Tag Archives: trust and obey

Cultivating a relationship

 

Sometimes we start off on a venture without knowing just what we’re getting into. It might be a friendship, a marriage, a new job, a ministry project, or our “happily ever after” life.  We had all sorts of expectations but then something happens and we discover it’s not all we expected.

 

And so it is with accepting the Holy Spirit. The agreement to surrender to his control didn’t come easy but we made the commitment knowing the end plan was worth the temporary sacrifice.  Then the struggles begin. We feel like we have one foot in this world and one foot in the next. Tozer puts it this way: “You are trying to take some of the world and get some of the world over yonder. You are not ready for this because you haven’t given up all so you might have the All. You want some (of the Holy Spirit) but you don’t want all.”

 

Don’t fret. This is actually a normal response. We have a bond with the things of this world and God needs to pry us loose so we can experience so much more. Trust me, I’m on the path with you. Truthfully, it’s a daily battle of who we let control our life and our destiny.

 

Commitment is the glue to every lasting relationship. It’s what keeps a marriage together when we aren’t so lovable. In marriage the “two who became one” form a new entity called “us.” Commitment is what keeps us cooperating with the Spirit too.

 

It’s easier to remain committed when we look through different eyes. The Holy Spirit awakens us to a new realm of spiritual reality. It’s not simply about doing good deeds, but about advancing God’s supernatural plan to redeem all who will come to him. The Spirit shows us how to let go of the things of the world. That next advancement, your retirement account, your treasured house and belongings, even your health and well being. . . everything takes on a different perspective when you ask God to see the world, and the people around you, through the eyes of  Jesus. 

 

We believe what we trust. Up until now we’ve trusted what we’ve been taught and conditioned to think. The media and entertainment industry have more influence on us than we’d like to admit.  But when we look to the scrIptures as our center of focus, the filter by which we see ourselves, others, and the schemes of the world, life changes. When we learn to listen to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit – who is God – we learn trust and cooperate with his plans. There are still struggles but the game has now changed – forever.

Tozer offers some pointers to help us grow this relationship:

1. Remember the Spirit is a living person, not some conjured ghost. Just as earthly friendships grow as we spend more time together and building trust so your relationship with the Spirit grows naturally also.

2. Focus on honoring the glorified Jesus in everything you do and say and think. I know it sounds impossible, but over time, your love for Jesus will compel you to draw closer.

3. Live like Jesus. The only one who was without sin and always righteous lives in you. His authority allows us to live like he did, putting off the desires and temptations of this world and putting on the attributes of Jesus. With the guidance of the Spirit you can live a life of love, peace, joy, faithfulness, goodness, and so much more. His authority becomes yours. Believe it.

4. Submit your thoughts to his authority. Our thoughts determines how we respond when it’s rainy, when disappointments and frustrations come our way, and life thows us the worst of circumstances. Choose which thoughts will prevail: the old ones of bitterness, anger, and resentment or the new ones formed by our growing relationship with the Spirit.

5. Get to know him by reading his Word. Grow your interest in knowing Jesus and let your interest in temporary things fade. And just don’t read it; meditate on it. Reflect on it through the day. Apply it to your daily activities.

6. Learn to recognize the presence of the Spirit. He is everywhere you go. Expect him to show up. He will show you how the most common experiences can reveal spiritual secrets. When you hear his voice, you will find that Jesus is all you have…and all you need.

 

 

 

How to be filled with the Holy Spirit

This talk of “how to be filled with the Holy Spirit” may sound formulaic. But it’s not the same as how to build a deck or make a fancy dish. Actually, I believe God intends us to be filled with the Holy Spirit when we first accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord. It is both a one-time event and also a life-long process. But far too often, as in my own rebellious walk, being filled with the Holy Spirit came later. I asked Jesus into my life but did not quickly or totally surrender all to his authority over me. How thankful I am that God doesn’t apply my personal level of patience with me!

 
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not an academic process. We aren’t filled by knowledge. Rather it is a matter of readiness and desire. That said, AW Tozer poses a number of preliminary questions for us to consider while examining our readiness and desire:

1. Am I ready to be filled?
Can I accept that Jesus accomplished everything at the cross and my good works don’t add to my salvation? Have I been accustomed to “considering the interests others before my own?” Am I ready to replace “my will” with “your will, Oh God?” The Spirit calls you to himself through prayer, meditation and scripture reading, and sometimes through the inspiration of others lives.

 

2. Do I want to be filled?

“Are you sure you want to be possessed by a spirit other than your own? That Spirit, if he ever possesses you, will be lord of your life!” Do I want to hand over the keys to my house, job, relationships, finances, personality, and even my motives and desires to the Holy Spirit and say, “I come and go as you tell me?” Am I convinced that I need to be filled? Have you come to the end of self and found it a futile way to live?

 

How to receive the Holy Spirit: (Reference AW Tozer)

1. You must present your whole self to his authority.
Just as we present ourselves to God to become clean before his eyes, so we must present all our body to the Spirit’s leading. (Romans 12:1-2) This may seem simple, but your response determines your readiness to let the Spirit have control over your whole life: your mind, your ambitions, and even your personality to his authority.

2. You must ask:
The Holy Spirit will not force himself on us but rather he only acts on our invitation.

3. You must obey.
It is senseless to submit ourselves to an authority unless we plan to willingly obey. The Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God. (Acts 5:31). Our obediance affirms what we believe. It seems simple to say this involves living by what the scriptures tell us but in today’s reality it is quite revolutionary.

4. You must have faith.
We receive and submit to the Holy Spirit by faith just as we submit to Jesus for our salvation – by faith. It is like building a house without knowing the whole purpose of its design, becoming a habitat of God. It’s like going on an adventurous journey without knowing all the details of the trip, letting him guide us, shape us, and lead us as only the Spirit of God can do. It’s considering yourself a vessel whose purpose is to be filled with God’s truth and grace and poured out on others for his redemptive plans.

 

Will you ask and believe him for the perfect plan he offers?

 

“We ask you, almighty God, let our souls enjoy this their desire, to be enkindled by your Spirit, that being filled as lamps by your divine gift, we may shine like burning lights before the presence of your Son Christ at his coming; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
– The Gelasian Sacramentary