(Chapter 16) God so Loved the World that He Gave His Son:

God so Loved the World that He Gave His Son: The greatest Spiritual battle ever fought – part ten

As I sit here this evening, June 8, 2023, I am once again full to the brim! No… not full with food this time; although, we did enjoy a scrumptious evening meal tonight. I am full with the love that we have been showered with today from family and friends! Today marks the 55^th anniversary of the day that Shirley and I shared our marriage vows before God and our family and friends. Wow! Fifty five years! How can that be? I know that I am old enough for that but not my darling bride. Shirley must have encountered some sort of time warp that allowed her to skip a few years of ageing along the way! I love you more today than ever dear, and I’m praying for many more years together.

 We have been talking about being full, not just physically but spiritually. We have discovered that being filled with the Holy Spirit of God is a command and a necessity if we are to be all that God wants us to be! (Re-read last week’s post)

At this point I believe it’s important to stress the fact that we are faced with this challenge: We are to live in this physical world; however, doing so in a very spiritual attitude and manner. That begs the question… is that possible? What does Scripture have to say about that?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
¹⁶ Be joyful always; ¹⁷ pray continually; ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Pray continually is an often misunderstood concept. It certainly doesn’t mean to be on our knees 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In fact, we were given a command to live in this physical world and take care of God’s creation.

Genesis 2:15 (NIV)
¹⁵ The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

So what does it mean then to pray continually? It means to be in a spiritual attitude or mindset even as we go about our daily work and activities. In our human weakness and frailties it becomes very difficult, if not an impossibility, to maintain that posture of continual prayer. Jesus has not left us powerless however. Do you remember that He promised us a helper to be there for us when we find it difficult to do it in our own strength?

John 14:15-17, 26 (NIV)
¹⁵ “If you love me, you will obey what I command. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ²⁶ But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)
²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

Each of us must ask ourselves this question: Am I going to try to accomplish this attitude of prayer on my own, like some superman or wonder woman? Or, will I strive to incorporate the Holy Spirit into my life twenty four / seven? I was told years ago that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman, and He will not force Himself into situations where He has not been invited.

Next week we will talk about how we can cultivate that close relationship with the Holy Spirit.