holy spirit

“Are you absolutely sure?”

It’s a question I have asked myself countless times. I’m always analyzing and questioning. It’s just in my nature. It’s the reason why science has been my favorite subject to study since high school. I need the what, why, how, and when for nearly everything. Professionally, it’s to my benefit. I deal with risk management often, so I am wired to look 4000 yards ahead and see what might derail a project. This makes me a great fit for my job, but also feeds the “question monster.”

God bless my husband, because (most of the time) he deals so patiently with my questioning nature. Anyone else would have surely run away screaming by now. Maybe. 😂 I just can’t shut off my brain; it is hungry and wants to know all the things.

This is where my faith is often tested. While my questioning nature is an asset to my job, it is sometimes an obstacle to my faith. We aren’t meant to know everything about God and His plan right now in this life. There’s a beautiful verse in Deuteronomy that answers so many questions for us:

“The secret things belong to The Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” – Deuteronomy 29:29

Whenever I have questions that can’t be answered, I repeat this scripture to myself, and it brings instant peace and comfort.

But still, for the longest time, there was always one question that I couldn’t answer with 100% certainty or shake off…

“Am I truly saved?”

I mean, I knew the ‘how’ to getting saved. I knew the gospel. But doubt would often creep in and I wanted proof of my salvation. My mind used to question, “If I died right now, am I sure I would I go to Heaven?”

For a long time I didn’t know. I ‘hoped’ I knew, but I wasn’t sure. Even though I believed in Jesus as Messiah and shared the gospel with others, I doubted my own standing with Him. But then one day, thankfully, mercifully, I was reminded that even John the Baptist had doubts. Near the end of his life, when John was arrested and being held in a cell, he sent word to Jesus, asking if HE was the Messiah or if there would be someone else to come. John was afraid and needed reassurance. And Jesus did not rebuke John when he received his question. Jesus simply answered John with proof of His identity, according to the prophetic scriptures that John would surely know:

And He answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” – Luke 7: 22-23

Instantly, I felt better knowing that even someone as great as John the Baptist had doubts. Even after baptizing Jesus, John still doubted. Praise The Lord who understands our weak flesh and our doubts!

As time marched on and I began to seek after The Lord more fervently by reading His Word and listening to Bible-based sermons, I began to hear and understand that unless The Holy Spirit lives inside of you (which is the mark of salvation), lasting and continuous change will not occur.

So I started taking inventory of my life, and I was quickly reminded of all the worldly things I used to enjoy and take part in, that now completely turn my stomach. And the proof was right in front of me:

I am NOT the same person I was.

I used to be in love with the dark. I loved going out to bars with my friends and drinking the night way. I loved all the wrong music, no matter the lyrics. I watched whatever I wanted, no matter the rating or content. I said whatever I wanted to say, whenever I wanted to say it. I did whatever I wanted to do, regardless of the consequences.

But Praise God! I am not this person anymore, and the change that has happened within me is nothing less than the work of The Holy Spirit.

Is my transformation complete? Is this who I will be? Absolutely not. As long as I have breath in my lungs, I am continuously being transformed by The Holy Spirit. Our transformation is not instantaneous; it is a daily and lifelong process. We have to seek The Lord and His will first, placing Him above things that our flesh may want.

*“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1: 6*

So if you have doubts about your own salvation, take a look at who you are today and compare that person to who you were before you heard the gospel. What has changed? Are you closer to God now than you were back then? Do you love Him more than you love yourself?

“…Assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” – Ephesians 4: 21-24

We will never achieve sinless perfection in this life, but The Holy Spirit will never depart from us or stop working on us, as long as we seek first His Kingdom.

Love,
Emily

The other day, I saw a post on social media with a classic throwback reference that gave me a solid belly laugh. In one of the organic-remedies-type groups I’ve joined, another mom posted about an all-natural salve that she had found numerous uses for. When the salve came up in conversation with her children, one child told the other that this salve was mom’s new “Windex”.

Now if you haven’t seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I realize that reference will be completely lost on you. But if you have seen it, then you probably chuckled out loud just now.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a rom-com done right. If you haven’t seen it, go right now and find a way to watch it. Everyone needs a good laugh nowadays.

The head of the Greek family in this movie is proud Papa Gus, and he is adamant that Windex (in addition to being a great cleaner) is a cure-all for anything that ails you. Got a sore elbow? Windex. Wake up with a zit? Windex. Poison ivy? Windex. Burn your hand? “Put some Windex on it!”

This hysterical Windex reference is a running joke throughout the movie. Just when you think something is beyond the power of Windex, this strange phenomenon strikes again. Ignoring the reality that Windex is not meant to treat odd skin conditions or injuries, this ruse gives us a great talking point for today.

I started thinking about how Windex is first and foremost used to clean glass (usually windows and mirrors), to help us see more clearly. Our once-cloudy perspectives become crystal clear when we use Windex appropriately. Just like the Holy Spirit. He is my Windex.

Not only does the Holy Spirit help me to see everything more clearly, but he can also do many other things that Windex cannot do. Windex’s power stops at the glass. It cleans the glass for you, but then it’s up to you to discern what you’re actually seeing.

Without the blessing of the Holy Spirit, I would be at the mercy of my own thoughts and limited human understanding about what I see happening in the world today. I can sit and take in all the information that the media wants to pour into me, but without a truthful guide and accurate compass, I’m going to be tossed around in the wind, not knowing where I will end up.

It is crystal clear to me that the much-needed remedy – for all of us – is the Holy Spirit.

Anyone can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. There are just 3 main steps involved in receiving and keeping this blessing:

Step 1. PRAY: Repent and ask the Holy Spirit to come live inside of you, and guide you each day.
Step 2. READ: Open your Bible every day and devote time to learning God’s Will for your life.
Step 3. OBEY: When you feel the Holy Spirit nudging you, don’t ignore him. Follow God’s Word, and don’t reject the Holy Spirit by continued disobedience.

Step 1 and 2 are pretty obvious, but I’d like to dive a little deeper into step 3 for a minute.

It is undeniably true that without our belief in Jesus as the Son of God, we cannot be saved. Jesus died on a cross to save us. Without his sacrifice, we would be condemned to an eternity apart from God. Therefore, acknowledging this sacrifice made on our behalf, earnestly praying for forgiveness for our sins, and accepting God’s grace (to cover accidental sin we might fall into) is absolutely imperative to our salvation.

“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
-Galatians 2: 21 (ESV)

However, we are not called to abuse God’s grace by repeatedly choosing our own fleshly desires (sin) over his good and perfect Will for our lives. There are many who live under the assumption that one prayer is all it takes to be saved forever, no matter how you choose to live. Friends, please do not be deceived by a false comfort whispered to you from the enemy.

If, after your repentant prayer, you choose to live a life walking with God each day, earnestly implementing steps 1-3 above, then YES, the Holy Spirit will live inside you and serve as the MARK and SEAL of your salvation.

However, if you repent but then choose to return to unchecked habitual sin patterns (usually an indication that steps 2 and 3 are not being implemented), then you will be rejecting the gift and SEAL of the the Holy Spirit on your life and salvation. If you repeatedly ignore the Holy Spirit, eventually your view of the world will be so clouded by your own sin that you will no longer be able to see and discern the Truth, and you’ll be willfully living in rebellion against God. Anyone who lives in the flesh has not truly been BORN AGAIN.

1 Peter 1: 13-25 says:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for: 

“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

But no matter how far you may have strayed away from Him, if you truly and earnestly repent and turn your life back to God (steps 1, 2 and 3!) — He is MIGHTY to SAVE!

Church, the spiritual warfare happening in these last days is heavy and relentless. Without our Windex, we will not be able to see things for what they truly are. We will be blinded to the Truth, and miss the warning signs that are all around us.

Jesus is coming soon. As His Church, we have work to do. Don’t delay. He desires that not a single one be left behind.

Blessings,
Emily

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