THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS REAL AND HE CHANGES LIVES

BIBLE PASSAGE:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has 
anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to 
bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives 
and release from darkness for the prisoners.  
(Isaiah 61:1)

MEDITATION:
When the Spirit of the Lord is “upon us”, we are not the same as we were.
Our sensitivity to the needs of others increases
as our hearts are softened and we become less selfish and self-centered.
Instead of wrapping ourselves up totally in our own lives,
we discover ways to encourage others through our actions and words.

Our lives have new meaning and our priorities change.
No longer do we blame our attitudes and problems on our environment or other 
people, because we have relinquished control of our lives to the Lord’s Spirit.
His Spirit is not some mystical force that makes us ‘feel good’.
God’s Spirit is real and those who have experienced His presence 
know this is true.

Viktor Frankl in his book, "Man’s Search for Meaning", 
describes the reactions of two brothers with the same heredity, the same
environment, who were in the same concentration camp under the Nazis. 
One became a saint and the other was far from it. 
Frankl tells us the reason is, 
“Each man has within him 
the power to choose how he will react to any given situation.” 

God has given us the power of choice, 
but some people refuse to accept responsibility for their actions.
Instead they place the blame of their bad choices 
on anything or anyone they can find.
They blame society, the environment, the schools, 
their circumstances, other people, etc.

But Adam sinned in a perfect environment, under perfect circumstances. 
We can’t blame our troubles or bad choices on somebody else. 
We need to make a good choice of allowing God’s Spirit to be ‘upon us’.
And when we embrace His presence, 
we will discover that He is as real as anything or anyone else in our life. 

ACTION:
Have you invited the Spirit of the Lord into your own life?
If you have, then you know how He has changed your life.
But if you haven’t, then there is a strong possibility 
that you feel you have to face the problems of life helpless and alone.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the promise of Your Spirit to those 
who have surrendered their lives to You. You know of our desires to
be in control and the struggle we have allowing Your Spirit to become
the controlling force in our lives. Help me to invite Your Spirit into 
my life so that I can experience His presence and become a changed person
with a new outlook on life. Teach me to be less selfish and to develop a
greater concern for others, so that I can be a encourager who is sensitive
to the brokenhearted and those who are under the control of the evil one. 
With Your help, I want to make the right decisions so that I may touch 
others with Your healing love.”

BLOG: utvolwoody.wordpress.com