Moved By the Spirit Wind

It rained last night, so as I sit on my porch this morning the world around me seems new and clean. Little drops of rain still clinging to green leaves surround me in glittering golden light. It dazzles like diamonds. The breeze intermittently blows – sometimes swaying the palm fronds of my potted plant, sometimes caressing my face. The breeze is fascinating. You cannot see it, but you know it is there. Thoughts of the wind and the Holy Spirit are rolling through my mind.

Jesus met with Nicodemus one night. Nicodemus had questions he wanted Jesus to answer, maybe without the scrutiny of the other Pharisees. Jesus told Nicodemus of a kingdom one cannot see unless he is born of the Spirit. Jesus said, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3: 8). Truly, we cannot see the Spirit, but we can see how He moves around us and through us. We can tell the Spirit is there because of a person’s actions, their words, their attitudes, the way they live their lives. The Spirit moves people in different directions than the flow of the world. Can you look at your own life and see how the Spirit moves you? Maybe, like me, you see some places you need to open up to Him and allow Him the freedom to move you.

There is a river birch beside my porch. As I sit here this morning it is mostly still. But way at the top of the tree, there is this one little leaf flickering back and forth with all its might. It catches my eye as it rotates because no other leaf is stirring. Why that one? Where is the breeze that it only moves that one little leaf? The wind is mysterious. Maybe it is the way the leaf is positioned on the tree. It makes me think of myself. Am I positioning myself to be moved by the Holy Spirit? I want to be. All around me there are people who do not know my Jesus. All around me there are opportunities to move differently than the world. I want to be like the lone leaf showing that the Spirit is here, flickering with the light of truth, pointing the way to Christ. I want people to know what Nicodemus learned that night: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3: 16-17).

Sometimes we focus on the world and we forget to be still and look for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are easily distracted. But for those who believe and belong to Christ, one day the veil will be lifted from our eyes and we will see clearly what the Spirit has been doing all along. And like the Casting Crowns song says, we will know we were moved by the “Spirit Wind.” So stay focused on Him, follow where His Spirit leads you, and watch as He moves. You won’t be disappointed! But most importantly, you will pointing the way to Christ.

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for secluding parts of my life and keeping the Holy Spirit out. Help me to overcome this tendency. Come into my heart and move me so that I can make more of Jesus to the world around me. Breathe Your Spirit Wind into my dry bones and give me strength and passion to do Your work. Thank You! In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Sanctification Through Surrender

Growing in grace is not easy. I have lofty expectations for myself. When I don’t meet them, disappointed strikes. Negative talk starts: “You’re a loser. You’ll never get it right. You’re no good. Why do you even try?” This throws me into the pit. I know my cycle all too well: lofty expectations, failure to deliver, disappointment, negative self-talk, pit-dwelling. Sometimes I sit there for a while, but the Lord never lets me stay too long. He always comes to get me. A Bible verse. A message on Sunday morning. A worship song. A friend’s kind words. My Lord always pulls me up, brushes me off, and says, “Let’s try again.”

I’ve been praying about this cycle of mine. Something has to change! Like a bad dream, I’m stuck in Romans 7, focusing on my goofs: “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19). Yep! That’s me. But what if it isn’t about being perfect? What if it is about resigning each area of your life to the Lord? I keep seeing my pit-dwelling cycle as a sign of how imperfect I am, but that’s not what it is. I believe The Lord is showing me these are the things I need to surrender.

Sanctification is the process of growing to be more Christ-like. His holy character is not automatically given to us at salvation. We are not immediately transformed into perfect beings. We must work at it. This work is good. It requires that we lean on the Lord. It develops perseverance and obedience. It grows our spiritual muscles. This work brings us closer to the Lord, which is what He wants and exactly what we need. The only thing in His way is our own refusal to surrender. We need sanctification through surrender!

Our lives hold three types of surrender. Total surrender - you know you can’t do a thing. No surrender- you feel completely confident. Avoiding surrender - you just really don’t want to do it God’s way. The avoiding surrender spot is where my worst faults lurk. That is where I end up in the pit. This place causes a restlessness in my spirit. I know I need help, but I want control. Romans 8: 7-8 reminds me, “. . . the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” I am left vulnerable when I allow my wayward desires to rule over me. This is where the battle rages.

Surrender is a battle word. It paints a picture of defeat and victory, submission and rule, slave and master. When we walk outside of God’s will, we may keep our desires, but we will surrender something: joy, finances, self-esteem, relationships – the list could go on. When we surrender those wayward desires to the Lord, He will help us in the battle.

I love Romans 8! It is a picture of us winning. There is hope, love, and the promise of glory. It tells us that the Spirit and Christ are both interceding for us. It reminds us that “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (v. 31). It concludes with “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 37-39). Did you hear that? We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. You cannot lose! That battle you keep fighting . . . you will eventually win when you stand with Christ. Surrender it! Be sanctified through it. You will walk out on the other side a victor! Don’t wait. Surrender.

Dear Heavenly Father, I know the place You are calling me to surrender today. I know You promise love and grace and help to overcome. You promise victory! Help me. I want so much to live for You. Thank You for a love that nothing can remove. In Jesus’ name, Amen!