Dirty Bible, Clean Heart

"If we think of the Holy Spirit only as an impersonal power or influence, then our thought will constantly be, how can I get hold of and use the Holy Spirit; but if we think of Him in the biblical way as a divine Person , infinitely wise, infinitely holy, infinitely tender, then our thought will constantly be, 'How can the Holy Spirit get hold of and use me?" -R.A. Torrey After reading Part I of this series, you should be well aware that the Holy Spirit is not an it but a Person . I repeatedly stress this point because so long as we subconsciously think of the Holy Spirit as an it or gift, we will never treat Him as a Person nor seek a relationship with Him. So long as we consider Him a "lesser god" or an experience, we will use Him instead of being used by Him. But the life that Jesus lived on Earth gives us a very different picture of what our attitude towards and relationship with the Holy Spirit should look like. 1 Peter 2:21 states that Jesus is the exam...

"God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him."  -Andrew Murray  We have been talking a great deal on prayer. Why? Because prayer is absolutely essential to the Christian life. We pray because God loves us and prayer is simply our response to His love. True prayer is spending time with the Lord. One of my favorite Scriptures in the Bible is Romans 5:8 which says,  "But God commends his love toward us, in that,  while we were yet sinners , Christ died for us."  Many of us know this verse yet still look at prayer as something I  have  to do as opposed to something I  choose to invest  in. However, when the Holy Spirit bring us a true revelation of God's love for us, prayer will cease to be a chore. It will stop being the activity you dread but will become the  lifestyle  you adopt. Prayer is the exchange of two lives fully committed to each other. We know that God is fully committed to us for i...

"O, let the place of secret prayer become to me the most beloved spot on earth" -Andrew Murray  The Tabernacle described in the book of Exodus shows us a great roadmap into prayer (i.e. God's presence). In addition to this, it also demonstrates the three stages or realms of prayer. The Tabernacle was divided into three main parts: the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. Each of these sections were different both in size and purpose. Let's analyze the diagram below and use it as a visual aid to help us learn.  The outer court is represented by everything within the white linen veil before you get to the actual Tabernacle. The outer court held the altar of sacrifice and laver. Out of the three main sections of the Tabernacle, this was the largest in size. The purpose of the outer court was to hold animal sacrifices as atonement for sins. It was also the place where the priests and levites washed both hands and feet before serving. It made sense ...

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?"  -Corrie Ten Boom It is always interesting to see how often we call on God when we are in trouble. When difficulties and the trials of this life arise, we are often drawn towards prayer. It is during these circumstances that our prayers are oftentimes fervent and frequent. The prayer closet becomes our second home. Our tears and present affliction always move the heart of our Heavenly Father. Many times He will answer our prayers causing our hearts to be filled with joy and thanksgiving. Yet if we fast forward the timeline of our lives, a few months or even weeks later we will find ourselves going about our daily routine not giving much thought or time to prayer. Prayer will once again slip into the attic of our home only to be used in the case of an emergency.  The children of Israel were no different. The book of Judges shows us an endless cycle of complacency, trouble, prayer, deliverance, devotion, and once again c...

“Prayer is the only entryway into genuine self-knowledge. It is also the main way we experience deep change—the reordering of our loves. Prayer is how God gives us so many of the unimaginable things he has for us. Indeed, prayer makes it safe for God to give us many of the things we most desire. It is the way we know God , the way we finally treat God as God. Prayer is simply the key to everything we need to do and be in life.” -Timothy Keller Relationships are built on one key ingredient: Time. Think about the most significant relationships in your life. How did you grow close to that individual? How did you learn about their goals and dreams, their likes and dislikes, but most importantly how did you learn who they are? Was it not by spending time with them? Take the marriage relationship for example. Before you and your spouse ever walked down the aisle, you went through a season of dating. This period of time is crucial if the relationship is to go any further. During the datin...

"True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that-it is a spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth" -Charles Spurgeon For many of us prayer has become a constant repetition of our needs and wants. We come to God in prayer much like the children who sit on Santa's lap every Christmas pulling out a long wishlist of items he/she wants. We tell God what we want, say "amen", and go about our day. Prayer becomes a task that we cross off of our to-do list each day. It becomes average and mundane.  The prayer that is concentrated on endless petitions (as important as these may be) oftentimes becomes dull, draining, and strenuous. We come out of the prayer closet the same way we walked in. As this type of prayer life continues, we may quickly become discouraged as time passes and we are still reciting the same petitions we had three years ago. We begin with great expectations and motivation yet time ...