The time we spend with God in His Word and prayer has an impact on our daily life. As we focus on the Lord and His power, glory, and favor, our perspective becomes increasingly aligned with His. He becomes greater, and our problems and worries become smaller.
The apostle Paul was certainly mindful of this. In his letter to the Ephesians, he actively prayed for himself and others to receive a greater understanding of God and all He’s provided for His people through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:15-19).
When we begin to see the Lord through enlightened eyes, the whole world—including its stresses and challenges—becomes much clearer, as does our understanding of how to deal with difficulties. As a result, the pressures of life begin to dissipate. Although we cannot escape trouble, we can rest in the peace Jesus promises us (John 16:33).
Our time in meditation provides many personal benefits, but these should not be our only reason for spending time with the Lord. The goal is to know God, draw near to Him in fellowship, and enjoy the blessings that accompany an intimate relationship with Him.
Do you struggle with anxiety, frustration, and fear? Sometimes these feelings arise when we doubt God’s ability to fix a problem or protect us or a loved one. At other times we’re distressed because we question His willingness to handle a situation. Such uncertainties can develop from a lack of knowledge about God’s character, confusion regarding His promises, or a misunderstanding of His plans. That’s why it’s important to fill our mind with the truths of Scripture. Focusing on the Lord’s sufficiency instead of our circumstances gives us hope and strength.
There are many situations that may cause our faith to waver. It could be that our own sin prompts us to question the truth of the Scriptures in order to justify ourselves. Or previous failures might lead to a pessimistic outlook about current and future situations. What’s more, we have an enemy who reminds us of past mistakes and times when our prayers appeared to go unanswered. Satan’s age-old technique of questioning God’s truthfulness can make us wonder whether the Lord is trustworthy.
When doubts surface, confess them to God. Then recall past instances of His faithfulness and meditate on His promises. Let the Holy Spirit guide you into truth so you can stand firm.
Scripture teaches that God hears and answers when we make requests according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). Although our Father is always faithful to guide us in specific situations, He also wants us to know His big goals for us, which are described throughout His Word. Today’s passage from Hebrews 13 is one such example.
With regard to both character and deeds, God’s purpose for believers can be summed up in these two requests from Hebrews 13:21:
• His goal is to “equip [us] in every good thing to do His will.” He wants us to depend fully on Him to accomplish the good works He planned beforehand for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). These include righteous living in obedience to His Word as well as fruitful service in His name and to His people.
• God is “working in us that which is pleasing in His sight.” As the Father shapes us into the image of His Son, He is transforming our character so we’ll have a heart bent toward pleasing Him. Otherwise, all our good works are useless.
When you ask God to accomplish these two things in your life, you can be sure He will.
Jesus promised us His joy, but at times it can evade us. There are some important things to understand about this spiritual fruit. As we saw yesterday, the Holy Spirit is its source. And being supernatural in nature, divine joy exists independently of our circumstances. Happiness, on the other hand, comes from external causes, is an earthly in character, and increases or decreases as events change.
Holy Spirit-developed joy comes when we:
• Focus on our relationship with the Lord. Because of Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we are forever His. Nothing can separate us from our Savior.
• Observe His transforming work in others. Notice what God is doing around you: rescuing people from bondage to sin and transforming them into His likeness.
• Serve those He sends to us. Our obedient, loving care for others brings spiritual joy.
• Meditate on God’s living Word. Through Scripture, we receive an outpouring of His love and precious truths on which to build our lives.
Take a few minutes to contemplate the wonder of your new birth, share someone’s spiritual joy, obediently serve another person, or receive guidance from God’s Word. Then check your emotional barometer. Are you singing hallelujah yet?
We all fail. Many of us don’t always live as Scripture teaches—and we miss out on the joy and peace that Jesus promised. The reason? We don’t recognize the need to live in the Spirit, so we try to live each day in our own strength. On Pentecost, God’s Spirit came to indwell believers. He is a gift, blessing us in many ways. Let’s consider some of the work He does. The Holy Spirit ...
• Convicts us of sin so that we can repent (John 16:8).
• Regenerates us. As believers, we’re new beings, alive in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
• Seals us forever as a child of the Almighty (Ephesians 1:13).
• Teaches, guides, and empowers us for the rest of our life (John 14:26).
• Gifts and enables us to do the work God has planned for us (Ephesians 2:10; for a list of spiritual gifts, see also 1 Cor. 12:1-31).
• Bears fruit through us (Galatians 5:22-23).
As we are obedient to what God calls us to do, we get to watch Him work in mighty ways. All these benefits are available to everyone who follows Jesus, but we can miss out by attempting to live in our own meager strength.
Remember, the Christian life is this: Christ living His life in and through us by the power of God’s indwelling Holy Spirit.
