Powerless!

Reading in Hebrews this morning....

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. Hebrews 2:14 NASB

RENDERED POWERLESS!  Jesus has rendered the devil powerless in my life.. in YOUR life (if you are a child of God).  How amazing and ... well, powerful, is that!?

And then it really hit me... when the enemy has power in my life.... it is not because he has the authority to do so but because I am letting him!  WHOA!  So the next time I feel him taking power (me giving him that authority), I must remember this verse and say "No way, satan!  JESUS rendered you powerless through His death and that means you have no power in my life. I am choosing to walk in the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit that is in me!"

How 'bout you? Which power are you going to plug into today?

How Much Does H Have of You?

What a beautiful morning we are having here.... definitely summertime in the South with the heat and humidity. I have been doing my quiet time outside several mornings a week and oh the blessings! To hear the birds singing (I imagine they are praising the one who created them and who cares for them)... to hear the quiet sounds of a morning as it wakes up... to see the green grass and the trees full and lush.... the vibrancy of the flowers blooming... to catch wafts of the fragrance of various plants... and the breeze... we rarely how much of a breeze in the summer here but it seems each time I sit outside God sends me breezes... sometimes very soft subtle ones and at other times ones strong enough to make the leaves in the trees shiver. At church yesterday we had a guest speaker and he was talking about God breathing on us and our breathing in God.... as I was thinking about that earlier, the weather outside went from the stillness of a summer morning to a strong breeze that blew on my face and made me feel as if the Lord was blowing life into my nostrils as He did Adam. It was a lovely time!

Our speaker yesterday posed an interesting thought.... If you are a believer... a Christ-follower... then you have the Holy Spirit in you... all of Him... He doesn't hold back this part from some folks and that part from others.. you get 100% of the Spirit.. but here comes the question.. How much of YOU does the Holy Spirit have? God doesn't snatch ... He doesn't force us to surrender... to yield... He gives us a choice. So today, how much of the You does He have? I can tell you that He doesn't have all of me... I say I surrender all... but my heart sends out tentacles that wrap around certain things and hang on for dear life. It is tough letting go! The key... I think.. is not looking beyond today. Don't think of having to let go forever. Just take it one day at a time... maybe even one hour at a time... one minute! And as much as you can be specific... say "Lord, I surrender me to you... my kids... my husband... our finances... this person's health... this child's rebellion... his salvation... her deliverance... etc." and also ask Him to show you what you are holding on to.. what you need to let go of and surrender to Him. And then be ready to hear His reply and act on it!

Fruit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Gal. 5:22-25

Several years ago my kids and I studied the Fruit of the Spirit together... we took 1 virtue at a time and found verses on it and studied it... it was a great time. One thing God really wrote on my heart is how we will say "I have no patience with whatever"... that is a lie. I have patience if I have the Holy Spirit in me... I am just not choosing to let Him bear fruit in me. When we feel unkind or unloving or whatever we don't have to... the fruit is there, we just have to surrender and let the Spirit do His work in us.

Awesome Passage

Read this in my quiet time this morning... what an awesome passage of Scripture... a great one to pray back as a praise to the Father....

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7 NIV