*Disclaimer - I am not a theologian or a seminary student. I am just a child of God and I'm sharing my personal journey. If you have any questions, you can always ask me, but I urge you to read the Bible to find these things out, because I may not be saying it all in the most understandable way. Always read the Bible to know the truths of God and His word!
So I started this blog series with a title about the Forgotten God (this is a great book by Francis Chan, by the way), but I have realized I did forget this part of God. This part is the Holy Spirit. Again, in my background, the church would mention the Holy Spirit, but we never really talked about it or studied it, and I definitely never understood it. In fact, it was about a year ago in a women's Bible study at church that I heard something for the first time that changed my life, "Jesus left the Holy Spirit on earth to be with us until He came back." What?! No one had ever told me that before. I mean, looking back now I realize I sang songs about that, but that was it and clearly I wasn't paying attention to the words I was singing. This was a huge revelation for me and I realized I needed to understand this Holy Spirit more, but I didn't know how to.
Well, through circumstances orchestrated by God, I found a couple of women at church who studied the word with me more which lead the husband and I to that marriage class, then me to a women's bible study with them, and now we are starting a small group with them (and their husbands) and the other marriage class participants. Okay, that is a fast explanation, but through all of this the husband and I have started learning about the Holy Spirit. I have started reading Forgotten God, but have not yet finished it, but so far I am enjoying it. My Bible study on Thursday night is studying the book of Galatians and what it says about the Holy Spirit, and these women in my Bible study are sharing with me how the Holy Spirit has worked in their life.
What I have learned so far is that the Holy Spirit is what is supposed to lead me, comfort me, and protect me hear on Earth, and I have never tapped into that power that He holds. This is still new to me, but I am slowly learning how to rely on the Spirit and ask for that power in my life. You see, I do still believe in miracles, but I think we have become closed off to them, especially in America because we are afraid of the power of the Holy Spirit. I know I used to be - I used to think that was just stuff in the Bible and that anything that might look like that power today must be evil or wrong or something, but why? God hasn't changed, and why should I limit His power and what He has given us in the Holy Spirit? I am slowly learning how to open my eyes to the Spirit and God is revealing so much to me right now. In the midst of studying for this crazy exam that is weighing on almost my every thought, the Spirit is there comforting me and showing me and filling me. It has really been amazing, and I want to share the most prominent way I have seen Him work in the last couple of weeks.
It is crazy, all I had to do was ask for Him, and he showed up. I always felt this longing for something more in my heart, and now I'm realizing it is because I wasn't allowing the third part of the Godhead to be a presence in my life. All of this going back to my baptism, I realize that the Holy Spirit got through to me that one time, and I'm so glad He did, but then I shut Him down for the last 11ish years. Now I'm realizing why there didn't seem to be joy or life in our old church, because I don't once remember ever talking about the Holy Spirit in the five years we were there. I don't think they were inviting Him in because we were all afraid of that power. I am learning that you have to measure everything to the Bible to know it is true and from God, but just because something seems a little different for us nowadays doesn't mean it is bad, it just means we might be putting God in a box and limiting His power in my life, and why would I want to do that?
Okay, tomorrow will be the last intense installment of this journey for now anyway - I am sure I will keep sharing it along the way!
So I started this blog series with a title about the Forgotten God (this is a great book by Francis Chan, by the way), but I have realized I did forget this part of God. This part is the Holy Spirit. Again, in my background, the church would mention the Holy Spirit, but we never really talked about it or studied it, and I definitely never understood it. In fact, it was about a year ago in a women's Bible study at church that I heard something for the first time that changed my life, "Jesus left the Holy Spirit on earth to be with us until He came back." What?! No one had ever told me that before. I mean, looking back now I realize I sang songs about that, but that was it and clearly I wasn't paying attention to the words I was singing. This was a huge revelation for me and I realized I needed to understand this Holy Spirit more, but I didn't know how to.
Well, through circumstances orchestrated by God, I found a couple of women at church who studied the word with me more which lead the husband and I to that marriage class, then me to a women's bible study with them, and now we are starting a small group with them (and their husbands) and the other marriage class participants. Okay, that is a fast explanation, but through all of this the husband and I have started learning about the Holy Spirit. I have started reading Forgotten God, but have not yet finished it, but so far I am enjoying it. My Bible study on Thursday night is studying the book of Galatians and what it says about the Holy Spirit, and these women in my Bible study are sharing with me how the Holy Spirit has worked in their life.
What I have learned so far is that the Holy Spirit is what is supposed to lead me, comfort me, and protect me hear on Earth, and I have never tapped into that power that He holds. This is still new to me, but I am slowly learning how to rely on the Spirit and ask for that power in my life. You see, I do still believe in miracles, but I think we have become closed off to them, especially in America because we are afraid of the power of the Holy Spirit. I know I used to be - I used to think that was just stuff in the Bible and that anything that might look like that power today must be evil or wrong or something, but why? God hasn't changed, and why should I limit His power and what He has given us in the Holy Spirit? I am slowly learning how to open my eyes to the Spirit and God is revealing so much to me right now. In the midst of studying for this crazy exam that is weighing on almost my every thought, the Spirit is there comforting me and showing me and filling me. It has really been amazing, and I want to share the most prominent way I have seen Him work in the last couple of weeks.
It is crazy, all I had to do was ask for Him, and he showed up. I always felt this longing for something more in my heart, and now I'm realizing it is because I wasn't allowing the third part of the Godhead to be a presence in my life. All of this going back to my baptism, I realize that the Holy Spirit got through to me that one time, and I'm so glad He did, but then I shut Him down for the last 11ish years. Now I'm realizing why there didn't seem to be joy or life in our old church, because I don't once remember ever talking about the Holy Spirit in the five years we were there. I don't think they were inviting Him in because we were all afraid of that power. I am learning that you have to measure everything to the Bible to know it is true and from God, but just because something seems a little different for us nowadays doesn't mean it is bad, it just means we might be putting God in a box and limiting His power in my life, and why would I want to do that?
Okay, tomorrow will be the last intense installment of this journey for now anyway - I am sure I will keep sharing it along the way!
Comments
Hugs,
Gail