Deep Thoughts

The degree I am yielded to the Spirit is the degree I will be filled with the Spirit.

Well? What do you think? Is that a fair sentence? I think so, lemme 'splain.

I know that the first argument in my heart against that statement is this: I have the fullness of the Spirit and all of the Spirit lives in me, how can I be filled any more than I already am? It says right here is Colossians 2:9 and 10, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ..." I have all the Spirit.

True, and praise God!

But, I can have a millions dollars, but if I bury it, it cannot do it's job.

I can hold a nuclear bomb in my hand, but if I don't detonate it, it cannot do it's job. (okay, that might not be the best picture, but you get the idea...power!)

I can have water in my home, but if I don't turn the faucet, it cannot do it's job.

I can have the Spirit of the Living God in me, but if I don't yield to Him, He cannot do what He lives to do: transform me into Christ's image.

The power of the Holy Spirit is not the light switch, He is the Light. We are the light switch. His power never changes! The power of the Blood of Christ never stops flowing! We are the ones who yield to the power of Christ by turning ourselves off to ourselves and on to Him. In our hearts, minds, and deepest place that we cannot even vocalize about, we must turn to Jesus. Speaking of Him, let's take a look-see at His take on the Spirit.

In Luke 4, the first verse says, "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil." Huh, Jesus, the man, was "full of the Holy Spirit." Does that mean that at other times he wasn't?

Hard-lay!

I believe that Luke is making a point about Christ's attitude and focus. He himself was humbled to God and did nothing without the Father's leading, even into battle. Christ was so yielded to God's will and power of the Spirit, that at the times where He would have been weak in His flesh, we was able to be completely strong in the Spirit.

Just after that, Luke says in verse 14, "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit..."

The Spirit is not given to us to hold our hand and show us what things to avoid and lean over and whisper to us sweet nothings like an imp who encourages us through the forest. God, may we never see you that way!

The Spirit is in us to be the life in us. He is in us so that we can be filled with Him to defeat the devil schemes. He is in us so that His power can pour forth and we become a mighty minister of the gospel! Does He help with everyday stuff? You bet! But, if we limit Him to just helping us through what house to buy or an attitude adjustment, we have underestimated His power available to us and in us.

The lower we go in our spirit, the great He becomes. The more we actively make Him elevated in our lives, the more He is able to raise us up in victory and power. He isn't a force that is acted upon us, He is the power of life in us. And we must learn to bow to that power in order for Him to flow freely through us like a conduit.

I challenge you this week to make a deep, willing effort to make yourself yielded to the Spirit. We may not understand all of what that means, but the promise is that He will guide us into all truth. He will teach us the deep things of God, but He will only do it to a willing heart, humbled to the reality of His dwelling within it.

Take time, as often as you can, to stop, rest, and bow to the incredible truth of the Spirit in you. Ask Him to make Jesus greater in you as you get out of the way. Repent of trying to run Him and trying to be Jesus by your own power (again, more on that). Learn to yield, listen, and obey.

You will not be disappointed.