Do.

(my ramblings of the morning – read or not). I hear God saying:

 

 "Do."

 

 

heard a good quote this a.m. during my bible study by Dwight L. Moody –

 

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.”

 

 

 I’m working through a review of  James study.  Felt led to James recently so here I am.  (posing questions to myself as I read, but you could read as though I’m asking you too)

 

God is talking, are we listening.  Are we obeying?

 

 

James 1:22 and 2:14-17 and 26

 

22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

 

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

 

26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

 

 

I want to do what matters and feel the moving of the spirit within me to change and help others in a tangible way.  “To know him and make him known” was often a way I’d sign my letters in the past.

 

sometimes I wonder if we have stopped getting to know him, letting other things get in the way.  priorities askew.  how are we getting to know him better?  are we in the word?  Yes?  Then lets share.  What are we reading.  What are we hearing.  What do you hear god telling you, specifically.  what direction or course do you think he is calling you to go.

 

I believe we don’t know the power or acknowledge the power of the spirit within us.  The overwhelming peace of found in the abandonment when we lose ourselves in him, give him the reigns, find his peace and fall in stride with him and his plans.

 

have you ever willed compassion?  I don’t believe you have.  If you’ve seen a picture or seen a video of a malnourished child with bones protruding and sunken eyes, your heart aches and you are filled, albeit momentarily, with compassion.  you see the eyes of a child you want to help, donate or save.  that is the coercion of the spirit!

 

I think we can put our arms out, pushing god away and keep from feeling that rush of warmth from the spirit.  like the sun shining brightly on a cloudy day, we have an aversion to the sun (spirit) because we think we know what we want (comfort) and we feel like we are keeping ourselves safe and secure if we can just do it by ourselves.  If we would just put our guard down.  Put the reigns down.  Embrace him and let the spirit rush in and ignite the fire within us, to respond without hesitation.

 

This is love.  This is joy. this is good.  this is kind.  this is the fruit!  this is what we are to do!

 

Do you feel the tug of the spirit?  we need to respond.  We have to respond.

 

(Romans 8:12) If we are not living according to the spirit, but responding with a sinful nature of the flesh, if we do nothing we are sinning and we will be held accountable one day for the cries of the ones we did not help.

 

We know they are crying so what do we do now?

 

The following is from the teachings of Charles Stanley:

 

 

Are there any conditions placed upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives?”

 

Yes.

 

First, we must stay yielded to the Spirit. We must say yes to the Spirit when He prompts us to take a certain action or say a certain word. We must give mental assent to the Spirit’s direction, and then we must actually obey His prompting and follow through by doing or saying what He has called us to do or say.

 

The Spirit often speaks to us in the stillness of our hearts with a word of conviction or assurance. When the Holy Spirit is directing us away from something harmful, we very often have a heaviness, feeling of trouble, foreboding, or uneasiness in our spirits. When the Holy Spirit is directing us toward helpful things, we tend to feel a deep inner peace, an eagerness to see what God will do, and a feeling of joy.

 

How can you know if you are yielded to the Holy Spirit? You are yielded to Him when you can say to Him, “Here is what I desire. But if Your answer to this is ‘no,’ it’s all right. I’ll do what You say.”

 

Second, we must believe and obey His guidance. We are much more likely to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say if we are actively listening for Him to speak. We are much more likely to see the Holy Spirit’s direction if we are looking for Him. Hebrews 11:6<https://www.intouch.org/read/life-principle-22-walking-in-the-holy-spirit> tells us that God is a “rewarder of those who seek Him.” We are to be diligent in seeking His guidance, asking for it, watching for it, anticipating it, and receiving it.

 

The Holy Spirit has come to reveal the truth to us. He has come in His all-knowing ability to impart to us what we need to know in order to live obedient and faithful lives. Trust Him to guide you, now and always!

 

My question for you is this:

 

What is God calling you to?  Do.