Daily writing prompt

If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?

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I want to consistently be the Spirit-Led person described in the Bible. Religion has never satisfied the hunger within me, but the leading of God’s Spirit is another story.

Having begun in the power of the Spirit, Israel quickly began to flounder and waver in the flesh. Rather than being led directly by the living God, they cried out for a human king. Many hundreds of years later their religious leaders rejected the eternal King — the God-Man Jesus. Christians have tended to follow a similar pattern for most of the past 2,000 years — looking for and relying on the power of the flesh (religious activities, self-effort, education, church attendance, money, government, marketing, entertainment, and even violence) rather than fully depending on direct access to God the Holy Spirit.

Access granted! Access has been granted to the most amazing relationship in the world — a never-ending, heart-to-heart relationship with the Creator of all that exists. This great gift is remembered by bread and wine as the reminder of the ongoing access to God we humans have been given through the broken body and spilled blood of Jesus the God-Man — the Word become flesh — “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” now risen, present, and powerfully working as God the Holy Spirit in and through whoever will fully surrender to Him.

Access unused is access ignored. “Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3) To ignore your access (even for a moment) to the presence, power, and reality of God the Holy Spirit is to rely on the means of the flesh — to depend on your own ability instead of totally and consistently depending on God, Himself.

The purpose of the Lord’s Supper isn’t to remind us Christians try harder. It’s to remind us to “Come unto Jesus,” to “Deny yourself,” to “Draw near to God,” to be continually “Led by the Spirit,” not by the flesh. Remember: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:24-25) Human knowledge and effort are “means of the flesh.” Revelation and spiritual power are produced in and through people, not by their self-effort and analytical study, but by fully surrendering to and keeping in constant step with God the Holy Spirit.

Don’t make Jesus a part of your life. Let Him take over your life! It doesn’t do much good to celebrate Easter if you’re not willing to live your daily life like Jesus is truly alive (and to do what He tells you to).

If you are unwilling to sincerely bless those who curse you and to love your enemies, your attempts to establish the kingdom of God will leave you frustrated. The self-effort of the human flesh will always fail but actual demonstrations of the presence, power, and love of “Christ in you,” will set people free and empower them to see the reality of the risen Jesus.