GET PREPARED FOR A NEW SEASON IN YOUR LIFE

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”—Genesis 2:7

 

We can never regain time.  Many people look forward to the start of a new year, and  make all kinds of resolutions and promises to themselves and to God.  However many times our own efforts fail us and we give up and fall back into old habits and become stuck in the last season.  I want to encourage you today that when you put God first and His direction your efforts will produce greater success and a new season in your life. 

Allow the Holy Spirit to prepare you for a new season in your life, by making time for Him on a consistent daily basis.  Read the prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23; 2:1,4-6 inserting your name where appropriate to make this prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed, personal.   Wait upon the Holy Spirit in worship and prayer with thankfulness (Philippians 4: 6).

 

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the Wind of God, and the very Breath of God.  It is interesting to note that in both the Hebrew and Greek languages the same word in both have the same three meanings.  In the Hebrew, ruach means spirit, wind and breath.  The context in which the word is used dictates which word best fits.  In the Greek, pneuma also means spirit, wind and breath.  When God formed Adam of the dust of the ground, it was the breath of God that caused him to live.  It is the same Spirit of God that causes us to live this new life when we repent of our sins and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  However, unless we are constantly being replenished with His Life, we soon find that in ourselves our natural reserves are limited and we become exhausted and have nothing more to offer—we are worn out, breathless…winded. 

 

Nearly a half-century ago, a Scottish pastor, James S. Stewart, published a book of sermons that went by the title of the first sermon, "The Wind of the Spirit."  His text for that message was something the Lord said to Nicodemus, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

 

In my opinion, Stewart's outline on this powerful truth gives us an understanding of the depth of the Lord’s teaching about the Wind of the Spirit.

 

     The wind blows" That bare, simple statement affirms the ceaseless action of the Spirit. Never has there  
     been a time, never a moment, when the Spirit of God has not been actively at work.

    The wind blows where it wishes" This is the sovereign freedom of the Spirit. Just as it is impossible to 
     control the wind or dictate its direction, so no man, no Church, can domesticate the Spirit of God.

     ...and you hear the sound of it" This is the indisputable evidence of the Spirit. He makes Himself evident,
     His presence felt. You know the living God is at work in this place.

     ...but cannot tell where it comes from" This is the inscrutable origin of the Spirit. We do not know what
      God has been doing before beginning His work at this point and in this place, only that He has.

    ...and where it goes" This is the incalculable destiny of the Spirit. You cannot tell where He is liable to
      carry you.

 The Wind of the Spirit is a resource for believers beyond all measure. The Spirit is God's strength for our weakness, His sight for our blindness and His supply for our need.

 

Some years ago, I was on a plane flying back from Florida when the captain came on the intercom. He greeted everyone and said what altitude that we were flying at and then said, “I thought you'd be interested in knowing that we have a tailwind of 200 knots. This means that instead of flying along at 400 miles an hour, we are doing something over 600."   He paused to let that sink in, and then said, "A few minutes ago, the pilot of a plane headed in the opposite direction said that same wind is a headwind to him. So, instead of doing 500, he's doing 300 miles an hour."

 

Resist the Lord and He becomes a headwind to us, slowing us down, making our way hard. The Lord said to Saul of Tarsus, "It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (Acts 9:5).

 

Go "with the Wind of God" and we soon find we are being lifted and carried along by an incredible power beyond ourselves. The best prayer any of us can pray is the first one Saul prayed that day outside Damascus: "What do you want me to do?" (Acts 9:6).

 

I pray that you will begin to spend time with the Spirit of God to prepare you for a new season in your life. 

 

Prayer—Father I repent of doing things my own way and in my own strength, I ask You to help me Spirit of God and lead me in the pathway of life; help me to put my trust in You and not in man.  Lord I thank You that You make Your presence known and that You will carry me through to my final destination, in Jesus’ Name.  Amen. 

 

 

 

WHAT PLAN ARE YOU FOLLOWING?

“Roll your works upon the Lord—commit and trust them wholly to Him; [He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.”—Proverbs 16:3 (Amplified)

 

The word “providential” is from the root word “providence,” which is the wisdom, care, and guidance believed to be provided by God; therefore, when we use the term “providential plan,” we mean a plan that has God’s guidance, direction, wisdom and care. 

 

Today, I want to encourage you that you matter to God and that He has a providential plan for your life.  Do not worry or fret over plans that do not seem to be working out for you.  Samuel, a prophet, had anointed Saul to be king over Israel; however, Saul rejected God’s word so God rejected Saul from being king over Israel.  Samuel mourned (worried and fretted over the plan) for Saul until one day God spoke to Samuel and asked him, “…how long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons” (1 Samuel 16: 1).  You may be discouraged today not knowing that God has a plan for you and your situation.  I encourage you today, to stop worrying and fretting about what you are to do—God loves you and He has a very special plan for your life.

 

In Psalm 139: 13 – 16 the Psalmist writes how every individual is created by God and that all of each person’s days are recorded in His book, “For you formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows well.  My frame was not hidden from You. When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed.  And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”  In essence, what the Psalmist is writing is that every day counts with God, and that it is He that provides guidance and direction for our lives.  The counsel of the Lord stands forever (Psalm 33:11).

 

We must do our part by humbly submitting ourselves to God and yielding to Him as Jesus did, and say, “Not my will, but thy will be done.”  We are to remember that our Heavenly Father is the potter and that we are the clay.  It is He who fashions us, our lives, our businesses and our ministries as we humbly submit to Him and do not lean to our own understanding He will guide and direct our paths.

 

Prayer—Father I thank You for the providential plan that You have already made for my life.  I humbly submit my will to Your will and I say that I want Your will to be done in my life.  Father forgive me for the times that I have gone my own way instead of following Your plans for my life.  I purpose in my heart to follow after Your guidance and direction for my life, in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

 

GOD DOES NOT USE CONDEMNATION TO GUIDE THE BELIEVER

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak o His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”—John 16:13

 

There are times that the believer strays from the direction of the heavenly Father.  In order to help us, God has sent to us the Holy Spirit to guide us on the right path and redirect us when we are going in the wrong direction.  The Holy Spirit is sent to: “…He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; of sin because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged’ (John 16:8-11),

 

Our heavenly Father desires that we walk closely with Him; therefore, the Holy Spirit will convict us when we are in danger of straying.  Conviction is what God uses to steer us back to the path that leads to life.  An analogy for us to better understand this concept is seen when a parent whose small child begins to chase a toy into a busy street.  The child has only one desire at that moment: to retrieve the toy.  However, the mother would be negligent if she did not stop her child and prevent him or her from harm.

 

This is how the Holy Spirit works in our lives.  We may not know the potential danger or threat, but the Holy Spirit will convince our hearts not to do something; this is called conviction.  When we allow the working of Holy Spirit to work in our lives, He will guide us into all truth.

 

Conviction begins even before salvation. The Holy Spirit reveals our wrongs to help us recognize that we need forgiveness.  Then, once we accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf and choose to follow Him, we are born again.  Only then are we free from the consequences of sin. At the same time, we are still human and will make some poor choices. So, even after we are His children, God continues to redirect us.

 

Do not confuse conviction with condemnation.  Remember that “For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).  Although believers at times will sin, they are justified by Christ’s sacrifice and free from judgment, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).

 

To help guide us in our walk and relationship with the Lord, He has said that, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man [or woman] of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16).  The word profitable in this scripture means serviceable, helpful, and beneficial and refers to that which yields advantageous returns or results.  The word “reproof” describes the process or the action which brings something to the light and so which scrutinizes or examines carefully, exposing and setting forth.  It can also express strong disapproval. 

 

To bring correction in our lives, God does not condemn us.  He uses the Holy Spirit to impress upon our hearts and minds those things that need correction.  God may use the Scriptures, people or circumstances to begin to deal with our hearts so that we will be open to the correction that is necessary to return us to His pathway of life. Let us purpose in our hearts to be open to the Holy Spirit to help keep us close to the Father’s heart.

 

Prayer—Father I repent of any areas in my life that I have strayed from You.  Today with Your help I reject any voice that has come to me to bring condemnation into my life that tries to force me to do things their way.  I rejoice that it is Your voice, the voice of the Holy Spirit that leads and guides me into all truth.  I submit to You and Your Spirit to lead and to guide me into all the truth, in Jesus Name.  Amen.