Holy Spirit

Spiritual Dream Home

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison whatever they did there it was his doing.              Genesis 39:21-22 

My wife and I are somewhat addicted to HGTV home remodeling shows. We enjoy watching while either the Property Brothers; Rick and Joanna Gaines or Hillary Farr rip to shreds and then rebuild old worn out houses and make them into someone’s dream home!  Have you ever noticed that construction zones and demolition zones seem very much alike? Maybe that’s because both involve some smashing down and some digging up that are equally painful. Recently we experienced lots of digging up, filling in and then digging up and filling in again of several large pipes under our street. The issues were complex and the rerouting didn’t work the first second or even third time. One night they were smashing and pounding till 11 o’clock. My response to waking up to the racket was to put my jacket on over my pj’s and march indignantly down the street to complain.

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The tired foreman of the job took off his hardhat and politely answered that they couldn’t wait to go home either but they had to finish before they were allowed to quit. Sheepishly I went home realizing that I was not the only one who wished the work was done.  In Joseph’s life he also passed through a construction zone when he was unjustly thrown into prison.  Unlike me, Joseph was patient and continued to listen rather than complain. The heavy construction that God was doing in his life became a season of blessing and growth because Joseph chose to listen.

On those occasions where I have followed Joseph’s example and tuned my ears to listen I have discovered as he did that it is God who is at work digging and pounding and He won’t stop till He has finished! God’s promises are real. He hasn’t abandoned us or forgotten the dream which He sent. In fact the painful circumstances which we are in today are what God is using to build the spiritual dream home which He has prepared for us in eternity!

 

Get Ready for Battle!

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Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth.  Ephesians 6:13-14a ESV

After we brought our first baby crib home, I quickly glanced at the diagram on the instruction booklet, then set it aside and began to match up the pieces for assembly. “How hard could it be to put a crib together?” I thought to myself. But after almost an hour of trying to get it together I returned to the instructions manual.

When we read about preparing for spiritual warfare it is easy to fall into that same process. But God’s field equipment has nothing extra and we will need every piece. We might feel we can skip a few things and grab our sword and shield God tells us to start with the belt of truth.

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The Christian life is not only about the blessings; it is also a spiritual battle. Jesus said that He was the Way, the Truth and the Life and if we are to fight side by side with Him then we must start with the truth.

Being victorious means we must begin by buckling on the truth. Truth matters so much to God that He lists it first because it holds the rest of our equipment together. So before we head out the door today let’s pray for God to help us fasten on the belt of His truth!

I Want My Lawyer!

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 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 ESV

What does Jesus mean when He says He doesn’t give us a peace like the world’s peace? Try thinking of a scene from whatever is your favorite crime show. There inevitably comes a climactic moment when  the bad guy is arrested. Then just as the good guys begin to question him he shouts, “I’m not saying anything until I have my lawyer!”

Lawyers are also our greatest hope when we are in trouble. If you look back at the previous verse you will see that Jesus is telling us that He will send us the Holy Spirit; as our advocate (Lawyer).  That is because you, I and everyone else who ever was born has been put under arrest and faces the death penalty because of sin. The only hope we have in the sentencing portion of our trial is to have a good lawyer. Jesus is promising us the best in the universe; if we will put our faith in Him.

So we walk into the courtroom with the Holy Spirit by our side. When the evidence is presented proving our guilt He tells the judge that the prosecution has entered into a plea bargain with the defense. We have agreed by faith to repent, confess our sin and put our faith in Jesus. In exchange the penalty we faced now will fall on: Jesus Christ The Holy Son of God. The judge listens carefully then before the hushed heavenly courtroom He brings down His gavel and says “Not Guilty!” Then He steps down from the bench, opens his arms and embraces us crying; “Welcome home child!”

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Now if that isn’t peace I don’t know what is. That is because our everlasting peace is a person not a feeling. What a gift we have been given. What a peace we have. It is a peace that the world cannot give and that no one can  take away!