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OCTOBER 16, 2015
How to Take Your Faith to a New Level |
"The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD." Isaiah 11:2 (NIV)
When my youngest daughter was 13 years old, she started preparing me, "Mom, for my 18th birthday, we’re going skydiving." Yeah, right! Not wanting to break her brave-girl bubble, I went along with it for a few years. Then the day came; my girl turned 18.
So yes, long story short … I jumped out of a plane.
The week after Madi and I went skydiving, I noticed something new about me. Suddenly I felt brave! I found myself climbing a tree with my niece and nephew and even rescued a fawn in my backyard. It was as if I were a new woman!
Have you ever done something requiring bravery? Joined a new group? Spoken in front of people? Gone back to college?
If you have, maybe you’ve made the same discovery: adventure breaks monotony.
Adventure breaks monotony not only in the roles I play, but it also breaks the boredom in my relationship with God.
I know, I’m probably not supposed to admit this. I’m not proud to admit it, but sometimes … my consistency, my predictability, my every-day-is-the-same when it comes to the way I interact with God can get down right boring.
And boring is a terrible place to be.
God didn’t create us for boredom! In John 10:10, Jesus said He came to give us a rich and satisfying life. Are we taking Him up on His offer?
Skydiving in our relationship with the Holy Spirit can break boredom! In today’s key verse, Isaiah 11:2, it says: "The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD."
This verse caused me to compare the Holy Spirit to my skydiving instructor:
1) The Holy Spirit prepares us.
Nehemiah 9:20a tells us: "You gave your good Spirit to instruct them …" (NIV). He prepares us with instructions on how to fully experience this life God has for us, just as my instructor whispered directions to me as we soared through the air.
2) The Holy Spirit pushes us.
He challenges us to grow. Jesus said, "… whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12b, NIV).
When Jesus left earth, He gave us the Holy Spirit to live inside of those who invite Him to be their Savior. He did this so we could do great things, even greater than He did.
So what did Jesus do?
Luke 4:18 tells us: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free" (NIV).
What an adventure! Getting down on your knees and then into the lives of people who need to know and discover His truth!
3) The Holy Spirit empowers us.
The day I skydived, I made a choice to attach myself to my instructor. Then, he could use his experience and power to do what I couldn’t do on my own. This is what happens when we connect with the Holy Spirit. He empowers us to do the work Jesus calls us to accomplish which we cannot do alone.
Is your relationship with God a bit predictable? If we’re only doing the things we are capable of, there is no need for divine power or the Holy Spirit in our lives. We need to intentionally invite the Holy Spirit into our lives every day and experience God’s adventure!
Holy Spirit, today I’m going to attach myself to You. Give me Your wisdom and guidance and take me on a great adventure. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (NIV)
John 14:26, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (NIV)
John 16:13, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." (NIV)
RELATED RESOURCES:
The Holy Spirit wants to take us on an adventure to transform us into people who reflect God Himself. Magnetic: Becoming the Girl He Wants by Lynn Cowell empowers young women to partner with the Holy Spirit to experience this transformation.
Lynn invites you to stop by her blog today, where she’s giving away a Bravery Bundle — resources to help you attach your heart to the Holy Spirit.
REFLECT AND RESPOND:
Would you consider your relationship with Jesus full and satisfying, or dull and boring?
What is one step of bravery you could take today that requires you to be dependent on the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish it?
© 2015 by Lynn Cowell. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
630 Team Rd., Suite 100
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org