Walking by the Spirit or Flesh? continued

In the last blog, I asked a couple of questions for us to begin thinking about how we walk, whether in the flesh of by the Spirit. The question I posed, "Can we say the Spirit is leading us?" More specifically, I have to ask myself, "Is this from the Holy Spirit or is this my own desire". I was once told about an idea that someone had and asked what I thought of it, it was something that I was opposed to but had not really thought about it, nor had I prayed about it or researched it at all so my answer was, something to the affect, "my initial response is that I am opposed to it but if it something the Lord is asking you to do, who am I to stand in your way". The response I received was less than reassuring to me, "I don't know if it is something that Lord told me to do, it is just something that popped into my head." That response did not settle well with me because the individual had not discussed it with the Lord, had not measured whether it was a fleshly desire or a God given direction. So, today, let's look at what warrants something being God directed through the Holy Spirit or led versus a fleshly desire. This morning, in my time with the Lord, I asked the Him to tell me more about His Holy Spirit. When I looked at the verse of the day in my Bible app, it was Galatians 5:6: 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%205%3A16&version=ESV That was a God given verse for me today, an answer to my prayer. I didn’t stop with that verse though because I wanted to see what it looks like to be led by the Spirit and not by my flesh. One of the most challenging times in my life was when I thought I was following the will of the Father, He worked everything out for me but in the end, it didn’t end the way I thought it was supposed to end and I became frustrated. As I look back on that time, I was looking at how it would benefit me not at how I can exemplify the Lord in the skills that He had given me. I was walking in the flesh, He was leading me in the Spirit, but my fleshly fulfillment is not what He had in store for me, He had a much better plan. So, how do we know when it is a fleshly desire or a desire led by the Holy Spirit? If we continue reading in Galatians 5, we will find our answer. Galatians 5:19-21 9 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,[a] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do[b] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%205%3A19-21&version=ESV Contrast those verses with the Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5: 22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%205%3A22-23&version=ESV When I read those I decided to write them down one column flesh and one column Spirit. You can easily categorize them in complete contrast to each other. Example: The first Fruit of the Spirit is love. We could go into a deep long study just on love. There are many types of love but God’s word make it clear what type of love it is talking about in the fruit of the Spirit I Corinthians 13:6-7 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[a] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Corinthians%2013%3A4-7&version=ESV) Just looking at those verses we see that love encompasses the fruit of the Spirit from patience, to kindness, to self-control. Love is not described in a way that allows us to be sexually immoral or impure yet many times the flesh tells us that we need to show our love in ways that are sexually immoral and impure. Showing the Love of God to others, means that we are patient with them, we are kind to them, we are not jealous of them, we don’t have fits of anger towards them, we don’t have rivalries, or cause dissension and we are not envious of them. Those are all works of the flesh. I would like to encourage you to go through the works of the flesh and the Fruit of the Spirit and measure something that you are struggling with. I wish I would have done that years ago as I wrestled with whether it was my will or the Father’s will. In recent days, when I have done this, I have realized fleshly desires and the Fruit of the Spirit. When I struggle with an issue, become angry with a situation, I have to look back and see where I am coming in with a fleshly desire rather than seeking Him with all my heart. I would love to hear your stories where you have seen God work in your life and how that was made evident through the Fruit of the Sprit versus the desires of the flesh. Seeking Him with all my heart, Sheila ,

Walking by the Spirit or by the flesh?

As we seek the Lord with all our hearts we need to remember to seek all of Him, not just the portion that feeds our ego, or allows us to be who we want to be. We should be seeking Him to know ALL of Him in His Majesty, His Greatness, His Presence, and yes, even His Judgement and His Wrath. All that He is makes us all that we are, when we know Him and ask His Holy Spirit to work through us to be what He wants us to be. Last Friday night our church had our weekly prayer meeting. During that meeting I was challenged to truly seek the Holy Spirit’s direction in my life. When I seek the Lord, the place I go is in His Word. I asked the Lord to reveal to me the power of the Holy Spirit through His Word and I was taken to Romans 8:12-13, which reads: "So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ‭‭Romans ‭8‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.8.12-13.ESV Later in the evening, the pastor had us look at Romans 8:26 which reads: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.8.26.ESV He asked us to reflect on that Scripture and what it says to us. I recalled a time when I was in such distress that I had no words to pray to the Lord and I just wept. I knew the Holy Spirit was doing the praying for me because I had no words to express. Through that, I have seen miraculous happenings that allow me to know that He sought the best for me and He answered my cries. I also have to think of those times when I thought I was doing what the Lord wanted me to do but it didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. Then, I beat myself up because I didn’t hear Him correctly. I forgot that my ways are not always the Lord’s ways but He directs me in the way that I should go. Who knows, I may have touched a life that I never would have touched had I ignored what I thought He was calling me to do. It turned out the way He wanted, just not the way that I thought He wanted it to turn out. Our pastor began a series on Sunday dealing with the works of the Holy Spirit and then today, I read of Him in Ezekiel. It was so amazing and refreshing to read these words of a vision given to Ezekiel which gives us a picture of the workings of the Holy Spirit. I found it quite refreshing today as I read my daily Bible passage. As I began to read Ezekiel, the visions he experienced, and the working of the Holy Spirit paralleled so closely with what the Holy Spirit has been revealing to me through His Word. There were several passages that stood out to me but for today I want to look at the following passages: “Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬, ‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/ezk.1.15-21.ESV I believe this is how He works in those who are called according to His purpose for you see in Romans 8:28 we read: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.8.28.ESV If we are walking in the Spirit as He has called us to do, not desiring our own fleshly needs but focused on the will of the Father, the Holy Spirit will guide us. When we seek Him and His ways and the wheels turn, we will be led by Him. Notice in vs. 20 "wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went". Can we say the same for ourselves? When we begin to think that all that we do is because of our own actions, our own dreams, we will be led by the flesh but when we deny the flesh and live by the Spirit, the wheels of the Holy Spirit will guide us in the way that we should go. That sounds so easy to do but yet we have to daily seek Him and find Him with our whole heart, not with the desires of our flesh. We can be assured that we will go where He leads and be powered by His Spirit. What can you deny today so that you may know Him more fully and be led more clearly by the Holy Spirit who dwells within those who know and love Him? Seeking Him with all my heart, Sheila

What Does it Mean to Have Faith?

I have never been one much interested in debating the Bible or trying to understand those debatable questions that come up. In those debates and discussions you can have varying opinions about things that only God knows the correct answer. In fact, I would dare to say that in those discussions, no one is correct. I have to think of Job and his so called friends, that tried to explain why Job was going through the torment placed on him. When in fact, they didn’t have the correct answers for Job, no matter how hard they tried to reason it all out in their own minds. So, why debate, eternal security, pre-destination, or why God allows or causes things to happen? Pre-Tribulation? Post-Tribulation? And so many more debates that arise as differing opinions come into play. I have found more times than not, that the words that we use all come back to the same answer, just use different words to explain it. The common thread that we have is a simple 5 letter word that encompasses the answer to all of those questions, FAITH. I don’t like to debate these things because I believe that our faith needs lie in the One True God. A sovereign God who sits on the throne. A sovereign God who humbled Himself by coming to earth in the form of an infant and walked amongst man, taking on the temptations of man, enduring ridicule and shame, yet knew no sin, placed on a cross, crucified and buried, who rose again to bring Salvation to those that believe in Jesus, the Son of God. Nothing we go through in life is unique to us, because Christ took it all on Himself for us and experienced the pains of this world. I don’t have to understand or pretend to understand the entire ways of God, I just need to know God, have faith in His sovereignty, walk in His ways through His righteousness, not mine. If we understood everything about God, there would be no need to have faith. Hebrews 11: 1 – 3 explains it like this: 11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%2011%3A1-3&version=ESV Hebrews 1 continues to speak of those from the past that had faith. The patriarchs that had faith in days of old. You can read about that as chapter 11 continues. How do we obtain this faith? Romans 5: 6 – 11 tells us 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%205%3A6-11&version=ESV Romans 10: 8 – 13 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2010%20%3A%208%20-13&version=ESV Is this faith for everyone? Isaiah 45:22 English Standard Version 22 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2045%3A22&version=ESV In the parable of the lost sheep Jesus tell us in Matthew 18:14 14 So it is not the will of my[a] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2018%3A14&version=ESV 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2016%3A%2015%20-%2016&version=ESV With all that being said, yes, read your Bible, study His Word, ask Him for clarification. Do not be deceived by the wolf in sheep’s clothing but have faith in the Good Shepherd, our LORD and Savior, the Sovereign God who we might not always understand but whom we always trust, obey, and follow faithfully. Seeking Him with all my heart, Sheila

Glorious Light

I wrote this awhile back but had trouble getting it to post correctly.  I finally got it to work and want to go ahead and share it with you.  

Glorious Light 

Last night I was awaken as I started to dream about someone finding out they had a terminal illness.  Immediately my thoughts turned to a dear friend who is suffering with terminal cancer.  His battle has been very rough and it seems that the cancer is taking over.  I almost got up and started to write this blog right then and there but sleep seemed to be calling my name.  Oh how I wished that I would have gotten up because things are foggy this morning and I’m praying the Lord will bring it back to me.

Cancer is awful as well as many other diseases in this world.  I think of my mother who suffered with Parkinson’s and we saw her body slowly deteriorate until she could no longer function.  What is worse than any of those diseases is a soul that does not know the Lord.  The cancer of sin that invades the body and overtakes the functions of our Spiritual well-being.  When we no longer can see our own sin and refuse to accept the forgiveness of our Lord and Savior.  That is a cancer that produces death eternal.  

Life on this earth is short.  I found that out at a very early age when we lost my sister who was only eight. Some people go many years before they lose a loved one but time does not diminish the heartbreak of such a loss.  I hope these words are comforting to anyone who is losing or has lost a loved one, especially a loved one that knows the Lord.

In Colossians 3: 1- 4 we read:

3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your[a] life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=colossians%203%3A1-4&version=ESV) 

For those who know the Lord and death approaches the door,  we are eternally entering the presence of the Lord.  What a joy that will be!  

Our final victory in life is being in the presence of our Lord and Savior where death loses its sting and victory is found in our eternal home.  The verse that came to mind when I woke up in the middle of the night was this:

I Corinthians 15: 54-57

54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O death, where is your victory?

    O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20corinthians%2015%3A54%20-%2057&version=ESV) 

We have victory in Jesus when we breathe our last here.  The same God that saw us through our difficult times will still be here to see our loved ones through their difficult times. 

I’ll never forget those days that I asked a lot of why questions.  Why did you leave me here Lord?  Why did you take her and not me?  Why won’t you raise her from the dead like you did that little girl in the Bible?  Why won’t you heal my mother?  But the answers didn’t come for many years.  Then, when I did hear the answer, it was simply, her time was finished and it was your time to begin. My sister saw Him first, my mother was ultimately healed when she entered His glorious presence. 

As we journey through this life, death is always crouching at the door.  We could be gone in the flash of an accident, we can suffer years with a terminal disease, or we could simply lay down our head at night and wake up in glory.  We never know the time or the hour in which we will leave this earth.  It doesn’t matter when that time is, what matters is if we are ready to face the Savior.  

To all my dear friends and to their dear friends, my hope is that you are ready to face the Savior.  I hope victory is found when death comes knocking at your door.  Living a life for Christ, recognizing the Jesus, God incarnate, came to this earth to live, die, and rise for us as a sacrificial Lamb is waiting for our entrance into glorious light.  

May this song bless you today as you think of the wonderful gift our Jesus has given us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbCnh5Q2o1Y

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Hope in Christ

 As I sit here this morning I am reminded of the hope we have in Christ.  This is the beginning of the Advent and there is no better time than now to reflect on the hope that we have in Christ our Savior.  A hope that defies all odds.  A virgin birth, a young mother, and a couple that were devoted to the creator of this World, the One True God.  Because of their devotion to God, He chose them to be the parents of His Son.  There is not much said about Joseph in the Bible but we know that he obeyed the voice of God, first in his marriage to Mary, his obedience to not have relations with her until after the birth of Jesus, dedication of Jesus through circumcision to presenting Him in the temple, even to the point of fleeing his own country and traveling to Egypt to escape King Herod’s destruction.  (Matthew1 -2, Luke 2). Mary was referred to as “highly favored one”.  She too, followed the not only the customs of the faith but was obedient to God.  He chose them because He knew them and they knew Him.  

Does God know you?  Of course He does, He created you!  But more importantly do you know God?  Do you have the hope that Joseph and Mary had when they obeyed Him?  

We have to remember that it was surely not easy for them.  There were a lot of questions and they were most likely looked upon in a judgmental way by others that knew them.  Yet, for the Glory of God, they obeyed.  What about you?  Will you obey even when others look poorly upon you?  Will you obey when the ask seems utterly impossible?  Is your hope rooted in Christ, in self, or in others?

These are all questions I have been asking myself as of late.  Life seems, at times, almost unbearable.  I have to remember that my hope is not in this world.  My hope is not fixated on what others think of me but my hope is based on what Christ knows of me, what He has done for me, and on His unwavering love for me.  He will use my mess-ups for His glory, He will give me strength, He has a hope and a future for me that I cannot even imagine.  He tells me to “fear not” but place my hope in HIm.  What has He chosen for you to do today?  Will you place your hope in Him?

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

It's Not Always as it Seems

Luke 1: 46 -55 

Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat 

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” 

 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A+46+-+55&version=ESV      

When the angel Gabriel came to visit Mary as told in Luke 1:28 – 38, he brought her good news of a Savior that would be born to her through the work of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Highest would overshadow her and she would conceive a son who would be the Savior of the world. At this Mary was honored and willing to do as the Lord had instructed her through Gabriel. She was obedient even though she did not know the entire story yet. Have you ever been there? Have you ever taken a step of faith not knowing what was to come? Mary then visited her pregnant relative who had conceived in her very old age, another miracle of God. Elizabeth confirmed through the workings of the Holy Spirit that Mary was carrying a very special baby. Once this interaction was completed, Mary began her song of praise the Lord God Almighty, Luke 1: 46-55, as you read at the beginning of this blog. Mary had no idea at this point that this Son would be rejected, crucified, and buried. She had no idea that He would suffer for the sake of mankind, that He would take the weight of the sin of the world on His shoulders, and that he would rise again in all His glory, nor did she know that He would ascend into Heaven, going to prepare a place for those who believe and trust upon Him. Not until she encountered Simeon had she even heard of the heartache this Son would impose upon her. As told in 

Luke 2: 34-35. 

  34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2%3A34-35&version=ESV 

I find it interesting that Simeon addressed Mary and not Joseph in this encounter. Could it be because Joseph would not be around for this part of the life of Jesus? She didn’t know when Gabriel came, she most likely didn’t understand when Simeon spoke, but she was obedient to God in her willingness to conceive, she felt honored that He chose her. She wept at the foot of the cross even after pondering all this in her heart. She was most likely heartbroken, confused, and surely frustrated at times yet she trusted. Have you ever been there? You don’t quite see the whole picture, you wonder if you understood God correctly. Hold on to what you know, trust the One you serve, and be obedient to His calling. In the end we will know and we will understand but for now, remember, it is not always as it seems. 

Seeking Him with all my heart, 

Sheila

What is Your Motivator?

 Ivan and I have been attending a Bible Study on the Awe of God.  It is a study from the book, The Awe of God:  The Astounding Way a Heatlhy Fear of God Transfomrs Your Life, author, John Bevere.  We are in the last week of the study and have been reading the benefits of exercising the holy fear God.  I just wanted to take a few minutes to share some of what I have been learning.  This helps me process the words I have read and listened to and gives me a way to not keep those words for myself but to share just in case it is something you may need to hear yourself.  

Throughout Scripture we are told to fear God, in both the Old and New Testaments.  Yet in our society today, we see less and less of the teachings to fear God.  We hear more about a loving God that wants only the best for us.  We begin to think, if we don't have the best, that God must not care about us.  We try to earn His love by doing things that please Him without really fearing Him but rather we do it to gain something out of it.  When we still don't get what we want, we may question if God is really there, or we thin that if  He really loved us He would do this for us.  We can see how wrong of thinking this is in our lives as human beings.  When we see someone forcing themselves or their ways upon someone who does not agree with the action.  We hear, "If you really loved me, you would do this for me".  God doesn't work that way.  He sees our heart, He knows our motives or our motivations.  Is our motivation based on our desire to please God, please man, or please ourselves?  Psalm 112 reads: 

The Righteous Will Never Be Moved

112  Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his commandments!
2 His offspring will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
    and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
    he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
    who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
    he will be remembered forever.
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
    until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever;
    his horn is exalted in honor.
10 The wicked man sees it and is angry;
    he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
    the desire of the wicked will perish!

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20112&version=ESV)

It is out of the fear and the love for the Lord that should motivate us to do good acts for without the fear of the Lord, our actions are done for our own glory.  

In your quest through life, ask yourself what your motivation is?  Who do you fear more, God or man?  Do you exalt God above all or do you try to place Him in a box or a bottle and let Him come out when you have a request?  God is way to big for a box or bottle!  Always strive to put Him first in your life.  Ask yourself, am I doing this for God or am I doing this for myself?  Am I showing God how much I love and fear Him or am I just asking Him to love me and my desires?  

More later but that's it for now.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila