Earlier this month the Leadership Transformations family celebrated our 8th Anniversary in a variety of ways, starting with an event entitled “Re-Ignited: Kindling Our Inner Fire for God.” During one of the plenary sessions I spoke about “Feeding the Neglected Soul,” and suggested five inviting ways we can nurture our souls.
The first way we feed our neglected soul is to open ourselves fully to receive the abundance of our Heavenly Father’s loving embrace (blog entry 11.18.11).
The second way I suggested is to trust in the Spirit to create from deep within us a transformative walk of faith.
The Holy Spirit is and always has been an active member of the Trinity. The Spirit was present in creation, throughout the biblical narrative, in the ministry of Jesus and the early church, and has been at work in the hearts and lives of believers ever since. The movement and ministry of the Spirit is ever-present, all-powerful, and all-knowing. The Spirit is eternal, fully alive, and empowers each and every believer with unparalleled wisdom and strength.
When we invite the Spirit to transform us from the depth of our soul and into all of life, we depend on the Spirit to convict us of our sin, convert us from darkness to light, counsel us in matters great and small, comfort us in times of need, console us with his peace, continue to mature us as his children in worship and witness, and continually conform us more and more into the image of Christ.
When we invite the Spirit to build from within us the joy of the abundant life, we are asking God to create evidence of his presence in the form of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (the nine lovely attributes of the Spirit). When we keep in step with the Spirit we are seeking to express the gifts he endows us to embody as teachers, preachers, leaders, servants, counselors, administrators, and several other spiritual gifts he generously bestows.
Yes, the ministry of God’s Spirit is available to all who believe. God is not stingy with his Spirit; instead he’s really quite generous. Is it time to re-order your loves and direct the priorities of your heart sincerely back to God? Invite the Spirit to do the re-ordering, incline the ears of your heart in his direction, and watch how different your life in God will be in the coming days and hours. The Spirit is just a breath away…his life in you is freedom and joy in abundance.
The Spirit of God wants more than anything for you to trust and depend upon him for every aspect of your life. Will you put your life fully in his hands? Feed your hungry soul by inviting the Spirit to have his way in your heart and life today!
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8).
