The Living Epistle

The Spirit calls me today to gather my thoughts around Him. Since we have become such intimate friends, I know He desires to direct all my thoughts. It's the thought life that controls the body and He wants all my thoughts to pass through His great filter, set up as His throne in my heart.

I marvel at the changes occurring in me since I started in the "School of the Holy Spirit". This Heavenly course teaching me the role of the Holy Spirit is life changing because it is heart healing.

It is hard to imagine that the Holy Spirit has been such a powerful force dwelling within and yet for so much of my life, I have failed to recognize and yield to His quiet voice and commands. It is shocking to realize how much self-rule/self-fool, has dominated my life and caused such fear and agony in the day-to-day trials.

Somehow, deep within, I knew I was no match for all the vexing issues that present themselves, but until I began to learn the Truth about my internal Counselor, I always thought it was up to me, alone, to navigate the mine field of this life.

I always thought that, having the Word of God, the mandates of Scripture, and the knowledge of the Holy One who died for me, I was then expected to blast into each day with all the challenges and emerge victorious on the other side.

What I was missing all those years, was the understanding of the indwelling Presence of Christ, who was sent to live His life through me. I cannot live the life of my Savior in and of myself. There is too much flesh still devastated by the fall, too much intellect, too much pride, too much control.

The toxic lie of the enemy that I can, that I MUST, fulfill my responsibility as a servant of Christ in and of my own feeble strength, has poisoned more situations than I can count. The truth is that, in and of myself, I can do nothing. In John 15:5 Jesus says, "I am the Vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing." Then again Phil 4:13 says, "I can do everthing through Him (Jesus) who gives me strength."

There must be a defined difference beyond just a "thought" that empowers me to live by the Holy standard of Scripture in obedience to my Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, and to be "in Christ".

His will, His way is that we be in unity with the Triune Godhead. As He was telling the Disciples about the Counselor, the Holy Spirit to come, Jesus explained in John 14:20, "On that day, you will realize I am in the Father and you are in Me and I am in you."

By the supernatural indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish in the natural all that Jesus accomplished in His incarnation as God in the flesh, IF (and this is a huge IF) we recognize and yield to the control of the indwelling Holy Spirit. John 15:7-8, "If you remain in Me and My words remain in you ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to My Father's Glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My Disciples.

This "defined" difference that empowers me to live as my Savior desires, is the mystery of the Gospel and that is "Christ in me the hope of Glory" Col 1:27.

We can never find the words to describe this supernatural action, but we can "know" it deep within. A change of mind, a change of heart, a surrender of a right, or death to a privilege that brings life to a principle, all reflect an unexplanable change.

The Holy One calls us to allow Him the freedom to live His life of the Savior through our life. Then we become a living epistle, a "letter" sent by the Lord, to be read by all who know us or all who might see and witness our faith life with our God.

Can we do justice to this great calling in and of ourselves? NEVER!

Unless the Holy Spirit is allowed to maifest the life of our Holy Savior, Christ Jesus, in us and through us, the letter we represent will be full of contradictions and not suitable reading for others who are seeking the Holy life for themselves.

In the world of people I encounter each day, my life, may be the only "epistle" from God they ever read.

So, how does my life read?
How does your life read?

The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?