Don’t get me wrong, I’m clumsy ‘round the clock, but it’s worse in the wee hours. At the end of nearly every day, I discover bruises on my body that most likely came about as I bounced off furniture and doorframes on my early morning trek to the kitchen.
Winter mornings are the worst for me. I have to plug-in my alarm clock across the room or else there's no convincing my little piggies to touch the cold floor. I dread fumbling in the moon glow and trading my warm blankets for a robe and slippers that have seemingly gathered frost overnight.
I think the same holds true for spiritual awakening: without warmth and light, it ain't gonna happen. We need the Holy Spirit's fire to keep us from shivering and blundering in the darkness of our sinful nature:
“...Live as children of light… Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness… Everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ …Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.” –Ephesians 5:8-19 (NIV, emphasis added)Freedom and Transformation
As I mentioned in my last post, I believe we receive the Holy Spirit when we accept Christ’s sacrifice for our sin and ask Him into our heart. This great gift of God’s Presence grants us new freedom as He begins the work of transforming us into His image:
“Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” –2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NIV)Asking for More
Many of us prayed for God's Spirit when we first crossed the line of faith. But have we prayed for it since then? Jesus says we can ask and continue to ask:
“What father among you, if his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent?...If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts…to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!” –Luke 11:11-13 (AMP, emphasis added)As “little Christs” we’re charged to be “the light of the world” (see John 8:12, Mat. 5:14-16). This week, I dare you to come to the Father in Jesus’ Name and boldly ask for more of His Spirit. In doing so, I pray that you’ll experience a greater measure of victory over sin, increased joy in the midst of trials, and blazing love to penetrate the darkness around you.
