Holy Spirit

Anger and Armor

/ Jana / 1 Comment

We have had a revealing summer. Kind of like getting a family report card, and we really needed a tutor. A spiritual tutor.

So Glad we have the Holy Spirit to teach us. What I want to share is how He does it on a small, day-by-day basis.

We will have a huge blow up. “Stop talking to each other like that.” “What’s the matter with you?” “You know better, now act like it.”

And then we all walk away a little sick in our hearts. Not because of the failure, which stinks, but because of the repetition. I want them to get the message, and change the behavior. Yet we keep repeating the same issue.

But do I think the same thing with myself and God? “I already told you Jana. Now stop it. You know better, now act like it.” God rarely talks like that to me.

What He does is call me to the righteousness within me. He reminds me of who I really am. He pours courage in, and washes sin out.

And He continues to teach, and teach, and teach.

Guess what Charis’s memory verse has been these past two weeks (Is God smart or what?):

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Ephesians 6 10-13

Holy Spirit, thank You for always teaching us truth. And teach us to pray for each other and to not fight against our loved ones, our own flesh and blood. But strengthen us to stand against the evil one. Thank you Lord. Amen.

When Words Just Aren’t Enough

/ Jana / Leave a comment

I have been trying to get my words around how the Lord showed up this weekend. We named the retreat “Yes and Amen” 6 weeks ago.  But little did I realize that the title was God foretelling what He was planning to do. We spent the weekend re-discovering the promises of God. That they are Yes and Amen in Christ. But they were not just words on dusty pages. We let those promises fill us with His power and we began to dream again. We dared to sit in His presence and let Him wash away our fears, breathe new life and courage into our hearts.

We began to believe we are more than women. We are His Women created for this time and for a specific God-ordained destiny, with His Holy Spirit power shaping and forming and giving us wings to fly. Because the Holy Spirit dwells in us, “we have been disqualified from mundane and ordinary lives.”  We were made to “shine like stars as we hold out the word of life.”

And shine we did and do and will. Could we have planned any better celebration? One sweet lamb was baptized in the cold mountain water. We all stood there stupified. We had cheered, and prayed, and sung. And we couldn’t leave. We all felt it. The power of God.  You simply did not want to walk away…

Here is a beautiful offering of what happened. To God be the glory…

“Be silent
rejoice
your spirit is cleansed

You are water
free as a rushing river,
no longer dammed, damned
for I am your current

We pour and shift
around boulders
without slowing

A force
in constant motion, stop-less
Obstacles are still, lifeless

can not steal power
when you trust and live
within me

love,
God”
by Michelle Westenberger Carrico

Living in Third Person

/ Jana / Leave a comment

How many names can you think of for the Holy Spirit?

Go ahead. Try.

Here are some I came up with: Comforter, Completer, Helper, Ezer, Warrior, Healer, Creator, Defender, Destroyer, Teacher, Guide, Counselor, Interceder

Can I get a “Wow”?  Jesus told the disciples that He had “much more” to tell them than they could now bear. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. “ John 16:13

So why then does it feel like we sometimes shrug off of the Holy Spirit?  The Spirit is the presence of God in the world yesterday, today, and forever. He is the heart of God hovering, moving, healing all creation.  The Spirit is the Third Person of our Triune God.

I hear a lot of talk about returning to the zest and zeal of the early church. But you know what they had?  The Holy Spirit. They were hiding in their rooms, praying and trying to figure out what to do next, when the Holy Spirit came upon them. This one fact is as startling as the Resurrection.  Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, the Holy Spirit  moved from just working in the world, (pillar of fire, talking donkey, rescuing out of the lion’s mouth, thwarting armies) to living in us (leading us out of harm’s way, healing, revealing truth, providing resources, and more).

To have the power of the Risen Christ living within us to guide us into all Truth is a miracle in itself.  Do we really tap into the Well of God within?  He is available and willing; God’s love in action in us. This is not heady, stuffy religion. This is real life involvement with a Real Life God. Do you look for, depend on, seek and find the Holy Spirit?

I have marked my calendar, May 23. It is the date of Pentecost 2010.  I know I already have all of God, but what I want to do during this season is pray what Jesus prayed for us, that our eyes might be opened so our joy will be complete.

I want to live in the Third Person.

Now That He Is Risen…

/ Jana / 1 Comment

Have you read the Day After story lately? Of just what happened after Jesus rose from the dead. (Do you ever just get startled when you read words like that?  It is really mind blowing…)

The soldiers see an angel. They faint. The women see Jesus. They weep and then run to the other followers. Then Jesus begins a series of appearances. From the Emmaus road download to two lucky listeners to the amazing 500 witnesses, He was out and and about.  Seeing and being seen. And I was pondering something.  Even when Jesus appeared to them, He was instructing and teaching of more to come. What else could there be after the dead being raised to life?

Fasten your seat belts. This could get sticky….

Lent has always nettled me a little. The idea of fasting and “denying” oneself as  a way to prepare for the death of Jesus always has seemed out of whack. I didn’t know why until this week. Of course it is a beautiful tradition. Of course fasting is a beautiful discipline. Of course we prepare our hearts each year to remember the suffering of our Lord.

But. Let’s look at what Jesus said. Even He rebuked the religious leaders of His day who wondered why His followers were not fasting. Jesus replied that you don’t fast when you are at the party. You fast when the party is over.  Or perhaps when the next party is getting ready to come. While we talk a lot about fasting and somberness prior to the Resurrection, it is only AFTER the Resurrection that Jesus instructed His followers to pray, and fast and watch.  What were they told to get ready for?

The Coming of the Holy Spirit.  The Third Person of the Trinity. Father, Son and Spirit.

Makes me wonder why we don’t throw a party celebrating Pentecost like we do Easter and Christmas. The Spirit is worthy of receiving, worthy of a party, worthy of preparing our hearts for. Makes me wonder about fasting now, after Easter, in anticipation of Pentecost. Fasting is, after all, a way to make room for more of God. It is a way to weed out those little affections that crowd out the Real love.

Think about it. There is more to come on Living in Third Person.