Will To Be Full

The Lord whispered,:

“I cannot pour my Spirit into a sieve, only into a bowl, a bowl willing to be filled and pour out onto others.” 

 

I remember how the prophet Zechariah had a vision and visitation by an angel (Zech. 4:1-6). The angel awakened him from sleep and asked, “What do you see?” Zechariah answered what he had seen in his dream, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” Yet Zechariah had to ask the angel the meaning. 

Literally the message was a word from the Lord Almighty, saying that things are accomplished, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” or as the Message paraphrases, “You can't force these things. They only come about through my Spirit.” (v. 6) 

The key, as a follower of Christ, being filled with his Spirit is this:

 

What God has given you must be captured, as in a bowl, so that you can faithfully share, pour out God to others.

 

This is why God’s Spirit empowers your life, so you can be an influence upon those in the dark and with an unquenchable thirst when without God. Things of the Spirit of God are to be accomplished, and can only be accomplished by his power. You and I cannot be complacent to God’s presence, allowing all that He is to drip out and not be of use, thereby we are a mere sieve, screen not holding the Holy Spirit within your spirit, mind, actions, life … then in weakness doing things on your own. God has placed His Spirit in you, with the Word of the Gospel of Christ’s Salvation , and the mercy, grace, and love of sharing the salvation of Jesus; He who came to “Seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

 

That is what we do for the Almighty, and we can’t do it by our human strength.

 

But we are to be like an ark, a vessel, a bowl formed and filled by God Himself—therein is the strength, ability, knowledge, and all things good that are the power of God. Then, when you are like “a bowl willing to be filled and pour out onto others” the power of the Holy Spirit is the enabling to do so; that is when you and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13, NKJV).

 

Owen <><

Perspective on Anxiety

Timothy Keller points out that, “Anxiety is always the result of a collapsing false god.” Too often we focus on our perspective of status, seeing ourselves as rich or poor, graceful or clumsy, beautiful or ugly, athletic or unfit, respected or disliked, or whatever we allow to be assigned to us.  No matter our status, soon to follow are its fruit:  doubt, fear, pressure, anxiousness … which is anxiety. 


Anxiety is the hole of emptiness in one’s soul, dug by whatever reason we accept as the fact of our status in life.  That is what replaces God with the god of emptiness and anxiety; the evil one who takes pleasure in destroying you.  

Beth Moore adds, “The enemy of our souls is a false prophet. Don't let him taunt you with graceless dread and doom toward your future if you belong to Jesus.”

Living life in a way of truly enjoying the peace and fullness of Christ begins when you are not “anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil 4:6).   When faithfully focused on God as provider, as our all and all, we begin to follow Jesus’ teachings, that there is no need to "worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear” (Luke 12:22-23), nor is there need to “worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt 6:34).   Be confident in the one true God, He who has filled your emptiness with his Spirit, removing all that induces fear.  Don’t empty yourself of God by filling yourself with the promises of the false prophet, the wants and desires of the deceiver’s lie of satisfying peace – that’s your false god.

Owen <><

Influence the World (Part 1)

Jesus said, let “all the world” hear “the good news” and, that “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved…,” (Mark 16:15-16).  In saying this, Jesus expressed his desire that His followers are to be change agents for the Kingdom of God — our purpose in this world we live.  

But, do you and I really want to change this world that we not only love but complain about?

Do we what change so bad that we are willing to share with someone what it takes to be changed? 

 

Change in Christ is a way of life that isn’t burdensome, in fact Jesus says it is a gentle life when we follow his ways (Matt. 11:30).  As His followers, we have a burden that is not heavy, but a complete joy, that burden is to change the world by sharing the good news, the gospel, of Christ – that is to tell someone about salvation in Christ, being a witness of Jesus.   

 

 

We cannot keep the good news Jesus Christ a secret in our minds, our private place, our close community of people.  It is not a matter of your personality either, because “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Tim 1:7). 

 

A follower of Christ is promised “power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses,” said Jesus, in your home town, to nearby nations of people you accept or hate, in fact an ability to witness to share the good news of Christ, even to “the ends of the earth” – the whole world (cf., Acts 1:8) when opportunity arises or when specifically sent by God.    

Owen <><

 

Do you want world change, or your own security?