Ingesting and Digesting

I haven't been writing everyday lately because I have been doing a lot of reading and studying. God is giving me a lot to chew on and I am trying my best to ingest and digest everything that He is so gracious to show me.

I have been reading a great book called " Trusting God Even When Life Hurts". It talks about the sovereignty of God and many other things that I am not yet completely confident to talk about, but regardless, it's really speaking to me and God is revealing a lot to me through it.

Secondly we just started a series at our church on the book of Acts. This last weeks message was amazing, as they usually are no matter what the subject. I took about 4 pages of notes. I guess the subject that is deeply swirling in my heart right now is the subject of the Holy Spirit. How He works, how we access Him and how that applies to our adversities.

One of the things that really spoke to me and that I could really relate to and shout amen to was something our pastor said regarding Acts 2. It talks about how "the people were cut to the heart". This was after the whole Upper Room experience where God demonstrated Himself in an amazing way. That's a whole other blog. What stirred me is that only the Holy Spirit, the one that Jesus gave us as our Helper when He left this earth, only the Holy Spirit can cut people to the heart. Being cut to the heart, as my pastor put it, "is a place where no one else can get to, the inner man". The deepest part of us. And that, my friend, is where real change and transformation happens. Amen to that.

With the risk of sounding a bit prideful, I have seen myself going through this journey and as I have accessed the Holy Spirit to help me through it, He is really cutting me to the heart. If you've ever been cut physically you know, it hurts. It's the same thing in the spirit. But my medicine for that cut is the Word of God and it heals and protects. I have desires and am maturing in things that I never knew were even inside of me, only the Holy Spirit can pull this up out of me.

For instance, every time we hear of someone who is ill or dealing with some physical trial, I can't do anything else until I stop and access the Holy Spirit on their behalf. The Holy Spirit won't let me do anything else. Before this whole process, I would most certainly pray for people, but I am talking about pacing the room, resisting the devil, warring in the spirit for people. A whole different level for me. I have a new passion in me to see people delivered from sickness and disease. It's apart of my journey and ministry to get a burden for this and see people healed and delivered.

We just found out that some friends of ours who have a house full of kids one of those being pretty much a new born baby, the dad has just been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. They are a young family. Talk about devastation. But not in God's eyes. Last night Chad and I accessed the Holy Spirit and prayed when we put our boys to bed because we couldn't do anything else until we had done that. We were so burdened for them and I know that is the Holy Spirit speaking to us.

The revelation that came to me was that, in my situation, I would want people to pace the room for me. I would want people to access the Holy Spirit and set aside all else until God released them from praying for me. I would want someone to really pray, if they tell me that they will. I am so sensitive to other people's needs more than I have ever have been before. THAT is the Holy Spirit cutting me to the heart.

My challenge to you today is to get in the Word and read about the Holy Spirit and His function in our lives. It is vital. We will never fully see the miraculous unless we learn to access Him. That's why Jesus left Him as our Helper, to Help us. So let Him help you, whatever that may mean to you right now. Let Him help you be a better person, let Him help you be sensitive to others, let Him help you see the miraculous happen in your life. We need Him, the church needs Him and the world needs Him.