Spiritual Hunger | Tales from the WagginMaster

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Overflow

Posted on February 16, 2017 | Leave a comment

A successful athlete stays sharp by adhering to a strict routine of exercise, diet and training. The same is true for Christians who have a zeal for God. Satan wants to destroy this zeal and passion by feeding us lies and deception. This deception all started at the beginning of time when the serpent told Eve, “You will not certainly die, … For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:4-5, NIV).

The more Christians accept these lies and deceptions, the more spiritual complacency sets in. Prayer life begins to falter, passion for God subsides, and we wonder what happened. To get that enthusiasm back, we’ve learned to exercise our spiritual muscles by Staying Hungry for God, Going Deeper with God, and Seeking Revelation from God. Before we can Live in the Overflow, we must understand the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

overflow

Satan cannot keep Christians from heaven, but he can make our lives miserable while we live in the world. (John 10:10). We must not listen to what Satan says about who we are, instead we must focus only on who God says we are. Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told the disciples that the Holy Spirit would come upon them (Acts 1:5). John the Baptist, who came before Jesus, said the Holy Spirit was for all believers to come (Luke 3:16). Of the many benefits received from the Holy Spirit, I believe there are two that give us the ability to Live in the Overflow. The Holy Spirit testifies to the facts that we are children of God (Rom 8:14-16) and that we have power to live victorious lives (Acts 1:5-8) .

Child of God

Being a child of God means we are loved unconditionally by God and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13, 2 Cor 1:21-22). Therefore, we have victory over evil and can share God’s grace with those around us. Our identity is not based on what we have or what we have accomplished. No, it is based on who God is. When we truly know our identity as a son or daughter of God , we can then trust God’s Word (2 Tim 3:16) and not be driven by performance, not be influenced by the world or by deceptions and lies.

Power

C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), wrote a great exposition on the power of the Holy Spirit. (Click here to read the full text.) He discussed 4 outward and visible displays of the Holy Spirit, 3 ways the inner spiritual power of the Holy Spirit are seen (heart, soul and mind), and 3 future works of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit resides in the hearts of believers (Eph 3:16-17; Ezek 36:27; PS 51:10). The spirit filled heart will therefore bear fruit – love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23, NIV.)

Just as a stem grafted into a healthy plant takes on the nature (or soul) of the healthy plant, so does the mind when it is grafted into the indwelling Holy Spirit. (James 1:21.) Christians operating under the power of the Holy Spirit act instinctively and with power (John 1:1-5).

Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers (2 Cor 2:4). The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 not to conform to the world but to be transformed by renewing the minds, our way of thinking (1 Cor 2:15-16). During the few years of His ministry, Jesus demonstrated how to live a Godly life in an ungodly world. Paul instructs the church at Philippi that they are to follow in the lifestyle demonstrated by Jesus (Phil 2:5-11). Having the same mindset as Christ, is to know God (Eph 1:17). And this ‘knowing’ God is not just head knowledge of God, it is experiential knowledge of God.

Living in The Overflow

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Heb 12:1-3, NIV

Do you thirst for this overflow? Follow the advice Jesus gives –

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. John 7:37-39 NIV

Jesus is waiting at the well for you.

These past two months have been truly remarkable for me. Remember this all started with my youngest daughter telling me to write what God has been teaching me. Go back to Silence and read forward to get the whole picture of what God has been telling me. The journey is far from over. On Sunday evening (2/12/17) New Life Church, where we’ve been attending since November, began a winter Bible Seminar called Times of Refreshing. While I do not like the fact that tonight is the last night, I can say I have been refreshed and have refocused my energies on what lays ahead of us. Pray for us as we have some decisions to make about our future. God has been faithful to us and we want to be obedient to His calling.

Thanks for stopping by, y’all come back now.

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Hunger

Posted on January 2, 2017 | 4 comments

When was the last time you were hungry? Perhaps last year about this time, you started a new diet. About a week into the diet, you felt hungry. Hopefully you satisfied that hunger and still reached the diet goal.

How about famished? Have you ever been famished? That is an interesting word – it means extreme hunger. Try skipping a meal. You may feel ‘hungry’ but I doubt ‘famished’ describes your physical state.

After Jesus met up with John the Baptist on the Jordan River (Mat 3:13-17), He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be alone with God. There, away from the crowds, Jesus spent 40 days fasting – listening and talking to God. At the end of the 40 days Satan challenged Jesus by suggesting He turn stones into bread so Jesus could satisfy His famished body. Jesus responded, no thank you, man does not live by bread alone, He lives by feasting on the Word of God. (Mat 4:1-11).

The Bread of Life

Later, Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35, NIV).

Nutritionists say, “You are what you eat.” Which basically means to be fit and healthy, you must eat ‘good’ food. A poor diet will result in poor nutrition. Feast on Big Macs and you will become big like Mac. The same can be said about our spiritual nature, we are what we eat. If we neglect our spiritual needs, we become spiritually famished. Jesus tells us how to avoid this when He said,

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Mat 5:6, NIV

Before we can develop an appetite for righteousness, we must know what righteousness means. To me, it means right living. Striving to keep my focus on God daily so He may be glorified in all that I do, think and say. That is a pretty lofty goal. Here lately, I have found my self far from that ideal. I’ve been moody, angry, sometimes just not pleasant to be around. Oh, I would always put on the ‘good self’ when in public. But in private, there are few disguises. I’ve realized I am far from who I want to be and it is time to do something about it.

How can that be? How did I lose the appetite for God’s Word? My spiritual diet changed. Rather than feast on the joy of God’s word, I began to feast on worldly things that have ravished my spiritual nature. Essentially, the Holy Spirit has convicted me that my life is not what it needs to be. I needed to make a change to my diet.

Just Do It!

For a diet to be successful, you have to want it to be successful. Are you ready for a spiritual diet in 2017?

Start each day with this promise – Take delight in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NIV)
Open God’s word and ask Him to Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law (Psalm 119:8 (NIV)).
With pen in hand, open notebook and record what God is telling you.
Tell others what you are doing so they too may be encouraged to follow in your steps. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped. (Prov 11:25, The Message)

I ask that you pray for me – that I will be successful in this journey of renewal that began when my daughter told me to write about what God is telling me. I will also be praying for you as you listen for God’s whisper.