2025-09-26
Good morning, Dear Ones,
Last week, the Holy Spirit prompted me to write about self-examination. How this is accomplished is through visiting the shelter under God’s wings [PS 91: 1-2] and engaging in both prayer and listening. Being open and honest with God in private allows for all the trappings involved in human interactions to be stripped away and uncovering our deepest feelings of self-doubt, of rationalizations, knowledge of sinful behavior, and whatever negative thoughts one has before God. Then, it’s time to listen for His direction. I’ve often written, “God has three usual answers to questions: “yes,” no,” or “maybe later.” The last one may be the least satisfying, but it’s because we need to have the discipline to realize God will choose His perfect time and way to deal with our questions. Learning to wait for God is indeed a discipline to acquire. PS 130: 5, “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word, I put my hope.” His advice while we are waiting is found in RO 12: 12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.” Our omniscient God listens to our prayers, as shown in JOB 22: 26-27, “Surely then, you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and your will your vows.”
All of us must go through the Refiner’s fire, i.e. learning to walk with the Lord through all our trials. This is a time of spiritual transformation, something only we, working with the Lord’s direction, can affect. It is a gradual process, one that involves learning to listen to the Holy Spirit with both reverence and patience. The prophet, Malachi describes it thusly, in MAL 3:2-3, 11, “For He (God) will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. And He will be as a Refiner and Purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi (Jews and Gentile believers) and refine them like gold and silver.” While we listen to God, He gives us direction through the Holy Spirit. God allows some bad things to happen to us, but never without a righteous reason. He has loved me enough to teach me to have patience for His need to deal with my more complicated issues. He will do the same for each of us.
Paul wrote about this process in 1 TIM 1: 15-17, “In truth, Jesus Christ came to this world to save sinners. I (Paul) am one of them, the worst, believe it. But God was merciful to me so Christ might show His full patience in dealing with me. The worst sinner is an example to future believers who will receive eternal life. To God, invisible eternal King immortal, the only God—to Him be honor and glory forever.” We must remember that Paul first is mentioned as Saul of Tarsus, in AC 7: 58, when he was present at the stoning of Stephen, a deacon in the early church chosen for his wisdom and faith and the first Christian martyr. Saul was a member of the Sanhedrin (Jewish ruling council) and in charge of finding and persecuting Jewish believers in Christ. Later, in AC 9: 1-15, we can find the compelling story of Saul’s conversion to Christ and his call to serve God.
When one comes to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit inhabits his soul. His whole life, thinking process, and future hopes are changed. JER 29: 11-13 reveals God’s purpose. “For I know the plans I have for you’ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you, not to bring disaster, plans to give you the future for which you hope. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Open and honest confession through discovery with the help of the Holy Spirit (Who acts as our conscience) is something that is cleansing and prepares us for a fresh start. It is a chance to stop sinning and to make peace with God and with other people.
PRAYER: O Lord, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, You have given us the choice to clear ourselves, through confession and cessation of the offending behavior, to clear the “spiritual decks,” so to speak. We remain sinners, because no one is perfect except Your Son Jesus, but we are given the chance to offload some of the burden of the sins by confession. When enough of this has been done in Your view, then we can joyfully and peacefully await the day when You will take us up to heaven for an eternity of sweet fellowship with You. You have given us faith in Your eternal justice, in DN 12: 2, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt.” We thank You for the hope You give us and offer You our eternal praise, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The spiritual transformation in our souls also includes the “renewal of our minds” [RO 12: 2]. We will look at that next week to see what kinds of changes the Holy Spirit will make in us. This transformation includes the open and honest communication with God described above. We have not strayed from the discussion of GA 5: 22-23 at all because each of these changes is included in this list of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Further explanation of DN 12: 2 is what the Holy Spirit directs me to give. In the meanwhile, the path to inner peace and peacemaking is laid out by our God’s Whose love for us and wisdom is unmatched by any other source. Praise and thanksgiving be to Him!
Grace be with You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2025. All Rights Reserved.
<-- Back to Archives