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Surrendering to the Holy Spirit’s Influence

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Receiving the Holy Spirit
Paul prays for the Ephesians

In Ephesians 3:17–19, Paul prays that the Ephesians will come to understand and experience God’s love. To truly understand and experience this love, you must accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You also need to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s prayer was specifically for the Ephesians. (The Book of Ephesians is one of the sixty-six books of the Bible. The Bible is the living Word of God.) Paul was praying that the Ephesians understand and experience God’s love. His prayer extends to all living people today as well. If you are not a believer, are you being called to become a believer today? If you are a believer, are you in a fruitful relationship with the Holy Spirit? Do you think and function as if you are in control or do you submit to His influence?

Think about the nature of your relationship— are you fully invested in it? Are you content with the Holy Spirit simply residing in you, or do you desire something more?

Jesus promised you, and everyone throughout time, an advocate when He ascended to sit at the right hand of God. Luke the author of the Book of Acts teaches that the Holy Spirit is the advocate. He was sent to dwell in you the moment you become a believer. The Holy Spirit wants to influence your life. He desires more of you. Nonetheless, if you only accept Him as a resident, you are limiting His impact on your life.

As a believer, you entered a relationship that is instantaneously rooted and grounded in love. As humans, it is beyond our full understanding. In that moment, you realize you are filled with God’s fullness and that you belong to Him.

God, loves you unconditionally and dwells in you through the Holy Spirit. He desires for you to engage more deeply in your relationship with Him. He is a living partner. He serves as your advocate, guiding you on our journey. He speaks to the Father on your behalf. He redirects you, and He protects you from harm and so much more. In the Book of Acts, Luke encourages you to surrender to His influence.

As your advocate, He communicates with you, but how you respond is your choice. You can decide to listen to His messages or ignore them. When you surrender to His influence, you grant Him the authority to shape your behavior, character, and spiritual growth. When you let Him influence your life, the relationship deepens and grows more intimate spiritually.

Your greatest resource is the Holy Spirit. Your relationship with God is the most important one you will ever have. When you desire His influence, while keeping Him at a distance you have not fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit. You have not relinquished control over your life.

You are missing out on the fullness of God’s love. According to Charles Stanley, “We are filled with God’s Spirit the moment we accept Christ as our personal Savior. We are not repeatedly refilled, we have all we are going to receive of the Spirit at Salvation. As we grow in our Christian walk, we learn more about God’s ways, character, and presence within us through His Spirit. The more we know, love, and obey, the more we learn how to live a life to the fullest.” (Life Principles Bible, Second Edition. Thomas Nelson, 2011, page 1575)

In closing ask yourself, how can I move beyond selective listening to obeying His commands? What steps are necessary to fully submit to the influence of the Holy Spirit in my life? Am I willing to let go of the things that hold me back? Does my behavior prevent me from advancing to the next stage of my spiritual maturity? Is today the day I choose to surrender to the influence of the Holy Spirit?

Note: According to Charles Stanley’s Life Principles Bible, “the phrase ‘filled by the Holy Spirit’ was not used again, except for being mentioned in Ephesians 5:18. In that phrase, Paul talks about surrendering to the influence of the Spirit-not to the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit, which every believer receives.”

Photo, LAB Photos and AI Pixi; Scripture, bible.com

Shalom Shalom

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In Hebrew the phrase Shalom-Shalom, means perfect peace. It is yours if you keep your mind on the Lord. ~ Lisa Blair

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ (bible.com)

Note: I extracted the following commentary from EnduringTruth.com commentary on verses 3-4.

My prayer is that each of us will experience Shalom Shalom, the perfect peace of God.

I also encourage you to pray before reading Isaiah 26:3-4, followed by reading the extract (and the full commentary). Taking the time to pray and prepare your heart can deepen your understanding and connection to the scriptures. Inviting God into your reading makes you more likely to gain insights and peace.

A good method to gain understanding is to:

  1. Always pray and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the passages
  2. Read the Passage(s) in the Bible
  3. Read the commentary(s) with more understanding

Let God speak to your mind. Don’t just skim over the text to read a devotion.

Shalom Shalom is yours when you put God first.

Partial Commentary explaining verses three and four.

  1. (3-4) The LORD is our source of strength.
    You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.

a. You will keep him in perfect peace: This is a wonderful promise: perfect peace. God promises that we can have perfect peace, and even be kept in a place of perfect peace.

i. In Hebrew, the term perfect peace is actually shalom shalom. This shows how repetition communicates intensity in Hebrew. It is not just shalom; it is shalom shalom, perfect peace.

ii. “Understand, dear soul, that it is thy privilege to live inside the double doors of God’s loving care. He says to thee, ‘Peace, peace.’ If one assurance is not enough, He will follow it with a second and a third.” (Meyer)

iii. Some can have this perfect peace, but it is fleeting, and they are never kept there. Others can be kept in peace, but it is not a perfect peace, it is the peace of the wicked, the peace of spiritual sleep and ultimate destruction. But there is a perfect peace that the LORD will keep us in.

b. Whose mind is stayed on You: This is the place of perfect peace and the source of it. When we keep our minds stayed – settled upon, established upon – the LORD Himself, then we can be kept in this perfect peace.

i. To be kept in this perfect peace is a matter of our mind. This isn’t so much a matter of our spirit or of our soul or of our heart. It is a matter of our mind. We are to love the LORD our God with all of our mind(Matthew 22:37). We are transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). We can have the mind of Christ(1 Corinthians 2:16, Philippians 2:5). We are not to set our mind on earthly things(Philippians 3:19), but to set our mind on things above (Colossians 3:2). The Christian life is not an unthinking life of just doing, or experiencing, but it is also about thinking, and where we set our mind is essential in our walk before the LORD.

ii. To be kept in this perfect peace, our mind must be stayed. According to Strong’s Dictionary, the Hebrew word sawmak comes from the root “to prop,” and has the idea “to lean upon or take hold of…bear up, establish, uphold, lay, lean, lie hard, put, rest self, set self, stand fast, stay (self), sustain.” In other places the same word is translated sustained(Genesis 27:37, Psalm 3:5), or when the priest would put their hands on the head of a sacrificial animal (Exodus 29:10, 15, 19), or of the laying on of hands in other circumstances (Numbers 27:18), of being upheld (Psalm 71:6), to stand fast upon (Psalm 111:8), of being established(Psalm 112:8), of leaning upon (Isaiah 36:6, 48:2). It is fair to ask the disciples of Jesus Christ: What sustains your mind? What do you lay your mind upon? What upholdsyour mind? What does your mind stand fast upon? What is your mind establishedupon? What does your mind lean upon? To have this perfect peace, your mind cannot occasionally come to and lean upon the LORD; it has to be stayed on Him.

iii. To be kept in this perfect peace, our mind must be stayed on the LORD. If our mind is stayed on ourselves, or our problems, or the problem people in our lives, or on anything else, we can’t have this perfect peace. This is the heart that says with the Apostle Paul, that I may know Him (Philippians 3:10). In his spiritual attacks against us, Satan loves to get our minds set on anything except the LORD.

c. Because he trusts in You: This is another way of expressing the idea of keeping our minds stayed on Him. Almost always, you keep your mind stayed on whatever you are trusting. When we trust the LORD, we keep our mind stayed on Him.

i. Proverbs 3:5 expresses this same idea: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. The word for lean in Proverbs 3:5 comes from the same root as the word stayed in Isaiah 26:3. When we trust in the LORD, we do not lean on our own understanding. To lean on the LORD is to trust Him. To be sustained by the LORD is to trust Him. To be established by the LORD is to trust Him. To be upheld by the LORD is to trust Him.

ii. The battle for trust in our lives begins in our minds. If we trust the LORD, it will show in our actions, but it will begin in our mind.

d. Trust in the LORD forever: Because of the promise of Isaiah 26:3, we are encouraged to trust in the LORD forever – and therefore to receive the blessing of the promise, perfect peace.

e. For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength: If the LORD calls us to rely on Him completely with our mind, He appeals to our mind with a rational reason why we should trust the LORD – because He is everlasting strength. It isn’t that the LORD has everlasting strength, He is everlasting strength.

i. Clarke’s comment on Isaiah 12:2 applies here also: “The word Yah read here is probably a mistake; and arose originally from the custom of the Jewish scribes, who, when they found a line too short for the word, wrote as many letters as filled it, and then began the next line with the whole word.”

Peace be with you.

Source: https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/isaiah-26/

Scripture: bible.com

Photo: LABphoto

You Are My Strong Tower

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Somebody needs to hear this!

You, Lord, are my strong tower. You provide for all of my needs. You direct me to walk in the light of day and caution me not to fall back into the darkness. You guide me through the Holy Spirit who lives in me. Your love for me is unending and I seek only You, my Lord and Savior. I sing of your strength. Every morning is a new day you bestow upon me a new day where new mercies are given to me. Thank you, Lord, for being my Father, my Banner, and my Savior! I praise you, my Triune God, for my new day. I sing aloud of Your lovingkindness.

17 But I—I sing of Your strength!
Yes, in the morning I sing aloud of Your lovingkindness.
For You have been my fortress,
    a refuge in the day of my trouble.
18 O my strength, to You I sing praises.
For God is my strong tower—
my God of lovingkindness. ~ Psalm 59:17-18

Sing praise – This is the day for my breakthrough into the land of milk and honey, a metaphor for spiritual and physical provision. You are my strong tower, you sure me up in my weakness. You alone restored my soul. You are my Savior. You are worthy to be praised. Glory, glory, Glory! hallelujah!

In Jesus’s Almighty Name, AMEN!🙏🏽🙏🏽🫶🫶

Reference – Bible.com

Photo – AI generated

Remember Your Journey with God: The Importance of Recalling Our Spiritual Walk

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We are called to remember God and His promises to us. ~Lisa Blair

God desires that we recall our spiritual journey with Him. In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminded the Israelites about the importance of acknowledging God’s authority. God wants us to remember our forefathers as well as our own spiritual journey with Him. The Israelites had forgotten God’s role in their lives. Their disobedience, creating idols to worship, and their abandonment of living holy led to an extension of their eleven-day trip. Instead of reaching the Promised Land quickly, they wandered through the desert for forty years. How often do we choose our own path over God’s, only to end up wandering aimlessly in a figurative desert?

God desires that we recollect His promises and our sojourn with Him. This includes the highs and lows. It also encompasses the successes and failures. We should remember the ordinary and extraordinary. He desires us to remember that even in the most challenging times He is here. When we felt forsaken by Him, He was invariably there. He was inspiring us. He was strengthening us. He was challenging our beliefs. He was blessing us along the path. “God wishes us to bear in mind that every advantage we obtain is dependent on remembering not only what He does for us but who He is in our lives. He also desires us to recall His laws and precepts about life on this earth” (NKJV, Stanley, C. The Principles Bible, p. 195).

Throughout our odyssey with God, we do not always comprehend the end goal. We do not always expect the result of the challenges we face. Nevertheless, we must trust that God is continuously here to safeguard, direct, and give in ways we do not grasp. For example, in Daniel’s battle with the lions, God’s care and intervention brought glory to His name. His companion’s ordeal in the fiery furnace created a deeper sense of wonder and trust in His abilities. These experiences imparted a valuable lesson to Daniel. Nothing can sever our connection with God. Even in desperate situations, we can find comfort and strength in Him.

David’s life provides another example of trust in God’s promises and obedience to His commands. David placed his trust in God’s assurances, and he modeled his life according to God’s precepts. He knew that God would always keep His promises, despite the skepticism or adversity that others show. When confronting the daunting Goliath, David’s confidence in God’s assurance of protection empowered him to stand up against a giant. He killed the giant with a single rock. He became King of Israel and was blessed because of his faithfulness.

It is crucial to remember as Christians that God’s promises are not exclusively for David or the Israelites. They are available to us as well. The promise of salvation is open to everyone who professes belief in Jesus Christ as God’s Son. Jesus assured us that whoever trusts in Him will inherit eternal life (John 3:16). God’s promises are also obvious in our daily lives. He commits to never abandoning us or leaving us without provisions (Hebrews 13:5). He also commits to fulfilling all our needs (Philippians 4:19). Additionally, He imparts wisdom when we entreat it (James 1:5). Trusting in these assurances empowers us to move ahead with confidence, knowing that God keeps His word always.

During uncertain and tumultuous times, we often question God’s promises much like the Israelites. Still, we must remember that God is steadfast in His word, and we can trust Him completely. As we contemplate God’s promises, let us renew our faith in Him, knowing He will never fail us. As we follow His leadership, He promises to honor our allegiance and obedience. Just like Daniel experienced God’s protection and favor, we too can expect blessings in all areas of our lives. Our decision to continually seek Him is the start of an enriching relationship. This relationship will make everything else pale in comparison.

To walk with God means to relinquish our will to His divine purpose for our lives. This is important even when the path ahead seems uncertain or dubious. We are called to trust in His love and guidance. We are called to obey His commands. We do so knowing that they ultimately converge for our good. As we strive to develop a deeper relationship with God, His favor will guide us. He will lead us to the blessings He has prepared for us. Daniel’s example of steadfast faith reminds us to stay confident, obedient, and surrender to God. Regardless of the challenges we face in life, we can experience God’s goodness and protection. We can do this as we journey with Him. Moses instructed the Israelites to remember what God brought them out of and through. This message is as clear today as then. God wants us to remember. He wants us to not doubt or stray from the path. The Israelites did as they grew impatient about the length of their journey out of the desert. God planned to send them on an eleven-day trip to the Promised Land. In their arrogance, they extended the journey to forty years. They should have remembered how God brought them out of slavery. We should remember how God brought us through our desert experiences.

In conclusion, let us be vigilant about the lessons we can learn from Daniel’s life, faith, and trust in God. Our relationship with God demands trust, obedience, and acceptance that He genuinely desires the best for us. When we surrender our fears, doubts, and ambitions to Him. He ensures that we head in the right direction, labors for our eventual gain, and sculpts us into Christ’s likeness. Our decision to follow God with total faithfulness and obedience guarantees that we are in trustworthy, benevolent hands.

We are called to remember!

Resources: NKJV, Stanley, C. The Principles Bible, p. 195; Generative AI

Scriptures: Bible.com

Photos: Generated with AI

TEMPTATION IS A GATEWAY DRUG

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Temptation will always tap you on the shoulder!

God will always give an escape route to free us from impending temptation. If we ignore the escape route, we will most certainly fall into sin. Recollect a time when you regretted getting involved in something you should not have been involved in. I am certain you can also find the moment you chose to ignore the quiet voice that told you to leave, run, go in another direction, do not enter… The quiet voice was God speaking to you offering an escape route.

Thanks to God’s loving kindness. We received freedom from reaping the horror of permanent sin when He sent his only Son, Jesus, to die on the Cross taking on our sin to give us a way out.

Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

When Christ died on the cross, he took all sin, past, present, and future. We are not bound by eternal sin. And, in the face of temptation and its cohort, sin, God always provides an escape route.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Scriptures About Temptation

Matthew 26:41 – Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Mark 14:38 – Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

James 4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil (sin), and he will flee from you.

James 1:12-16 – Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth (metaphorical, and perhaps physical) death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

Hebrews 2:18 – For because He himself (Christ) has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.

Ephesians 6:11 – Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes (temptation, sin) of the evil one (often your own desire).

Matthew 4:1-11 – Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But He answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.”

The Word of God provides the escape route from temptation. Temptation is a carnal want that leads to our sinful nature. Temptation glistens, smiles, seeks illicit things that cause you to feel good in the dark, never in the light. It is the final step into the dark. The escape is most prominent in that moment, turn away, run…

Learning to identify the families of temptation creates an awareness of how sin creeps into your life. Paul defined them in Galatians 5:19-20 (AMP). This is not an exhaustive list.

“Now the practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies-any believe that is against the word of God], envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these.”

Temptation always comes before a fall (carnal desires/sin). Temptation always precedes sin. We should praise God that He established an escape route (through the crucifixion of Christ, the taking on of sin), providing a redemption route (repentance/forgiveness), and saving us when we sin (acting in our carnal nature). To quote Donnie McClurkin’s lyrics, We Fall Down but Get Back Up. How will you apply this study to your life? Will you listen to God’s quiet voice and run or flee, or will you ignore his warning to satisfy your human condition?

This diagram provides a pictorial of your options.

What can we learn from the diagram?

The attack begins with a thought. The thought focuses on the temptation. During this time your mind weighs the choice to listen to God and run from the temptation, or run to the temptation. If you run from the temptation you will know the escape route the Lord has provided. If you choose to run towards the temptation, you will become quickly consumed by the sin and start to ignore the quiet voice of the Lord. But, most people hear bits of His quiet voice, and eventually repent of your sin. God at once responds in love and provides the escape route. There are consequences embedded in the sin itself. Satan will not make it easy to escape, he wants us to suffer during and after we sinned. It is so much better to guard your heart, listen to the Lord’s quiet voice, and seek the escape route that God provides than to fall into the darkness of sin.

Please note, not all sin is attributed to Satan. Our nature is corrupt. It seeks gratification at all costs. Sin offers the things that you crave most. Temptation is a gateway drug tempting you to ignore God.

Scriptures – Bible.com; Diagram – Lisa Blair; Image – lifehopeandtruth.com

TO KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT YOU KNOW

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I imagine you think the title is a string of repetitive run-on words but it’s not! The string of words is an African American creed. This creed has carried African Americans forward through slavery and is as true today as in the past. It is founded in scripture and refers to one’s total, committed belief in Jesus Christ who came to save us from sin and offer us salvation.

Many resort to the “You know’s” in times of chaos, confusion, oppression, loss, destruction, and subjugation. As Christians, I propose that we must move beyond confessing our total trust in Christ only when we feel helpless as so many do. Confession of this nature evaporates as soon as times improve and we feel we are once again in a safe space. But as Christians, shouldn’t we know in our Spirit that our relationship with the Lord is sacred? Shouldn’t we know that our every breath rests on His love for us, His sacrifice that gave us life? We should know that the Words in the Bible bind our core beliefs to our carnal beings and that as new creatures in Christ, our relationship with Christ can only grow stronger.

You know that you know that you know is a form of the belt of truth we gird around our waist. It is founded on the Word of God and it, like a belt, holds us up, aligns our thinking, and helps us stand erect. Your very essence is knowing that our Lord knows us and we know Him.

Those of us who use this expression, wake up in the morning praising our Lord for another day’s journey, for keeping our family safe, for walking with us throughout the day, for protecting us from things seen and unseen, for breathing life into us, for directing our paths, and for giving us salvation and eternal life.

You know that you know that you know means the scriptures are living documents, they are God-breathed. God’s Word reigns supreme. And, as long as we know in our soul that we belong to the Almighty we can withstand the best of times and the worst of times because we live in the world and are not of this world. We will enjoy glory, victory, and safety.

In closing, You know that you know that you know illustrates a deep devotion to faith and the significance of unwavering belief in Jesus Christ. It highlights the comforting reliance on God’s protection and guidance, during peaceful moments and challenging times.

“…you have been raised with Christ…your life is now hidden with Christ in God…let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” ~ excerpts, Colossians 3 NIV, Biblegateway.com.