A note I sent out to our churches:
What’s the Holy Spirit Speaking to You About Your Life in 2005?
The beginning of a new year is often the time when we make New Year’s Resolutions. Usually, these are human desires or resolutions that we want to pursue; more often than not, they are forgotten by January 20.
Maybe there’s a better way!
The week before Christmas several churches studied Mary’s angelic visitation. What we learned there was
1. Mary was ready to receive whatever miracle God had for her: “be it unto me according to your Word.”
2. God spoke to her about what He intended to do
3. Mary believed that Word
4. The miracle happened
So… I’m suggesting that God has many wonderful and awesome miracles for us in 2005: things that He wants to do in us, for us, through us, and even miracles that will take place right in the midst of those trials we are in (He does specialize in bringing beauty out of ashes).
Our part, then, is to:
1. Be open—“God whatever you have for me I’m ready to receive”
And
2. Ask the Holy Spirit what He has for you in 2005
I suggest that we intentionally ask Him to reveal to us, just as He did to Mary, what He wants to do in and through us in 2005—good things, things that bring us joy and life, things that will bless others, things that will cause us to rise to a new level of confidence in who we are in God. We ask and then we take the time to listen.
This is more than seeking after our normal human desires or things that comfort us. This is, “God, what do you have for me in the coming year?” I’m not saying that God is not interested in our normal human desires. But He operates on a higher level. When we open ourselves to His purposes more fully, deep joy and satisfaction will naturally follow.
So… our key question again… What is the Holy Spirit speaking to YOU about YOUR life in 2005? This will be something that we cannot accomplish on our own. By opening ourselves to what He is saying we are opening ourselves to more of Him-at-work in our lives.
I will probably ask each of us this question personally. It’s so powerful. House church is not about one person coming up with God’s vision for the coming year; it’s about every person listening and responding to whatever God is saying, and then collectively entering into a new level of God’s-power-at-work. How exciting!
Scary? Maybe a little bit. Worth it? Yes. What God does is always so far above and beyond the “good” that we can imagine accomplishing on our own.
What is the Holy Spirit Speaking to YOU about YOUR life in 2005?
Comments
One response to “What’s God Doing In Your Life In 2005?”
God has been leading me to a deeper revelation of the precious pearl that is hidden in the depths of our heart. It costs us everything to find it, but in losing all we find life. It is this journey I believe that allows us entry into the most Holy place in the very presence of God.I believe only as we find ourselves seated in the heavenlies with him can true ministry and true works of the Lord begin, because the requirement involves our very lives and flesh being offered up and the life of sin and self cast out.Jesus showed us this principle of death and life at work when He offered Himself up for us on the cross. Jesus has given me a deeper revelation that it is by his blood that He himself works the necessary death and cleansing of our sin in us and by this same blood he refills us with what He has emptied with His sanctifying life.
I have found as I am sure others have found that many times the Lord in His mercy will show us deep spiritual truths and give us revelation of HIs purpose here on earth. But I have also found that he will allow much failure to come into our lives as we try to walk these truths out.We find ourselves as Moses did leaving egyptians in the sand, coming to an end of ourselves in desolate places like the backside of Midian. But, Praise God it is in this emptying that God can begin filling these poor earthen vessels with His Holy life.
In His tender love I have found that God will allow us to look back and show us up until this point most of our works when proven in the fire have been built from wood and stubble, not resting squarely on the Rock which is Him. It is in this deep humility I believe we are led to a deep understanding of the true meaning of waiting on God for all.For those who have been trained by it I believe we will find the fruit of His patience and long-sufferning at work as we are brought into a deeper revelation of what entering His rest means. In this rest I believe we come to glimpse for maybe the first time the breath-taking beauty of this precious pearl in us. We grow in faith to see that it is God and only God that can truly give meaning, joy, love and purpose to one’s life. We have hungered for this for so long, but we find our eyes for the most part have been toiling and praying for outward things to fill an inner hole, but we discover that life in it’s most precious moments flows not from that which we hunger for outwardly but from this precious pearl at work in us that is working out His salavation in us. We come to a place where we are willing to spend all and lose all to have this treasure. It is the offering up of our very lives, all our dreams all of our self to be emptied wanting only to be filled with what is of true value, what is pure, the very life of God who is love, who is pure and who is Holy.
May we all wait on God as the disciples did at Pentecost, waiting to be filled with the full measure of Christ. And from this let Blessings of His life flow out of us into the world around us. I believe the church again would know the in-working of His power and love if in reverant fear we knew the true meaning of waiting on God to be all and work all in us. In this deep and child like dependence and humility we would know the deeper meaning of branch life waiting in helplessness for the vine to work life and fruit in us.