A Journey with Forgotten God by Francis Chan.
I am currently finishing “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan. And in it he brings up several key points, but one today caught me like I left hook. How many of us understand what it means to have the Holy Spirit dwell in us. I would venture to assume that most have read or heard that passage before. But have you actually sat and mediated on it quietly. The Holy Spirit is sometimes confused as “the Force” from Star Wars. The Spirit is not something to manipulate and weald. He is the almighty God, that lives within all believers.
Our minds cant comprehend how he lives within us all, my little girl has asked how can he be everywhere at once. I’m not even sure you can explain that to a six year old any easier than you can explain it to a thirty year old. This book has taught me the truths about what it means to have the Holy Spirit within you, and understand how you can submit to him, so that he can do God’s will through you. So you are not the handler of a powerful weapon, The Spirit is the handler, and YOU are the powerful weapon. You must decide and submit to his will and not your own, only then will you be used as the force you were created to be.
One other major impact was to narrow down what things get in the way of needing the Holy Spirit. Francis writes about as we become comfortable in our routine of life we lose sight in the fact that we were not made to live a safe happy life. Some people lose site of what is important by making themselves so comfortable, that they either refuse to sacrifice the life they have, or get so comfortable that they no longer need God to be active in their lives. This in turn leaves the Lion dormant inside your heart.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us… so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (Gal 2: 13-14) pg 111. This “promised Spirit” is not a small promise. Jesus suffered a most grueling death so that we might receive the most amazing gift, the Holy Spirit. How dare we take this for granted? Forgotten God pg. 111.
These few passages floored me. How dare I take Christ’s death for granted? And yet we do it all the time, probably every day. How do you feel when you put thought and love into a particular gift only for it to go unnoticed by the receiver. And here we are talking about an earthly item. How about giving away your son in exchange for eternal life for those that merely put off the notion that the
crucifixion, was no big deal. Ironically in this culture we will spend a week mourning Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.
Then we get to my issue, and probably one just about everyone will relate too. Francis Chan labels it as Volume in his book. He asks a very simple but very direct question. When was the last time you had an uninterrupted conversation with anyone? When I read this I was literally tracing back my days, and weeks, and….. weeks? Really? How long as it been for you? No phones, text messages, or to-do lists running in your head. In the every day quest to accomplish much, we have lost the art of focus. And when you lose focus with a person, it costs intimacy. It works the same with God. If you are easily distracted during your time with him. Work through what it would take to spend some alone time with your creator. No phone, no Facebook, no kids, no interruptions. Just dwell in his presence. I can almost promise it will renew a part of your spirit that has been lost in the digital world of social media. If now is a good time then I beg you to stop reading and spend time with him. Don’t worry if its been a long time since you called home. He is always waiting, like the prodigal son. Just find a quiet place and “Be still before the Lord.” If you need to come back later to read the closing.
Some closing thoughts and questions to ask:
How can you spend more quality time with the Holy Spirit? You don’t necessarily need to block off a thirty minute square on your daily calendar. Take five to ten minutes a day and without distractions spend meditation time with God.
Second, ask the Holy Spirit how he would like to use you, for the greater good. Remember the Holy Spirit acts when the action will grow God’s kingdom, not for when you need a “lucky” break.
Finally, how can you help someone today? Weeks ago I decided that would be my new thing I add to each day. Now matter how trivial or small you think it is, help someone that needs help. Not a favor, favors are expected to be repaid. This is not an, I’ll owe you a favor if you do this for me. Jesus never said “You owe me.” He said go forth and tell people the good news.
Coach Blanchard's Corner 