved and have confessed and forsaken sin), to have a Comforter who constantly abides? Through your moods? Through your complaints? Through your polite, but still evident discontentment? Through your temper? Through your condescension of others? Through your spiritual laziness?
     Sometimes I wonder if we are unhappy with the spirituality of our children and fellow believers because it is a mirror image of our own. I wonder if they are not hearing the whisperings of the Spirit because they have not heard us recount our own conversations with Him. The world and Satan are doing everything they can to dull our childrens' conscience, but I wonder if we will not stand equally guilty before God for not acquainting them with His voice. We teach them to recognize the sounds of danger (storms, automobiles, and animals), the sounds of success (applause, praise, noteriety), but have we taught them to recognize the sound of comfort? More specifically, the voice of the Comforter? If not, then WHY not?
     I'm afraid I know the answer, and it is one that troubles and stirs me to change. We have stopped speaking OF Him, because we have stopped speaking TO Him. Speaking to Him for things and to see wishes granted will not comfort. Going to Him to get what you think you deserve will not bring comfort. Going to Him to excuse your sin until it's convenient for you to get right...no comfort. Going to Him to complain and plead your case...still no comfort. Speaking to Him, personally, in surrender and repentance moves the Holy Spirit to move IN YOU. When He moves in you, your situation is affected accordingly.

Be Changed

 "We can underline our Bibles til our pens run dry without a drop of ink splattering our lives. Self-deception slithers in when we mistake appreciation for application or being touched with being changed." -Beth Moore 

     Avonlea is dealing with fear, tonight, so I'm in her floor in a beanbag chair doing my reading and trying to blog from my phone. (I'm sure there will be a gazillion typos to correct tomorrow.) Since I only blogged three times in 2014, I have resolved to blog once a month, this year. Most of them will be short, I am sure, but I hope they will somehow encourage you. 

    I have probably admitted to you that I have a list addiction. Sometimes, I literally write accomplished tasks onto a list for the sheer satisfaction of crossing them out. "Sometimes" is really the wrong word. I do it on a regular basis. There is just something about seeing it checked off my list that helps keep me on track. I always accomplish more on the days I stick to the list. I must admit, however, that there are frequently nights when I run through the list again and wonder what I missed because of the undivided attention given to tasks scrawled onto a page to toss into a waste basket. Did I look my girls in the face today and ask them what the best part of their day was? Did I hold Clark's hand today? Did I mention a friend's name in prayer? Did I praise the Lord for my health? And with my health? 

     I came across this Beth Moore quote on Pinterest this evening and was convicted at the reminder to make daily devotions more than part of "the list". First of all, I hope you have resolved to read your Bible faithfully. Our spiritual health and strength has never been more vital than it is in this present culture which we have been called to salt and light. Discipleship comes at a cost, and making any sort of difference or bringing any glory to God will require commitment. I hope your list of resolutions isn't so superficial that it only includes diets, gym memberships, organizational goals, and more promises of " me time". Those are all good things, but as believers, they should not be what graces the top of our lists. 

     Overall, I encourage you to evaluate the past year and set goals for 2015. Without a vision, people certainly perish. Then, be faithful. There will be days we won't complete the list, but beware of falling into the trap of believing good intentions or adding scripture to your self-help regime are enough to equip you for spiritual warfare. You have been called to be more than " a better you". You are called to be salt and light in a world that is running straightway to Hell. That will take commitment. It is required of stewards that a man be found faithful, but even being faithful isn't enough. We must be changed to change the world around us. 

     I hope you reach every good goal this year, friends, but my earnest prayer is that more is accomplished for Christ in our lives than ever before.

1 Timothy 4:13-15

"Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all."