Would you rather crawl or fly?

If I had to choose one all time favorite book--besides The Bible, of course ;-) -- I think it would be  Forgotten God by Francis Chan. Because it did so much for me in revealing what Scripture really has to say about the Holy Spirit. All these books about loving others, living radically for Jesus, etc. are great, but we can't do any of that without the work of the Holy Spirit.

When reading this book for the first time last summer, I was blown away by how little that I actually acknowledged the daily, even constant, work of the Holy Spirit in my life. He really was forgotten. Maybe those of you reading this, if you took a good, hard, honest look at your life, would humbly admit the same thing. Do you have any idea what the Spirit is truly capable of doing in your life? We have the exact same Spirit living in us as Jesus Christ did when He walked this earth.

Let that sink in: Jesus Christ gave us His Spirit.

When Jesus told His disciples that "Anyone who has faith in me, will do what I have been doing. He will do even great things than these," He meant it! Have you ever read through the Gospels and truly believed you could do even greater things than the miracles listed there? Further yet, read Acts--that's Jesus' promise fulfilled first time around. Those first disciples were doing some crazy stuff. Stuff that could never be explained in human terms. Stuff that points straight to the glory of God because there's absolutely no other way that we could explain it.

Just like Jesus' life while on earth. The things He did couldn't be explained on human terms. They were "out of this world." And that's how He brought glory to His Father with every fiber of His being, every moment of His life. The best part is, that role isn't just reserved for Jesus anymore. Sure, He'll always be the only One who did it perfectly, without sin, but what's that to keep us from trying the same thing?

Now think about your life. What happens during your daily life that points directly to the Father--that there's no other explanation for what you're doing besides that you have God's own Holy Spirit dwelling in you? Don't just think of a few bigger moments that have happened over the years, think about your daily routine. After all, according to Annie Dillard, "How you live your days is how you live your life."

I'm sure (or at least I hope) that everyone would say they have the Fruit of the Holy Spirit manifested in their life. But think of this: Do you know non-Christians who are loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, gentle, faithful, and self-controlled? I know I do.

So Francis Chan challenges us to ask the Holy Spirit to manifest that Fruit to a supernatural degree. That we are so loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, gentle, faithful, and self-controlled, that there's no other explanation besides that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us. Can you imagine what this could look like?

I recently read through the Pentateuch, and one thing that definitely stood out at me was how God wanted the Israelite's to be completely set apart--to be holy--in every single part of their lives. He didn't just give the Ten Commandments. He gave all of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, too, which are basically devoted to describing exactly how His people should live in order to be set apart. God didn't just give laws about how His people should worship or what they should eat. He got down to what they should do if they have a skin infection! And I don't know a verse off the top of my head, but I do know that God stated more than once that He wanted it to be obvious to other nations, particularly the Egyptians, that something was different about the Israelite's. That there would be no other explanation for their lifestyles except that they had God dwelling with them. Since our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, I'm going to go out on a whim and say that God still wants this same thing. He wants His children to be so holy, so set apart, so different, that there's no other explanation for their lifestyles except that they have God dwelling in them.

Notice the preposition change? And oh, what a beautiful preposition change it is! :-) I think we all know, not only from our own lives, but from reading about the Israelite's in the Bible, that we are not able to live up to God's standards as mere human beings. We fail miserably again and again. God knows this, too. That's why He gave His One and Only Son. So that we could have the Spirit dwell in us instead of with us, and we get to be set apart through a loving  relationship rather than following a set of laws. And that is just plain awesome. :-)

Okay, so I've gone on long enough . . . and have yet to quote anything from the actual book. Obviously, it'd be best if you could actually read this book for yourself, but that nay not be possible. I do know you can all read John 14-16. That's basically all about Jesus' Spirit dwelling in us.

But here's one of my favorite exerts :
"Years ago, when a random thought came into my head, I decided to share it with my wife. "Have you ever wondered what caterpillars think about?" I asked.
Not surprisingly, she said, "No."
I then proceeded to tell her about the confusion I imagined a caterpillar must experience. For all its caterpillar life, it crawls around a small patch of dirt and up and won a few plants. Then one day it takes a nap. A long nap. And then, what in the world must go through its head when it wakes up to discover it can fly? What happened to its dirty, plump little worm body? What does it think when it sees its tiny new body and gorgeous wings?
As believers, we ought to experience this same kind of astonishment when the Holy Spirit enters our bodies. We should be stunned in disbelief over becoming a "new creation" with the Spirit living in us. As the caterpillar finds its new ability to fly, we should be thrilled over our Spirit-empowered ability to live differently and faithfully. Isn't this what the Scriptures speak of? Isn't this what we've all been looking for?
It really is an astounding truth that the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. He lives in me. I do not know what the Spirit will do or where He'll lead me each time I invite Him to guide me. But I am tried of living in a way that looks exactly like people who do not have the Holy Spirit of God living in them. I want to consistently live with an awareness of His strength. I want to be different today from what I was yesterday as the fruit of the Spirit becomes more manifest in me.
I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit's leading on a daily basis. Christ said it is better for us that the Spirit came, and I want to live like I know that is true. I don't want to keep crawling when I have the ability to fly."

You do not need to read this book in order to know what it's really like to fly with the Holy Spirit. You have direct access to this Holy Spirit through prayer. Ask Him to show you what "flying" really looks like. That's all you really need. Happy Flying! : )

My Internship

ATLAS Blog
So I'm having trouble motivating myself to actually write about what I'm learning in all these great books instead of just moving on to the next one. Hopefully I'm not letting too many people down . . . but if you are interested in more information about an "internship" I'm doing this summer with ATLAS (Attaining Truth, Love, And Self-Control) of Sioux Center, check out the above link. AND have a great day! :o)

Captivating by Stasi & John Eldredge

Okay, so I know it's been quite a while since I've posted about a book. It's not that I haven't been reading . . . I'm just finding it hard to even begin to summarize this book. I read it last August and really liked it, but it was even better the second time around. For those of you who have never heard of Captivating, it's the women's version of the Wild at Heart book by the same author. BUT I really think that both women AND men should read this book (same with Wild at Heart)

A few days back in My Utmost for His Highest (June 3rd in fact), it was called "The Secret of the Lord" (Check it out). This reading was very similar to what Captivating had to say about a woman's heart, so I thought I would pass both on . . .

"One of the deepest ways a woman bears the image of God is in her mystery. By 'mystery' we don't mean 'forever beyond your knowing,' but 'something to be explored.' 'It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,' says the book of Proverbs, 'to search out a matter is the glory of kings' (25:2). God yearns to be known. But He wants to be sought after by those who would know Him. He says, 'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart,' (Jer. 29:13). There is dignity here; God does not throw Himself at any passerby. He is no harlot. If you would know Him you must love Him; you must seek Him with your whole heart. This is crucial to any woman's soul, not to mention her sexuality. 'You cannot simply have me. You must seek me, pursue me. I won't let you in unless I know you love me.'"

"Women yearn to be known and that takes time and intimacy. It requires an unveiling. As she is sought after, she reveals more of her beauty. As she unveils her beauty, she draws us to know her more deeply."

Okay, so hopefully any of you women AND men reading this are nodding in agreement that that's what women are like. But have you actually considered that that's what God is like? I mean, really consider it. Women--what if you talked with God, spent quality time with Him, pursued Him like you desire (don't tell me you don't have that desire) to be pursued? You want your husband/boyfriend/anyone to talk with you and ask you questions and share their struggles AND joys with you. Well, is there anything stopping you from treating God the exact same way? And the great thing is, your efforts won't go unnoticed! There are some people you can pour your heart and soul into, but you feel like you get nothing in return. Well, that won't happen with God--sure there might be times where He feels more distant because He's putting you through a test, but you never have to doubt Him. He is always there for you--ready for a real intimate relationship.

And men--if you haven't figured out by now that women desire to be pursued--take some notes! ;-) Some of you write us off as just being too complicated, but have you considered that God made us that way? He is giving you a glimpse of what His own heart is like. So if you're going to call us complicated, you'd better be prepared to call God the same thing. But really, is complicated such a bad thing? I don't think so, but then again, I'm a woman . . . :-) Anyway, men--do you handle your relationship with God the same way you handle your relationship with your wife/girlfriend/girls that are friends? If not--the same thing I said to the women--give it a shot. He won't let ya down! :-)

Okay, and while reading this, do any of you sense some apprehension? A small voice in your head saying, no this is dumb, or it's not really worth it? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and call that voice Satan. Yes, I know it's bold of me, but I think you'll understand where I'm coming from after I pass on another excerpt from the book . . .

Satan has a special hatred for Eve because she is the incarnation of the Beauty of God. That was Lucifer's (which means Son of the Morning which infers glory, brightness, radiance unique to him) role before he fell. Ezekiel 28:12-19 is a prophecy against the King of Tyre but is also said to be a representation of Satan's rebellion. Read it. I thought it was pretty interesting :-) So the book goes onto say that Satan especially hates women because they have taken over his role of Beauty and because they give life instead of death. Kinda makes sense that he would hate us when you think of it that way, huh? And makes me want to beat him down all the more too!
"The most wicked force the world has even known, the Enemy, bears a special hatred for Eve. If you believe he has any role in the history of this world, you cannot help but see it. The Evil One had a hand in all that has happened to you (women). If he didn't arrange for the assault directly--and certainly human sin has a large enough role to play--then he made sure he drove the message of the wounds home into your heart. He is the one who has dogged your heels with shame and self-doubt and accusation. He is the one who offers false comforters to you in order to deepen your bondage. He is the one who has done these things in order to prevent your restoration. For that is what he fears. He fears who you are; what you are; what you might become. He fears your beauty and your life-giving heart."
Yeah! Satan fears us--anyone else feel a little empowered by that? But of course, we cannot have victory over Satan except with God. And this is God's heart towards us in Isaiah 62:1-5. Ahh, that sounds better. :-)

"You really won't understand your life as a woman until you understand this:
You are passionately loved by the God of the universe.
You are passionately hated by His Enemy."

Coupon Cabin

I think this is deemed worthy of passing on . . .
Free Coupons, coupon codes, online coupons and promotional codes - CouponCabin