The facts about breathing are that we breathe in Oxygen and we breath out Carbon Dioxide. Plants, breathe (for lack of a better term) in breathe in Carbon Dioxide and breathe out Oxygen, which by the way is a work of genius on God’s part, but I’ll get into that another time. Anyways those are the basics of breath right? A little more complex now is some facts: The Earth’s atmosphere is 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and 0.03% carbon dioxide with very small percentages of other elements So along with breathing in 21% Oxygen you are actually also breathing in Nitrogen, and Carbon Dioxide and others from the atmosphere, and when you breathe out you don’t actually only breathe out Carbon Dioxide(CO2), you breathe out Nitrogen and 16% Oxygen, the human body only needs about 5%. This is why CPR works.
There’s a point to this I promise.
So I have always had a thought to myself, if I’m having a rough day or if I’m worshipping anytime actually. I always picture myself breathing in the Holy Spirit, and exhaling all the negatives in my life, anger, resentment, shame and the like. It’s a good image that i think to myself but upon doing a little more research about the breath I wanted to make an analogy.
Imagine breathing in the Holy Spirit, that’s the oxygen, the life in us, the fuel our body needs. Then, breathe out the things that seem to inhibit our relationship with God, the carbon dioxide. But also think about what CPR is, it’s literally using the breath in your own lungs to give life back to another human. Now in the analogy of breathing in the Holy Spirit we should in a sense be exhaling it also. Exhaling enough to bring life from us to others, not just the dead. Every single breath should have the capability to bring life to someone. Rather than just simply tearing people down, and bringing about death. So let every breath and every word and even every thought be life bringing and kingdom building.
Speaking life into people is as simple as speaking truth to them, and letting them know who they are in the eyes of the Father. “Death and life is in the power of the tongue” and that speaks for itself. You can either bring life or bring death it’s black and white at this point.
For Lent this year I am giving up fear, because fear inhibits boldness. It inhibits the boldness to tell the hard truths and even holds back the ability to have vulnerable conversations with people. I want to be a man who speaks life and speaks truth into everyone I come in contact with. I want every breath to be able to bring life. I want the Holy Spirit to dwell within me noticeably. As I get closer to the end of the race I want to press on and press into Jesus even more wholeheartedly. Thank you for taking the time to read grace and peace be with you.
