Peaceful Partner

John 14:26-27 (NIV)  But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Oh the Peace of God, I wouldn’t trade it for anything this world has to offer. Those precious moments when something clicks and I remember to give my cares and worries mixed with all those heavy burdens to the Lord. We have been given a partner, advocate, and indwelling Presence of the Living God to go with us. Wherever I choose to allow my feet to wander today, the Lord is with me. Sometimes I do not feel Him, acknowledge Him or even remember this precious gift that I have been given. So today if it is one of those days for you – let this be your reminder – you have a life partner who is with you even to the ends of the earth.

Luke 4:1 (NIV) Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness…

There is a common misconception that salvation is perfection which is simply not true. The moment of repentance is the turning and embarking on an incredible life journey of transformation. To become something new just like Jesus promised requires change. It means losing control sometimes. It is uncomfortable as our dead dreams become handfuls of hope. The Presence of God in us does not necessarily change the footsteps of our life but definitely gives them hope in the outcome.

Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, immediately after being filled with the Spirit – the same Spirit led Him into the wilderness to fast and pray for 40 days and nights. Just as he always does, the enemy would come to tempt Jesus in his humanity. Jesus answered the enemy of his soul with the Word of God – the Truth called to his remembrance by none other than the Holy Spirit. How do I know that? John 14:26 tells us that is exactly what the Spirit does. He teaches us and reminds us of everything Jesus said to us. He then guides us to opportunities of obedience that lead to great blessing for Children of God.

Romans 5:1-5 (NIV) Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Spiritual acceptance by the Lord and steps to maturity are all facilitated by God’s Spirit living in you and me. He is our guarantee that God has heard our heart cry out in true repentance and has responded with His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of Adoption that gives us a new name. He establishes our peace with God through Jesus Christ. Now at peace with God, though our circumstances and conditions may not change radically, our choices and consequences begin to change as we decide to avoid sin and seek the Savior day by day. Not only on the good days, but in our sufferings the Holy Spirit takes seeds of faith planting into the crevices of our broken heart. He cultivates love, joy, peace and more in the hearts of those who remain broken before the Lord. I wonder today with a new insight and perspective of usefulness of this partnership that maybe we might capitalize on the commitment Christ made to us when He invested His Spirit in us. The Spirit of God produces intimacy with God that is only possible by living at peace with Him.

Titus 3:4-7 (NIV)  But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

I wonder what would happen if we believed that God has partnered with us in such an intimate and radical way. To give us the very essence of His Identity in order to teach us and remind us that as love grows cold and sin more rampant to have confidence in the unconditional love and overwhelming grace of a good, good Father. A Father so recklessly in love with us that He would send His Perfect and Undefiled Spirit to live in such a sin-ridden state of a human. See if we could understand the value, worth and potential of the Spirit of God enough to acknowledge Him, accept His Guidance, and affirm Him as He does us our life would suddenly and dramatically prosper in the Fruit of His Spirit. Peace would define our existence even in the most violent storm. Love would prevail as we fully accept the grace given to us as more than enough.

The Spirit washes us as a newborn baby is tenderly and gently cleaned and then He renews us from the inside out. He sees our broken heart and heals it. He sees our unmet expectation and redirects it to the One who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than ask, think or imagine. He would lead us from confident to wide open spaces full of opportunities. The Spirit encourages us to release lesser things to embrace fulfillment as only God could give it. When our faith in God and partnership with His Spirit begin to flourish – our natural life will follow suit.

Jude 1:20-21 (NIV) But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Christians have made the Spirit so spooky and unrealistic with crazy claims and even crazier behaviors. My experience with the Holy Spirit is a little different. Growing up as a Christian different religions gave the Spirit of God varying and differing personalities, qualities and characteristics. I had to become acquainted with His Spirit on my own. Intimacy is not a public event but a private matter. If you do not have a partnership with God’s Spirit, I encourage you to form one. To seek an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit that is personal. I have discovered the most valuable asset that keeps me from wandering and that is peace. When things are going great, I know God is good and live in peace. When everything is falling apart, I still know God is good and can remain in the same restful peace. Peace is the defining of God’s Spirit as He teaches us to remain constant in our faith and confident in our hope personally and individually. We can form opinions about certain people based on the account and perception of others but it is only in a real relationship or encounter that we experience who they really are and who they will be to me. With this in mind, ask the Lord to reveal Himself through His Spirit to you today. The Lord told the woman at the well that true worshippers must do so in Spirit and Truth. Don’t miss the opportunity to be a true worshipper of the Living God. Discover the life-giving, life-changing and love-altering purpose of partnering with the Living, Breathing Spirit of God – the Christ in you.

There’s nothing worth more that could ever come close no thing can compare You’re our living hope
Your presence, Lord… I’ve tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone, Your presence, Lord… Holy Spirit, You are welcome here, come flood this place and fill the atmosphere, Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for to be overcome by Your presence, Lord…