Tag: Purpose of the Holy Spirit

The Path Forward

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It was my observation while browsing Psalms, that David and Asaph often spoke of the need to meditate on the truth of God, the works of God, and the nature of God. Psalms 77:10-12 tells us – I will remember the deeds of the Lord, yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago, I will consider all your works and meditate on your mighty deeds (NIV).  This is a clear mandate for meditation. But how do we meditate from a biblical viewpoint? Let me be clear, meditation is not sitting still and emptying your mind of all thoughts. It is not a ship drifting aimlessly in a still ocean, with no anchor or no sail. Rather, meditation is focused, contemplation on a theme from scripture, which includes giving ample space for God’s word to breathe life into you, for the Spirit of the living God to teach you. Psalms 119:15 tells us – I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways (NIV).

So, what do we do? We step away from busyness and noise, internal and external. Get still, find a place that is quiet. Find a time that is quiet. Get alone with God. Just as you moved the dial on a radio to a specific channel, do the same with God – focus your mind on him. This takes time to learn, time to engage in intentional meditation. It is easy to read a few scriptures, it is not so easy to really ponder on the word, and patiently wait in quietness for the message from God to arrive. Psalms 49:3-4 implies — My mouth will speak your words of wisdom; meditation from my heart brings understanding (NIV).

Start simple, focused, with modest objectives. Work at getting 5 minutes of focus on the essence of God. If you drift, do not be too hard on yourself. Keep trying. God will respect the effort and deliver. Find a regular time. Put this time on your calendar if needed. Time is not found, it is scheduled. Make a plan. Stick to it. Select the right time and the right location. In time you can and will meditate anyplace. You will learn to shut out the outside din and inside self-talk to get focused on God. But, at first it is wise to meditate in the same place at a regular time.  Psalms 1:2 implies we are to delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on his law — day and night.

Isaac found it helpful to meditate in his field in the evening, someplace where others did not disturb him, where he was surrounded by the splendor of God’s creation (implied in Gen. 24:63).  Develop a standard plan of action. This is directed thought, not mindlessness. Build a list of topics, keep them on your phone, build a list of verses you want to ponder on, keep them on your phone (edit the list as needed). Get the topic or verse in your head – get started. This is God’s thing – give him space to work. Let him teach. Work the scripture, over and over. Let the Spirit do his job. Absorb.

If you are struggling with something, this is a good time to ponder on how to leverage God’s word to resolve the issue. This is a time for honesty and ownership of our part in the situation. This is a time to hear God’s plan and then learn from the master. Focus on the word, let God speak through his word. Find a path forward. Finding internal peace is the goal, getting quiet is the method, embracing rest is the outcome (see Psalm 77 for a template). In my view, meditating involves us having an open heart, a slow contemplation of God. We should be much more interested in what God has to say about the passage we are meditating upon than what we think about that passage. Be still and know he is God. Major on listening, minor on talking.

I know this topic is a big ‘ask.’ Give it a little thought. I do not meditate all day, but I do set down and focus my thoughts on God often each week. When I am swimming in the noise of the day, I turn to him.

I choose Jesus.

Heart Focus

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It has been my observation, when we pray, it should not be routinely structured to get something from God. Rather, prayer is a way to connect with Him and realign our hearts with His heart, His will on all things that matter. Prayer is an especially important tool during our walk with God. Prayer should not be taken lightly. Like any relationship, if you do not spend time with that person the relationship will eventually suffer. Prayer is a way for us to spend quality time with God. It is a way to deeply connect with Him and purge our mind of earthly things. When we pray, we open our hearts to Him — He works in us and through us. Prayer also helps us to build our relationship with God – focused on Him.

James 4:8 tells us — Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (NIV). I can recall multiple times in my own life moments in prayer where I pressed in and felt His peace override all understanding. Prayer helps us see life through a heavenly lens.

Philippians 4:6-7 says — Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds (NIV).

Prayer is important because it positions us to receive God’s peace during life’s hardest moments, prayer helps me stay focused on what is close to God’s heart! He is the One who can help you focus, find peace, comfort, healing, strength, purpose and so much more. God’s wisdom compels us to pray on regular basis about everything in our life (implied in James 1:5). Please understand, prayer for me is more than a formal, head bowed experience, it is daily chatter, all through the day. Talk with him like we talk with our close friends. Success, failure, opportunities, mistakes, heartache, little pleasures – these are the substance of a rich relationship.

Prayer is a gift; Paul tells us — pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:18).

Waiting for a better time or better location to pray is counterproductive. We are told to Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We offer praise for the good stuff and we ask for help when needed. James asks — Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray (James 5:13).

Our happenings are all good reasons to pray. Paul says — Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12). Dig deep into the heart of Wisdom, get quiet. Get humble. Focus. Get it done.

When Jesus prayed for his disciples in John 17, he prayed for those who would believe in him, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:21). Prayer helps us become one with the Father and have the kind of relationship Jesus had with him. When we come into the presence of God, all our interpretation and pretense are gone—there is nothing to hide because he sees everything and knows everything about us.

We are humbled by the realization God’s power, goodness, and how much we need him. And yet, God accepts us as we are—not because he wants us to stay that way, but because he knows that the relationship comes first. As we grow to love him, we choose to become more like him. When we find forgiveness through prayer, God softens our heart and allows us to forgive others. When we experience God’s compassion and mercy, we become much more comfortable sharing the experience with others. When we understand that God’s grace is freely given, we learn to accept God’s love; it transforms our hearts and our actions.

The best thing about prayer is the two-way conversation. This conversation we call prayer has all the components of communication; we talk to God, he listens, he talks to us, we listen. Communication is not communication unless information moves both ways between the two people involved in the event. Please do not deliver a briefing to God, engage in a conversation. Communicate. James 1:5 says – If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.

I choose Jesus.

Declare what is Right.

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Written By Dan

It has been my observation that we see a recurring message in scripture that Elohim is to be trusted above all else in this universe.  Idols are man’s creation – they have zero power, they are inert, lifeless, useless. Elohim reveals himself when it is necessary to accomplish a goal or we are in trouble. When our free will gets us into mischief then God intervenes as necessary to be sure we do not get too far into the weeds.

Isaiah 45:15-19 says — All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgrace together. But Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, for the ages everlasting. For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty but formed it to be inhabited— he says: I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, Seek me in vain. I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right. (NIV)

Isaiah mentions the everlasting salvation to be sure we are not discouraged too much.  Yet, Elohim must be true to his own sense of fair play and justice, if we make mistakes and fail to repent then we can expect issues. Sometimes, if training is required, even with repentance, issues come our way. Our job?  Stay focused. Keep our eye on God. The growth of God’s people is delivered in layers of grace and training. We learn, we get better, but we still seem to stumble. Fortunately, Elohim is longsuffering and patient with us. He knows how timid and helpless we are when faced with huge obstacles. Elohim knows we charge ahead foolishly and get ourselves all tangled up in the brambles. He smiles, then at the right time Elohim pulls us out of trouble, every time. The Spirit of the Lord is always working on our heart (implied in Zechariah 4:6), therefore the accidental troubles we encounter are mere speedbumps.

Isaiah 57:14-16 says – Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people. For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry for then they would faint away because of me—the very people I have created. (NIV)

The people who make our distractions (graven objects) sometimes create public personalities that we aspire to be like (worship).  They are makers of Idols (chaff).  Then they say — you need this thing or you need to hear this or you need to see this event if you want to live life to the fullest.  They quietly place a fence about our life — we find ourselves generating loads of activity as we aspire to emulate the public personalities or accomplish the specified objectives. We are trapped.

The deeper truth — It is God’s hope that we get still, listen to the Holy Spirit, and reassign our adulation to the one true living God. The makers of the public personas and distractions often see the emptiness themselves and they pull away from the façade as they get a bit older. They become more honest in their messaging and we all benefit. Consider the transition of some aging rock stars as they settle down, abandon drugs, and start leading godly lives.  Usually, something occurred in their life (an uncomfortable event) that helped them to see their sin and yield to the one true living God. It is amazing to see this happen with people– we all need Jesus – it does not matter what we do or how we live – we all need the one true living God.  In this transformation – we are able to declare what is right and live for God.

I choose Jesus.

Hovering over the Waters

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Essay By Dan

It has been my observation while Walking with God that the more you learn about the Holy Spirit the easier it is to hear his voice, feel his nudge, and recognize when he is influencing or pressing to influence a decision you are making. When did the Holy Spirit first appear? In the second verse of Genesis, we read — In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2). Before anything was created, the Spirit was present, hovering, observing, and pondering on us. Us!

After the escape from Egypt, the Hebrews wandered about the desert for 40 years. They could have made the journey in about 11 days. But they were a stubborn lot and God kept them wandering to bring them under control. Noting the struggles of Moses, God took steps to reduce his workload.

In Numbers we read — The LORD said to Moses, gather for Me seventy men whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them. I will take the Spirit that is on you and put it on them; they will share the burden of the people; you will not be alone (Numbers 11:16-17 paraphrased). This action really helped Moses govern the Hebrews. Notice the presence of the Holy Spirit.

There are other places that provide a clear signal that the Holy Spirit was on the job. For example, King David was very personable; he was charming, open, and appreciated by his people in his early years. David tells us — The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; His word was on my tongue (2 Samuel 23:2). Once again, we see decisive guidance by the Holy Spirit provided to people who had faith. David learned to be responsive to the nudge of the Holy Spirit.

Yet there were problems. David struggled with desire. Uriah was one of the mighty men who surrounded and protected David from trouble in the early years (2 Samuel 23:39). Uriah had a strikingly beautiful wife. David, overcome by foolishness, had Uriah killed to take Bathsheba for himself. Not a good plan. David repented. Elohim forgave David. But his failure to listen led to consequences.

After Bathsheba, things went south for David (see 2 Samuel chapter 13-24). Bathsheba’s first born died seven days after birth. (2 Samuel 12:15–23). Nathan said — The sword shall never depart from your house (2 Samuel 12:10). David found his kingdom constantly in trouble and shredded by two civil wars. Nathan said — I [the Lord] will raise up evil against you out of your own house (2 Samuel 12:11–12). David’s sons Amnon and Absalom were very violent, life was cheap in those days. Yet, Bathsheba, David, and Solomon were specified in the DNA lineage defined for Jesus (see Matthew 1:6). That is Forgiveness!

God was not done with us. Isaiah wrote — A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from His roots a branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him — the Spirit of wisdom, of understanding, counsel and might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:1-2 paraphrased).

This message makes it clear the Holy Spirit knew about the new covenant, even as he hovered above the waters in Genesis 1:2 (God’s foreknowledge). Jesus, in the bloodline of David and Bathsheba, was to be the one true living King, the Messiah. Jesus exuded the wisdom, power, clarity, and knowledge of God.

Learning to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice was an issue for Moses, David, and Isaiah. They all figured it out. They all found a way to differentiate between the Holy Spirit and their internal self-talk. You will figure it out too. Knowing the voice of God is part of how we are designed. Start now, listening, evaluating the message with scripture. Grow close to the nudge and voice. He will talk to you. He will. Be still and listen.

I choose Jesus.