And to expose our
heart to truth and consistently refuse or neglect to obey the impulses it
arouses is to stymie the motions of life within us, and if persisted in, to
grieve the Holy Spirit into silence.
–
A.W. Tozer
My understanding of the Holy Spirit was that I received him
into my heart when I prayed a little prayer and at that moment gained eternal
life . . . which supposedly happened when I was 8. What most people thought of
as my over-active conscience, which caused my stomach to hurt every time I did
something wrong until I confessed it to my mother, I realize was the Holy
Spirit speaking into my life from an even younger age than 8. But these days
the person of the Holy Spirit desires to do much much more in my life than just
cause a lil tummy ache. The Word says:
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from
the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give
life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11.
“But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
” . . . I will pour out my Spirit on all
flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men shall
see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;” Acts 2:17.
“But Peter said, ‘I have no silver and gold,
but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and
walk!” Acts 3:6
So what does knowing the Spirit have to do with the title of
this post, Forgetting God’s will for our lives? Simply, it is this: I thought
that this year would be “a time of taking a year off to pray and seek God’s
will for my life- you know, where he is he calling me full time as a
missionary; to figure out what he wants me to study in grad school; what type
of nurse should I pursue to be etc” and what he taught me in the wilderness of NZ
during month el numero uno is that he
has NO INTENTIONS of telling me His will for my life!
IT IS ONE OF THE MOST
RIDICULOUS, BOGUS LIES IN THE CHURCH TODAY– that we need to worry [which is a sin by the way] about
figuring out God’s will for our lives!
To quote Francis Chan:
It is easier to use this phrase as an excuse for INACTION or
DISOBEDIENCE!
God has more interest in what we will do with the next 10
minutes that he gives us than what we will be doing next year. God’s will for
our lives is made clear in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18:
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there
is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.
For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
God desires us to be transformed and conformed more and more
into the image of Christ. That is his
will. God desires not to give me a big picture inside-look at my life, but
rather desires I walk in step with his Spirit each minute of each day asking,
God what will you have me to do in the next 10 minutes? Who will you have me
talk to? Is there someone who needs healing? Encouraging? Prayer? Is there
someone who needs to know your power and life abundant?
God is speaking to us. The Spirit desires to come into our
lives with power. He desires to move us to heal, prophesy, speak boldly, love,
proclaim life and call down blessings, set captives free, but we have to be
willing to ask not, God what is your will for my life, but God, how can I walk
intimately with your Spirit in the next 10 minutes to bring the kingdom of God
to the world around me now?!
It scares the hell out of me, but God desires “that his
children stake everything on his power and presence in their lives . . . who are
willing to suffer anything and forsake everything for the sake of the Gospel.”
– Francis Chan. It is the only way to have life abundant. . .
Are you willing to go there? Are you willing to seek the
life-giving, powerful Holy Spirit in your minute by minute life?! I am nervous,
but I am willing to ask! I WANT IT! I have no idea what to expect or what he
will give me, but I CAN’T STAY THE SAME NOR RETURN TO THE LIFE I WAS LIVING! I
challenge you. Join me this year and let’s figure out what God’s will is for
our lives in the next 10 minutes and start being DOERS OF THE WORD instead of
hearers and day dreamers only!
