Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and from his holy sanctuary within your heart, he breathes his influence on all your emotions — wooing, encouraging, comforting, convicting, guiding, teaching, reproving, manifesting the reality of Christ. What a marvelous gift!
Sadly, many neglect this wonderful gift inside us. And some even ignore God’s Spirit entirely, going about their daily lives as if he doesn’t abide within.
David boldly declared, “[God is] the help of my countenance” (Psalm 42:11). When we talk about countenance, we are referring to facial expression, even body language and tone of voice. David is saying something very important here. Your face is like a billboard that advertises what is going on in your heart — all the joy or turmoil is reflected there.
When your mind is loaded down with the cares of life, you may have a tendency to frown or even slouch. At the best, you may look preoccupied, with a furrowed brow and a sad appearance.
As God’s children go about their daily routines, moving on in their walk with Jesus, they may suddenly be hit by a storm, a wave of trouble that comes crashing down from all sides. In Psalm 107:23-26, we read about “those who go down to the sea in ships” and are tossed about by stormy winds. The sailors in this account were so frightened that they almost fainted (verse 26).
God has promised his people a glorious rest that includes peace for the soul. Sadly, too many Christians have no concept of what it means to rest in their salvation. They do not possess the peace that all Christians have available to them in Jesus Christ, the peace that can carry them through any storm.
“We should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9). The apostle Paul wrote those words when he had hit rock bottom. He was saying, in essence, “The Lord brought me to the end of all human help. It was a place so hopeless that only the God of resurrection power could rescue me!”
After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, they hid from God when they heard him walking in the garden in the cool of the day (see Genesis 3:8). And after David sinned with the wife of one of his chief warriors and then arranged for the man to be killed in battle so he could marry that same woman, we see David retreat into himself. He refused to go to battle and hid in the palace instead. He had lost all his fight and was afraid to have to face God with unconfessed sin.
One of the ministries most needed in the Church today is that of consolation — comforting others in their time of trouble and affliction. Many believers simply do not know where to turn when they hurt.
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). Many of us have heard the expression “walk in the Spirit” all our lives, but what does it really mean? I believe it means incredible, clear direction and unclouded decisions. The Holy Spirit provides absolute, clearly detailed instructions to those who walk in Him.
The famous parable of the sower is about patience. Not patience toward people but patience toward God. You remember Jesus talking about the seed, right? Some fell by the wayside; some fell on the rock; some fell among thorns . . . and others fell on good ground. Let’s look at Jesus’ explanation.
In the past, Christians have thought of deliverance mainly as physical, but soon people will find out that they are to be delivered from fear and dread. When that time comes, deliverance will mean “having a sure word from heaven.” When awful things begin happening, people will be anxious to know what God is going to do next. They will turn in all directions, wanting to hear the voice of someone who is calm, peaceful, stable. They will cry, “Is this God’s judgment? When is it going to end?”