The Word For Today

The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom beyond our knowledge, power beyond our strength and gifting beyond our ability. With his help, we become better than our best effort and better than our best thought. We become the best version of ourselves possible. Of course, this takes a lifetime. Hence, Paul wrote: 'Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up' (Galatians 6:9 NIV).

It's hard to imagine a farmer planting a crop of beans and then being surprised that it didn't produce corn. Why? Because you reap what you sow. Yet some of us seem shocked when the seeds of sin yield their crop. So, what are you planting? Love or hate? Joy or ingratitude? Patience or impatience? Self-control or self-indulgence? You cannot break the law of sowing and reaping, but it can break you or make you - if you keep sowing the right seeds. Want a bumper crop? Then you need more of the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit can't fill you if you're full of yourself. So, a prerequisite to having more of the Holy Spirit is being honest, humble and hungry.

Galatians 5:22-23 lists the nine fruits the Holy Spirit produces in our lives. So, if you want more of the Holy Spirit, it means you literally want more love, more joy, more peace, more forbearance, more kindness, more goodness, more faithfulness, more gentleness and more self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23). The good news is, you can have as much of the Holy Spirit as you want.

Jesus said: 'The Helper, the Holy Spirit...will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you' (John 14:26 NKJV). When you need to make a critical decision, you need 'the spirit of wisdom and revelation' (Ephesians 1:17 NKJV). When you're in a difficult situation and unsure of what to say: 'Just say whatever is given to you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit' (Mark 13:11 NIV). When you find it hard to show love: 'The fruit of the Spirit is love' (Galatians 5:22 NIV). The same is true with every fruit of the Spirit. Do you need to overcome an addiction? 'The fruit of the Spirit is...self-control' (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). Of course, that's an oxymoron because it doesn't come from you. It's the Spirit who manufactures it, so it's really Spirit-control.

What you need more of is the Holy Spirit. And for the record, the Spirit of God doesn't just want to fill you; he also wants to stretch you and increase your capacity. If you feel like your life is in chaos today, the Spirit of God is hovering - just as he did at the dawn of creation when he brought light out of darkness, order out of chaos and beauty out of nothingness (see Genesis 1:1-3).

No matter what question you have, the Holy Spirit is the answer. No matter what problem you face, the Holy Spirit is the solution. You need as much of him as you can get, so you need to yield as much of yourself to him as you can.

When God told Joshua, 'Be strong and courageous' (Joshua 1:9 NLT), the word be really means become. It's not like a computer where you enter a password and 'hey, presto!' you're courageous. Courage is a quality you grow into. Like filling bigger shoes, the more you walk in them, the more comfortable they become.

Joshua had already been to the Promised Land. He knew there were seven nations to be conquered. He was well aware of the problems he'd have to face. So, God said: (1) 'Do not be afraid of those nations, for the Lord...is among you, and he is a great and awesome God' (Deuteronomy 7:21 NLT). The job you're about to take on may look more like a battlefield than a bed of roses, but God will be with you. He will give you solutions for the problems and strength for the battles. (2) 'The Lord your God will drive those nations out ahead of you' (Deuteronomy 7:22 NLT). God will go ahead of you and arrange everything. He will help you make the right connections and provide you with the needed resources. (3) 'The Lord...will drive those nations out...little by little. You will not clear them away all at once' (Deuteronomy 7:22 NLT). God works in us one area at a time.

Life's not one big battle; it's a series of small daily struggles required to defeat the enemies that stand in your way. Twenty-four chapters later in Deuteronomy, God was still telling Israel to be courageous. Courage is like oxygen; you can't survive without it. It's not the absence of fear; it's the conquest of it. Courage means doing it afraid until you conquer your fear.

Research showing that love mindsets are the norm while fear mindsets are learned is revolutionary for scientists. But it's not new if you look at Scripture: 'There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear' (1 John 4:18 NIV).

Over the past several decades, scientists have researched the anatomy and physiology of love and fear. These are two different systems, and at any one conscious moment, we will be operating in one or the other. Science is showing us that there is a massive 'unlearning' of negative toxic thoughts when we operate in love. We can unlearn negative fear - it is not part of our innate natural functioning. Recent neuroscientific research suggests that some of the chemicals the brain releases when we are operating in love, including oxytocin, can calm fear and worry, support the brain's capacity for positive change, and help us form healthier ways of thinking and connecting with others. This chemical also flows when we trust, bond and reach out to others. So, choosing to operate in love can literally 'drive out fear'. Research also shows that when we do good things and reach out in love, endorphins and serotonin are also released. These detoxify our brains and increase our motivation and wisdom, helping us handle life better.

We see the profound consequences of choosing between love and fear in Scripture: 'I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life' (Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV). In Ecclesiastes 7:29 (NLT) we are told, 'God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path'. The choice is yours: walk in fear or walk in love.

In March 1987, Eamon Coughlan was running in the qualifying heat at the World Indoor Track Championships in Indianapolis. He was the reigning world record holder at 1500 metres and was favoured to win the race. Unfortunately, with two and a half laps left, he tripped and fell hard. But he got up, and with great effort managed to catch the race leaders. With twenty yards to go, he was in third place, which would have been good enough to qualify for the final race. Then Coughlan made a fateful mistake - he looked over his shoulder to the inside. Seeing no one there, he relaxed his effort slightly. What he hadn't noticed was that a runner was charging hard on the outside. This runner passed him just a yard before the finish line, eliminating him from the finals. Coughlan's great comeback effort ended up being worthless for only one reason: he momentarily took his eyes off the finish line and focused on the would-be competitors behind him.

The Bible says, 'Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us' (Hebrews 12:1 NKJV). A 'weight' refers to things that are legitimate but can slow you down. A 'sin' is something illegitimate that you know to be wrong, that can cost you the race. Lay them both aside and 'run with endurance the race that is set before [you], looking unto Jesus' (Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV).

Prayer Pastor Heidi Scanlon said: 'God has blessings for us in categories we don't even know exist.' That means God can create something out of nothing. He can seemingly come out of nowhere, and just when you need him most, give you something you don't even have a category for. God says: '"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts"' (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV).

You may say, 'If God has blessings that I don't even have categories for, how can I ask for them?' That's where the Holy Spirit, who dwells within you, comes to your aid: 'We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us...in accordance with the will of God' (Romans 8:26-27 NIV). And because the Holy Spirit prays in accordance with the will of God, you are blessed with wisdom beyond your knowledge, power beyond your strength, and favour beyond your ability. Paul put it this way: 'Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen' (Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV).

Now you still must do your due diligence, for God cannot bless negligence. But when you know you've faithfully done your part and obeyed God, you can trust him for blessings beyond your imagination.