Why I desperately need the Holy Spirit

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I hope you had a great Pentecost Sunday! When I was pastoring a church this Sunday was one of my favorite. I would make sure to be around for that Sunday to preach on the coming of the Holy Spirit from Acts 2 to share about how a group of weak followers of Jesus waited in prayer. Waited until they were anointed and filled to overflowing with the Fire of Heaven to represent His temple-which would fill all the earth with His glory.

I first realized the importance of the Holy Spirit when I was in my final semester of seminary. It was a cold rainy January in Southern California. I was in our apartment on a Monday morning trying to study but looking out the window thinking about how I wanted to quit school and give up on the calling into ministry. My head and been saturated with so much knowledge but my heart was a spiritual wasteland.

The next thing I remember I was kneeling by my bed soaking the cover with tears. My heart felt on fire as a weighty presence filled the room. I was never more aware of my sins and my brokenness and yet at the same time an overwhelming sense of love- love that washed away a boat load of sins and filled me with “a joy unspeakable and full of glory,” 1 Peter 1:8.

I spent the rest of the day in a sense of awe and praise for the gift which had been given so unexpectedly. I didn’t fully comprehend what had happened as nothing like this has been taught in our Theology classes so I kept this experience to myself. Then 2 weeks later a professors called out of the blue and asked if I would come to his house for lunch.

It was during that lunch I got up the nerve to share what had happened on that rainy day. He got up went to his office and came back with a book by Martyn Lloyd-Jones called “Joy Unspeakable – Power and Renewal in the Holy Spirit.” It would be a life changing conversation and read which would impact me for the rest of my life.

Both the encounter and the conversation taught me my absolute need to daily depend on the the power of the Holy Spirit for everything in life and in ministry. The Holy Spirit showed me the depths of my sin and weakness. It didn’t matter how well trained I was or how many gifts I had, I had nothing to offer anyone in and of myself. Yet, out of my weakness, out of my brokenness HIS LOVE could pour through revealing waves of His amazing grace.

I went from a “know-it-all seminary student” to an”infant” who needed constant care just to survive. That is why I love Pentecost so much. It reminds me of my absolute need to depend upon the Holy Spirit moment by moment.  My flesh is so weak. The powers of this world so strong. Without a daily filling of the Holy Spirit I simply won’t make.

I encourage you to read Acts 2 again in case you missed it on Sunday. The Father took a bunch of sinful and broken men and women and filled them with His presence and brought in a New Kingdom that is unstoppable. These followers of Jesus knew they leaked and so you see them again and again in the book of Acts asking for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit.

I have learned over the years I leak a lot and I desperately need to be refilled over and over again by the Gift of the Father (Luke 11:9-13).

“Be filled continually with the Holy Spirit and your hearts will overflow with a joyful song to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:18-19.

“Always!”

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To me one of the greatest words in the Bible is the word, “always.”  I wonder how many times we can honestly use “always” to describe someone or something? The Britannica dictionary defines “always” to mean: at all times, on every occasion, in a way that does not change.  In our rapidly ever changing world where everything seems to be fluctuating, “always” is not a very relatable concept.

Yet, Jesus tells a group of fearful followers-just before He returns to His heavenly throne- to not worry about a thing because “I am with you always to the end of the age,” (Mt. 28:20).  What a promise, one that no one on earth could ever make. Yet, we can cling to the fact that Jesus promises to be with His beloved children, “at all times, on every occasion, in a way that does not change.”

Let that thought sink in. Right now wherever you may be reading this, take to heart that THE ONE who has “all authority over heaven and earth” (Mt. 28:18), is living in you and is all around you. Jesus promised His followers that once He took the throne next to His Father the Holy Spirit would come and make His home forever in the hearts of believers (John 14:23).

In this every changing world we live in-we desperately need to hold on to the fact that Jesus is “always” present in each of us. As I write this blog in Colorado He is in me and with me. When we get on a plane next week and take the grueling 16 hour flight He flies with us. “Always” means “always” and I thank God that He keeps every promise He makes sealed by Jesus’ perfect blood.

I don’t know about you but this word, “always” is precious to me and it is important for me to remind myself of this promise found throughout scripture. Our spiritual journey is not always easy and sometimes it may feel as if we spend more time walking through the “the valley of the shadow of death” than we do feasting at the banqueting table. But even in the valley we have the promise of a Good Shepherd who walks with us and more often than not carries us through, protecting us from all evil, so we do not need to fear today or what the future may hold.

When experiencing a valley it can seem at times we are all alone and the Shepherd so far away. And often it is during these moments that the crafty serpent comes and seeks to fill our heads with dark lies to destroy our spirits. This is when we need to shout out the word “Always!” and claim this powerful promise. We are never alone!  The King is in us and all around us we have nothing to fear.

The other night Patty and I were having dinner and I saw a few rain drops on the back porch. I glanced at the dark sky and right in the midst of it all was this brilliant double rainbow. What a gift! Rainbows have often appeared as a sign at different seasons in our lives. Once again we claimed God’s presence, which is always with us even we we feel alone. As we saw this double rainbow, we both broke out in song being reminded of the “always” promise.

This Sunday is  the glorious celebration of Pentecost! This day shouts out the reminder of the powerful coming of the Holy Spirit who constantly testifies to our spirits that Jesus is “always” with us.  I pray that today and every day you know and are reminded of the “always” promise.

 

Learning to Love your Limp

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What’s your limp?  In all my years of ministry I have never met someone who doesn’t have a limp. It may be a physical, relational, emotional, a spiritual battle or a a combination of all four that has hobbled them. A few weeks ago I touched on the story of Jacob wrestling with God for a blessing that would bring healing to his wounded heart (see Gen. 32).

But along with the blessing of encountering God face to face he was left with a limp. God lightly touched his hip socket and for the rest of his life he walked around the land of promise with a noticeable hitch in his step. His family, friends, and those who knew him before this divine encounter likely asked, “What happened to you?” And what a story he had to tell.

But why would God do this, wasn’t this cruel on God’s part? Jacob did not think so as you read on in the story:

“So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘for I have seen God face-to-face, and yet my life has been delivered.'” (vs. 30).

Jacob should have died as a sinner, wrestling with a Holy God, but instead he came away with a blessing of the Father’s love and a new name to forever be reminded of the moment of God’s amazing grace that changed His heart with love.

Every step he now took in pain after the event would remind him of God’s mercy and grace and to live in total dependence on the Father’s love for Him. His limp would remind him of God’s supernatural power and filling His heart with the blessing of His love through the Holy Spirit.

The older I get the more thankful I am for the limps in my life. The pain and times of suffering over the years and the wrestling matches I have had with God continue to teach me of His loving grace. Suffering has been a great teacher to remind me I’m not in control. My sinful pride easily wants to make me think I am somehow in control and that I can be my own little god over my world. But I humbly praise God for how suffering quickly brings me back to reality.

The limp of suffering reminds me of how I need to step-by-step surrender to the One who is  Sovereign over every detail of my existence. His path and not mine leads me to my Father’s home of healing and wholeness through overflowing rivers of love poured into my heart. I’m learning to love my limps because they have been gifts to lead me to the perfect love given to me in Jesus by way of my Father.

I love how Timothy Keller put it in his book “Counterfeit Gods”;

“The blessing through that Spirit that is ours through Christ – is what Jacob received, and it is the only remedy against idolatry…As with Jacob, we usually discover this only after a life of looking for blessing in all the wrong places. It often takes an experience of crippling weakness for us to finally discover it. That is why so many of the most God-blessed people limp as they dance for joy.” (p. 164)

Our limps open us up for the power of His Holy Spirit to flow into our weakest places and use them for a testimony for His glory.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Cor. 12:9

 

 

Reaching Prisoners via the Pando App from God Behind Bars

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In today’s podcast, I spend 10 minutes talking with Henry Miersma about an exciting new effort that Oceans Ministries has undertaken to tell of the Father’s love to thousands of prisoners throughout the country.

An organization named God Behind Bars has developed an App that runs on the tablets used in many prisons across the country. The app, named Pando, is the first and only app that is allowed to bring faith-based content into prisons in this manner. Currently, 459,950 inmate tablets have the Pando App installed, but more are expected in the future.

Click the link below to listen to the podcast and hear details about how the effort was started as well as details about some of the initial response the effort has garnered.

Please pray that God might move the men and women in prison to read The Journey to the Father’s Heart ebook, or watch the related video series, and come to know Christ as their personal savior.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:09 — 14.0MB)

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The Blessing!

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Recently I was asked to share at a Men’s breakfast and with Pentecost approaching I decided to teach on what I believe is one of the greatest gifts of the Holy Spirit-to encounter the deep love of Abba Father (Rom. 8:15) and receive the immeasurable blessing He has to offer. Our hearts are desperately longing for this blessing and the first step to receiving this gift is to acknowledging our absolute weakness. For me, and perhaps you as well, my human nature  is to avoid all signs of weakness. Yet, I have learned that  the path to Abba and the blessing He desires to bestow, is awareness of the brokenness in our lives and realizing we are powerless to anything in our own strength.

In order to experience the blessing  of the Holy Spirit we must seek the Blesser and shamelessly pound on His door until the gift is received.  An illustrations of this audacity in seeking the blessing is in Genesis 32.  Jacob searched for this blessing his whole life. Even in the womb he grabbed his twin brother Esau’s heel to gain first place in the family. Later on Jacob was so desperate for the blessing from his father Isaac, he tricked him into thinking he was Esau just to receive the coveted blessing for the first born.

Despite this blessing, more pain followed and Jacob escaped to his uncle Laban as Esau sought revenge. So Jacob searched for yet another blessing in beautiful Rachel thinking she would fill the void. But Jacob now was the one tricked and ended up with the oldest sister Leah on his wedding night and worked 7 more years for Rachel. Even Rachel and the 11 sons born left him dissatisfied.

Work provided immeasurable wealth and still Jacob’s heart was unfulfilled. Then after 20 years away, God prompted Jacob to return which meant a confrontation with Esau. The unsettling evening before meeting Esau, Jacob wrestled all night with a mysterious figure-who I believe was Jesus. Just before dawn the figure said to Jacob, “Let Me go.” But Jacob refused to release his grip until the “man” blessed him.

At the moment of weakness and sheer exhaustion the blessing came to a desperate man and God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, because of their wrestling match. It is to be noted that the Hebrew letters in Israel mean one who retains God. I would translate it as his heart became a dwelling place for the presence of God.

Jacob finally got the blessing his heart was longing for when he came to the end of himself and clung to God until He blessed him. It is through weakness that our hearts are opened and prepared for the gift of the Holy Spirit. And what is that Gift or Blessing we all need? The Love of our heavenly Father. This is what empowered Jesus in ministry and kept Him faithful to the cross. This is what changed fearful disciples into bold witnesses-when the Holy Spirit came upon them.

As we look forward to Pentecost be reminded how much you need the blessing that comes from the Holy Spirit. Realize you are powerless and that you need the supernatural love of your Daddy to be the blessing you have been longing for. Don’t let go of Him until you get it.

“What father among you, if his son ask for a fish, will instead give him a snake…if you then, who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give you the Holy Spirit for those who ask Him.” (Luke 11:11-13)

Our Abba Father offers His healing and transformational love. This blessing is waiting for you to claim.