He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.
Today I was a proctor for Advanced Placement exams at my old high school where I've spent a lot of time substitute teaching. It was my first time doing this and I was advised to bring something to read while these high school students were taking these exams. I was only responsible for answering questions they had about the exam and monitoring students who needed to get a drink of water or use the restroom. I figured since I had some time on my hands that I would bring Francis Chan's second book Forgotten God with me. I had only read the intro and the first chapter several times before today. I never made it to the second chapter because I had to start over since a few weeks or months would pass since I had read the intro and first chapter.
Lately, I've been desiring to see more of the Holy Spirit's power in and around me. I know I'm not experiencing nearly as much of Him as I could be. I just want to see more of Him and less of myself. I've relied on my own strength for too long now. The Holy Spirit is who empowers us (believers in Christ) to live out the Word of God and be doers of the Word and not hearers only. I've come to realize that I am powerless without Him and that I cannot live out the Word of God without Him. That's why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit...we're not meant to try and live our lives for Christ by ourselves.
So, back to this book, Forgotten God. Francis Chan writes about how we (the church in America) have tragically neglected and for all practical purposes, forgotten the Holy Spirit. Not only have I noticed the absence of the Holy Spirit in different churches that I've been in, but I've noticed the absence of His power in my own life. I believe that I've been afraid of what He'll ask me to do or where He'll ask me to go if I completely surrender myself to Him and stop trying to take control of everything. All I know is that the more I try and take control of my own life, the more I mess it up.
I know that I can no longer ignore the Holy Spirit and continue to live for the things of this world that will leave me empty in the end. I want to be transformed by Him and not just tweak things in my life (thank you Brian McCormack). I don't want to continue to struggle with the same sins, but put them to death by the power of the Holy Spirit. I don't want to continue to rely on my own ability to try and love people and just be nice to them. I want the fruits of the Spirit to grow inwardly and abundantly so that the glory of the Father will be shown outwardly.
I recently heard this song called "Beautiful Things" about a month and a half ago, but didn't know who it was by or really what it was saying. I found out that it's by a band called Gungor and the more I've listened to it, the more I've understood what it's saying. It's about how God makes beautiful things out of us when we have given our lives to Him and put our faith in Jesus. We don't have to clean ourselves up before we come to Him. He invites us to come to Him dirty and broken and He will make us new.
These words that Francis wrote in Forgotten God speak powerfully about what it means to be transformed by the Holy Spirit of God:
"The Holy Spirit of God will mold you into the person you were made to be. This often incredibly painful process strips you of selfishness, pride, and fear. For a powerful example of this, read in C.S. Lewis's book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader about the boy, Eustace, who becomes a dragon. In order to become a little boy again, he must undergo a tremendous amount of pain as the dragon skin is peeled away and torn from him. Only after he endures this painful process is he truly transformed from a dragon back into a boy.
Sometimes the sin we take on becomes such a part of us that it requires this same kind of ripping and tearing to free us. The Holy Spirit does not seek to hurt us, but He does seek to make us Christlike, and this can be painful."
"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Lately, I've been desiring to see more of the Holy Spirit's power in and around me. I know I'm not experiencing nearly as much of Him as I could be. I just want to see more of Him and less of myself. I've relied on my own strength for too long now. The Holy Spirit is who empowers us (believers in Christ) to live out the Word of God and be doers of the Word and not hearers only. I've come to realize that I am powerless without Him and that I cannot live out the Word of God without Him. That's why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit...we're not meant to try and live our lives for Christ by ourselves.
So, back to this book, Forgotten God. Francis Chan writes about how we (the church in America) have tragically neglected and for all practical purposes, forgotten the Holy Spirit. Not only have I noticed the absence of the Holy Spirit in different churches that I've been in, but I've noticed the absence of His power in my own life. I believe that I've been afraid of what He'll ask me to do or where He'll ask me to go if I completely surrender myself to Him and stop trying to take control of everything. All I know is that the more I try and take control of my own life, the more I mess it up.
I know that I can no longer ignore the Holy Spirit and continue to live for the things of this world that will leave me empty in the end. I want to be transformed by Him and not just tweak things in my life (thank you Brian McCormack). I don't want to continue to struggle with the same sins, but put them to death by the power of the Holy Spirit. I don't want to continue to rely on my own ability to try and love people and just be nice to them. I want the fruits of the Spirit to grow inwardly and abundantly so that the glory of the Father will be shown outwardly.
I recently heard this song called "Beautiful Things" about a month and a half ago, but didn't know who it was by or really what it was saying. I found out that it's by a band called Gungor and the more I've listened to it, the more I've understood what it's saying. It's about how God makes beautiful things out of us when we have given our lives to Him and put our faith in Jesus. We don't have to clean ourselves up before we come to Him. He invites us to come to Him dirty and broken and He will make us new.
These words that Francis wrote in Forgotten God speak powerfully about what it means to be transformed by the Holy Spirit of God:
"The Holy Spirit of God will mold you into the person you were made to be. This often incredibly painful process strips you of selfishness, pride, and fear. For a powerful example of this, read in C.S. Lewis's book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader about the boy, Eustace, who becomes a dragon. In order to become a little boy again, he must undergo a tremendous amount of pain as the dragon skin is peeled away and torn from him. Only after he endures this painful process is he truly transformed from a dragon back into a boy.
Sometimes the sin we take on becomes such a part of us that it requires this same kind of ripping and tearing to free us. The Holy Spirit does not seek to hurt us, but He does seek to make us Christlike, and this can be painful."
"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
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