Keep On

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8

A Life Empowered

The Holy Spirit

Wow! Is all I could say after Darren concluded his sermon Sunday on the Holy Spirit. All my life I knew God. I learned the cool little stories about Jesus dying and raising from the dead, about David and Goliath, etc. But the Holy Spirit was left out. I was a bitarian Christian instead of a trinitarian. This past Summer was the first time I heard more about the Holy Spirit besides his name. I had never heard of tongues, I didn't know about spiritual gifts, I didn't know about this huge section God gave us. Now I'm learning, and I like it. Up until Sunday I learned bits and pieces about the Holy Spirit, I was trying to piece together what the Holy Spirit is and does. Besides being weirded out from 'super spiritual' people/acts, I was willing to figured it out. Sunday cleared everything up. Oh the Spirit was definitely alive at Cohiba!

We were a week late, but nonetheless we celebrated Pentecost Sunday by learning about it:

John 14:15-21:

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

-This sums so much up for me how amazing and brilliant our God is!

Genesis 2:7

"Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person."

The Greek word for breath is pneuma, which means spirit. In the beginning the spirit is what gave us life!

Jeremiah 31:33

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people

Ezekiel 36:26-27

"And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations."

Joel 2:28

“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions."

We were given numerous examples in the old testament where the Holy Spirit moved for specific purposes specific people at a specific time. We are all able to receive the Spirit!

Pentecost: means 50 years. Day to celebrate Gods outpouring and blessing/and a celebration of a renewed covenant.

Acts 2:1-12

-The Holy Spirit came down with a boom and people started talking in different languages (tongues) glorifying God. God reversed the towel of Babel, for there God confused people with different languages and now He is allowing everyone to speak the same to bring praise to Him.

-The Holy Spirit came to continue the mission God has on earth.

The Holy Spirit is a person, is God. The HS is action. The HS is a promise.

The Holy Spirit fills us up to make living out this life easier. The Holy Spirit makes streams of flowing water pour out of our heart. The Holy Spirit assists us in carrying out Jesus' mission here on earth. The Holy Spirit must be present in our lives, we must accept the Holy Spirit and allow it to bring us closer to God! The Holy Spirit empowers you to be who you are in Christ.

Sunday after service I had Ryan pray for me. I have tried so hard to stay away from the Holy Spirit, afraid of what He will have me do, afraid to let go of earthly things. I am ready. I want all God has to offer and I want to give back. I want to Spirit in me to guide me to do anything God calls me to do. I want to let go of things un-Godly. I want more! While Ryan was praying I heard him praying away stubbornness and impatience! Oh he hit it on the spot! Two things I struggle with most are patience and and a hard heart. (Please pray for those struggles in my life) Then he said he felt like it has taken me longer to let go and accept, but that its okay because God has things happen at different times for different people for different specific reasons. Last summer when I heard what seemed like 1,000 stories of Holy Spirit encounters I was so bummed, wondering what is wrong with me, is my relationship with God not good enough. Well once again God taught me that His timing surely is perfect. Because now that I have heard about the Spirit, and all the things He can do, and how it affects people around me I am finally ready to let go and accept.

Let The Holy Spirit in and LIVE A LIFE EMPOWERED!