Sonsofthesea, in conjunction with our spiritual covering & partner Highland City Church, wishes to welcome Ms. Stephanie Montilla as our newest “Fisher of men.” Stephanie is a multifaceted minister, called by God into this, His ministry, to share His uncompromising Word with, “whomsoever will” boldly, yet with humility. Stephanie is also a cherished member of, and dynamic voice on, our worship team. She will be joining us beginning this October, look for her maiden post to go live on Saturday, October 10th. Stephanie brings her “still-waters-run-deep” teaching style, her unique voice, and talents, along with the highest standard of sharing the uncompromising Truth of God, to all the Lord places on her heart to share with us. Whether its during worship or in sharing His Word. Please, join Kendra and me in welcoming Stephanie to Sonsofthesea ministry!
In her own words:
My name is Stephanie Montilla, a Dominican-American born and raised in New York City until the age of 13. My family and I relocated to Rhode Island and have resided here ever since – a place I truly call home. In total confidence of my vocation, I declared Political Science as my undergrad major only to be drawn and deeply enamored to Christian theology. Attending a Catholic liberal arts college, I was required to take a historical studies course and God orchestrated enrollment to have “Introduction to the New Testament” the only available course for registration. Unaware in that specific moment into how this course was the genesis to the catalyst of my surrender and declaration to Jesus Christ, 7 years later I can fully comprehend how an undesired, Christian course led to my salvation. It was then and there I learned about the bible, Jesus’ ministry, His miracles, and His redemption. Ultimately, my passion for politics grew dim and was replaced with a major in Theology. While I enjoyed the cerebral, intellectual side of Christianity, what I lacked was a relationship to my creator, whom I so loved to study and learn about. Years later, I was invited to a friend’s baptism, and witnessing her love for Jesus softened my heart. The classic Hillsong, “What a Beautiful Name” song tuned in the background, and my soul immediately recognized the reality of Jesus Christ. I remember exiting the church doors and converting, wholeheartedly, to Christianity. Radically shifted from my unbelief, I no longer desired to live for myself but for Jesus – praise God that I never looked back! Today, I still walk hand in hand with Jesus. I love to exercise, read the bible, share with others about the Lord, and worship through song. As long as I can remember, I’ve always loved to journal, so to embark on this writing journey here is so exciting! I cannot wait to see what the Holy Spirit downloads into my heart to share with you all. I pray it blesses you and draws you closer to Jesus!
“O Israel,” says the Lord, “if you wanted to return to me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more”
Here we witness a conditional branch being offered to God’s people. Yet another offer for God to forgive and for them to start afresh if they will turn away from their sin and shameful idol worship. Our God knows the heart of a man. His inner thoughts and sincere intentions. But God was not willing to accept his people’s half-hearted surrender to His will—His laws and commandments. And neither will He accept our half-hearted attempts. If we, those who have been grafted in, like Israel, His choice vine, are not willing to surrender our all to God, then we are not surrendering to God at all. There is no such thing as half His. Either we are His, or we are not. It truly is that simple. Our external, posturing devotion towards Him will never suffice. It certainly didn’t for Israel. We’ll explore this being willing/not willing in several passages of Scripture scattered between two Major Prophets, Daniel, and Jeremiah.
Know this as we move forward: If you genuinely desired to follow God, His laws, and commands with your whole heart, you would. Not in your own strength mind you, with God’s strength. God, knowing your heart, would equip you and keep you all the days of your life that you might continue to follow after Him. Not through your flawless adherence to the law, rather, from authentic, loving submission and genuine repentance before Him. I know this to be True because He’s done it for me. And, right now, there is a group of people who share this same yearning to love and serve and follow Jesus with their whole heart gathered from across the world in one accord: repentance.
How quickly we forget that not one thing that happens on this earth, to God’s children, must first pass through His Sovereign hand. Even our desire to seek Him, given us out of His great love for us—for you.
Today, in Washington, D.C, and around the world, tens of millions of believers have gathered with one like-minded objective: to repent. Seeking the Lord’s forgiveness for their sins—and those of their nation. They have fasted, I have joined them in their fasting, linking my earnest prayers with theirs, with yours, with those of the whole world so that we, as one Body, may touch the heart of God, finding mercy and forgiveness; staying His hand of imminent judgment. “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” –2 Chronicles 7:13-14. And this is the heart of why they are gathering, fasting, and praying today. The reason why I join them—we, join them. To pray and seek God’s face. To acknowledge and sincerely turn from our sin.
It did not surprise me then, as I sought the Holy Spirit in prayer concerning what He‘d have me to share this week, that He led me to today’s Scripture verse in Jeremiah; this whole chapter chuck full of the just judgment that befell Israel at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon—a portent. Which in turn, led me to Daniel, Chapter Nine (Jeremiah, and Daniel inextricably linked prophetically) and then on to Daniel’s earnest and contrite prayer of repentance for his people—and to King Cyrus, ruler of the Medo-Persian empire, a pagan used by God not to show favor not only to Daniel but to all of his people as well. I marvel at the faithfulness of God, of His leading us toward where He’d have us to be in the precarious throes of any given season. I wonder if the ancient Israelites felt this same sense of awe as God led them through their wilderness. But I digress. Today is about God leading His people into a place of solemn repentance. We’ve come full circle, friend.
Jeremiah 4:1 reaches its hand back to grab the Lord’s words of admonition found some verses behind in Chapter Three. “Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the Lord –Jeremiah 3:9-10. The people of Jeremiah’s time would have understood the language and imagery the Lord used to admonish their sin, their unfaithfulness, their lack of repentance. “For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns” –Jeremiah 4:3. God was telling Judah and Jerusalem that what was required of them was a spiritual about-face—a complete return to Him. His following verse confirming His latter. “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done—burn with no one to quench it” –Jeremiah 4:4. Though Judah and Jerusalem had each witnessed the flagrant sins of idolatry and more that the other tribes had committed, it failed to lead them into genuine, heartfelt repentance. Each tribe continued in their willful, sinful ways, merely feigning outward repentance. Their apostasy treated as some light thing. Sounding familiar? It ought to. We too witness so much of this sin of idolatry today in our own lands, often feigning the same superficial repentance that Judah and Jerusalem before us once did. Solomon warns us there is nothing new under the sun.
Reading Jeremiah, Chapter 4 through to the end, we find within its verses the bridge that speaks of the coming end prophetically spoken of in the Book of Daniel. “The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely. Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will not relent, I have decided and will not turn back”—Jeremiah 4:28.
Yet unlike shameful Judah and Jerusalem, unlike those who have hardened their heart toward the things of God—His will and commands, conversely, in Daniel 9, we hear a sincere, garment-rending, contrite prayer of repentance seeping out of Daniel’s every pore. “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:” –Daniel 9:3. Daniel begins his prayer with deep reverence. He acknowledged God’s Sovereignty, fidelity, and His great love for His people, just as Jesus taught His disciples to do. Then, Daniel moves into openly acknowledging his sins and those of his people. “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:” –Daniel 9:5. Daniel, as with any good leader, humbly links himself to his people, acknowledging their collective propensity to sin—he may not have shared in their same sins, but he humbly acknowledges that all people, himself included, have, and do sin. And as it was with Daniel, so it is today with those spiritual leaders that have sounded the clarion call, that all of God’s people might come, bowing down before Him in humility and adoration, and rending their heart, not their garments, before Him. Confessing and interceding not only for their sins but for those of our nation, for Israel, for the ones whose hearts are hardened, have been deceived, are blinded by the lust of the flesh, by Satan, the ruler of this world.
I link my arms to their arms today—my face with theirs, low before the Lord, seeking God’s forgiveness for my sins, for those of my children and neighbors, my mother, sister, and brother, aunts, uncles, and unsaved friends, my city and state—I seek forgiveness for the sins of the whole world—sins of omission count, and I certainly share in those. My silence at times, having spoken louder shamefully, than my words or actions have. I seek God’s forgiveness today for our turning away from Him—my turning away from Him, for murdering our unborn children and hating our neighbor. Beloved, I pray you’ll storm heaven with us today, linking arms then, face bowed low before Him in sincere repentance. “O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name” –Daniel 9:19.
And friend, if you’ve read this far trust that God has led you here so that you too would confess your sins, seek His forgiveness, and turn or return to Him. We’re praying for you!
And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you” –1 Samuel 17:37.
We ought not to be unmindful of the way by which the Lord our God has led us, for if we are, we shall lose much. Some saints have very short memories. It has been well said that we write our benefits in dust and our injuries in marble, and it is equally true that we generally inscribe our afflictions upon brass, while the records of the deliverances of God are written in water. It ought not so to be. If our memories were more tenacious of the merciful visitations of our God, our faith would often be strengthened in times of trial. –Charles Spurgeon.
David was well accustomed to slaying giants. Scripture tells us long before he stood and faced Goliath, young David had slain lions and bears with only a club and his own two hands, saving his father’s precious lambs and goats from certain death. I’ll remind you here that not all giants go down this same way, however. Some can be taken out in an instant, while others, as we’ll soon find out, may take years to defeat. I heard a man of God speak about this recently, and it stuck to me.
But David said to Saul, ‘“Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose against me, I seized him by his beard [jaw] and struck him and killed him” –1 Samuel 17:34-36.
After King Saul heard all that David had said, he granted young David permission to slay that giant Goliath—even though David was not a soldier, had no combat experience, no weapons of warfare to call his own. So Saul attempted to arm David for the battle himself, dressing him in his tunic, placing a coat of armor on him, a helmet of bronze on his head, and a sword David might fasten to his side. But David removed it all. He could not slay this giant wearing someone else’s armor. Let the one who has ears hear what the Spirit is saying here. As it was with Moses, so it was with David and will be for you and me as well. We must use what’s in our hands to slay the giants standing before us.
“…I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine” –1 Samuel 17:39-40.
When David, clothed in the Spirit of God, armed with His power and favor, walked out to face Goliath, it took him all of five minutes, and one stone flung with surgical precision, to slay him. Some giants in your life will go down that easily. God, your willingness, and courage will make a quick work of them. David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground” –1 Samuel 17:45; 48-49.
From actual lions and bears to a very real giant from Gath—to say nothing of those ever-present giants of rejection, slander, and slight that lived and lurked under his father’s roof, David, thus far, had seemingly slain them all. See David’s own father, for reasons the Bible doesn’t specify, had to be pressed into producing David so that the prophet Samuel might see him and know that He was the one the Lord had chosen to replace Saul as King. “Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives” –1 Samuel 16:10-11. Also, one can’t help but hear the caustic disdain in Eliab’s derisive rebuke of his brother. “When Eliab, David’s eldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” –2 Samuel 17: 28-29.
These giants, a test. Preparations for the greater betrayal yet to come.
I’ll pause here for a moment to say this—repeat it actually: All trials have a purpose. And what is that purpose? To fortify you and to build a deep sense of perseverance. And what is perseverance? Perseverance is faith when facing difficulties and delays. And any true child of God will face both difficulties and delays—as well as unexpected things that come up out of seemingly nowhere! –Bishop Jonathon Ziegler. The Apostle Peter says it this way in 2 Peter 1:5-8: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
As David was bringing the severed head of Goliath back to Jerusalem, Saul asked Abner, his commander, who this ruddy boy was that was hoisting up this giant’s head in victory? Whose son, is he? So, with the giant’s head still in-hand, Abner brought David before King Saul, (to whom it is said, David felt loyal respect). “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him. David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem” –1Samuel 17:58. And our chapter ends here, yet David has miles to go to before he’ll defeat—rather, the Lord will deliver him from, the giant that stands before him now. I’ll insert an aside here. If you’ve ever read 1 Samuel 16:17-23, you might be a bit confused by Saul’s questioning of who David is? After all, David had been playing his lyre to ease the headaches that would trouble Saul whenever the evil spirit came over him. David had also been Saul’s armor-bearer. Yet Saul had taken no notice of David prior to this moment. That all changed in chapter 17 because of the promises Saul had made to whoever would kill Goliath. Now, Saul saw David.
And in Chapter Eighteen, Saul tells David he will not be going back to his father, Jesse. Instead, Saul keeps David as his armor-bearer. In this chapter, we learn that no matter what tasks Saul gives David, he excels at them all. We also learn that David and Saul’s son, Jonathan, become like brothers—their bond that close. And It’s in this chapter too that we first witness another giant rear its ugly head. Jealously. On their way back to Jerusalem, probably at or near its gates, Saul becomes enraged when he hears his people singing greater praises about David then himself. Saul knew the Lord had removed His hand from him. He also knew that the Lord was with David. Fear and jealously had seized Saul’s hear, murderous seeds took root in it. “Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David” –1 Samuel 18: 8-9.
This Eighteenth Chapter is laden with verses of Saul’s treachery, betrayal, and his plot to murder David, but time doesn’t permit I cover all of that. I will say this, however, it took some 15 years for David to finally be free of the murderous rage, fear, and jealously that had once gripped Saul’s heart. Yet David mourned greatly when Saul finally fell. Read the First Chapter of 2 Samuel and you’ll witness the depth of David’s grief. I can relate to that. Anyone who has been betrayed by a friend, a brother or sister, a husband or wife, can. Yet there is no rejoicing when we see them fall.
As I said at the start, some giants go down in an instant, others may take years to fall. Some we rejoice over, others, oddly, we mourn at their falling. Through each trial David had faced, each giant he had defeated, he kept his eyes fixed firmly on the Lord. Whether emblematic or literally giants—his emotional giants too, David took his battles, his sins, and failures as well—to God in prayer. David’s trust and confidence weren’t in Himself, in his giftedness or abilities, it was in the Lord—always. David knew without question all that he was, was able to do and accomplish, was from God. Our opening Scripture, proof positive. “And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine…” 1 Samuel 17:37. David was a mighty, wise, warrior king who carried within him the heart of a humble shepherd boy. He was a man after God’s own heart. We would do well to follow David’s lead the next time we are called upon by God to slay a giant. Because as anyone who has been walking with the Lord for a season will attest—it’s only a matter of when—not if, a giant will show up in the land. “Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them forty years under Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin. After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’ From the descendants of this man, God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised…” –Acts 13:21-23.
Friend, if you don’t know this God who is faithful to help His children in their hour of need, who sent a Savior to for us all, won’t you ask Him into your life, your heart, now? Won’t you admit you have need of Him to defeat the giants that you’re facing?
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand”—John 10:28-29.
It was God’s word that made us; is it any wonder that His word should sustain us. Charles Spurgeon.
If we turn left, someone will have an opinion. The same will happen if we turn right. And if we stay the course, someone else will come along telling us we should have turned either left or right! We live in a world filled with talking heads. Some well-intentioned, others, not so much. So many folks just brimming with opinions on the topic de’ jour. So, who do you listen too? Whose voice rises above the kerfuffle—drowning out that great sea of voices vying for your attention, your heart, your peace? Speaking for myself, I listen to Jesus. In a world filled with people and their opinions—my own included, I am so grateful that I have Jesus to turn to for the Truth—as my due north. When all those voices that vie for my attention overwhelm or confuse me, His still small Voice comes, softly, and leads me back to the still waters. Back to that place of peace found in Him alone. Then, finally, my head laid against His chest once again, His lone heartbeat restoring me, the world then, with all its clamoring voices and opinions, melts away.
Within this Tenth Chapter of John’s Gospel, we learn that Jesus is our Good Shepherd—we also learn of the price He was willing to pay to be. “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His [own] life for the sheep” –John 10:11. We hear Him talking about the thief, exposing him as the one whose sole mission is to steal, kill, and destroy Jesus’ sheep—that devil. “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]”—John 10:10. We hear Jesus explain the difference between hired hands who care little for the flock in their care—these Pharisees and teachers of the Law, and the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. There’s a certain irony here considering who Jesus is talking to, the Pharisees—most of them hired hands themselves. Some in it for the reward only, running then at the first sign of trouble, they are not invested in keeping the sheep in their care safe. “But the hired man [who merely serves for wages], who is neither the shepherd nor the owner of the sheep, when he sees the wolf coming, deserts the flock and runs away; and the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. The man runs because he is a hired hand [who serves only for wages] and is not concerned about the [safety of the] sheep” –John 10:12-13.
We hear Jesus explaining all these Truths to the spiritually blind. Those with their own opinions of who He is or isn’t—these Pharisees and some gathered around them. Continuing, Jesus reveals to this same crowd that He is their Good Shepherd. In the previous chapter, Jesus had just performed a miracle. He had restored physical sight to a man who had been born blind. Yet these teachers of the law (and others who stood with them) professing their ability to see did not recognize their long-awaited Messiah standing right in front of them, while this man who was born blind, saw and worshiped Him. And he said, “Lord, I believe [in You and Your word]!” And he worshiped Him [with reverence and awe]. Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment [to separate those who believe in Me from those who reject Me—to declare judgment on those who choose to be separated from God], so that the sightless would see, and those who see would become blind.” Some Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind [to spiritual things], you would have no sin [and would not be blamed for your unbelief]; but since you claim to have [spiritual] sight, [you have no excuse so] your sin and guilt remain” –John 9:38-41.
Jesus went on to tell them about these other sheep He has. Sheep who’ve yet to meet Him, though they know His voice somehow; those who will become one with this flock. “I have other sheep [beside these] that are not of this fold. I must bring those also, and they will listen to My voice and pay attention to My call, and they will become one flock with one Shepherd” –John 10:16. Jesus is on the verge here of stating plainly that not only is He their Messiah, but He is also God’s own Son. And, in being His Son, God has granted Him the ability to both lay down and pick up His own life. He states boldly that this is His Father’s command—His will. Listen: “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life so that I may take it back. No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down voluntarily. I am authorized and have power to lay it down and to give it up, and I am authorized and have power to take it back. This command I have received from My Father” –John 10:17-18. And it’s here that some Pharisees and those who stood with them nearly lost their minds! You can just imagine their holy indignation! Hear their piercing, pious screams! Visualize them ripping open their outer robes in horror and outrage! These self-professed holy, hand-picked leaders, these teachers of all things lawful and God-like. They had to stand there now and listen to this nobody from Galilee tell them that He was God’s own Son, never! Blasphemy! “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others” –Matthew23:5-7.
Yet there were some gathered there that did not share in the Pharisee’s feelings—nor the condition of their heart. They had left some room within themselves for hope—to receive what they knew to be Truth. The Living Word that had taken root within them rose-up, pointing them towards what Moses had spoken. Towards the hope that God would send their Messiah soon. They knew their Word. “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” –Numbers 23:19. They recognized this Voice within them speaking, even though they didn’t fully connect it just yet with the One standing right in front of them. So, it’s here then that we hear their determined voices having the final say. “There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” –John 10:19-21.
We’ll close the circle here. Connecting both my opening words with today’s Scripture verses—linking them then, to all you’ve just read. For as long as you live there will always be some voice or another vying for your attention. Voices that will do all in their power to persuade you that their way is best—and, if you’d just listen to them, you’d be happier, more fulfilled, at peace, living your best life if you will. As I said earlier, some of these voices come attached to familiar faces, loving faces. They are the voices of our parents and spouses, our children, family, and friends. Those who are near and dear to us. So how do we know just who and what to listen to in a world filled with so many varying opinions? Again, as I said earlier, I choose to listen to only One voice. Jesus’ voice. I choose for His Word to have the final say in my life. In every decision, over my thoughts and wants and opinions, over those opinions of the very ones, He’s placed in my life to love and do life with. His voice must reign over everyone else’s. He alone is my God. Do I get it wrong at times, sadly I do? I fail Him. Yet even there, in my failure, it’s those very moments often, that I am ever so thankful that I serve a God who knew that I would fail Him—and chose me to be His child despite my failures. It’s then, in those moments that I hear Him say, I know you’re afraid you blew it, that it’s too late. It’s not, just come back. Your safe with me. I’ll never turn you away. Neither will the Father—we love you. I died for you so that you could be with me always. So let me talk with you a while. Trust me, I’ll straighten this out. I love you. I forgive you. Rest in me now, and just listen…
Friend, hear the Word of the Lord: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” –John 10: 28-29.
This is the only Voice that truly matters. You’d be wise to listen to it. Jesus’ Words, not my opinion…
If you don’t know this God yet, just the fact that you followed Him here tells me you soon might. Won’t you ask Him to speak clearly to you today? Now? To come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior. He will if you’ll just ask Him.
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” –John 14:26.
When I was growing up it seemed as if I was always striving, looking forward to the next milestone. When I was a child, I dreamed of turning 16. Getting the job. The license. The sweet sixteen party. What was there not to love?! Then I turned 16 and all those things were great, but then what? If only I was 18! Then I could vote. I could get my own place. Make my own decisions. I would be an adult! Then 18 came and signing medical papers at the doctor’s office wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I realized 18 is just a pseudo-adult. So, I thought- I just need to make it to 21. Then I’ll be a REAL adult. 21 came, not much changed, and then I thought- I still can’t rent a car. Then I turned 25 and could rent a car (which I have yet to do!), but now what?? What had I been striving for? I mean, of course in between I had many accomplishments, good friends and coworkers, good grades… life was good!
But at times I would think to myself, am I living on purpose?
Routines have a subtle, natural way of paving patterns in our behaviors that we do not necessarily always control. We begin to affix ourselves to these cycles- wake up, get ready, go to work, come home, get ready for bed, do it all over again. Day after day after day. If we are not careful, the business of life gets the best of us and by the end of the day, we have nothing left to give to the adventure of life. I would like to propose to you that routines in and of themselves are not the issue- losing sight of God amid the routine is the issue. Did you know that Jesus did not leave us helpless? He left the Holy Spirit as our helper! “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” –John 14:26. For the believer, those reminders that come, or those inklings we get in the depths of our souls are, oftentimes the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Jesus came to restore us to the Father, in turn giving us purpose. Without the Holy Spirit, chasing after purpose is a dead-end street; with Him, there is clarity of vision and purpose.
In this passage, Jesus also defines the Holy Spirit as a teacher. “[The Holy Spirit] will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” Do you remember taking a test in school and saying a quick prayer to remember what you studied/learned? (I, for one, went to a Christian school so desperately praying for my tests was definitely part of my test-taking strategy!) Life throws us ALL KINDS of tests. We just need to be reminded to apply the principles we already know. I can just hear Jesus cheering me on saying I taught you those things! You KNOW this! This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. On our own, we can respond impulsively and irrationally. But inviting the Holy Spirit to be a part of our thought processes 1) teaches us to live rightly and 2) reminds us of those things that we were taught. Everything comes full circle.
Not too long ago I began this habit of inviting the Holy Spirit to help me to live in awareness of Him every day. It’s as simple as asking Him to open my eyes to opportunities for ministry that the day brings or inviting Him into my thoughts to help me redirect them when they become destructive. When we invite Him to occupy those spaces of our hearts, we begin to see transformation; we begin to see our purpose unfold right before our eyes.
There was a time when I was highly aggravated with someone because I felt as though she always blew me off. I would say hi but without paying any mind to anything around her, she would just keep on walking. Around that time, I had begun inviting the Holy Spirit to help me to love people with His love and see people with His eyes. I remember my FIRST thought when I saw this person one day after thinking about saying hello was, I do NOT want to say hi. She’ll just blow me off again and I will just end up upset. So, to try and prove myself right, I did say hi. To my not-so surprise, I got no response. NOTHING. Not even a look in my direction. But before I could even gloat in how right I was, the Holy Spirit stopped me. I heard, loud and clear in my mind’s ear, she cannot hear you. I remembered at that moment that she had a hearing problem in one of her ears. So, I instantly repented to the Lord in my heart and redirected my hello to her other ear and she said hello. The Holy Spirit was teaching me a new depth of His love and grace now. Had I not invited Him to teach me and lead me that day, I would have missed that opportunity to love and stayed instead, trapped in self-pity and pride. You see, God loves every person around you more than you ever could. God does not gossip. He is not going to wallow with you in thinking badly about a person that He created and loves. The truth is His purpose is to transform us into loving the way He does. This is the kind of love that moves us to compassion for even the worst of people. The kind of love that causes us to want them to know the Jesus that saved our very souls. The kind of love that initiates our first response to be prayerful and understanding rather than judgmental towards our brother. Prayer is the key to unlocking our purpose…
Through prayer, the Holy Spirit will lead us into understanding. “The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out” –Prov 20:5. Your purpose is so far beyond anything you could ever imagine, yet if there’s no understanding, your purpose will remain unearthed beneath layers and layers of self. Get in the Word of God. Know it. Write it on your heart. It is by reading the word and discovering God’s intent and heart for humanity, that you will discover who you are. It is where you discover layers of identity that are so much deeper and more complex than you even realized. Through this discovery of our identity in Him, you begin to discover your purpose that is hidden in Him.
The discipline of discipleship strengthens us enough to know that, come what may, He will work everything out for our good and His purpose for those who believe (Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 1:11). The beauty of walking with Christ is that we have the gift of the Holy Spirit to help lead us into understanding these principles. Too often Christians forget about this power source that lives within them! The Holy Spirit is not a source of condemnation but understanding. We were not saved from sin so that our human nature would remain the same. Only by the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit are we able to change—living lives then, that are pleasing to God, and in turn, sweet for us as well. Living in awareness of His presence is where transformation takes place. Invite Him into your heart, your thoughts, and your vision. He is faithful to lead you and show you His heart. So in closing, here’s my prayer: firstly, if you don’t know Jesus, that you will come to know Him. That the reality of His presence is made known to you. And Second, that you live with the awareness that the ever-present Spirit of God is working in and through you always…
We are a team of Christian Authors and Teachers dedicated to sharing the Innerant Word of God with those hungry to receive Biblical Truth. Follow us as we follow Christ at Sonsofthesea.org
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