Posted:
Based on “Under HIS Influence-The Overflowing Lifestyle”
by Pastor Mark Balmer;
9/5-6/09, Message #MB388; Daily Devotional #5 -
“Your Heart, His Home”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction):
On the beach where my husband and I walk, there is a beautiful 2-story house that has been for sale for at least a year and a half.
No one has lived in that house in all that time. We have often commented on how sad it is that no one is enjoying its spacious rooms, screened-in pool area, and gorgeous view. The halls don’t ring with the sound of laughter, the appliances sit idle.
As lovely as it is, that house is not fulfilling the potential for which it was built.
Without people living in it, it is just a house. As Christ followers, our divine purpose is so much more than that empty house. Scripture tells us that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, bought with a price for the purpose of honoring God (I Corinthians 6:19-20), but if we do not let the Holy Spirit live through us, are we of any more value to God than that empty house?
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): Jesus called His followers to carry on the work He started when He was on this earth. He promised us the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).
He gave us a purpose and the power to fulfill it.
As we seek to come under His influence, we recognize the need to empty ourselves of the things that hinder that power from flowing through us—doubt, fear, apathy, pride, carnality, self-ambition—and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with Himself.
Instead of doubt and fear, He fills us with a new confidence (in His power) and boldness that empowers us to witness to those around us. This doesn’t just mean telling someone about salvation. Just as Jesus and the disciples reached out to touch the physical needs of others, we are witnessing to others by helping to meet their physical needs as well. We may witness to those closest to us by our speech, our attitudes, and the way we relate to them.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): We must realize that, even though we are filled with the Spirit, we still have a sinful nature that causes us to leak spiritually.
We have the tendency to move back under our old influence.
We need to be diligent in seeking and living under His influence, or we may just end up like that empty house. The disciples’ pattern was prayer, instruction, and fellowship (Acts 2:42). As we devote ourselves to prayer and study of the Scriptures, both privately and with other believers, we will gain wisdom and understanding of the nature of God (Proverbs 9:10). The more we are under His influence, the more we can influence the world around us.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Acts 1-3; Philippians 2:13
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