“The Holy Spirit chooses His targets carefully.”
— Kenny Luck
Christians often make much ado
about being targeted in spiritual warfare by the enemy, Satan. We may be much
less prone to thinking that the Holy Spirit targets us in ways to prompt us
into obedience and repentance. Indeed, it is much more important to notice the
Holy Spirit’s targeting than the enemy’s. If we are prayerfully aware, in a
constant way per 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we will enjoy an intimate relationship
with this Spirit for Life.
How the Spirit Moves
The Holy Spirit moves through the
circumstances of our lives and is never absent. Never is the Spirit of God
unaware or inactive. Even when we feel we have been thrown into the lion’s den,
there also with us in that space is the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God moves with us,
in us, in others, and throughout all of life.
The movement of the Spirit is so
dynamic and comprehensive we could never identify and analyse it in full
understanding. Yet, he moves silently. He is quickly disparaged, and must
always be invited in, but he never truly leaves. He operates silently through
our conscience, and the blessed of people have protected their moral warehouse
such that this silent voice of the Spirit can often be gently heard as much as
it is sought.
How the Spirit Moves Us
We are moved through our thoughts
and feelings. As we perceive, we discern in ways barely describable in words.
In this the Spirit moves us. We can hardly explain what it is that we feel or
think. We call it a hunch, and the obedient trust their moral hunches.
This Spirit of God is calling us
to apply the Word of God.
He is calling us to a spirit of
love, relational openness, and respect, and to get beyond the spirit of
contempt, criticism, and defensiveness. He is calling us to justice and
fairness as we are personally concerned. The Spirit moves us by our thinking
and feeling.
When we feel moved according to
biblical morals we can know where God is targeting us. We ought to appreciate
that God is always targeting us in good ways; in ways for our welfare and not
for our harm; in ways designed to benefit our future and give us hope.
***
The Holy Spirit moves in the
believer’s life, and throughout all life, targeting us in ways that call us to
obedience and repentance. This Spirit of God has interest only for our welfare
and not for our harm, to benefit our future and give us hope.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
No comments:
Post a Comment