Sunday, November 22, 2015

Own Your Life Chapter 7


Let's discuss Chapter 7 of Own Your Life on allowing God's Spirit to breathe in you and owning the Holy Spirit's strength through your life.

"Have you ever felt a stirring in your heart as a touching story brought tears to your eyes or as you heard a soaring symphony...something inside of you quickened, and for a moment, some heavenly beauty connected your inner self with the divine.  These are remnants and reminders of the perfect world God designed for us to live in--the shadow of places He longs to take us to, the reality of the other world He's preparing for us."  I've learned to recognize that feeling and it usually makes me very teary-eyed in joy...I love the way the Holy Spirit grips us like that.

"Too many believers experience the Christian life as a work to be done, a duty to perform, a list of things to be checked off.  Yet our works always fall short."  I felt so much conviction when I read that as I'm usually griping about doing the same things over and over again.  I'm learning that even our works can be offered as prayer and that I need to learn to do them joyously onto the Lord.

I loved her birthday example for her children as how she chose to validate their worth and show them her love, which is not dependant on their behavior.  It reminded me of something I was just talking to my husband about with how awesome God is with how easily he forgives and blesses us with so much, even though we don't deserve it...He gives us SO much and SO much is just taken for granted or overlooked.

"Christians cannot flourish apart from making God's Spirit the source of their spiritual lives."  I love that...He works in us and I truly believe that our works that we do is a sign of what is going on inside of us.  We are nothing without Him! "When the Holy Spirit directs our course, the natural consequence is a life outside of normal striving or fleshly effort.  We are able to live beyond our own capacity."  Thank you, Sally, for that lovely description...love how the Holy Spirit grows and extends us.

"When Christ lives in us, there will be a similar manifestation of His supernatural life pulsing through us."  That makes me smile in awe.  How awesome!  "Whenever Jesus lives through someone, the attributes of God's personality are clearly expressed and experienced."  My smile just got bigger.  What an awesome God we serve!

"When we walk in the Spirit, we are moved to think what Jesus would think and to do what Jesus would do.."  That made me think of the bracelets that were popular when I was younger....the What Would Jesus Do? bracelets.

Such a great reminder though...I need to get some for my kids now that I see that they are still around.

"As God's Spirit works in our lives, we will be progressively more reflective of all He is."  I love that as I know I have so many areas that I need to improve and remember to constantly be in prayer about and trusting that He is working on instead of trying to do it in my own strength.  I just need to pray and give everything to Him all day and work on my response to Him.

Lord, we need You so much in our every day life.  Help us to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and with how we respond to things in life.  Help us to respond in obedience to You with the right attitudes and in total obedience.  Help us to leave our worries and our trials in Your Hands and trust that You are at work for us.  Let us be willing to receive the rest that only You can give us and rest in You.  May Your Will be done in our life, and not our own.  Amen.

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