Luke 24:45; 49 NIV: “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. I am
going to send you what my Father has promised, but stay in the city until you
have been clothed with power from on
high.”
Are you in a period in life when you need guidance or wisdom from above? You are asking God, “What do you want me to do?” Or are you in an in-between time? Are you wondering how your current circumstance is going to all fit together? As Jesus supernaturally opened the minds of the disciples, He reminded them what He had taught them. He explained how it all fit together (the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms) before He ascended to Heaven so that they could understand God’s Word, the necessity for His suffering and death, and proclaim it to the world how lost sinners can be saved. He will do the same for us, through His Holy Spirit illuminating the text to our hearts and then to our minds as we read the Bible. That is our power source and manual for life on this earth in being a Spirit-filled witness. God’s Word has the power to penetrate our soul and spirit. That is where we find wisdom, guidance, and instruction in what is God’s will for our life – one day at a time as we may be feeling we are in yet another survival mode.
Our Pastor Todd said it so eloquently this past Sunday in his sermon: “Living spirit-filled is living moment by moment, being Christ-conscious, in a Scripture-saturated life. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not getting more of Him but of Him getting more of you.”
Are you in a trial right now or experiencing a particular failure? What do you need God to remind you of what He has taught you? God did not ever tell Job the “why” regarding all the consecutive trials he went through. It had nothing to do with Job letting God down. Think about that. But in God’s eyes, there was no one like Job in all the earth, and for years people have found comfort in the book of Job. Someone may find support and help from your story. At times all we have is our faith and obedience – that is what matters as you guard your heart by delving into God’s Word.
Larry Osborne has said: “Success, failure, and inner peace don’t tell me much when it comes to measuring my spirituality or my relationship with God . . . obeying his commands remains the best way to know how I’m doing, and how to stay in the center of God’s will.”
The Holy Spirit may empower your trial to be a light to someone else in need someday. Discouragement can lead us in the wrong direction.
Humbly remember, you have been clothed with power from on high and are being gradually transformed into Christlikeness through prayer and through reading the Word of God. Side note – God is more concerned about the decision maker than the decision. As an author and Christian women’s speaker, Elize Fitzpatrick said over and over recently, at our women’s conference at Crossroads Community Church – “Flee to Jesus!”
“We humans must confess, ‘I am because he is.’ Only God can say ‘I AM WHO I AM’.” Jen Wilken. None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different From Us.
Listen to Fight on Fighter (Lyric Video) by King & Country.