After a night of worship and praying and being in the presence of God, it was glorious. But this morning I needed some rest so I rested.
Shortly after getting up and taking care of a few things I received a message from my son Jonathan. He gave me news that one of his closest friends had passed away this morning. I was shocked and broke down immediately. I looked at this young man like a son. He was highly intelligent, witty, and he was kind. I knew he had battled sickness but I didn’t realize it was this bad. We had a conversation when Jonathan was in China, we discussed how that Jonny would probably marry Qing and he did. I don’t know why this has hit me so hard but I think it’s just that he was someone I respected and there was a mutual kindred spirit between us. I will miss him. Rest in peace young man; God comfort his wife and family.
This is the second day of our 21 Day Prayer and Fasting…and it could not have come at a better time…I needed this so much…
I have a confession to make…I’ve been a little distracted and earth bound lately…filling my spirit with natural things, not unhealthy or weird, but things that don’t profit the spirit much. My spiritual man had become a little neglected and complacent therefore weak. That’s not a good place to be… so the message our Pastor gave on Sunday past, was perfect…he talked about how, that, we are born with a sin nature but when we are born of God, he puts his holy spirit within us giving us a spiritual nature as well. And how the two war with each other constantly. Depending on what we do, will determine which nature will rule our lives. In other words what goes into our heart, mind, body and spirit is what we will produce. Our sin nature loves to sin. God never said sin wasn’t fun, he just said, don’t do it!
In order for our Spirit nature to thrive and be more Christ-like…we have to feed it, by prayer, and fasting, reading God’s word, worshiping, praising, singing psalms and hymns to him, and fellowship with other believers. Practicing these things strengthens the spirit nature and we begin to take on the personality of God. His love, his joy, his peace, his grace, his self-control, his long suffering, his patience, his kindness…these are the characteristics of our Holy Heavenly Father…we become more like him…and as a child of God that’s who I want to be more like, don’t you?
There’s nothing wrong with being natural except when it interferes with our relationship with the LORD. When you find yourself, being selfish, self-righteous, irritable, complaining, hateful, rude, agitated by everything and everyone…that is a good indication your sin nature is in control. It’s time for a house cleaning by the Holy Spirit and that is exactly what I had to do. Repentance is always the best way to get your spirit man back in sync and aligned with our Holy Papa God.
You see when our life-line is properly connected to the blood-line of Jesus, our heart will be God centered and Holy Spirit connected…then we will walk, talk, hear, see, feel, and be led by the Spirit of God and not our fleshly desires…
Sometimes you just have to clean your house…by making God’s house,(spiritual man) a house of prayer…begin with humility and then ask God to cleanse you by the washing of the water of his word…and a flood of grace will pour over your life like a sweet perfume filling the atmosphere…no longer will putrid, disgusting words and actions control you…Because you live in the image of God.
You’ll have His character living in, and through you, and you will be a delight to Him and to others around you.
God will use everything that happens in our life to get our attention and bring us to his fullness.
Let God’s Spirit abide in you one hundred percent, you’ll be happier and healthier. Because one day we are all going to leave this earth…and I want to live in God’s kingdom where there is love and joy and peace…and, the thing is, we can live that way now. But it takes disciple and a made up mind to exercise your spiritual muscles so that they become stronger than your sin nature…it’s sometimes painful but it is so much more worth it…God bless you today and give you strength and grace to become the person God is calling you to be. Amen.
~Marla Shaw O’Neill January 14, 2020
Galatians 5:16-17 The Passion Translation (TPT)
The Holy Spirit, Our Victory
16 As you yield freely and fully to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self – life.[a] 17 For your self – life craves the things that offend the Holy Spirit and hinder him from living free within you! And the Holy Spirit’s intense cravings hinder your old self – life from dominating you! So then, the two incompatible and conflicting forces within you are your self – life of the flesh and the new creation life of the Spirit.[b]
Footnotes:
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Galatians 5:16 Or “the natural realm.”
- Galatians 5:17 The concept of the “new creation life of the Spirit” is implied in the greater context of Galatians, and referred to explicitly in 6:15–16.
1 Corinthians 2:14 The Passion Translation (TPT)
14 Someone living on an entirely human level[a] rejects[b] the revelations of God’s Spirit, for they make no sense to him. He can’t understand the revelations of the Spirit because they are only discovered by the illumination of the Spirit.
Footnotes:
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1 Corinthians 2:14 Or “the natural man” or “the one without the Spirit.” The Aramaic can be translated “A man in his natural self cannot receive spiritual concepts.”
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1 Corinthians 2:14 Or “does not have access to.”
