I’m stricken today with the enormity of our present world situation. There has never been anything in our lifetime which resembles it. The news states that some are overreacting, some say we are on track, some say more should be done. None of this matters for the present reality is what it is. Every person is to turn inward by staying away from others and keep personal safety as the highest priority. In this state we need food, shelter, warmth and rest as Maslow’s hierarchy states. At least in our country, self-actualization (top of Maslow’s hierarchy) has been our focus for many, many years. We have grown accustomed to this being a “basic need”. How quickly this can shift.

Today I’m reminded that these basic, physical needs are required for us to sustain living. However, what is required to sustain eternal living is Jesus Christ. Accepting Jesus as our Savior is our highest priority. Then, accepting Jesus as Lord is our second highest priority. Once we’ve done this, then put our human state on the table for prioritization. Lets all remember that God is the God of the universe. Scripture says heaven is God’s throne and the earth is His footstool (Isaiah 66:1). He is truly aware of this state and He wants us to know this and trust Him in it. I’m going to trust.

Wow, 20, 2020. These number combos are always striking when I stumble into them. Today I’m hit with a message from Oswald Chambers that says, “We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty, not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience–all of that is of no avail in this concern. The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends.” (I Corinthians 1:26-31).

I read this and then I began to read Acts 5. The disciples by now have built such a reputation among the people that the sick were finding healing by simply being in the shadow of Peter. It wasn’t long ago for Peter that he was still trying to please Jesus from his own natural ability. By now he’d learned that his own skills weren’t what Jesus was after. Jesus needed his full obedience and from that Peter freed the Holy Spirit to do all He intended to do. It wasn’t through Peter’s ability, but through his surrender and then obedience.

God is really wanting me to learn full surrender and full obedience. I don’t want to fight this but I find myself all too often relying on “my own understanding” as I approach day to day activities. I truly want to be part of God’s compelling purpose as I better surrender each day. The last part of Oswald’s statement is that we will then be His friend. We do trust a friend fully. This I want to do with Jesus–trust Him fully. Teach me Lord–Teach me Lord.

It is quite an astonishing thing to watch the world around us coming to a slow halt. Yes, many are still going to work, but even the work is done in a very different way. I went to our church yesterday afternoon to record tonight’s Celebrate Recovery lesson so it could be uploaded onto our website. No CR has ever experienced what is happening today. It is all about meeting people face to face where genuine accountability takes place. We are encouraging everyone to reach out through our leadership with the share groups and step studies. I find myself needing a different kind of discipline to do this. Disciplining myself to reach out to individuals seems too much like going door to door with flyers about something I have to sell. I feel like an intruder. I confess this today because I know God is wanting me to step into an area of discomfort and reach out to individuals. I appreciate their calls, but I don’t like to be the one initiating them. Sounds silly, but it is me.

The Power of the Holy Spirit only comes when we act on the nudges of The Holy Spirit. I don’t want to be a disappointment in this area so in this time of disarray I want to be obedient in spite of my personal discomfort. Maybe I’ll learn something new from this. The miracles of God are awaiting. I’m going to step into obedience this day.

Yesterday I brought out a puzzling item regarding the Gift of the Holy Spirit being given to the disciples at the end of the book of John. In the book of Acts it brings out the followers of Jesus coming together and waiting for the Holy Spirit to fill them. It happens too as Acts 2:1-4 reads. It was also a time when Jews from various countries were assembled together. The followers were ignited with power and ability to speak Christ’s message in the languages of the crowds. Thus, 3,000 new believers joined Christ’s following that very day.

Maybe all of you already saw this as I’m seeing it today. Christ has made each of us believers a new creation when we accepted Him into our lives. He also gave us The Holy Spirit as our Gift for accepting Him. For much of my life I lived knowing I had the Gift, but I sure didn’t have the Power of the Gift. The Power of the Gift came when I started acting on the nudges of Christ/God/The Holy Spirit and not acting on my fears. I kept myself in isolation knowing I would never be accepted by mankind if they only knew “who I really was”. This turned out to be who I thought I really was–discrediting who Christ had made me to be.

There is nothing puzzling about what the scriptures are saying. Instead, there is amazing strength and encouragement knowing that This Gift we have been given is literally the Power of God put into action through us as we obey His nudges.

As I wrote yesterday’s blog I didn’t write something which was in my mind but I needed to process it a little. Today I want to write about it. In John 20:22 it say, “And having said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.” This I mentioned yesterday. What was puzzling me somewhat was the fact that in Acts, the next book of the Bible, the disciples were coming together and waiting to receive the Holy Spirit. Doesn’t this sound like a contradiction? Didn’t they already receive the Holy Spirit from what John 20:22 says?

This morning in Acts 1:8 it says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus had already breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit before He ascended into Heaven. The word which seems to stand out is “power”. In Acts it says you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. I’m going to need to do some questioning on this to have someone with more Biblical depth of knowledge talk me through this. I know the disciplines and other followers of Jesus stayed in the upper room (a total of 120 of them) until the power ascended upon them. It makes me think I have the Holy Spirit but I may not have the power of the Holy Spirit as Christ would want me to have.

I’m writing today’s blog as a personal inquiry but also as a challenge to readers. If you know something along this line I ask you to share it with me and any other readers. I sure don’t want to inhibit God’s use of my life.

Today’s devotion time was once again an orchestration of God’s work. I’m always amazed to find two different devotionals and the scripture reading coinciding as though they were written by the same people with the same intent. I know this is how God works, but it still amazes this old guy when it happens to me.

My scripture reading was the last two chapters of John. In them Jesus meets with Peter and challenges him the three times to feed and tend His sheep. Also, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit upon His disciples telling them they now have the power to forgive. Joyce Meyers writes a note here saying that she always asks the Holy Spirit to fill her at the moment she is offended by someone’s comment to her which hurts her. She wants to forgive them right then even when her feelings are deeply hurt. I was struck by this because when I ever get my feelings hurt I instantly bury it so hopefully no one knows that was the case. I was forcefully in taught in my childhood that only sissy’s get their feelings hurt. What hit me this morning was that burying hurts disallows oneself to forgive. I can’t forgive what I’m trying to deny exists. I actually went into my prayer time asking The Holy Spirit to fill me and I forgave someone for something which had hurt me for a long time. It was good to have this happen.

This morning I want each reader of this blog to know I’m praying for you. I may not know you or you know me, but God does know you and loves you. If the present world situation has you troubled, trust God and know He is forever in control. I pray for Him to be known in new ways as all of this turmoil unfolds. To God be all Glory!

Today as I knelt to pray I immediately was hit with the thought that a crisis has brought our entire world to a common need. From one nation to another we cannot agree on anything that man creates. What we can agree on is our need for help when the crisis is bigger than man. God always is intentional in how He creates, allows or uses all things to bring man to Him. I want to join Him in being intentional too. I want to do my part in God’s Kingdom Work.

Today as I read in John, Pilate was asking Jesus if He were a king? Jesus said His Kingdom was not of this world. However, of His Kingdom, He is King. In this Kingdom of Christ Jesus, there is healing, love and compassion. There is no more pain and suffering. I know God is wanting us to see Him in this time of our world’s need. I pray for me to be very specific in how I use this time as a child of our King!

Yesterday I wrote that this current situation facing our world will likely have a lesson in it. As I wrote it I was thinking that God has something for me to learn from my work being halted and now what does He want me to do with the time I have on my hands? I’ve got to be worthwhile and what will that look like? Today, in my devotional reading from Oswald Chambers’ 90 Days of Selected Devotionals, he writes that God, when we are hit with a situation/crisis/challenge/trial, is more interested in us unlearning a belief about Him. “His purpose in using the cloud is to simplify our beliefs until our relationship with Him is exactly like that of a child–a relationship simply between God and our own souls.”

I don’t like to admit that I have “doomsday” thinking, but I sometimes do. I have to fight it so I don’t get owned by it. My instant thought about the work being taken away for this time easily went to my old thinking/lies. I had the thoughts that I’m unworthy of the work, I am leading them down a path of destruction and I need to be pulled away before I do more harm, etc. God stopped the work to save them and to stop me. Even though I know better than believe these lies, this is what awakens me in the middle of the night which has happened the past two nights. God wants me to unlearn this lie and trust Him as I would as a child. I love this God we have and serve! He cares so much for each one of us and demonstrates it in such caring ways.

I pray that if anyone reading this struggles as I have and sometimes still do, you will join me in unlearning the lies we still hold about our Loving God!

Today is Friday the 13th! I was suppose to already be on my way to one of the schools for which I work. However, yesterday late afternoon I was notified that all of the consulting work overseen by the State Dept. of Ed and Boise State University is to be halted due to the possibility of contracting the virus. Any work is to only be virtual. I had to read the message a couple of times since I was walking out of the house to head to Celebrate Recovery when it came. One part of me fully understands the logic behind the move, but another part says things like–there isn’t even a diagnosed case in Idaho. No matter, I am the one to obey the direction. Today I’ll contact each of the sites and work out a plan that satisfies the expectations.

What seems nice about all of this instant change is that it is nearing spring and I now have plenty of time to get all of my spring wishes done without having to plan each moment of the work. That makes me smile as I write this! I see a lesson coming from this which I will one day better understand. God never puts something in our path that He doesn’t intend to use to grow us. I can see this as an opportunity to trust and obey Him one moment at a time each and every day.

Today turns out to be a gift. The district I was to be with cancelled so I get to stay home and take care of chores. I’ve been waiting for some materials to come in the mail so I could complete some tasks and that came last night so I can get this done. It is always nice to be reminded how much God takes care of the details in our lives.

I’ve been trying to put an order to building (growing) my relationship with Jesus, God, The Holy Spirit. If I do this then that will happen, etc. I’ve recently been writing about intimacy with God and obedience to Him. Does one come before the other? Christ has been telling His disciples that if they know Him, they know the Father. Today in chapter 15 of John, Christ tells his disciples how God is pruning away all that does not bear fruit in their lives. In order to bear fruit for our Father we are to dwell with Him and He will dwell in me–verse 4. Out of intimacy–dwelling–comes obedience, trust. As I obey God in my life my intimacy grows and my trust also grows–it’s confirmed. Joyce Meyers says this is the definition of faith.

So much of this started by taking a week away from my work and activities. As I’ve returned I’ve been challenged to step back a moment and check for fruit. Is there evidence of God’s Purposes being accomplished? God doesn’t want me doing what I do for my own selfishness, but for Him and Him alone. I never want to lose sight of this. No longer am I earning a relationship with God by what I do, this much I do believe and know. I desire only to complete God’s purposes each and every day for His Kingdom.