Flip the Switch
I live in a two-story house. It is constructed in such a way that the staircase leading to the upper level is in the center of the home. Underneath the staircase is a small space with a door and a light switch that I have chosen to use as storage for overflow from my kitchen pantry. The other day, I opened the door and flipped on the light because I needed a carton of vegetable stock. It occurred to me how grateful I was for the light, and smiled at the thought of how silly it would be to try to find what I needed in the dark. It would be a waste of my time and energy when the power for light is right there at my fingertips! Then it occurred to me how often I forget that the power of the Holy Spirit dwells with me and in me (John 14:17). Just as this little “storehouse with power” is in the center of my home, so my soul is at the center of my being and empowered by the Holy Spirit. It was humbling to consider how often I try to navigate the inevitable temptations, struggles and trials of life under my own feeble power.
By the power of His Spirit, Christ was raised from the dead (Romans 8:11). Jesus told his disciples in John 14:16 that the Father would give us “another Helper, that He may with you forever.” Below is sampling of verses that describe the character of the Holy Spirit and what He does for us.
“And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:2)
“Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7)
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” (John 6:63)
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26)
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak and He will disclose to you what is to come.” (John 16:13)
“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.” (Acts 9:31)
“And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5)
“And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26)
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Cor. 3:17)
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” (2 Cor. 13:14)
“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.” (Ephesians 3:16)
I put key words in bold to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit provides everything we need for life! The Spirit of Truth (not social media or mainstream media) teaches us about who He is, who we are, and how we are to live. If we don’t know and understand the truth, we remain in the headlock of the bondage of sin and fear. He is the Spirit of Freedom – freedom from guilt, shame, and fear. Just because we have been freed from our sin and can walk in newness of life doesn’t mean that we won’t continue to encounter trials and challenges along the way. It is in the process of struggling through these trials that the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is grown in our hearts. His Spirit dwells with us and in us, providing abundant comfort and guidance, as He sanctifies us to become more and more like Him. We are instructed to walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1) and that can only be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit who freely gives us all things (Romans 8:32).
Have the struggles and challenges of life worn you down? Do you need a “carton of comfort” or a “can of strength?” Do you need a “bag of wisdom” or a “box of truth?” Weary traveler, remember the power of the Spirit who dwells with you and in you, and flip the switch! Trying to live life in your own strength and wisdom is akin to trying to find a box of vegetable stock in a dark pantry. It saps your energy, wastes precious time and may yield a result you hadn’t anticipated. The light and power of His grace, truth, comfort and strength fills your soul, is always available, and will illumine your path and guide you through.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:2-3)
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Faithful
Four weeks ago, an ice storm blew through the Willamette Valley in Oregon where I live. Weather alerts warned of the approaching storm and encouraged preparation in case of power outages. We stocked up on food and batteries, and pulled the camp stove and fuel for it out of the shed. Sure enough, the storm hit and the world turned into a frozen wonderland. I didn’t mind being stuck in the house for four days. It gave me plenty of time to enjoy and ponder the beauty outside my window.
While it was bitterly cold and conditions were harsh, I also saw the faithfulness of God on display. Just as we were given warning of the coming storm, so Jesus told us “These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Trials and storms are a part of life. Everyone experiences them. Sometimes we have warning, sometimes we don’t.
As finite creatures stuck within our timeline, we have no way of knowing when a trial will occur or how long it will last. In the beginning, we feel the frost buildup. We know we are in a trial and pray for strength, wisdom, and guidance. Our walk with the Lord is fairly unimpeded and many around us may not even know that a storm is occurring in our life.
As the trial progresses, we begin to “lose the leaves” of joy and steadfastness. The strength to hold on begins to wane. We still have color, but the struggle is more apparent. We continue to pray, but the words and feelings are more desperate. Praise, worship and thanksgiving are not as easy upon our lips.
Some storms last long enough to where it feels like all of the color and fruitfulness in our life is now dormant. There is a sense of barrenness, and we feel stripped of all of our resources, strength, and hope.
Sometimes the storm goes on for so long that it can only be described as an arctic winter of the soul. These are the trials that go on for years. They are complex in nature, deeply personal, and deeply painful. The once tempestuous waters that threw us about have now themselves frozen over and our soul feels frozen, immovable, and encased in the ice of hopelessness, despair, and depression.
Our heads are just barely above the surface, but suffocation is looming. The shivering winds of fear and doubt begin to howl and swirl through our minds. “Is He really good?” “Does He even see me?” Not only do our prayers seem to go unanswered, it starts to feel like they are bouncing and we wonder if He hears our cries at all.
It is at this critical juncture that we must remember Whose we are. We must remember His faithful promises. In the midst of a years-long trial, we physically witness and experience the faithful cycle and rhythm of creation (Galatians 4:10) The darkest nights always fade into the glorious dawn of a new day. Winters thaw into the new life of spring. He is ever-present in times of trouble (Psalm 9:9), if only we have eyes to see.
I love the following quote from Alexander MacLaren’s commentary -- “The frost comes and kills the flowers, browns the leaves, cuts off the stems, binds the sweet music of the flowing rivers in silent chains, casts mists and darkness over the face of the solitary grey world, but it does not touch the life that is in the root. And so all these outward sorrows that have power over the whole of the outward life, and can slay joy and all but stifle hope, and can ban men into irrevocable darkness and unalleviated solitude, they do not touch in the smallest degree the secret bond that binds the heart to Jesus, nor in any measure affect the flow of His love to us.” (https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/maclaren_alexander/expositions-of-holy-scripture/romans/more-than-conquerors.cfm?a=1054037)
Whether your life is free of trials at the moment, or if you are in one of the various stages of a “storm,” here are some promises to cling to and meditate on as you remember His faithfulness:
· Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
· The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)
· Thou hast taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Thy bottle; are they not in Thy book? (Psalm 56:8)
· My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26)
· ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’ (Jeremiah 29:11)
· And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
· For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:8)
and finally…
· For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:28-29)
Nothing means no thing…
..not even the iciest of storms our souls sometimes endure.
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
(Thank you for taking the time to read this post! Algorithms on social media platforms can be tricky and complicated. It is easy to miss things that we are interested in following. If you enjoyed this post and want to ensure that you don’t miss future blogs, I encourage you to take a quick minute while you are here on my website to subscribe to my email list. Simply click on Subscribe at the top or bottom of the page and follow the prompts. Your interest and support in my writing ventures truly means so much to me.)
Witness
I recently attended a memorial service for a friend of my family whom we have known for over five decades. She was a believer and we take great comfort in knowing that she is with the Lord, and we will see her one day soon in heaven. Words that were used to describe her at the service included joyful, indelible, and hospitable. Her pastor (who has also known her from childhood) mentioned that whenever he was in her presence, he always felt loved. That resonated with me too. Her spirit exuded love and a quiet assurance, and whenever I interacted with her, I felt seen and loved. I remember her most for her hospitality. I remember the big white two-story house on Belmont St with large rooms and hardwood floors. I remember attending Christmas gatherings and wedding and baby showers there, with tables full of delicious treats and the house humming with conversation and laughter. Her home was a place where people gathered together to worship and celebrate. I learned during the service that she and her husband hosted foster children over the years and think how blessed those children were to have intersected with their lives as they opened up their home and hearts to people in need.
Several days before I attended her service, during my morning devotions I read Acts 1:8 which says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.” Note that the verse doesn’t say, “You shall witness…” it says, “You shall be My witnesses...” In evangelical Christianity, there is a lot of emphasis placed on the act of sharing (witnessing) the gospel message with others, and it is important to be sure, but I believe it is equally important to remember that for those of us who believe and place our faith in Christ alone, it is equally important to be a witness for Christ. Witnessing isn’t just something that we do, it is a part of our identity in Christ. He calls, equips, and empowers us by the Holy Spirit to live a life that reflects Him and His message of salvation. It starts in our heart at the point of salvation and then begins to journey outward from there, from our homes, into our communities, and finally into the world, wherever He leads us.
People who attend a memorial service for a believer listen to the story of that person’s life, as told by those who knew him or her best. The stories shared are eye-witness accounts to the truth of how God changed them. While this type of life event is laden with grief, it can be a beautifully moving experience for all who attend. We ponder the life of the deceased. We ponder our own mortality. We ponder the future. The sadness is soothed with the knowledge of hope and a reconnection in eternity. The stories we sit and listen to are in essence the witness of this loved one’s life. We hear about who this beautiful soul was, and how he or she blessed others and ultimately brought glory to the Lord.
I would venture to say that at some point, we have all wondered what people would say about us and the life we lived after we’re gone. That is our witness – the story of how He transformed our character, how He helped us through times of trouble, and how He used us and the life we lived to accomplish His purposes and for His glory. No two people are the same, therefore no two stories are the same. Even in death, the story of someone’s life can have a profound influence and effect on others. This is why the gospel message is often shared at a memorial service. It is the most important news someone needs to hear and receive.
My friend Doris knew Jesus. She was described as joyful because she walked with the Lord. She learned to abide in His love, and His joy was made full in her life. Her heart and home were always open and welcoming. She received people and served them in love. She let her light shine in such a way that brought glory to the Lord. She truly was a beautiful witness for Jesus Christ, and I am inspired to be the same.