spirit – Page 6 – Cross Culture Church

Meditation: August 2

“SINCE ALL this is true, we ought to pay much closer attention than ever to the truths that we have heard, lest in any way we drift past [them] and slip away.” Hebrews 2:1 ( AMP)

The things we neglect we forget. The things we give attention to are remembered. It is easy to have good intentions and resolve to apply great truths to various aspects our lives, but unless that commitment is immediately acted upon, the urgency of the moment will fade. Even if the thought returns, the zeal would have diminished. Obedience to God is to make Him the priority of your life. It is to make first things first at all times. Disobedience will dull the senses and the spirit becomes sluggish in its response to the Word of God. That person will eventually become a selective hearer and not be able to contain great truths when they are conveyed because the capacity to comprehend them has not been developed.

Pay attention to God’s Word, especially those truths that you do not understand. Your interest in the deep things of God will prompt your inquiring mind to search with all diligence. Then when you ask God through prayer, the answers to life’s most perplexing questions and the resolve to the most difficult challenges will be yours for aspects Jesus will be revealed to you and you will see and know Him in the midst of all that you encounter.

01 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: August 1

Posted by Categories: Meditations

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12-13

“The Word of God is quick, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…..” it is alive or living and powerful. It can only be described by using superlatives; greater than and more powerful than any reference we may have on earth. It divides what we think from what the Holy Spirit reveals. It separates what we would possibly do from the thing that the Holy Spirit guides us into doing. The interval between thought and action is that little space where the Holy Spirit intervenes. Before God came unto our lives, we acted first and asked questions later. Our actions were impulsive. But after the Word has taken root within us, there is that place within us for divine intervention. The intervention takes place because God discerns the difference between thoughts and intents. The truest intent is not always given expression. Most of the time, we react to stimuli. We cannot read our deepest heart’s desire because our thoughts keep getting in the way. In your heart of heart you may be yearning to know the Truth. But your pursuits may be for things that do not satisfy. The reason being, your mind is trying to read your heart. When your heart is surrendered to the Lord, the Word of God renews our minds in order for us to know His will and completely align ourselves to it.

You are here to know even as you are known. All other knowledge would merely produce a false sense of security. The only knowledge that can settle both the heart and the mind is the Word of God. We need God’s Word more than we will in this life ever come to realize. We need the One who knows us best and loves us the most to direct every aspect of our lives.

29 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 29

Posted by Categories: Meditations

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.” Job 42:5

When God is abstract, one must use his imagination in drawing a composite of Him. But when one is close enough to see Him, all they have to do is report to others what has been made known to them. What we hear of Him ought to wet the appetite of the hearer to be drawn closer by the Holy Spirit. When we are drawn close enough to see His features we see in Him what we so desperately need. Then it does not take any exaggerated language or overly dramatic expressions to convey to the heart of others the knowledge that has now become a part of us. It is as easy as breathing because we are reporting and not selling. He does the work in our hearts and imparts to us wisdom that is beyond their years. It is the personal experience that transforms us from seekers to saints. As eyewitnesses of His glory, we are changed. The change within us is sufficient to invoke the change in others. Once we have seen Him through the eyes of the Spirit, we have a story to tell and a message to deliver. He becomes greater than what we first thought of Him and we become diminish in size in our own eyes.

07 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 7

Posted by Categories: Meditations

“How you have advised the one without wisdom, and abundantly revealed your insight!” Job 26:3 (NET)

God’s advice to those who are void of wisdom can be translated as those who lack the ability to plan ahead. Those who lack foresight to make plans for the future are advised by God in things only known to Him. Forward thinking is the key to spiritual progress. Our sights must be set on things above as we journey from here to there. Each situation and every message must be weighed on the basis of their spiritual content. Are we growing in grace and the knowledge of God, or becoming content in our current state? The Holy Spirit guides us beyond the level of wisdom known to the world to insights revealed to us from heaven. Only then will we feel the sense of estrangement in an environment that is not our home and seek those things pertaining to life in the Spirit. Sound advice is required in order to have good success. Spiritual things are compared with the spiritual once we have been made aware of God’s Presence and humbly submit to His will as knowing nothing on our own.

01 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 1

Posted by Categories: Meditations

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” 1 Corinthians 1:27

God very often uses simplicity in order to convey complexity. One’s rationale may cause them to miss out on the most important and profound things in life. They are hidden in the mysteries of God. He discloses Himself among poor and the downtrodden. He may even be found among little children rather than professors of higher learning. If we are not careful, we may miss Him when He speaks of things pertaining to issues we would feel to be unimportant. God whispers His Word in the midst of the shouting voices of our day. His silent gaze may be the extent of His message among the fanfare and excitement drawing the attention of the masses. He has chosen foolish things and foolish people who do not make much sense to us. Their message is strange when we have more important things to do. Our wholeness may be sought with vigor, while the key to it rests within the simple act of solitude and surrender. When we are still before Him and not too busy seeking what we ourselves are able to find or achieve, God can then show us what we were incapable of seeing alone. The world is blind to this, but His children are the only ones who have been enabled by His Spirit to see and possess that which comes exclusively from Him.

10 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 10

Posted by Categories: Meditations

“Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit?” Psalm 139:7

When we are born of the Spirit, the Spirit remains with us wherever we go. He is there in those moments when we feel alone and abandoned. He is there when our hearts drift in directions that would be far removed from the warmth that comes as result of meditation and deep contemplation on His goodness towards us. Our reluctance to draw closer to Him does not affect His pursuit of us. His Spirit is wooing us in our darkest hour to deeper levels of intimacy with the Son of God. Only Jesus can reveal to us the love of the Father that will provide stability and purpose for our lives. He was that voice of conscience convicting us when we were wrong. He was that voice of encouragement pressing us forward when we had the opportunity to do right. The Spirit is both our Comforter and our Guide. He alone can reveal to us the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

14 Feb 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: February 14

Posted by Categories: Meditations

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44

The Father draws us by way of His Spirit that we may be close to Him. There is a place in God awaiting each soul that is discontent and longing to be where He is. It is our desire that moves the heart of God to beckon us to come closer. He is not impressed with the things that men would be impressed with. Nor can one force his way into His presence without the necessary conditions of the soul being met. He seeks the humble and contrite who would feel undeserving of such an invitation. In Jesus’ earthly ministry, He would spend time with publicans, prostitutes, and tax-collectors. It was the Pharisees that thought they deserve special attention because of their pedigree. He will even beckon little children to come unto Him and rebuke any that would forbid their approaching Him. It is the Spirit of the Father working through the Son that draws us. We are drawn to be with Him forever. Even when we die, He does not leave us. The time will come when He will raise those who are with Him with the same power contained within His own resurrection.

12 Feb 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: February 12

Posted by Categories: Meditations

“Don’t run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God’s concerns, and he will take care of them. We’ve warned you about this before. (7) God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful — as beautiful on the inside as the outside.” 1 Thessalonians 4:6-7 (MSG)

The care and concern we share with the brethren reflects the character of Christ that we possess. We share with them the love so richly bestowed upon us that is now demonstrated through us as an extension of God’s love. Our love must be intentional. Unless we are deliberate in our lifestyles to share the life of Jesus, the message would be shrouded by our careless living. We have been transformed into a vessel of honor. The riches of His grace reside within us as a priceless treasure. What more could we ever want other than a complete and glorious expression of life brought forth through us by way of His Spirit? Therefore we live for Him and He lives through us touching and changing all things by His renewing power. Praise God for the beauty of holiness!

06 Feb 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: February 6

Posted by Categories: Meditations

“Let love be without hypocrisy.” Roman 12:9

Love is to be an expression of one’s real character or actual behavior. It is a movement and not a state of being. God is love and as we move in His direction, His love within us moves us in the direction of becoming more like Jesus. It is the Spirit of love within our hearts that transform our personalities. Therefore we cannot take credit for any good that may generate from us. We know that it is the love of Christ within us that we have received from God as evidence that we belong to Him. Whatever may try to remain outside of love must be surrendered. It is a strain on occasion to walk in love among those who may not deserve it. But in light of His love released towards us before we were enabled to respond, we can love the unlovely. Remember that it is His love and not our own. It is not ours to withhold from those who He wills to love through us. Let it flow without our interference. We will benefit more than those who are the recipients.

04 Feb 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: February 4

Posted by Categories: Meditations

“Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4

There is an interest that ought to be equal to our own. There is no way for one to know this because there is none that is able to tell that make sense to our intellect. Why should we not know this truth that defines us as humans in the likeness and image of God? It is because we are fashioned to consider our own needs and war to make good on what our own heart desires. Self-interest is the path of least resistance. But to resist selfishness without strength, will lead to a loathing within the soul with the feeling of neglect. One will feel as if he is forced to deny himself merely because of a legal standard, but deep within his soul he feel is not fair. One can only be deeply concerned about the interest of others as much as his own with help from above. It is only when the love of God is accepted is he be empowered to release His love. He has a selfless love to give as evidence that His Presence is with us. As we have received the Spirit of Christ, we must allow His mind to govern our every thought; thoughts that include the interests of others.