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I apologize that this month's newsletter is coming out a few weeks late. Life has been sooo busy, and I didn't feel the Spirit prompting me toward what to encourage you all with. I have found that forcing content for content's sake is not profitable. Instead, I am learning to hear His whispers of truth in my soul. That takes time — being still and spending personal time in the Word —because nothing good comes from my own thinking.
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And yesterday, as I sat in Sunday School listening to conversations about our Ephesians 5 study, I knew He was giving me direction for what to share with you here.
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Ephesians 5:15-21 states,
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"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."(ESV)
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I have heard many debates on what it means to "be filled with the Spirit". Scripture clearly tells us that when we surrender our hearts to Christ, Jesus gifts us with the presence of His Spirit to walk with and guide us through this life and into the next (John 14:26; John 14:15-17; John 16:7; 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13-14). This is true for every believer. But, as humans, we can make it crowded in our hearts and minds as we fill them with the cares and trappings of this world (such as drunkenness, as He points out here).
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Other parts of Scripture warn against quenching the Spirit. (As I don't have time to explain this entirely in this letter, I have given you some reading if you want to delve deeper.) Essentially, as Christ-followers, we can never lose the indwelling of the Spirit, but we can hinder His effectiveness to transform us each time we fail to yield to His leading. Whether it's ignoring the conviction over our sins, refusing to obey a command, not sharing the Gospel with our neighbors, living for selfish gain, or not loving/forgiving as Christ did for us, anything we allow unchecked in our lives that is opposed to God's character will quench the Spirit.
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Our goal? To heed the command here to be filled with the Spirit. How do we practically do this? (Read through the text above :))
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- Ask Him for it.
- Read Scripture so He can direct your mind.
- When He nudges you to share the Gospel, be ready and willing.
- Take off the old and put on the new ways of Christ. He will empower you to succeed.
- Exercise gratitude.
- Make melodies in your heart to the Lord.
- Dwell in unity with other believers, based on the truths of Scripture.
- Spend your days with eternal purpose.
- Be aware and wise. Not fearful, but mindful of your walk. (I wrote about walking carefully in this newsletter if you missed it.)
- Treat people with the same love and care as He shows to us.
A yielded life is a powerful weapon against the enemy of our souls. Satan knows this and works hard to keep us bound up in busyness, short-sightedness, apathy, self-pity, empty pleasures, and even idleness, so we waste our precious time given to impact the world for God's Kingdom.
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Life with Christ requires both an offensive and defensive approach. We must be looking toward the prize -- running the race well -- while also taking care not to be slowed down by the schemes of our spiritual opponent. We make room for the new by shedding the old. We value and read the Bible to push out the lies we get tangled up in. We defend the truth when it is maligned. These are defensive moves that clear the path for the Spirit to burn brighter, fuelling our endurance to the end.
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I wish to encourage you with this last truth: the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that enables God's people to walk in the Spirit. Yielding is an ongoing process, and God's forgiveness can restore us each time we stubbornly fail. And once we experience the fullness of His Spirit working in us --- changing us in ways we could never imagine --- our gratitude will fan our desires to align with His.
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What a gracious gift we have in the Holy Spirit!
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May His presence be felt in each one of you today as you seek to run your race for His glory.
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Your friend and co-laborer in Christ,
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What I'm reading for spiritual growth!
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An Encouraging Episode from Annie F. Downs on Grief in recognition of Infant Loss Awareness Day
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It is easy to focus on the hard parts of our lives and stories, so I invite you to write down three ways God has shown Himself to be present and working in you. Here's mine:
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- Our family welcomed Kit Ryan Prahl on September 19th (he is now already 5 weeks old!), and he is one well-loved little guy. Praise God for his safe arrival. Life is precious!
- I'm thankful for the assurance of my salvation and peace that He's got me...no way could I keep myself! (1 John 5:13: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.)
- I'm thankful that when my thoughts start spiraling in negative directions, the Holy Spirit brings truth to remembrance...through reading Scripture, Bible teaching at church, gospel-centered music, and godly friends/teachers. We are only stuck if we choose to ignore His promptings!
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A Way to Support This Ministry!
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Thanks for reading. See you soon!
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