Tag Archives: Choices

The Inward Man

1 Sep

Dove and hands

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;”   Ephesians 3:14-16 (ASV)

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know about God and Jesus.  I don’t know where I learned about them.  I don’t remember going to Sunday school, except when my paternal grandmother came to visit, until I was a teenager and my brother and I decided to go to different churches that we could walk to.  I don’t remember asking God into my heart or making a confession for Him to be my savior, it is possible that it happened and I just don’t remember, but I doubt it.  I do know one thing, from as young as I can remember, I talked to God and He talked back to me.

The reason I don’t think I said the sinner’s prayer as a child is because of how powerful the feeling was when I made that decision at the age of 38 at a Mario Murrillo Crusade.  It was an overwhelming and emotional event that swept over and through me like something that I have never felt before.  Peace, rest, knowledge, release, fire and a feeling that every trial that I had been through, and was currently going through, was all completely taken away and resolved.  The burden was no longer mine, but that of a big God who had all of the answers and was giving me the way to resolve the problem and deal with any lingering challenges through peace.  It was so different from the stress, fear and worry of all the years before.

My relationship was strong with God, but it didn’t become the strong force that it is today until after I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  That day, that receiving, completely changed my life and opened my mind, body and soul to a whole new spiritual realm that I cannot explain to another; it is truly something that must be experienced.  Scripture came to life.  The confusion of the King James Language was gone and the words easy to read and understand.  Bible study was a joy and I spent most of my waking hours in the Bible and in study books, helping me understand how the Old Testament and the New Testament came together.  Types and Shadows.  The history of the Old Testament and how the lives of the Patriarchs became the basis and foundation of the life of Jesus, the Disciples, and Apostles that followed Him.

The Inward Man.  The place where the Spirit dwells, once we invite Him in. It is also the place where free will rests.  It is a holding ground of potential, and it is a place where only we can open up to outside influences, both good and bad.  I suspect that my Inward Man was protected by the many prayers of my grandmother, aunts and uncles during the time when I didn’t know any better.  It was the place that called to my brother and I to look for a place to worship and seek God.  It was a fallow ground that needed to be prepared for my decision to be a pastor and share the gospel.

Many do not make the same decision that I did, they fill their Inner Man with self-love, greed, addictions, and occultic activities, those become their soul foundation.  Their chosen Inward Man pulls them into things that keep them from peace, rest and true love.  I suspect that there are times, as we grow up, that we all fill our Inward Man with things that should not be there, things that we need to release.  The wonderful thing about our Inward Man, is that we have the ability to cleanse what should not be there and refill it with the things God meant for us to have.  We can, if we will.

The Apostle Paul’s prayer of this scripture is that we would make the choice to follow the Father, cleansing out any poor choices that we have made in the past, and receive the “riches of glory” through the acceptance of the Holy Spirit into our lives, strengthening our Inward Man.  What a powerful prayer that so many have received and walked in.  I cannot explain the difference of having the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  I comes with signs and wonders.  It comes with miracles and answered prayers.  It comes with peace, joy and understanding.  It comes with a little bit of Jesus living inside of us.  It comes with Love!

** A Journey Through Ephesians  –  Chapter 3, Part 6

By Linda J. Humes

Written 5-18-2016

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Exceeding Riches

19 Aug

Homeless

“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”   Ephesians 2:5-7 (KJV)

I suspect we all have met people who continually live on the edge of disaster.  They take chances we would never even dream of.  They live without concern of where they will sleep or where their next meal will come from.  They wander through life looking for adventure and excitement and for that feeling of completeness.

I am amazed at their dis-concern for their surroundings and potential plight.  In their place, I would be completely out of sorts.  When I asked one young man whether he was worried about what he may face with his lifestyle, he said “No, God takes care of me.”  When I asked about any formal “church” upbringing, there wasn’t any.  Clearly drugs and alcohol had taken a toll on his physical health.  Breaking the law made the way of keeping him with the addictive substance he desired.

It’s hard to understand why he felt so content in his relationship with God.  I wonder if it was just something he said to steer off curious onlookers, like myself.  I wonder if his life expectations were so low that what he experienced in his life exceeded his hopes and he gave God the glory for it.  I wonder if he prayed, and even in his sin laden life, God kept a hedge of protection around him, knowing that one day he would turn himself around and follow the call placed on his life (Luke 9:23).

I wonder if he met God in a deep dark place and had that wonderful intimate relationship that made him feel blessed, no matter where he was or what he was doing (Acts 17:27).  Had he recognized God’s “Exceeding Riches” in his day to day, moment my moment existence, and even in his poverty and life of poor choices, feeling the great value of that relationship.  Even though he has not pulled himself back to a “normal” lifestyle, did he know that God still loved and watched over and cared for him?  I don’t know, he said he did.

I do know that God will meet us where we are at, in our filthiest rags and disgusting attitudes, a life filled with sin and a heart filled with darkness, and He will love us and call to us and stay by our side until we are ready to hear His voice (Isaiah 64:6).  I do know that the joy of receiving Him is far greater than any other joy on this earth, and to call it “Exceeding Riches” is far less than it truly is.  I do know that He has prepared a place for us, rich or poor, male or female, whatever race, whatever creed, brilliant or challenged, evil or kind, and He is waiting for us to accept that gift by accepting His Son (John 14:2-3).  I do know that He has made a way, through the sacrifice of His Son, for us to sit in Heavenly places (Ephesians 1:20; 2:6).

That’s grace (John 1:14).  That’s love (John 3:16).  That is the gift of “Exceeding Riches” so great that we may never comprehend it until the moment we stand before Him (Romans 14:10).

*A Journey Through Ephesians – Chapter 2, Part 3

Written by Linda J. Humes

11-23-2014

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HARVEST

13 Oct

 

“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.” 

1 Peter 1:24-25

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We grow each and every day. What we will be as we grow depends upon our parentage – how we will grow and develop depends on what we allow ourselves to be influenced by.

Just as a flower, a rose will always produce a rose, a lily will produce a lily. But the strength and beauty of the plant is shaped by pure and plentiful water, as well as rich and fertile soil. A beautiful plant will wither and die without ever once producing a flower or seed when grown in a harsh dry area. A simple plant can become abundantly beautiful with special care, dropping its precious seed back into the soil as the flower dies, to produce again and again.

We make a choice – every day, every hour, every moment – as to the type of water we allow to be poured over our seed. We choose the stagnation of wicked thoughts and senseless gossip or the pure washing of the Word.

We make a choice of the ground that our seed will fall into. An arid desert where the children of Israel took 40 years to learn the greatness of God – and even then, only the children were allowed to cross over because the roots of the parents were broken off, but still firmly planted back in Egypt.

We make the choice of cultivating the soil with the rich blessings of God, as well as the truths and laws that give a firm foundation to support a healthy root. We make a choice.

Do we grasp our seed tightly in our hand so that no one else can get to it? Do we toss our seed casually aside, allowing it to fall where it will? Or do we place it carefully between our feet, to be guarded and tended until the day we must go on – and it remain.

The seed you hold is not for you. The seed you hold is not just one seed. The seed you hold is the seed of the seed it shall bear, and the seeds they shall bear, and the seeds they shall bear. Have you prepared for the harvest?

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Written 1/2/99

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Sore On My Palm

19 Jul

 

jesus hands hole with baby hand

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.      Isaiah 53:5 (KJV)

To say that we have had windstorms this year is a gross understatement.  We are getting to know our neighbor’s eating habits from the trash we’ve had to pick up in our yard – the hazard of being the last house before the cyclone fence!

Our poor trees took a beating and their branches covered an acre of yard.  So few trees, so many branches; I suspect some are visitors from neighboring yards accompanying the trash.

I grabbed a big bucket and went about collecting branches.  The smaller ones fit nicely into the bucket, but the longer ones had to be broken.  Most snapped in half easily, but one branch hadn’t dried out completely and gave me quite a challenge.  When it finally gave it snapped in my hand and dug into my palm – yikes, that smarts!

I babied that hand for days, the loose skin fell away and it left behind a perfectly round purple mark in the center of my palm.  As I reviewed it one day it took my breath away.  For just a moment I was looking into the hand of my Savior, a hole clean through and bloodied.  A sacrifice, just for me.

I fussed at my simple gouge; the soldiers drove nails through His hands and feet.  I jump at the smallest bump, He was hung on a cross; his side pierced.  How dare me to feel sorry for myself over a scratch when He gave His life without complaint so that I could receive eternal life.

The mark stayed on my palm for weeks, a daily reminder of how much God loves me.  Scars are reminders of choices made, good or bad, and always come with lasting memories.  I wish the mark had not gone away.  Like the cross hanging around my neck, I desire the simple daily reminders of who I am in Christ; someone just like you, a child of Christ.

Thank you Lord for making me ever aware of what You have done for me.  I could never repay You.  Don’t allow me to get so caught up in everyday life to forget that everything I have, every breath I breathe, every step I take, is made possible by You.  I praise You.

 

Written by Linda J Humes

Written 6-8-2010

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The Effects of Our Consequences

30 Jan

Dominoes

“And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” 1 Corinthians 12:26-27 (KJV)

Behavior – Consequence – Effect

We make choices every day; good choices, bad choices, inconsequential choices – just choices, or so we think.  “I’ll do what I want, it’s my life.”  I’ll do what I want, it’s my body.” It is your life, it is your body, but it is not a separate and disconnected entity.

Drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, thrill seeking, the momentary pleasures that grasp a life and start a domino chain of destruction that spider webs into the lives of countless people you never even consider.  Then there’s suicide, the final decision a person makes that they feel will end the pain in their life, and in that moment of final silence, it devastates tens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of people.

Choices.  Addictions.  What happens to the person caught in the addiction trap?  At first it may be fun, pleasurable, then consuming, overwhelming, controlling, and then . . . . . our choices lead to consequences.

People begin to avoid you, your work product begins to fail, if you ever get up and go into work.  Your family, as much as they love you, begins to avoid you.  Spouses leave, keeping you from being with your children.  Your friends, who have always been there for you, refuse to talk to you.  Those who completely trusted you are no longer there.  The respect you had earned disappeared.  Still you spiral down and down and it’s everyone else’s fault, so you say.

If you are fortunate enough to be stopped by law enforcement and given the chance to get clean of those addiction, given another chance at life, given another chance of proving you can be that original amazing person, it will take years.  Years incarcerated, years working twice as hard as others to earn back the trust, the respect, the joy of reuniting with friends and family.

As you fight to regain back what you once had, do you see the effects of your consequences on others?  Do you recognize the emotional battle your family and friends fought as they watched you fail, struggle, grow, fail, struggle, grow?  Do you see their tears and the guilt they feel, wondering if there was something that they could have done to have kept it all from happening?  Do you see the money and time and emotion spent every month to be sure that you have a way to stay in touch and have a few treats.  Do you recognize the nights they spend in prayer and tears, hoping and believing that when this part of your journey has completed that you will find your restoration and not be tempted to give up the struggle to fight back to wholeness and fall back into the temptation of an old lifestyle.

I suspect that you may recognize the consequences of your behaviors, but have you taken the time to understand the wide spread effects of your consequences on so very many others?  Family.  Friends. The kid next door.  Co-workers.  Police Officers.  EMTS.  Nurses.  Prison Guards.  The person who found you near death, or worse, dead.  The person you hurt in a violent rage.  The person you killed in a car accident you don’t even remember having.  The person you stole a precious family heirloom from, to sell for that next “fix.”  The person you pulled into you addiction whose life is following your same path now.

Please hear my heart, in love.  Lord please let my words change the path of someone, many someones, who do not recognize what the consequences of their actions could be, and what the effects of those circumstances will be.  Turn them back.

Behavior  –  Consequence  –  Effect

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