Responding tp the Spirit

My Utmost For His Highest

“[…] the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.” CHAMBERS

‘ […] He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.’ (John 7:38-39)

Our life as a  Christian should be characterized by spontaneous demonstrations of AGAPE toward others – love that demonstrates God’s grace and mercy.  That is a natural result of walking by faith and  having on our minds set on the Spirit.   “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:5-6)

I was out on an errand the other morning … and decided to stop at a donut shop to buy us a donut for breakfast.  (Ok, maybe more than one donut!) When I paid the bill, the cashier asked me if I wanted to round up to the next dollar to  donate to a drive to send city children to summer camp.  So I said sure, thinking what is a dollar.  When I opened my wallet, I felt the distinct impression that I was to give her $20.00 not $1.00.  Where did that come from?  She would have been happy if I had just given her a dollar.  But I felt compelled to give more.  Whenever I sense the Spirit leading … most of the time … I do what He prompts me to do.  So I gave her the $20.00 and she said, ‘This is $20.00!’ as if I had made a mistake.  I asked her ‘Is that OK?’  and then left the store. 

So what is my point?  Not that I am some super saint … My point is you never know when the Spirit will prompt you, but you must always be ready when He does.   The Spirit does not prompt you to pray about it .. talk about it … do an objective analysis of the proper course of action … He prompts you to obey … to act.  The way that seems right to us, may not be the way that God wants us to go or the thing that God wants us to do.

 Now here it that catch … If your heart is not right, you will not hear the Spirit.  Make certain that everyday .. you start out with a ‘right heart’ on the ‘right foot’  

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)