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Posts Tagged ‘Holy Spirit’

Customized Temptations

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , , , on April 21, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Matthew 4:1
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

The only desert temptations we hear about are the ones Jesus must have told to the disciples. We will never know if there were more. But Matthew’s report is that there were at least three and they are recorded as happening after his 40 days of fasting in the desert. The three temptations were 1) turning stones into bread for food; 2) throwing himself off a parapet (of the temple) to be saved, “hopefully,” by angels; and 3) earthly power and authority in exchange for worshiping Satan.

I believe these three temptations are specific to Jesus and what He could expect to encounter again and again in his ministry: the challenges of the body, challenges of faith, and challenges of power (or simply put, temptations of the body, soul & mind). I think it’s foolish to think that this was the only time Jesus encountered temptations. And the same is for us.

We are confronted in these same areas, but the temptations may look slightly different. In my own body, I struggle with body image, food, and aging. In my soul, I struggle with my faith in the face of difficult circumstances, self-condemnation, and hardness of heart (secret places of the heart). In my mind, I struggle with control, judgments of others, and disappointment. My “enemy” is more than happy to provide specific, customized temptations in each of these areas. It is one reason God calls us to daily prayer to prepare our bodies, souls & minds for the assaults of the day.

Keep me mindful this day, Lord, that you alone are worthy of worship. I trust your love. I give thanks for your Word.

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Exhausted From Sorrow

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , on April 14, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 22:45
When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.

Sometimes we just don’t realize how exhausting it is to live in sorrow. What is the source of that sorrow? Is it grief because of a loss? Is it depression and being overwhelmed by the responsibilities of life? Is it heartache from a loveless relationship? Is it from the accumulation of pain from illness? Is it the trials we face through wrong choices (our own or a loved one)? Is it just the sadness from disappointment?

What caused the sorrow of the disciples that fateful night as they prayed on the Mt. of Olives? It was Jesus we read about who prayed in anguish and sweated drops of blood. He had asked the disciples to pray that they not be tempted. But they fell asleep, exhausted from sorrow. Perhaps they shared some of his pain that night after all. But, it was too much for them to bear.

Sorrow comes to all of us. It is important to be mindful of our sorrow, not to dwell in it, but to consciously reveal the depth of it to Christ, who is able to bear it for us. So often, people in depression and grief sleep. It is an escape from the pain. But it is in wakefulness to the Holy Spirit that we can receive relief.

I confess my sorrow. In particular, I confess the sorrow I have stored away in the deepest part of my heart that has found residence there for many years. It is time to reveal it and let it go.

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What Do You Want?

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , on March 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 18:40-41
Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

At my Thursday night Bible study, we are studying Philippians and the most recent lesson was on verses 3:2-11. All throughout the evening, my heart drummed with the phrase, “What do you want?” In years past, this question would give me pause. There were so many things I wanted…. I never knew how to answer. But today, the answer has become crystal clear. I want to know Jesus, the Christ.

David Hazard has paraphrased St. John of the Cross in You Set My Spirit Free:

Press, and keep pressing into His heart, until you have pressed the image of His invisible nature into the substance of your soul… God offers to take you with His loving hand and lead you where you cannot go by yourself… along a way that no human eye can see, and that is the way of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks be to God. I present my heart-soul. This is where I begin, pressing in and pressing on, in the way.

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Love the Lord Your God

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , on March 18, 2009| 1 Comment »

Mark 12:28
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

Foundational to everything and yet, we seem to behave as though this is beyond us. Is God difficult to love? Is it because we continue anthropomorphizing God as one of us? Oh, but God did offer us the anthropomorphic version of Self in Christ Jesus. Is Jesus difficult to love? Oh, and when the Holy Spirit is present… primarily within us, is the Holy Spirit difficult to love?

Love, the verb! Love is action. Love is trust. Love is a choice. Nike seemed to get the point in their advertising: Just Do It!

Today, I choose to love God … and I’m guessing God will appear in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and circumstances.

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Build Faith

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , on March 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Matthew 17:19-20
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it [the demon] out?”
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Jesus gave the disciples everything they needed to drive out the demons, to heal the sick, to proclaim the gospel. Jesus gives us everything we need to do the same. There is only one thing lacking: our faith. Each person must determine in his/her own heart, mind & spirit, what is blocking the building of faith? Are we looking for a sign or a miracle before our faith can be exercised? Or doesn’t that fly in the face of faith? Mustard seed faith requires a leap… a leap beyond logic, 3 dimensions, and expectations. Mustard seed faith has abandon. Mustard seed faith requires total surrender. “Lift up your heads, O you gates [of the heart]; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.” Ps 24:7.

Found this today in my mailbox, a quote by Jean Pierre de Caussade.

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On Self-Control 3

Posted in Fifty days with Jesus, tagged , , , on October 30, 2008| Leave a Comment »

What is it that controls me? Unfortunately, I often feel as though I am blown about by a wind… a great hurricane that pummels me about quite a bit depending on my circumstances … and that is NOT God’s best for me.

Self-control should be a steadying force within that gives me the strength I need to withstand and weather what life throws at me. Instead, my self-control is often undermined by my emotions. They are my “old friends” who have laid claim to a big space in my heart. They are squatters. They have been in residence so long that I don’t know what it would be like in there without them. They are using old scripts. They have become a habit.

That’s not to say that there are not good days when I am anchored to His Spirit. But it requires a discipline to be mindful of it. This is part of my current journey… I am working on being more present in the moment… more present in Christ. I know, when I am conscious and “fully connected to the vine,” my emotions do not run free.

I think this is the whole point, learning how to be “spirit-controlled.” That’s the ultimate in self-control.

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On Virtue 4

Posted in Fifty days with Jesus, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 15, 2008| Leave a Comment »

In order to “do good” or choose good over evil, one must first “recognize” what is good. That may seem obvious but I’m not so sure in today’s world that it is done so easily. The world has become quite complex and the “knowing” of what is good requires thoughtful and prayerful attention.

Certainly, the Word gives us a strong foundation for choosing good, but this element seems to fall under “knowledge” which is our 3rd step noted in our anchor verses, II Peter 1:3-10. Choosing the virtuous or excellently moral way comes first. So, if it is not based on our own knowledge, it must be rooted within and then tempered and fine-tuned with knowledge.

Let’s remember, the foundation was faith. If we have grounded ourselves in faith and communion and intimacy with the Lord, our ability to recognize “good” begins there. A key element then is hearing the Lord within our spirits. It is important to nurture that sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, our Teacher and Counselor, who is always speaking, whispering, and encouraging, “go this way, not that way.”

Touch the Spirit in prayer and the ability to identify and “choose good” grows from that seed of faith.

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