Tag Archives: holy-spirit

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: MARCH 15, 2025

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Today in just a couple of hours I’ll be leading a group of men through our last session of the curriculum, Every Man a Pure Warrior. This has been one of the finest curriculums I’ve ever used to help one address what overcoming can be like if one will only follow through. I know each one in the group has had different awakenings as we’ve gone through the 17 lessons. My own has been my awakening to the critical role of Spirit. This significance has been a topic off and on through out my life in sermons, etc., but never having the grip on me this has had.

God gave us His Holy Spirit as His Gift for accepting His Son Jesus into our lives. For the most part this great GIFT sits dormant for much of each day as we rely mostly on our own spirit of flesh to work things out and complete the day’s responsibilities. Learning to awaken my spirit each morning and surrendering me to God’s Holy Spirit within me has been my greatest take-away from this work. In so doing, any stress, anxiety I might have for the day is now under The Holy Spirit’s work. Earlier this week when I wrote about speaking to the church group, I would be anxious until I’d surrender it to The Holy Spirit. That particular morning I did this a half a dozen times as my own fears kept wanting to resurface as the time approached.

The beauty of God’s Work in us has no limits if we will only stay surrendered each and every day to Him. Even in my journaling this morning I was reminded that God’s great gift of freedom comes from this surrender. I only want to live in this for the remainder of my life!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: FEB. 13, 2025

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Jesus is daily teaching me to rely more and more on His Holy Spirit within me. As this all started a few months back, I was in the dark about it thinking it is just too mysterious in flesh to ever be understood with any depth. Spirit-living, well it is just for a few who are already strong in spirit. I’ll just have to do the best I can.

Working through the curriculum three times a week with different small groups give God a significant chance to show me the truth about Him and His Holy Spirit so I can begin to break down the disbeliefs which want to linger within me. This morning while journaling I had asked Jesus to grow my understanding of Spirit & Truth. Instantly I was brought into the reality that I do know when The Holy Spirit nudges me. The voice I hear in my head is clear and it is always a definite statement to do something, not do something, etc. It never screams for I find His Voice to always be steadfast, kind and to the point. The truth is that I don’t always respond to it as I should. Jesus was pointing out that for me to awaken to His Holy Spirit, I must begin to always respond to Him. In so doing, He will grow in me. Simple truth.

Jesus reminded me of the phrase, mind over matter. Man uses this phrase to strengthen our ability to not give up. When Jesus gave me this reminder He added to it: Spirit over mind will release the angst one often has of one’s ability to keep strong. God’s Holy Spirit, when we are surrendered to Him, will enable us for His capability will become ours. Our mind can relax when we are in surrender responding to God’s Spirit’s call within us.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: FEB. 8, 2025

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I wrote yesterday about being vulnerable. Well, here goes a huge dose of vulnerability I must write out for today as my journey continues. This present time of being awakened to the critical importance of God’s Spirit’s leadership in my life has brought me to an awareness this morning I must share.

I’ve written often of my confusion, yet desire to better understand God’s Holy Spirit. Well, this morning God kindly pointed out something I’m now ready to hear and believe. God’s Spirit is STRENGTH. It is the POWER of God for God is Spirit. What I was awakened to this morning was my own lack of understanding about my spirit. All through my childhood I was told by dad that he needed to kill this spirit of mine. I never understood the meaning of that, but those words did their damage. I believed that spirit was weak and something to hide. (Even though, I treasured it inside of me for it seemed precious).

As I journaled today about wounds that still trigger me, God awoke me to the truth that worship, music, spirit are terms of POWER in His Kingdom. Only in flesh are terms such as muscles, hands, body parts, the proof of strength. As a young man I had come to believe that singing and working with my mind were all I could do. It was my best but still secondary to the primary strengths man is suppose to have. Being labeled “Hazel” as a teen by dad hugely reinforced this.

God wanted me to know today I can let this old, haunting belief go for good. He didn’t make me like dad because He wanted me like me and now I can be freer to do just that–be me committed and surrendered to be used for His Kingdom purposes not thinking this is all I can do. What a freeing message this is for me!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: FEB. 6, 2025

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As I re-entered the world of counseling yesterday I was awakened again to the intense needs we have around us which so quickly fade from our minds. Being gone 10 days from these needs seemed, at the time, important and it was important. I needed to be with my sis and I loved being with my grandson. But, coming back to the very place God wants me at this point in my life is humbly insightful.

Later in the day I met with a couple young men. We are starting a curriculum addressing porn and other aggressive addictions. In this group, the importance of having allies is brought out, similarly to how a sponsor is used in Celebrate Recovery. However, how an ally helps another is made much clearer. It is a model of walking along side the struggling one and helping them stay upright so one doesn’t fall into the pit. As I was meeting with the two I asked if they could be one another’s ally? They both wanted to be but felt like they were incapable. In Celebrate Recovery, where both of these young men attend, a sponsor is further down the path of recovery. An ally can be right there where you are but not struggling when you are. In helping another, one finds help for themselves seeing how they can be used by God’s Holy Spirit. We so often think we have to be “cured” before God will use us–wrong.

Before the session ended, they agreed they not just wanted to be each other’s allies, but they can be. It makes me tear up writing this now. Seeing God’s Holy Spirit at work is like no other. He gives hope when one thinks Hope is lost. How glorious our Heavenly Father is to give each of us His Son AND His Holy Spirit!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 20, 2025

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Last night someone very important to me came over and shared a heavy burden with me–one that I’ve personally known well. This morning as I began my devotional time I had started the worship music but it did not easily awaken my spirit to God’s Holy Spirit. My mind kept running through all that today needed to accomplish. I had just journaled this struggle with Jesus when I heard His voice say to simply make a list so I could then release this. I did just that, grabbed a notepad and wrote all that I wanted to get done today and the burden left. I then could allow my spirit to easily surrender to The Holy Spirit.

As I journaled more I saw in my mind the ugly battle of God’s Holy Spirit standing before the person of last night’s conversation, defending them from the evil spirit wanting to take control. I began to see once again the Power of God’s Holy Spirit at work in our deepest woes. He is Mighty to Save and will do just that as we let our sorrows be turned over to Him.

Today is also the first anniversary of my good friend’s wife passing. I am accompanying him and one other couple to her gravesite at noon today. I had this friend over for dinner last Friday evening and we talked at length about his future and his purpose that seems lost. God’s Light was beginning to shine into this darkness for him as we talked. Today I pray God’s Light into the darkness of death allowing vision to return and celebration to be restored for a couple’s life well lived for Jesus Christ. Along with this I pray for Jesus to restore purpose for this man’s life to continue living for Jesus with vision and passion.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 7, 2025

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Today a remarkable step is being taken. Someone I’ve known a good deal of my life is coming for help. He has been someone who has helped me on my own journey. Today, I get to be a helper for him with a difficulty he recently told me about. When he was a messenger of Light for me at some very difficult times in my life, I now pray I can be a messenger of Light for him. God has a way of doing this and I feel honored to return a favor.

I know I keep bringing up The Holy Spirit in my daily writing of late. It is incredible to me how much I’ve missed throughout my life about this loving, powerful Gift Jesus Christ gave to me–to each of us as we have asked HIm into our heart and lives. Throughout the New Testament, The Holy Spirit is spoken about/referenced. I’ve always read these references as something nice, but very mysterious. Today, I finally find what has been so mysterious taking root in me. The fact that The Holy Spirit is mysterious is simply because I’m flesh with limited capacity for understanding Spirit. God Himself is mysterious. Jesus Christ today is mysterious, yet because God sent HIm to earth to live for us in flesh and die for us in flesh, do we better understand Him.

I feel as though a cloud has been lifted from me. Instead of confusion, I am finding a contentment of Trust replacing it. I am beginning to rejoice in what I don’t know and thanking Christ for what I am now finding. I don’t need to understand so much as I have needed to TRUST what I couldn’t understand. God is worthy to be Praised and I join the ones who have been Praising Him already!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: DEC. 31, 2024

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Today I go back to the room I use for counseling. But, before I take this step, I want to take a moment and reflect upon the year I will step out of in just a few more hours. There are lessons I know God wants me to take with me into the new year, not just as lessons to know, but lessons that have changed me–my life.

As I was reading my devotional, the author was pointing out that no matter how young or old we are, God has continued purpose for having us here on earth. We need to seek this purpose out regardless of our age. I do know the truth in this for at the age of 72 God had me enter into this area of counseling. This has been an amazing step for this grandpa to take. Little did I know how much God would continue to grow me in so doing.

This Fall, as I was introduced to the idea of starting my day with worship music, I seem to have been introduced to God’s Holy Spirit in a way which I’ve never known. I’ve always wanted to have The Holy Spirit as mine, but have never gotten past the “wondering how” part of this step. Awakening my own spirit this time of the day, there is nothing more my spirit wants than to surrender to God’s Holy Spirit for the day. This step is far more than a lesson to learn, it is a life-change. It is as though the new creation I am is finally found.

As this year of 2024 ends I want to move into 2025 more alive than ever before. However, the more alive is defined by alive in Christ because His Gift of The Holy Spirit is alive in me. This is no longer a hope, but a reality! Thank You God for never giving up on me (us).

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: DEC. 15, 2024

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Before I write anything else today, I must back up to complete yesterday’s story. I wrote that I was to step into the day in FAITH only. The counseling sessions were to be experienced and not led by me. The quartet singing event was to be experienced and not prepped ahead of time (the order for it had already been done and I needed not prep any further). The experiences of the day as each one completed itself were amazing. The young men, the wife and mother, the attendees of the concert–all had the same message. God, Jesus, Holy Spirit were so present and I am walking away having had an experience which gave each of them and me new Light.

For me personally, I walked away from yesterday shaking my head in sheer abundant joy. I have lived a lifetime fighting temptation in the flesh not understanding how I was to surrender the battle so it could be actually fought and won by our VICTOR–Jesus Christ. We spend a lot of time getting to know our Savior and Lord. We also work on knowing Christ’s Gift to us–The Holy Spirit. This has helped me immensely. The lesson with the young men yesterday added an ingredient I needed. It focused on knowing our enemy–Satan: his many names and his many tactics.

God is Spirit, Jesus Christ came in flesh, but left in Spirit and remains this way for eternity. The Holy Spirit is His Name–SPIRIT. Satan is also spirit. Has flesh ever won over spirit? Never! Satan uses this tactic with us (me) endlessly that I am a loser who is lucky enough to have a Savior. Jesus has helped me experience the truth that I am worthy and not a loser. His Worthiness is mine and seen by God for God sees Jesus in me. It is one thing to know this, it is another to now walk in the confidence of it letting Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit fight the enemy who wants to “sift me like sand” just as Christ told this to Peter. Instead of fighting, I Worship the Victor! He has already WON the battle!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: NOV. 17, 2024

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I wrote yesterday about the session in the morning would be the last one for the week re-engaging all of them. The session was with the young men I’ve written about in past using the material titled: Every Man A Pure Warrior. The lesson title was Aggressive Worship. That title bothered me somewhat in that I’ve always seen aggressive as a negative rather than a positive. Doing the lesson ahead of time was enjoyable, but going through the lesson yesterday brought about some awakening I have needed all of my life.

Worship has always been an important time for me. It is easy for me to lose my flesh self momentarily and let my spirit soar praising God and letting His Spirit be mine. A line in the lesson said, “Offer your body and body parts to God as an act of worship and clothe your body with the armor of God.” During the lesson time we discussed the part of clothing oneself with the armor of God as a part of worship. I’ve never once thought of this act as a part of worship until this became a talking point. This morning while journaling I was expressing my question mark to Jesus. It was then He pointed out that when my spirit joins The Holy Spirit and I allow the Holy Spirit to be my spirit I begin the opportunity to do as the phrase above says–offer my body and parts to The Holy Spirit which then allows Him to be my Armor of God. If I have this right, it is in Spirit I find strength of God becoming my own strength. I’ve never found God’s Strength maintained when I approach it in my flesh–my mind. It is when I approach this in my spirit that I find God’s Strength. Good grief, God is Spirit so why has this been such a mystery until now? I’m going to be spending a good deal more time allowing this to manifest itself in me.

Well, the journey does continue!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: NOV. 11, 2024

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The day has come to return home and reengage in the life of home. I believe each one of us on this trip has profited from being gone these 12 days and God has strengthened an appreciation for family in us. Only in these last few years have I believed that I could be an important member to our family. Realizing that differences in talents and personality are on purpose and not weaknesses is a real awakening for me. God does on purpose what He does in creating you and me.

As I began to read the book of Acts this morning I am reminded how unifying God is with His people. When we allow the Holy Spirit to become our leader we will automatically unify. God has different assignments for each of us, but in doing these assignments, we are not to think someone else’s assignment is of lesser importance. That is our flesh speaking, not The Holy Spirit. We shouldn’t bicker over differences, but work to understand why the differences are important. Unifying our efforts is always critically important.

Keeping our eyes of Jesus and listening to His Gift–The Holy Spirit within us is an everyday, every moment of each day assignment. I never want to forget this.