There is an ongoing spiritual battle as mentioned in Ephesians 6:10-20 and 1 Peter 5:8, where Satan would love to destroy our lives, destroy our testimonies and destroy our intimacy with Christ.
I believe once a person is truly saved, we have the powerful Holy Spirit to convict us of sin, comfort us, and empower us to have victory over sin as mentioned in Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, do not yield yourself to the bondage of sin.”
Each of us has a daily struggle or choice on whom we will serve. Just when we start thinking…O following Jesus is easy…bam!…we quickly stumble or fall by what we say or do.
I have been praying often lately…LORD, FILL ME with your Holy Spirit. May I listen to your gentle whisper so I will not quench or grieve the Holy Spirit. LORD, I desire to walk with the Spirit of the living God according to Galatians 5:16.
My spiritual journey has had multiple twists and turns. I accepted Christ back in high school and rededicated my heart/life when living in Savannah, Georgia. I know I am truly saved but the Holy Spirit within me is still working on the rough edges of my heart and soul.
It seems like every season of life God brings new people or situations in my life to draw me closer to Him. People let us down when our focus is not centered on knowing Christ. I have to be careful that I do not let the circumstances of life cause me to drift from walking with Christ when I do not listen to the Spirit or quench the Spirit, when I am not as loving and kind to others as I should be or when I let the body of Christ down.
I ask for “forgiveness” from those I have hurt emotionally and spiritually, especially during our time at our old church. I am grateful to God for leading us to our current church; I seek to encourage one another according to Hebrews 10:24, 25 as we walk together in our spiritual journey of faith.
As the years go flying by…I realize how weak I am without the Holy Spirit being strong within. I am nothing without Christ. I am no different than anyone else without Christ…a miserable sinner.
By God’s grace and mercy…Jesus saved me and I am grateful. I am grateful my name is written in the Book of Life, Luke 10:20. I am vulnerable to sin when I do not obey God. Since I am not a robot, I still have a choice…I can choose to sin and choose to suffer.
I much rather choose to obey and listen to His voice through reading His word, praying, listening to great music, and praising him. As a result, when I obey out of love for Jesus; I am able to experience fulfillment with HIS peace and joy that only God Himself can provide according to Philippians 4:7.
We have been leading a community group, going through the book of Philippians and I am convicted in reference to Philippians 3:7-10.
Today, I pray for a deeper thirst for the living water to flow through me and cleanse my heart, mind and soul. In Philippians 3, Paul is talking about a consuming passion, driven to truly know and experience God. I desire to develop a heart where I pursue God and YEARN for God, which is greater than any other joy this life has to offer. May my heart have a greater yearning for more of God…..
Why am I too easily satisfied with what I know about God?
As I seek to truly know God…..I believe God will reveal more of Himself and His character to me. I can never get to the point where I understand and know all there is about God.
It will take all of eternity to truly capture and appreciate and to love God with zeal and passion.
Why don’t I strive to know God?
Why am I so easily satisfied?
Why don’t I groan for more of God’s character and presence to be real in my life as stated in Romans 8:20-22?
Why don’t I have the same desires as mentioned in Psalm 63?
I pray Psalm 63 be my heartfelt prayer this day to God…
O God, you are my God: earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you; your steadfast love is better than life, my lips praise you. I will bless you all my life. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Is there a gap in your life?
Is there is gap in my priorities?
Lord, help me to desire to know you and love you as my #1 priority.
May my walk with you not be burdensome but out of true love for Jesus. Help me to live a life of faith and make my goal everyday to know and pursue Jesus.
Upon further pondering…
We do A LOT of things that are really good things to do…like quit smoking, do not drink in excess, do not drive too fast…etc…and having a disciplined life is important…as a result, we may experience some positive gain from all those actions, etc.
BUT….It means NOTHING, if your goal is not to know God.
We count all positive good works as loss for the sake of Christ….
because our goal is to KNOW GOD.
What are some ways which stir you up for Jesus?
I pray for practical ways which build my affections to LOVE Jesus more.
Examples….time walking in the woods and praising God for His creation
Morning coffee…listening to godly teaching
Reading His word
Praying with open/pure heart for others,
Praising God through prayer, music and anything which would give God praise.
I must actively guard my thoughts and actions from what robs my affections for Jesus.
I must remember, the war is won….Jesus defeated Satan, but I am still in a spiritual battle… Ephesians 6:10-20
I must guard my mind/actions which would unplug my desires in seeking Jesus.
Just having a desire to seek holy things is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you Holy Spirit for your work within me…this day, I do not want to hinder His work according to Philippians 1:6
A Little Something About Derald: I love Jesus and his Holy Word. I love my wife, Tammy (30 yrs. of marriage). I love our son, Lance. I enjoy laughing with people. I enjoy riding horses. I enjoy camping, kayaking and various outdoor activities.
You are truly an inspiration to me as to how to be a ” Man Of God”, I love you and can rejoice that I can call you friend, I just have one more thought, Help me to follow Christ as you follow Christ, be my mentor….please.
Thank you,
John
Good stuff! Thank you for sharing your heart and love of Jesus with all of us!
Leighia