tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13301265491663751412024-02-20T03:17:39.816-06:00Ablaze for GodMark O Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08410639184488515086noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-9913538098442330572008-11-04T06:00:00.000-06:002008-11-04T06:00:01.050-06:00<div align="center"><br />Excerpt from ‘Ablaze for God’<br />(Used by permission of the author and the<br />Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, IN)<br /><br /><strong>How to be Filled With the Spirit</strong><br /> </div>Dr. Billy Graham in <em>The Holy Spirit</em> has a chapter entitled “How To Be Filled With the Spirit.” In it he says, “It is interesting that the Bible nowhere gives us a neat, concise formula for being filled with the Spirit.” He suggests that perhaps it was because the believers in the early church did not need to be told how. “They knew that the Spirit-filled life was the normal Christian life.”1<br /><br />Dr. W. Graham Scroggie, esteemed Baptist pastor and expositor from Edinburgh, cautioned seekers regarding the nature of the experience. Basing his observations on many years on the convention circuit and his own experience, he warned that “’to be filled with the Spirit’ is not necessarily a drastic experience … a strange and strongly emotional experience. Emotions may be deeply manifest, and may not be. This may depend partly upon the temperament of the person. The genuineness is not based on the external, but on what God does deep within our nature. It is not necessarily accompanied by ecstatic joy.”<br /><br />Dr. Scroggie added, “In my own experience it was ‘joy unspeakable and full of glory.’ The joy became a pain, and as I walked up and down the streets of East London in those days … I had to ask Him to modify it, for it seemed as though my soul would rend my body.”2 He refers to this joy as an accompaniment rather than as an evidence. It is not something that “dehumanizes.” We do not become superior people; we become full of the Spirit, not domineering or superior to others. We are still our own selves with our own personalities, but they are now purified, beautified, and empowered.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><strong>Simple Steps to be Filled with the Spirit<br /></strong> </div><br />Steps to be filled with the Spirit have been described in many ways, but essentially they emphasize the same things. For example, The Salvation Army in its brochure, <em>It Can Happen</em>, lists seven points: Aspire, Acknowledge, Abandon, Abdicate, Ask, Appropriate, Act.<br /><br />Total surrender means that we confirm Christ as Lord over every part of our being. Dr Harold Lindsell teaches, “Before anyone can be filled with the Holy Spirit, he or she must voluntarily come under the lordship of Jesus Christ in the sense of being a slave. This choice will not be forced on anyone, but it is the … condition set down for those who wish to be filled with the Holy Spirit.”<br /><br />He adds that we cannot claim God’s promise for the enablement to live our life on the highest plane unless we make Jesus Christ Lord in this way. “The norm for Christian life is to have Christ sitting on the throne of our hearts. Paradoxically, when Christ is truly Lord, this is when the believer reaches the highest point of self-fulfillment.”3<br /><br /><br />Billy Graham writes, “It is amazing how many Christians never really face this issue of Christ’s lordship.”4 He states, I am convinced that to be filled with the Spirit is not an option, but a necessity. It is indispensable for the abundant life and for fruitful service… It is intended for all, needed by all, and available to all. That is why the Scripture commands all of us, ‘Be filled with the Spirit.’”5 He suggests that steps to being filled with the Spirit are understanding, submission, and walking by faith.<br /> <br />Dr. R.A. Torrey, after speaking of the new birth, lists these steps to the Spirit’s fullness: obedience (which he defines as “the unconditional surrender of the will to God”); thirsting; asking; faith.6 <br /><br />Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, places primary emphasis upon faith, but in his more nearly complete explanation he mentions these points: Desire, Surrender Confess, Present, and Pray (or Ask) as the heart preparation for faith.7<br /><br />Charles Cowman, found of OMS International, outlined these steps to the fullness of the Spirit: Reckon yourself dead to sin, yield yourself, believe the promise, and obey.<br /><br />Note the basic similarity in what these spiritual leaders say. Let us summarize and restate it in the following simple steps. Let the Holy Spirit guide and enable you to take these steps if you have not done so hitherto.<br /><br />1. <em>Be sure everything is clear between you and God.</em> Have you become a child of God through the new birth? God does not fill unsaved people with His Spirit. Neither does He fill those who are living in known, willful disobedience to Him. Graham emphasizes, “We must deal completely with sin in our lives if we are to know the infilling of the Holy Spirit.”8 Anything about which the Spirit has convicted you, anything which has separated you from God’s best or veiled His face from you must be abandoned. You must walk in the light if you would be filled with the Spirit (1 John 1: 7).<br /><br />2. <em>Acknowledge your need and God’s provision.</em> Be honest with God. Confess your defeats and the areas in your life where you recognize spiritual need. Don’t be in such a hurry that you make a simple blanket confession, a mere general admission of need. “Lord, whatever my need may be, meet it,” or “Lord, You know how weak I am.” Take time to search your heart before the Lord and name your needs before Him. It may be helpful to make a list of things the Spirit brings to your attention and then to commit them one by one to the Lord. Ask Him to remind you of failures you have forgotten.<br /><br />There is great blessing in emptying your heart of failures, defeats, prejudices, attitudes, and actions. Name them one by one and put them beneath Christ’s covering, cleansing blood. The Holy Spirit will probably bring to your attention things you did not know were there.<br /><br />Then rejoice in the full provision Christ made for you on the cross. Rejoice in the provision of the Holy Spirit who is already resident in your heart and who longs to fill every aspect of your being with His cleansing presence and His empowering for <br />life and service. Rejoice that God’s promise is available to you. “The promise is for you,” said Peter (Acts 2:39)<br /><br />3. <em>Hunger and thirst for the Sprit’s fullness.</em> God is always moved by spiritual hunger and thirst and repeatedly promises to meet the needs of our soul. Jesus assures us, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matt. 5:6). He stood in the temple and called, “’If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit” (John 7:37-39). Water is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters,” God calls through Isaiah (55:1). “I will pour water on the thirsty land…I will pour out my spirit” (Isaiah. 44:3). “Land” is not found in the Hebrew. It is a promise to the “thirsty,” and the Spirit satisfies our thirst.<br /><br />As long as the fullness of the Spirit is not your whole-souled desire, you will probably not be filled. As long as you treat the experience as something desirable, but are willing to continue as you are without it, you will not receive the fullness. Torrey said, “No man ever got this blessing who felt that he could get along without it.”<br /><br />We read of the people of Judah that, “They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them” (2 Chronicles 15:15). The literal Hebrew is “They sought God with their whole desire.” God said through Jeremiah, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Probably not desiring the Holy Spirit with all the heart and not making a total surrender of the self are the major reasons for failure to enter upon the experience.<br /><br />4. <em>Surrender totally to Christ’s lordship.</em> Make a total consecration of all you are, all you have, and all your future. Present yourself in the totality of your being – body, soul, and spirit. Offer up yourself as a living sacrifice to be wholly God’s. This may well involve a dying to your own self-will in one or several areas. You must die to your carnal selfness, to all that is of “the world”. You can now say with Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).<br /><br />“Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body…offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness” (Rom. 6:11-13). Provisionally we were crucified with Christ at His cross. We now affirm it by an act of the will in self-surrender. This is the emptying of self which must precede the infilling of the Spirit. Make a total surrender of your will in advance for whatever God reveals to you in your tomorrows. Be willing to abandon your own plans, ambitions, and will if God ever reveals anything to you as contrary to His will. Henceforth you are not your own.<br /><br />Think of your life as a checkbook. Absolute surrender is to fill all the blank checks by signing in advance your own name, making them out to the Holy Spirit, and permitting Him to fill the blanks as He sees best throughout your tomorrows. You have already said your eternal yes to His will as He makes it known to you. You are His. He is Lord and you lovingly and gladly obey day by day.<br /><br /><br />5.<em> Ask in prayer.</em> Christ’s promise could not be more clear: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to you children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13). When our hearts are prepared by taking the previous four steps, we are ready to call out to God from the depths of our being for the fulfillment of His promise.<br /> <br />Asking and appropriating need not require a prolonged period of prayer, for God is always ready to fulfill His promise. Yet the biographies of many Christians describe how they hungered and thirsted and prayed for some hours or even days before their hearts seemed ready to take the last step of appropriating faith. Perhaps God uses such a period of asking and reaching out to Him to enable us to deepen our thirst for Him or to enable us to realize new depths of spiritual need within our nature. From God’s standpoint there need be no waiting. Yet He can greatly bless to our spiritual good a time of waiting before Him. During such a period the Spirit searches our hearts. Jesus tells us in such a case to stop our prayer and first make things right with the other person (Matthew 5:23-24).<br /><br />God’s promise of reward for our waiting in His presence in prayer is certain. Isaiah assures us: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31). The Hebrew word for hope in this verse means “to wait with confident expectation and trust.”<br /><br />6. <em>Appropriate by simple trust.</em> How blessed that the infilling of the Spirit is by faith! It is by faith – so it is for whoever will. It is by faith – so it can be yours this moment. You don’t have to wait to become more worthy. You don’t have to prove yourself through self-discipline or through prolonged prayer and fasting. It is not by works; it is the gift of God. It is by grace through faith that we are filled with the Spirit.<br /><br />When Peter described how the Spirit filled the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius and compared it to how the 120 were filled at Pentecost, he explained that God gave the Holy Spirit to Gentiles just as He had to those in the upper Room on Pentecost. “He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:9). God always purifies and empowers when He fills with His Spirit, and the appropriating means which god has ordained is faith.<br /><br />Dr. A.J. Gordon writes, “It seems clear from the Scriptures that it is still the duty and privilege of believers to receive the Holy Spirit by a conscious, definite act of appropriating faith, just as they received Jesus Christ…It is as sinners that we accept Christ for our justification, but it is as sons that we accept the Spirit for our sanctification.”<br /><br />Nothing could be more simple, yet nothing is more demanding. When electric lines are installed and connected with the electric power supply, even a child can turn on lights by touching a switch. Even so, when we have prepared our hearts by making everything clear between God and us, acknowledged our need and God’s provision, hungered and thirsted for the Spirit’s fullness, surrendered totally to Christ’s lordship, and asked in prayer, all we need to do is to touch God in faith. It is not a question of the power of our faith; it is the greatness of God’s available provision that counts.<br /> <br />Believe how intensely Christ longs to fill you with His Spirit. He wants you to be all He created you to be. Believe what joy it will bring to the heart of Jesus when He sees you filled with His presence and power. Believe in God’s wonderful plan for you! How He desires to use your leadership and your life in ways beyond your own plans and thoughts! The full record you will not know until eternity, but God will encourage you at times with bits of news of how He has made you a blessing.<br /> <br />Believe and keep humble, giving God all the glory, and Christ will use you more and more as he leads you in His triumphal procession (2 Corinthians 2:14). “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (Proverbs 4:18).<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><strong>REMEMBER THESE SPIRITUAL REALITIES:<br /></strong> </div><br />1. <em>The infilling of the spirit is instantaneous.</em> Faith is not a gradual process nor is the<br />infilling of the Spirit a gradual process. Faith instantly receives in your innermost being the fullness of the presence and power of the Spirit. Rejoice! When your prepared heart believes, that moment you are filled with the spirit.<br /><br />2. <em>The infilling of the Spirit is not a matter of feeling.</em> It is a spiritual reality through faith. Your trust is not in your feelings, but in God and His promise. Many have testified to an overwhelming awareness of God’s presence, love, or power. God may or may not choose to bless you that way. He knows what is best for your future walk of faith. But power is present whether you feel it or not. It will be manifest as you serve and obey God.<br /><br />3. <em>Continued infillings of the Spirit are available to you.</em> Chapter 11 pointed out that the bible records repeated infillings of the Spirit. I also mentioned that Zechariah presents a picture of God’s flaming servants being kept aflame by the constant inflow of the Spirit. That is why Zechariah 4:6 can be a continuing experience in the service of the Lord: “’Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty”.<br /><br />4. <em>Rejoice in God’s fullness and continue to pray and obey.</em> You have been filled with the Spirit. Now let God use you. He did not fill you to make life easy for you, but to empower you for holy living and effective service. As long as you keep the channel clear between God and you, His power continues to flow into you. You cannot retain the fullness of the spirit without prayer and obedience.<br /><br />Sometimes you may realize that you have grieved the Spirit, and sense a loss of the abundance of His presence and power. You may be aware of a depletion of the Spirit’s working because of your busy ministry, or for the other reasons listed in chapter 13. Seek God’s forgiveness and ask Him for the renewal of His power upon you. Prayer and obedience will again bring the renewal you desire.<br /><br />Many occasions will rise in your leadership when you will need a special manifestation of God’s presence, a renewed empowering, a fresh anointing. Praise God! He is waiting to meet all your needs. He knows your ministry and the situations you face <br />far better than you do. All of His resources are available to you. Pray and obey. Go through life praying and obeying. God will not fail you.<br /><br />“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20). And to Him be glory through your life and ministry as you live and walk in the fullness of His Spirit’s presence and power.<br /> <br />Make this beloved hymn of the church your prayer. It has been sung in prayer to the Lord for a century. May it express your heart cry today:<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><strong>Fill Me Now<br /></strong><br />Hover o’er me, Holy Spirit,<br />Bathe my trembling heart and brow;<br />Fill me with Thy hallowed presence,<br />Come, O come and fill me now.<br /><br />Chorus:<br />Fill me now, fill me now,<br />Jesus, come and fill me now;<br />Fill me with Thy hallowed presence,<br />Come, O come and fill me now.<br /><br />Thou canst fill me, gracious Spirit,<br />Though I cannot tell Thee how;<br />But I need thee, greatly need Thee,<br />Come, O come and fill me now.<br /><br />I am weakness, full of weakness,<br />At Thy sacred feet I bow;<br />Blest, divine, eternal Spirit,<br />Fill with power, and fill me now.<br /><br />Cleanse and comfort, bless and save me,<br />Bathe, O bathe my heart and brow;<br />Thou art comforting and saving,<br />Thou art sweetly filling now.<br />- Elwood H. Stokes<br /><br /></div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">1Graham, Holy Spirit, 160<br />2Scroggie, Filled With the Spirit, 16-18<br />3Lindsell, Holy Spirit, 116<br />4Graham, Holy Spirit, 166<br />5Ibid., 159<br />6Torrey, Holy Spirit, 154, passim<br />7Bright, Handbook, 100-101<br />8Graham, Holy Spirit, 164<br /><br /><br /> </div>Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-81852314246647242862008-11-03T06:00:00.002-06:002008-11-03T06:00:01.816-06:00Ablaze for God - Day 50 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Testimonies of the Infilling”<br />Submitted by Mark O. Wilson<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%204:31-35&version=31">Acts 4:31-35</a><br /><br /></div>Over the centuries many people have experienced the infilling of God’s Holy Spirit. It is not a matter of denomination or church affiliation. It is not about being “Pentecostal”, speaking in unknown tongues, or some other ecstatic experience. (Though many Pentecostal brothers and sisters are definitely filled with the Holy Spirit, the evidence is in the fruit – Galatians 5:22-23 rather than the utterance.)<br /><br />Consider these testimonies of spiritual infilling, when people surrendered fully to God. What a difference!<br /><br />“The big word to me was CLEANSING, which opened the door of glory, hope and joy to me. Not a coming to be cleansed in the fountain only, but a <strong>remaining in the fountain</strong>, so that it may and can go on cleansing.” - Frances Ridley Havergal (hymn writer of such beloved songs as “Take My Life and Let it Be” and “Like a River Glorious.”<br /><br /><em>“A tide of joy swept into my soul, and I cried out, ‘O Bless the Lord! Praise the Lord! He does come and fill my soul!”</em> - Dr. A. M. Hills (author of Holiness and Power.)<br /><br /><em>“I was happy, but not ecstatic. My soul was hushed into silence.”</em> - Dr. Asbury Lowrey (Methodist pastor and Bible scholar. Author of Possibilities of Grace)<br /><br /><em>“Lord, bend me.”</em> --Evan Roberts (The prayer God used in 1904 to ignite one of the greatest revival movements in history)<br /><br /><em>“It was borne upon me that I had to claim the gift from God on the authority of Jesus Christ. . . this I did in dogged committal. I had no vision of heaven or angels. . . but like a flash, something happened inside me. The days that followed have truly been heaven on earth. Glory to God!”</em> - Oswald Chambers (Author, My Utmost for His Highest).<br /><br />As a young evangelist, Billy Graham took a long walk in the woods and settled his commitment to Christ once and for all. Today, he points to that experience as the turning point in his life and ministry.<br /><br /><em>“No words can express the wonderful love that was spread abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love. . . These waves kept coming over me, and over me and over me, one after another, until I remember crying out, ‘I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.’ I said, ‘Lord, I cannot bear any more’, yet I had no fear of death.”</em> -- Charles G. Finney (Great 19th Century Evangelist)<br /><br /><br /><em>“And as my faithful testimony. . . be it known to all that ever knew me, that when the unspeakable riches of God’s love visited me. . . I was immediately endued with a power that gave me a dominion over them</em> (i.e. worldly conversations and habits.)<br />• William Penn (Famous Quaker, Founder of Pennsylvania)<br /><br />John Bunyan (author of devotional classic, Pilgrim’s Progress) testified to entering into his <em>“Beulah Land Experience.”</em> Though not without trials, from then on, he was overwhelmed with the sense of God’s grace and power. (Ablaze for God, p. 300)<br /><br /><em>“On December 6, 1991, in an empty church sanctuary, my soul was flooded over with the presence of God. It was like I was swimming in an ocean of God’s love. All my burdens fell away. At once, I could see others through the eyes of Jesus. That day changed everything for me. My ministry today is a direct result of that experience”</em> -- Mark O. Wilson (Senior Pastor, Hayward Wesleyan Church)<br /><br /><em>“The altar sanctifies the gift.”</em> - Phoebe Palmer (19th Century Holiness Evangelist)Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-1286714721985424502008-11-02T06:00:00.000-06:002008-11-02T06:00:02.495-06:00Ablaze for God - Day 49 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Who God Longs to Fill”<br />Submitted by Loretta Sunderland<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2015:9;&version=31;">Acts 15:9<br /></a> <br /> </div>Who does God long to fill? ALL! At the moment of salvation, (that precious free gift of grace) the moment we respond to God’s prevenient grace (the grace that goes before) and His unconditional love for us, we are indwelt by the Spirit (Rom 8:9) Although we receive all of the Spirit at the moment of salvation, He does not do all of His ministry within us at the same time. Our faith is alive, active, and dynamic, which involves a beautiful relationship with the Triune God.<br /><br />On one still Oklahoma night, my family and I sat around the table singing and visiting together, when my younger sister, with tears in her eyes, said she wanted Jesus, she wanted to get rid of all that held her back, but she doesn’t believe that He could ever possibly want her. Not after everything she has done in her life. BUT……………. God longs to fill us with His Spirit, He takes great delight in us, and he loves to be in relationship with us. Let’s pray together; not only for my sister, but for all the brothers and sisters who are lost and seeking. For Jesus has said, I have come to seek and save that which is lost (Luke 19:10). We are made His child and His ambassador by the Father’s grace, Christ’s washing, and the Spirit’s quickening. All be to the glory of God.Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-42601071471589806602008-11-01T06:00:00.000-05:002008-11-01T06:00:01.234-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 48 Devotional<div align="center"><br />The Spiritual Realities of the Infilling”<br />Submitted by Tim Young<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zechariah%204:6;&version=31;">Zechariah 4:6<br /></a><br /> </div>Before I was saved, I would have things going on in my life that to me were unexplainable. I might be thinking about someone and then mysteriously run into that person, or I might call someone, only to have them say, “I was just going to call you.” We used to call those moments; déjà vu, circumstance or coincidences.<br /><br />Now that I have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I know that it is more than just a chance happening, but actually what we like to call a ‘God Moment’, or a Divine appointment. I believe that God through the Holy Spirit gives us promptings; to put people on our hearts. Then it’s our job to make sure we follow up on the appointments. For some it kind of freaks them out to be led by something that they can’t see.<br /><br />I have had people say to me that after they have accepted the Lord in their heart they are hearing Him, and wondering why now. My only explanation to them is that they are finally listening! I have times now where I’m thinking of someone and I’ll run into them at the store. They will either have a burden or they will say, “I can’t believe I ran into you, I was going to call you when I get home.” Or, I’ll call someone and they’ll say, “I was looking up your number to call you, or I knew you’d call.” I don’t now about you, but that’s not me, that’s a higher power, prompting me to call one of His children—Divine appointment! Before, I might have just blown it off as a coincidence.<br /><br />As followers of Jesus it is our job to be obedient to the Holy Spirit. 1 Peter 1:22 says, “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.” (NASB) Make sure it is of God, by praying for what the Holy Spirit has called you to do. Then act according to God’s will for people He puts in your path; be ready and willing for a ‘God Moment’!Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-11232213328698417692008-10-31T06:00:00.000-05:002008-10-31T06:00:02.463-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 47 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“The Marks of the Spirit-filled Person”<br />Submitted by Heath Davis<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%205:22-23;&version=31;">Galatians 5:22,23</a><br /><br /> </div>When the kingdom of God comes Jesus will not be recognized by a crown or robes. He’s never been into that kind of garb. The Scripture teach He will be known by His scars. We will identify the King of Kings by nail-scarred marks on his hands and feet. <br /><br />In the same way the Holy Spirit today is recognized by specific marks. The two most significant marks of God’s Spirit in a person’s life is purity and power. <br /><br />As God’s Spirit fills our lives there is a instantaneous and ongoing desire to serve God with a pure heart. One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit’s work is that there is an increased sensitivity in our lives to those things that dishonor the heart of God. We recognize all too quickly what the disciples experienced. . .“The Spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” The habits of our bodies (course talk, loose lips, wandering minds, rolling eyes, stingy hands, lazy feet, etc.) quickly are confronted by the Spirit inside us. I’ve noticed that when the Spirit is at work in a person’s life, a crisis occurs within the self. The Spirit is screaming “purify, purify” and the body is screaming “I am a creature of habit…I hate change.” So, the Spirit’s quest to purify leads in this internal crusade towards holiness.<br /><br />In order to win this battle we need power over the sinful habits at work in the members of our body (Romans 7:21). <br /><br />How convenient! The second mark of the Holy Spirit is power. The Scripture says that the Spirit “helps us in our weakness”. We want to become holy, but cannot go it alone. As we admit our need for God’s help, the Spirit comes with divine assistance. <br /><br />First, He intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8:27).<br />Second, He reminds us Whose we are (8:16). <br />Third, He embeds in thick skulls the truth that we no longer are defined by condemnation (8:1), but by conquest (8:37)! <br /><br />His marks in our life are simple to detect. Purity and Power. And, they compliment one another us they lead us towards the image of Christ.<br /><br /> Are His marks recognizable in your life today?Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-7526220021381300352008-10-30T06:00:00.001-05:002008-10-30T06:00:07.530-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 46 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Infilling Begins with Complete Surrender”<br />Submitted by Judy Gorud<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012:1-2;&version=31;">Romans 12:1,2<br /></a> </div><br /> Infilling begins with complete surrender.<br /> <br />Surrender from a worldly perspective denotes defeat after a lost battle. In God’s kingdom however, it is the basis for a life of joy, peace and victory.<br /> <br />So what do we surrender? Our selfishness, passivity, ambitions, plans, grudges, critical attitudes, and an unloving spirit. God may show you others!<br /> <br />When the above attitudes and mind-sets fill our hearts and minds, there is no room for the infilling of the Spirit. When you put water in a container that has a rock in it – that container is not yet “full” of water – and cannot be “full of water” until the rock is removed!<br /> <br />To surrender all we must ask the Holy Spirit to shine the probing light into our hearts to reveal what is there, ask God’s forgiveness and cleansing – then we are ready for that baptism of the Holy Spirit who brings purity, power and love to work in and through us for God’s glory and the benefit of His Church.<br /> <br />However, once we have reached this place we must realize our enemy, Satan, will do all he can to bring back thoughts of these weaknesses. We must fight constantly – what Paul calls the “good fight of faith.” And as we are faced with new situations and assignments from the Lord we must have His cleansing and fresh infillings to meet the need.<br /> <br />Pray: Father in heaven, as the Lord Jesus told His followers to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit, so we too need to have that infilling so we can effectively do Your work. So this day I confess my sins and ask for the Holy Spirit to cleanse me and fill me with His love and power just now. In Jesus’ Name. AMENLori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-13612401870285658812008-10-29T06:00:00.003-05:002008-10-29T06:00:02.589-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 45 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“The Hand We’ve Been Dealt”<br />Submitted by Heath Davis<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Peter%201:3-4;&version=31;">2 Peter 1:3,4<br /></a><br /></div>Why are we forever dissatisfied with the hand we’ve been dealt?<br /><br />Imagine for a moment a guy in a poker game holding a Royal Flush in his hand. He’s positioned to win. Yet, not recognizing the great cards he’s holding, decides to fold. We might question this man’s sanity or question if he even understands how the game is played, but we would never question the hand he was dealt. We’d correctly assume that he was granted a perfect hand. We’d argue that the man had in his grasp all he needed to win the game, to achieve success. Yet, unless he chooses to play out that hand, what he has been dealt is of little consequence.<br /><br />In the same way, the Scriptures are clear that through the Holy Spirit God has dealt us one great hand. Our desire to sometimes fold the hand God has dealt us because we are dissatisfied with Him exposes how often we misconstrue the game we are called to play. . .and misunderstand the God we are called to serve.<br /><br />Let’s take a peek at just a few of the cards we hold and see the precious hand we’ve been dealt. If you have received the Holy Spirit:<br /><br />· You have been chosen by God (Ephesians 1:3-8)<br />· You have been sealed by His Spirit marking your permanence in his kingdom (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)<br />· You are part of the body of Christ (1Corinthians 12:27)<br />· You are free from the power of sin (Romans 6:18)<br />· You are a child of the King (Romans 8:15-17)<br />· You have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16)<br />· You have been given gifts (I Corinthians 12:4-7)<br />· You are heir to a Kingdom (Hebrews 12:28)<br /><br />God has placed all His chips on the table through the loving sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Quite a gamble indeed. Now, because of Jesus’ sacrifice we hold a Royal Flush. How we play the game and what we do with the hand we’re dealt. . .well, let’s just say, we hold the cards.<br /><br />You have two options today. You can fold. . .or you can put all the chips on the table and play out the victorious hand you’ve been dealt.Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-13439585820952966582008-10-28T06:00:00.000-05:002008-10-28T06:00:02.276-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 44 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Our Indwelling and Our Infilling”<br />Submitted by Jeremy Mavis<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%205:18;&version=31;">Ephesians 5:18</a><br /><br /> </div>What if Culvers came to town? I’ve heard this rumor often in my short time in Hayward. What if the rumor was true and the backhoes started digging, foundations were placed, the building structure went up, the lights were turned on, the food smell was wafting through town, the cashiers were ready, but the doors remained locked? And not just one day, but three days, and then a week, and then almost a month! What were they doing?! Why go through all that trouble to create an amazing restaurant, cook the food, and then NOT open up and share it?! That’s crazy!<br /><br />Exactly! This would be the difference between being “indwelt” with the Spirit versus being “infilled” with the spirit. The indwelling of the Spirit of God happens when a person opens up their heart to God in faith through Jesus. The Holy Spirit builds a home in the heart of that faith-filled person. It is like the creation and existence of a Culvers restaurant in Hayward. We are all excited that the Spirit just made a new home in the heart of another child of God!<br /><br />If, however, that is all the faith-filled person did, then that would be a shame. Why? Well, it is a little like having this amazing, Culver-aroma snaking around town, but not being able to eat anything. The Holy Spirit is inside your heart, but nothing happens. Culvers was built to serve greasy hamburgers and tasty frozen treats! The Holy Spirit indwells in order to infill!<br /><br />The infilling of the Holy Spirit means that he opens up shop in your heart. You become a beacon of light and hope for the world around you because you have allowed the anointing presence of the Spirit of God to shine in your life. Infilling is when you allow the Spirit to coarse through every thought and intention of the heart and live out of His power and strength and not our own. Being infilled with the indwelt Spirit is a lot like unlocking the doors to Culvers and ordering that/those…whatever.<br /><br />Culvers exists not to be a building, but a provision of food and beverages to Hayward and beyond. The Holy Spirit infills, not to merely indwell, but to take a human heart and be a launching pad of God’s power and presence to Hayward and beyond.Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-18599838124166933192008-10-27T06:00:00.000-05:002008-10-27T06:00:04.001-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 43 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Integrity in Our Private World”<br />Submitted by Dennis Smith<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20139;&version=31;">Psalm 139<br /></a> </div><br />“Well did you see me?” These were the common words out of my then three year old daughter’s mouth when interrogated by us, her parents, about some suspected wrong doing. In her mind if we didn’t actually see her do it she didn’t have to own up to it. <br /><br />I often find myself in this same situation, believing that I have gotten away with something so long as it wasn’t visible to the outside world. In my mind I think no one will ever know because they may have not seen my bad behavior, or worse yet, my sinful thoughts, motives or intentions.<br /><br />I resort to this type of earthly thinking when I find my self out of touch with God. I forget he sees and knows all. While God is not the author of these sins of mine, I feel he understands them because of what went on in the Garden of Eden that day. Because I struggle so with this private world of mine, I am so thankful for God’s redemptive power and love that he has freely given us through his son Jesus Christ. <br /><br />The challenge for each of us is to find a consistent way to keep ourselves in touch with God. I have found that journaling my prayers works best for me. For you it maybe something totally different, but find a practice that helps you stay in tune and exercise it often so that you to can enjoy the rich life that comes with a close relationship with your Creator.Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-80981213502385031332008-10-26T06:00:00.000-05:002008-10-26T06:00:02.313-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 42 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Integrity in Communal Life”<br />Submitted by Jim January<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%203:12-15;&version=31;">Colossians 3:12-15</a><br /><br /> </div>Starting points are important. In 1980 Rosie Ruiz had just won the Boston marathon and received the winner’s laurel. Unfortunately, it was later discovered that she had only run the last few miles of the race and was stripped of her crown. She had lost her integrity by missing the most important aspect of the race, the starting point.<br /><br />Many times as God’s people we miss the starting point of community. It is easy to live in a community where everyone looks like us, speaks like us, thinks like us, and worships God like us. We are comfortable. But this is not Christ-likeness. No, Jesus hung out with the handicapped, the tax collectors, the poor, the lepers, the rich, the religious, the young, the old, and even people who betrayed his trust. Yes, Jesus knew where the community starting line was and he challenges us to see it in everyone we come in contact with if we are to become like him. Community starts with understanding that every person on this planet (whether we like it or not) was made in the image of God, and our responsibility is not only to love them as ourselves (Matt. 22: 37-40), but to love them as Jesus loves us (John 13: 34-35).<br /><br />Thus love in the Christian community should, first of all, not be based on doctrine, principle, commonality, church ideology, but instead based on a love that knows that God loves all his people. If this is our starting point, then the person we enjoy the least (for whatever reason) is welcomed into our community.<br /><br />This makes community a dirty, painful process. We are actually called to love, forgive, nurture and dwell among people who are sure to let us down. Therefore, let us go through our days of community knowing full well where our starting point is-loving one another as God loves us.Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-68099195657336518782008-10-25T06:00:00.001-05:002008-10-25T06:00:01.548-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 41 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Integrity in Marriage”<br />Submitted by Gary and Sue Bartz<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%204:3&version=31">Ephesians 4:3<br /></a> </div><div align="left"><br />Webster’s Dictionary defines integrity as this:<br /><br />integrity<br />1: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values: incorruptibility<br />2: an unimpaired condition; soundness<br />3: the quality or state of being complete or undivided; completeness<br /><br />Although it’s not always easy, this is what we need to strive for in our marriages. Life can bring an overabundance of storms on any given day. Combine this with the fact that the enemy is doing his best to destroy the marriage, and you have an award winning recipe for a battle.<br /><br />Have you ever thought about how the words integrity and integrate are so similar? In order to thrive, a marriage really needs one in order to achieve the other. Stir in a good dose of respect, romance and humor and who knows what will happen. Better than chocolate chip cookie dough!<br /><br />A great verse to meditate on as related to your spouse is Ephesians 4:3. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”. <br /><br />Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us to each other. We pray for Your protection over our marriage, over our love. We pray for your help so we might model Your love and Your heart, as we go through the various seasons in our marriage. In Your name, Amen.<br /> </div>Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-91331787819172782992008-10-24T06:00:00.000-05:002008-10-24T06:00:02.174-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 40 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Integrity in our Play”<br />Submitted by Jeremy Mavis<br /><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206:17&version=31">1 Timothy 6:17<br /></a> </div><br /> “Jeremy, you’re no good when the TV is on.” This is true. When the TV is on in my home, I am drawn to its pulsating orb of light! Maybe because I am an extremely focused person. This is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing when I don’t want to be distracted; a curse when I want to be distracted! Watching television allows me to focus on a mind-numbing task rather than an intense one. Which frustrates my wife and now my daughter because I often go too far in the mind-numbing department. I become “no good” to anyone (let alone the two people I love the most in my life!).<br /><br />So how does one relax from a long day’s work (or long week’s worth of work) without escaping or being destructive? Does God care about our exhaustion and need for “vegging out” and is this something a person ablaze for God person should do?<br /><br />God gave us something amazing in the act of creation—He stamped His image on us. Much ink has been spilt in understanding what the “image of God” means, but it at least means this: we are like God somehow. Not outside looks, but embedded into our character and passions—our soul. Because God is a creator, we are also mini-creators. We were created by God to re-create.<br /><br />When I watch TV I am seeking to be renewed and refreshed; I am recreating. What goes wrong is that I recreate in front of the TV too long to the neglect of the women in my life. Integrity in our play should be sourced in a God-inspired act of creating again what was worn out of us in a hard day’s work. In that sense, re-creation serves a divine purpose in that it brings back a sense of wholeness and balance that is taken from work.<br /><br />More than anyone, children understand the necessary component of play in our lives. My daughter Sari wants me to be involved in her stacking of blocks, reading a book, or poking her finger in my belly button as I lay on the floor watching TV! <br /><br />On that note, I guess I’d better turn off Seinfeld and get my finger poking revenge!Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-55470887160765319352008-10-23T06:00:00.000-05:002008-10-23T06:00:01.148-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 39 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Integrity in our Work”<br />Submitted by Kevin Kiss<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%203:23;&version=31;">Colossians 3:23<br /></a><br /> </div>So there I am, standing atop an extension ladder preparing to apply stain to the gable peak of a beautiful Northwood's cabin when I'm stopped dead by a hole, no bigger around than my smallest finger. I stare at it, and as it stares back at me, I can only think one thing.<br /><br />Caulk! That hole needs to be caulked before I can continue staining. No big deal, it'll take only thirty seconds to caulk a hole, right? Trouble is that the caulk is in the work truck, and I'm standing atop a ladder, forty feet above the ground. The truck is on the far end of the house, then up a long flight of steps, around the flower gardens and then up the sidewalk. Wow!<br /><br />That's an exhausting thought, and a longer hike! Maybe I'll just stain it, forget the caulk. I mean, who's going to know? It isn't even visible from the ground.<br /><br />'But I can't leave it', I argue back to myself, it has to be sealed to keep the insects out. It's big enough for bats to enter, and maybe even those cute little flying squirrels that chew on anything and everything and will make your home their home, by the dozens once let in, potentially costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars in damage to the structure. And, even if no one else knows, I will! It's now a "no-brainer"; I'm making my way down the ladder and up the hill on a six minute mission to get the caulk.<br /><br />Colossians 3:23 tells us, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward."<br /><br />Integrity on the job means doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. And the fact is that what we do on the job is always seen by One. Are we honest with ourselves and others, have we done the best job that we could? You see, ultimately we’re not just simply caulking holes. . . we’re actually laying a foundation, which lies buried and often unseen beneath the ground but will be revealed through the test of time.Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-42486847471506044702008-10-22T17:02:00.002-05:002008-10-22T17:04:19.401-05:00Watching You<a href="http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=5486ae62fd502645138e">Here's a video</a> that reminds us why Integrity is so important.Mark O Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08410639184488515086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-20266828802852312202008-10-22T06:00:00.000-05:002008-10-22T06:00:39.712-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 38 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Integrity is More Caught than Taught”<br />Submitted by Judy Wessel<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%203:5;&version=31;">Proverbs 3:5</a><br /> </div><br />We are the proud parents of 6 children, and proud grandparents of 10 grandchildren. We have always had to put our trust in the Lord as there is no way we would ever have been able raise our family without God's help. It is only through Him<br /><br />During the time four of our children were growing up, we owned a live bait business. My husband was out in the woods nearly every day catching minnows to sell in the shop. Taking care of the children and running the ship was left mostly to me. I did all the cooking, gardening, canning, wash, and ran the bait shop which included waiting on customers, ordering tackle, paying bills, etc. Oops, I forgot about the cleaning, but that is something I like to forget. From May to late October, we were open 16 hours a day. Life was hectic and crazy but lots of fun.<br /><br />Amidst all of that, our aim was to bring our children up to have integrity. Integrity is not anything that you can teach. It can only be learned by living it and setting a good example.<br /><br />I remember one day, my two daughters and I went shopping. Laura was 3 and Diane just a baby. We went into the card shop where Laura saw some little playing cards. She asked if she could have them. I said “no” because we just couldn't afford them. I thought she put them back, but she had put them in a little purse that she was carrying. We finished our shopping and drove the 13 miles home. When we got home, she took out the little cards to play with. I was so upset. She was too young to really understand what she had done wrong, so I called the card shop and told them what had happened and that we were coming back in. We drove back the 13 miles to town and I marched her into the store. She had to give the cards back and apologize to the clerk, tell her that she was sorry and that she would never do it again. That was 38 years ago and she still remembers this lesson like it was yesterday.<br /><br />I like to think that we ran our bait shop and raised our family with integrity. We always tried to treat all our our customers with respect, fairness, kindness, and friendliness. We always tried to do the same with our family except with a lot of love mixed in. It wasn't always easy when the children became teenagers and “knew more than we did”.<br /><br />People have asked me how I was able to raise a family, run a business, and keep my sanity. My advice is to live each day as it comes, love unconditionally and laugh a lot. The main thing is to PRAY and model integrity to those closest to you. Constantly. God has always been there for me. May He be there for you too!Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-24082054114283795492008-10-21T06:00:00.000-05:002008-10-21T06:00:02.841-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 37 Devotional<div align="center"><br /><br />“You Must Become a Person of Integrity”<br />Submitted by Kathy Pierce<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%2029:17%20;&version=31;">1 Chronicles 29:17<br /></a> </div><br />The first lie I clearly remember telling was as a small girl at my grandparent’s cottage. The rule there was, “no cookies before dinner.” Since my grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies were the best on the planet, this was a hard rule to follow. I lied when asked by my mother if I had eaten any. “No,” was my reply. At this point I believed that my mother had eyes in the back of her head, because she told me she knew that I had.<br /><br />As we grow older, we realize that integrity is more than not telling a lie and more than merely telling the truth. It’s living out truth daily. As Christians we discover that to be authentic we are to act out what we know deep inside to be true. God’s desire is for His truth to influence every aspect of our lives; our values, our beliefs, and our everyday decisions. Psalms 15:1-2 and Proverbs 10:9 call this ‘walking with integrity.’ Walking with integrity is not an easy path; we may not always be popular, we may not make everyone we happy, we may not be able to avoid conflict, and we may even have to sacrifice to stay true to our promises. Walking with integrity means that the same loving attitude with which we approach our neighbors, is the one with which we speak about them in our own living rooms.<br /><br />Can we walk with integrity and be on both sides of the fence? When we seek God’s approval over the praise of men, then we have the power to stand firm in our convictions without needing the world’s validation. Walking with integrity results in being secure in Him and that is enough!<br /><br />Thought for the Day: It is God who has eyes in the back of His head.<br /><br />Read: Psalm 15Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-90695866418994598792008-10-20T06:00:00.001-05:002008-10-20T06:00:03.157-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 36 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“You Must Become a Person of God”<br />Submitted by Renee Hecker<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%2017:24;&version=31;">1 Kings 17:24<br /></a> </div><br />What comprises a man who is known as a "man of God"? First of all, the difference between a man of God and a child of God is one of maturity. Both are equal in God's sight; loved, and forgiven, but one is a child spiritually, and one is a man.<br /> <br />A child is at the beginning stages of life, learning to find balance and walk, to communicate effectively, to give and share, to have patience and wait, to be diligent and disciplined, etc. In this process of learning there is pain and crying, complaining and a lack of understanding, but through the diligence of the parent there begins to be a gradual shift from a baby to a child to a mature adult. A parent rejoices when true maturity and strength of character emerge from their son or daughter.<br /> <br />To become a man or woman of God we will undergo the same process with our Heavenly Father overseeing the training and discipline of our soul and spirit. We are born again in an instant, but we are perfected and matured over time. James 1:4 says, "But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." Ah, a wonderful vision!<br /> <br />So what are the signs that this perfecting and maturing have taken place in one's life? Most importantly this man or woman of God will have a Presence or a state of Being, and this Presence is Love. Yes, there will be works that will also prove their maturity, but I Corinthians 13 states very clearly that works without love are empty and vain and will profit them nothing.<br /> <br />So what about this loving presence? Here’s some handles that help define this Presence we call love:<br /><br />· Love dwells in the present. It doesn't ruminate over yesterday or fret about tomorrow. It accepts what IS today with the full assurance that behind the scenes all is working together for good and for blessing. So it is contented with life NOW and actually delights in it because it doesn't take for granted the good that IS.<br />· This Presence of Love is full of joy in life and has enduring hope because it totally believes and firmly relies on God's magnificent promises given in His Word. <br />· Peace runs like a river from it, refreshing those around because at this moment it knows Who holds and takes care of the next moment. <br />· It suffers long with others, is gentle and kind and meek knowing that God is uniquely dealing with every individual Himself.<br />· Love gives goodness to all, for it knows that what we sow in other's lives we will reap in our own. <br />· Love is self-controlled in all areas of life because it believes and thereby lays hold of the power of God within us as new creatures in Christ.<br /><br />How can this love be matured and perfected in you? As with all of life, it is through time and consistent practice. So let us begin to press on to become men and women of God who daily display the fruit of His Spirit--fruit so luscious, sweet, and fully ripened that all who experience life with us will taste and see that God is SO good.Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-25006733682279814312008-10-19T06:00:00.001-05:002008-10-19T06:00:00.203-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 35 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Anointed to Serve”<br />Submitted by Steve Gerich<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012:1%20;&version=31;">Romans 12:1<br /></a></div><br />I decided to go out for hockey my senior year of high school. I had never played in an organized league before so I had a lot to learn. I got to play some but I was never very good.<br /><br />Twenty-five years later a friend suggested I play in the annual alumni game. Not wanting to embarrass myself I said, “No – I don’t even have a hockey stick.” A few days later I came home from work and there, leaning against my door was a brand new stick with a bow on it. The note said, “Now you can play.” And I did.<br /><br />You can’t play hockey without a stick. It enables you to move the puck “down ice”, to “stick-handle” around the opposition, to defend your goal and to shoot at the opponent’s goal – to score! But most importantly, it is used to pass the puck to others. It is never to be used for my benefit alone. The gift was given to me to participate on the team.<br /><br />Jesus said to the disciples in Acts 1:6-8 that they would “receive power when the Holy Spirit” came upon them and “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”.<br /><br />The work of those who follow Jesus (the church) and the Holy Spirit go hand in hand. True, the Holy Spirit does give us a fresh sense of God’s presence, comfort and hope. But God’s Spirit was given to enable His followers to take into all the world, the news that Jesus is Lord and empower us to the task of implementing the Kingdom of God – to live as God’s people. Today, we share in the life and continuing work of Jesus. His work is redemptive, bringing healing and hope to the sick and the poor, and justice and freedom to the oppressed. We serve as He served.<br /><br />The gift of the hockey stick was not given just for me. It allowed me to participate in “feeding” the puck to others so that the team could prevail.<br /><br />We have missed the point if we think that the gift of the Holy Spirit was given for “our” benefit alone. We are enabled and empowered to live on behalf of the world – God’s world. Look around. The needs are everywhere. God is reclaiming His world. And you and I, through the leading and empowering of the Holy Spirit, share in that work.Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-5394602654077264592008-10-18T06:00:00.000-05:002008-10-18T06:00:01.615-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 34 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“His Anointing Brings Special Blessings”<br />Submitted by Karri Weller<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2023:5&version=31">Psalm 23:5<br /></a><br /><br />You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.<br />As I walk thru the valley<br />I look for you, Lord<br />For you are waiting for me<br />And will see me thru.<br />As my enemies follow close behind<br />My cup spills over, and I start to cry<br />With enemies nipping at my heels<br />I find myself getting closer to you<br />I fall at your feet<br />As I look up to see<br />What you prepared for me<br />Plates are over flowing<br />With promises, hope, love and dreams<br />You reach down and anoint my head<br />Your energy flows thru me<br />You fill my cup<br />And help me up.<br />As we sit at the table and talk<br />I realize I have not done my part<br />For You are there each and everyday<br />Filling me up, showing me the way<br />Making promises and blessing come true<br />Giving me hopes dreams and love too.<br />No matter where or what I do.<br />You are always there to see it thru<br />So Lord I thank you,<br />Never being able to do enough<br />To show you how much I appreciate your love.<br />Thank each and everyday,<br />I will do my best to worship you!<br /></div><div align="left"><br />As a wife and a mother of three, the Lord has filled my life in ways I could never imagined. And, with each passing day I thank Him for all He has done and all that He does. For, no matter how bad a day may seem, I am grateful. For even thru all the struggles of each day I know he has prepared promises, hopes, dreams, love, faith and my cup each day as I try not to spill it throughout the day.<br /> </div>Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-57495414385667286912008-10-17T06:00:00.001-05:002008-10-17T06:00:03.111-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 33 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“You Can Be an Anointed Leader”<br />Submitted by Kathy Schroeder<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%201:21-22;&version=31;">2 Corinthians 1:21-22<br /></a><br /> </div><br />Before giving a retreat on the names of Jesus, several ladies gathered to pray about the weekend and for each attendee, asking the Holy Spirit to open their hearts to who Jesus wanted to be in their lives and to heal any brokenness within. We also asked to anoint the leader to be sensitive to His leading. Sending the ladies off to research the names given them, I looked up to see one woman with a tearful face. She shared that she had been struggling with pride and perfectionism, and when Jesus was presented as Friend and Prince of Peace, she hungered for forgiveness and a new walk. By searching the Scriptures and praying together, she came to believe Jeremiah 29:11: <em>“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” NIV.<br /></em><br />Finding the right verses, praying with anyone in a time of need should be prefaced by prayer for anointing and accepting the challenge to share God’s Word in a worthy manner, trusting Him to bring it alive to the needy heart. Jesus is the Great Shepherd and He has asked His pastors to send forth workers to lead His people. What joy fills our hearts when someone comes forth hungry and you are allowed to feed them the Holy Scriptures with His healing touch. So often a story comes to your mind that fits perfectly or something that happened in your own life meshes seamlessly with what the other is dealing with. You recognize that God may have allowed some situation to occur in your life precisely for this anointed time. <br /><br />God is the "<em>God of all comfort"</em> and wants you to share what you have learned with others: <em>“..so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God.”</em> When you are willing to serve God very few situations, especially the difficult ones, will go unused in your ministry.Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-66640019714936906152008-10-16T06:00:00.000-05:002008-10-16T06:00:03.343-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 32 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Jesus, the Lord’s Anointed”<br />Submitted by Jeremy Mavis<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%204:18;&version=31;">Luke 4:18</a><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"><br />Whenever I interview baptism candidates (which is usually children), I always ask them this question: What is the difference between getting baptized and getting wet? Does every time you go swimming mean you are getting baptized? Usually the child looks at me kind of funny at first and then says something like “I swim to have fun, I get baptized because I’m at church.”<br /><br />I eventually tell them that getting baptized is a symbol on the outside of what you have already done on the inside. Whenever the Bible talks about anointing it is usually the same thing—it is not the “anointing” that does it, rather it is the condition of the heart that is being anointed that gives credence to the “anointing.”<br /><br />King David was anointed because he was a man after God’s heart. Jesus was anointed because he was God’s heart! Being anointed usually meant that the Holy Spirit was “resting” upon you, kind of like a special mark or stamp of approval. Having the Holy Spirit rest upon you gave one power that can only come from God.<br /><br />Jesus was anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about a complete renewal of heart and focus for God’s people—Israel. Jesus was empowered through this anointing not through a place of honor and power (like a king or president), rather Jesus displayed his anointing though serving others. Jesus was living a characteristic of the kingdom of God by doing the opposite of what the world tells us to do to get ahead.<br /><br />I tell children and youth this concept often: the way to live the kingdom of God “on earth as it is in heaven” is to do the opposite of what your natural, human reaction would be. Almost always, the opposite response is the supernatural, God-intended, anointed reaction… isn’t it?<br /><br />Can you imagine a world where people lived in a supernatural, anointed way like Jesus? Well, it would almost look like heaven! </div>Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-71088529626679412732008-10-15T06:00:00.002-05:002008-10-15T06:00:04.136-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 31 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“The One Who Anoints”<br />Submitted by Loretta Sunderland<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2016:12-14;&version=31;">John 16:12-14</a><br /> </div><br />My heart starts beating ninety miles an hour with excitement as I read about the anointing of the Holy Spirit, especially at Pentecost. When the “breath of the spirit” fell, he fell upon ALL flesh, bringing to pass the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32. And we know that without the power of the Holy Spirit’s anointing, all of life is just empty ritual.<br /><br />As I sit and ponder the workings of the Holy Spirit through history, my mind is taken back to the creation account in Genesis where it states that the Spirit hovered over the unfinished creation. I’m struck by the reality that the Spirit who was present during the construction of the cosmos, is the same Spirit who equipped the heroes’ of faith for His work, is the same Spirit who descended upon Jesus like a dove at his time of baptism, is the same Spirit who fell on the believers gathered in the upper room at Pentecost and. . .is the same Spirit who anoints us with divine power for life.<br /><br />This has to excite your hearts!<br /><br />The Spirit of God was active in creation, and his creative power continues today. For the “Spirit of Truth” enables each of us to live out Christ’s teachings in ways that we could never create on our own. <br /><br />I don’t know about you, but I love the knowledge I have that the Holy Spirit leads, fills, and anoints my life. I believe if we make ourselves available, God will use each of us in mighty ways for His kingdom.<br /><br />Amen? Amen!Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-22642022443928168872008-10-14T06:00:00.000-05:002008-10-14T06:00:02.416-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 30 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“What is an Anointing?”<br />Submitted by Ben Drown<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%201:21-22;&version=31;">2 Corinthians 1:21-22</a>, <br /> <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%202:20%20&%2027%20;&version=31;">1 John 2:20 & 27<br /></a><br /> </div><br />What is an Anointing? In 300 words or less? Certainly! – or at least we’ll try.<br /> <br />The word “anointing” is a word that is part of the ceremony of “setting apart” a person as a king, prophet or priest. Such persons were “anointed” with oil designating them as ones uniquely set apart for God and His service. The practice of anointing occurs frequently in the Old Testament.<br />In the New Testament the “anointing oil” symbolized the Holy Spirit coming upon believers to set them apart for service and also give them special divine enablement. It has often been referred to as the “oil of the Spirit.”<br /><br />Now add to the concept of anointing to the word “Christ” – the Greek word which is “messiah” in Hebrew. Both words mean “anointed one”. That my friends is “Jesus Christ” – prophesied as the One to be born in human flesh and called Jesus, also called “The Christ.” Yes, Jesus Christ, our Anointed One.<br /><br />When we receive Jesus as our Savior – where does He come to us? He enters our hearts. He becomes part of us. When we make our profession of faith – we identify ourselves as a follower of Christ – Christ-Ones – or Christians! He becomes a part of us and we become a part of Him. WE ARE ANOINTED WITH THE SPIRIT!<br /><br />Note again the Key Text: Anointed of God/sealed by the Spirit/people of promise! And from 1 John: “anointing from the Holy One” . . . the anointing you received from Him abides in you”. Believer, you are a special person. You have been anointed. You have uniquely been set apart for God’s service.Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-20823122295556358112008-10-13T17:14:00.000-05:002008-10-13T17:15:40.359-05:00Pray With All Your Might<em>You must pray with all your might. That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church or chapel with eyes wide open while someone else says them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God...This kind of prayer be sure the devil and the world and your own indolent, unbelieving nature will oppose. They will pour water on this flame.</em><br />- William BoothMark O Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08410639184488515086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1330126549166375141.post-46239750429743088422008-10-13T06:00:00.000-05:002008-10-13T06:00:02.209-05:00Ablaze for God - Day 29 Devotional<div align="center"><br />“Your Responsibility to Pray for the<br />Kingdom of God to be Realized”<br />Submitted by Dee Davis<br />Key text: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2022:20;&version=31;">Revelation 22:20</a><br /><br /></div><div align="left"><br />It’s a Miracle!!!<br /><br />Isn’t that what we say after staring into the face of a newborn baby?? It boggles our minds how it all happens! God uses the ordinary and creates the extraordinary. That is what He continually does! But why does God choose to give us such amazing influence and responsibility?? And why does God use ordinary people like you and me to birth His kingdom?<br /><br />It is truly mind boggling that God actually entrusts ordinary you and me with procreation AND the opportunity of playing a reproductive role within His redemptive story as well. Ironically, in either case, the result is the same …a new birth. A beautiful new baby girl or boy is born!! What a powerful thought…we are never too old to give birth to a new little one!!<br /><br />What a privilege to be part of God’s redemptive plan. He certainly does not need us to carry out His will…but He chooses to do just that. Procreation in God’s kingdom begins by sowing seeds of prayerful love. Prayer always prefaces new birth in the kingdom of God. Jesus commanded us to pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be routinely manifested in people’s lives right here and now.<br /><br />My redemptive story, as I am sure yours does too, includes ordinary people who did an extraordinary thing… they prayed, sowed seeds of God’s love, and as a result new creation was birthed. Miraculous!!!<br /><br />So, keep in mind, whenever the ordinary power of man is coupled with the extraordinary power of God… a miracle happens. His kingdom comes!! So be prepared for labor and delivery … and expect a miracle today! </div>Lori Bubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07842024109068532366noreply@blogger.com0