Lesson of the Vacuum

      

       Dust clouds were forming around the carpet power head of my vacuum as I raced to clean the basement up before my son’s friend with allergies showed up.  After trying several times to figure out the problem, I gave up and attached the floor brush to the hose.  It managed to do the job but took more time and effort than I wanted.

 

       After hefting the vacuum back upstairs to the closet, the tube disengaged from the power head and I noticed it looked a little odd where they connected.  There was tape closing the end of the tube!  Why anyone would put tape on the bottom of the tube, I had no idea, but I suspected my eccentric son.  Later when I asked him about it, he said he’d done it because he had sucked up some spiders and didn’t want them to get back out!

     

       A vacuum without air flow isn’t very useful for its purpose, but neither are we when the flow of the Spirit is hindered in our lives.  Eph. 5:18 says to be filled with the Spirit.  Gal 5:25 says If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  Rom 8:14 talks about being led by the Spirit of God.  Both our active and passive actions are to be in the Spirit.  Let’s see what Jesus had to say about the Spirit.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (The Holy Ghost John 14:26), that he (the Comforter) may abide with you for ever;  (John 14:16 KJV) 

In John 16:7, Jesus leaves in order to send the Comforter to us.

       Jesus thought the Holy Spirit in our lives was important enough to leave us.  Paul also reminds us of the Spirit’s part in our lives: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. (1 Cor. 6:19; also 3:16)  Walking in the Spirit is important to each Christian life as He dwells within us.  There are many things that can hinder that ‘flow’ of the Spirit.  Here are the basic ones that I see:

   -Not understanding the Holy Spirit, His place in the Godhead and His place in our lives.

   (lack of knowledge) Hosea 4:1,6;  Is. 5:13;  Jer. 31:34;  Col 1:10

   -We feel unworthy, don’t believe He can use us, or are afraid for varying reasons.

   (pessimistic attitudes) Eph 4:23,24;  Rom. 12:2;  Pr. 4:23 to help

   -Other people’s beliefs and disapproval of our attempts to follow the Spirit.

   (fear of man)  not to: Heb. 13:6;  Matt. 10:28;  Ps. 118:6

       There are at least 250 verses of scripture on the Holy Ghost, Spirit and Comforter yet many find it difficult or uncomfortable to think of Him as a real person in the Godhead, yet how can that many verses be ignored?  Since He dwells within us (Jam. 4:5) it must be pretty painful to Him when we ignore Him.  It effectively cuts off our ‘flow’ in the Spirit.  We’ve been warned:

   -Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God."--Eph. 4:30.

   -Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost"--Acts 7:51.

   -Quench not the Spirit."-1 Thes. 5:19 

       Do we want to be a taped up vacuum that cannot fulfill its purpose, or do we want our lives to flow in the Spirit and thus fulfill God’s purpose in us?  No condemnation here, we just need to do something: make a decision, learn all we can, and increase our intimacy with God so we know His voice and try our best to follow it.  At the very least, we should remove the tape off our tube!

Healing Testimony

       It was a quiet Friday morning and I was face down in the company of my Beloved One enjoying His peaceful presence.  I stopped singing to listen for His voice, and heard Him whisper, “I am healing you; just rest.”  Being a logical minded person, I began to question which part He was healing, this, or that, or the other, etc. or perhaps all my ailments… and then I realized I just needed to accept what He said so I continued, “Okay”, laid my head on my arms and fell asleep.

       Three hours later I woke up, and for the first time in my life, I breathed deeply.  The sensation of full lung expansion is amazing when you’ve never felt it before. Now, this requires some clarification.  I have never been diagnosed with a lung problem other than allergies, so I didn’t even know I had a problem.  As far back as I could remember I would consistently take five or six shallow breaths and then a deeper one at which time my lungs would feel like there were fingers gripping them at the side to keep them from expanding.  For me this was normal, so I never thought to seek help for it.

        As my lungs expanded fully for the first time, I began to cry at how wonderful it felt and I marveled at God’s brilliance for healing a part of me I didn’t know needed healing.  For the rest of the weekend I kept breathing deeply, each time tearing up, laughing, or thanking God.  A small part of me wondered if it would last, and another part wondered if anything else, like the allergies, would be helped.

       That was more than two months ago.  My nose still gets plugged with allergic reactions and I still struggle with all my other issues, but I can breathe!  Also, I finally understand what people mean when they say to sing from your diaphragm; before that never made sense to me.  And so I will continue to testify as to God’s healing in my life.

       What did I do to deserve His healing?  Let me be perfectly clear.  Absolutely nothing!  I didn’t pray (didn’t even know  it was a problem), I didn’t beg, I didn’t do great and mighty acts for Him, I don’t even know if I’m always in His will and I still act selfishly with my time sometimes.  There are no secret words to speak or steps to take and I don’t have outstanding faith.  It was simply that God in His sovereignty chose to heal my lungs that day- and I am forever grateful.

       I will testify of God’s healing every chance I get.  Though I have no proof, yet I will not remain silent.  Still, more important to me than giving testimony of my healing is to testify what I consider to be the greater miracle. 

That the Creator of the universe wants to meet with us every day;

He wants to hear us and wants us to hear His voice. 

He wants to spend time with us and He wants to be with us...

because He loves us so much. 

That, to me, is more precious than life…

…or breath itself.

Peace

       Every morning I’d leave early for my morning jog or bike ride.  Every morning the neighbour’s dogs would start annoying me by barking and continue to wake up the rest of my family at the cottage.  It was the end of the first week before I was able to leave without their barking, but the more surprising thing was returning to quiet.  I went around to the lake side of the house, stretched, pulled off my shoes and socks, and laid out on my lounger to relax and enjoy the view.

       Peace overcame me as I watched the water softly lapping at the shore; I felt the warmth of the sun kiss my skin and the gentle breeze caress my shoulders.  Occasionally crickets chirped in my yard, and in the distance I could hear birds singing their peculiar songs.  I gazed out at the water enjoying the heat of the morning as it settled in.  It was so quiet I could hear the hum of a fly as it made its way across my position.  It was the perfect morning.

       The next morning I went out for exercise, those nasty dogs continued barking loudly once again destroying the peace… but isn’t that just like life?  We have occasional moments of peace in our lives amidst the trials and struggles of most days.  Peace can be elusive because we think it can only exist within ideal circumstances, but that is not so.

       Often we hear about peace in the context of 'world peace' and every nation and people getting along with other nations and people.  Our God of peace (Rom. 15:33) didn’t come in the flesh to give us world peace, but rather to divide (Luke 12:51) the righteous from the wicked.  Here are a couple scriptures:

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have (hold, keep) peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33  KJV)

       Notice Jesus gives peace to us, His believers (Ps. 29:11), not as the world gives which is temporary and conditional based on beliefs of the day and what is going on in our surroundings (there is no true peace for the wicked of the world*), but to us in our hearts (Php. 4:7).  In Him we can hold onto peace no matter what is going on around us- despite our tribulations, for Jesus has overcome the world!  What a great and precious promise! 

*Isa 59:8  (about the unrighteous) The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

Isa 57:21  There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.