The Power of YOU...

We have been spending some time at Merge learning about how we interact with the Holy Spirit.  When some hear this they immediately think that Merge is spending time telling ghost stories about weird things that have happened in an attempt to get goose bumps and freak each other out.  That is not the case.  

I believe that knowledge is power and the more you know, the more motivated to getting active in life.  Ignorance in this case isn't bliss, it's isolation.  So we are asking some important questions in hopes that through God's Word we can better understand how to follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit.  

Most of this is birthed out of my own frustration surrounding my ability to ignore or explain away incredible opportunities the Holy Spirit is calling me on.  Without the Holy Spirit, we are limited to human sized efforts which can only produce human sized results.  BUT!!!!! If we are serious about believing that God has given us His Spirit, we take a very exciting leap in seeing Him do supernatural things producing God-sized results.  

This is the plane we the church must live at.  The power of you isn't much to get excited about.  Sure you may do something helpful where people pat you on the back.  They may even speak well of you behind your back but that kind of influence is very limited.  The power of God however, changes everything; you get to see things happen around you and through you that is only concocted in your imagination.  You go from dreaming in living color to living in it.  

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Today I Lend My Blog To Proof I Know How To Read....

An Incredible Article...Well Maybe Not The Article But What It Is About Is Really Cool

Some Additional Thoughts From Sunday's Lesson At Merge...

We opened up a discussion on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives this past Sunday at Merge.  I am really excited about the season that I feel God is bringing us into and am anxious (in a good way) to experience more of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We are approaching this series by unpacking some important questions I feel people have about the Holy Spirit.  Last week was "WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?", this week we will unpack, "WHY DO I NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT?".

On Sunday, I left there feeling there was something I missed or didn't spend enough time unpacking but I couldn't put my finger on it...until last night.  Misty encouraged me to read the passage I taught from out of her bible (she reads from the New Living Translation because she likes to be a bible snob:)).  As I was reading the words what I couldn't put my finger on became very apparent.  

1 Cor. 2:9-12

 ¹⁰ But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. ¹¹ No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. ¹² And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

There it is folks....the spot where I think as believer's we should stop and just thank God for His Spirit that lives inside of us.  The Holy Spirit reveals to us the deep secrets of God that are hidden from us apart from Him.  We get to better understand what God wants from us, how we can please Him, how we can live an abundant life, how we can continually repent and break free from sin and it's temptations.  

WE CAN LIVE THE LIFE GOD DESIRES FOR US TO LIVE BECAUSE OF THE ROLE THE HOLY SPIRIT PLAYS IN OUR LIFE!!!!!

Think about all the things that are great mysteries to you about God the Father.  It is the Holy Spirit in His wisdom which reveals those things to you.  With the Spirit we can do supernatural things in supernatural ways.  Apart from Him we are limited to human size power resulting in human size results.  

I am thankful today for this vital role the Holy Spirit plays in my life.  I think it would be good for all of us today to stop and than Him for such a brilliant counselor.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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That Hill Is Too Steep...

With the weather getting nicer and the sun staying out longer, Barak has been riding his bike more around the apartment complex.  We are experiencing such an interesting transformation with him right now.  He is becoming a boy.  Yesterday there was a moment that made Misty apprehensive at first but proud afterward.  He parks his bike and climbed a wall to get to some flowers.  When I say "climbed a wall" I mean he climbed up twice his height.  (Think Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible 2).  He got to the top, grabbed the flower, handed it to me and then climbed down...all by himself.  

Then there is this hill that he insists on going down which is much too steep for him to bike down safely.  But he doesn't know that.  He sees a hill that he wants to tackle and doesn't see any problem in trying.  So we make it as safe as possible and let him have at it.  

I suppose this is just a few of many more "all by myself" moments on the horizon.