It is tax season. I know some people love this time of the year because it means a nice refund. However, I do not share the same excitement. I actually dislike this time of the year with a great passion. With Eric being a minister filing our taxes gets real tricky. So as we gathered all our necessary paperwork last week my frustration heightened. I could not find one paper! That one paper created a mess on my closet floor as I dug and tossed out paper after paper. Finally the paper I needed and a mountain of papers I did not. Out of frustration I decided I was going to burn those useless pieces of paper. After all I was burning up they should be too. I went outside and tossed them in the fire pit. John grew very excited because,for some reason I can not understand,little boys sure do like to play with fire. He begged to be the one to set those papers ablaze. I reluctantly let him since I was really ready to take out my frustrations on those papers. John lit the papers and at first they burned fast and hot. Then after a little while they died down and burned steady. After awhile I thought the fire was out but I poked around and moved some papers and WHAM! The fire took off. In a moment I was not only hit in the face with large puffs of smoke but a whiff of truth as well. We all as Christians have all we need to live a life blazing for Christ.
Those of us who have read the Bible at all or who have attended to church know that we are more than conquerors in Christ. (Romans 8:37) We know we can do all things in Christ who gives us strength. (Phillipians 4:13) Yet, it seems, that many of us do not actually live that way. We start off our Christian walk just like my fire, hot and burning up for Jesus then we allow life to get in the way and our fire slowly but surely becomes so small that it barely burns at all. Life comes at us hard and fast and we curl up in the corner and live defeated. We have all we need to live a life on fire for Christ every minute of every day. No matter what the circumstance, no matter what the situation our fire in our soul should not have to die down.
We have a promise given to us from Jesus himself. "But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and will tell you what is yet to come." John 16:13 The Holy Spirit WILL guide us in ALL TRUTH. He will guide us and will speak to us. Jesus did not say maybe he will. He did not say if the Spirit feels like it. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will guide us and speak to us. We have all we need to live this life on fire for Christ.
The Holy Spirit lives in us who believe. God gives us the Spirit with out limit. (John 3:34) We have all we need right there living in us. We can call on him day and night. He doesn't sleep, doesn't take a lunch break. The Spirit is always there with us. He goes with us in all situations. He walks with us in all circumstances. We have all we need to live in victory not defeat.
How? Right? How do we live this life when it is more than we can bear? How do we have power when its unfair? How do we have victory when all we feel is rejection? How do we have patience when we are tired of waiting? How do we have peace when everything is all over the place? How do we be bold when we are scared to death?
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8) Pray and ask God to give you wisdom and he will give it to you without finding fault. (James 1:5) Don't be anxious but instead pray and give thanks. (Philippians 4:6) Tell God what worries you because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7) Humble yourself before God and He will lift you up/ (James 4:10) Seek God first in all you do and all things will be given to you. (Matthew 6:33) All you need is found in him and him alone and God has given you the Holy Spirit to speak to you all truth so you can live!
The papers in my fire pit were smothering the small fire. When I moved them around the fire was allowed to breath and that small fire took hold of those papers and caught fire and burned. If we would rearrange the things in our life and allow the Holy Spirit room to move in our life we would burn bright. If we allowed to Holy Spirit room he would be in every part of our life and we would hear him when He speaks the truth of God's word in our heart.
We can truly have victory in all things because the Spirit of truth resides in us. We have all we need we just have to use it and allow it room to move. Jesus gave his life and defeated death so we could live. God sent us the Holy Spirit so we could live in truth not defeat. We have all we need to burn brighter than the sun.
Would you be willing to ask God to show you what and if there are things in your life that need to be moved around? Would you be willing to ask God if you are truly listening for his voice in all your situations? Would you be willing to pray like King David Psalm 51:10-12
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
God loves you deeply and longs for you to live in victory not defeat. You have all you need.
