Tag: holy spirit

6 Priorities You Need

Lisa Preuett

Balancing our priorities often feels like a juggling act in this journey we call LIFE.

If you’re like me, I find that I’m often pulled in multiple directions. Each thing that is calling for my attention feels important, or urgent.  In many moments, I get tripped up into wondering how in the world can I manage all these priorities?

*Family members

*Household duties

*Time with friends

*Ministry to others

*An endless list of errands

*Not to mention the emergencies that come out of nowhere, suddenly grasping desperately for my immediate attention.

Oh, and of course somewhere in there I must make time for God. Where exactly does that fit? 

I’ve recently had an opportunity to look at the way Jesus prioritized his life while he walked this earth.

Although he was fully God, he also was fully human, which means he had to prioritize his time. He couldn’t be in more than one place at a time. He had to choose where to go and who to see on a daily basis.

So how exactly did he prioritize his life?

Having just finished an amazing study called “Walking as Jesus Walked” (by Dann Spader), I’ve had the opportunity to take a closer look at the priorities of Jesus. Dann Spader uses an acronym to help us remember what exactly those priorities are: Holy Spirit POWER. 

*First of all, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit in everything he did.

*Prayerful: All throughout scripture we see Jesus intentionally making time to pray. He often withdrew to lonely places, away from the crowds to pray. If you look closely, you can see a pattern of his time in prayer. Immediately after teaching and healing, or before making crucial decisions, you’ll see him getting away to pray. 

*Obedient: Jesus was characterized by obedience to God the Father. We see explicitly in scripture where he follows through with what God called him to do. He wasn’t just all talk. He didn’t just preach a sermon and demand his followers to obey. He modeled everything through his actions. He showed us how to obey God.

*Word Centered: Jesus quotes Old Testament scripture repeatedly. He constantly challenged the religious leaders about the scriptures. Notice how many times we find Jesus saying, “It is written”, “Haven’t you read..?” When tempted in the desert by the devil, his defense is not showing off his power by doing a miracle. His defense is the word of God. He pulls out powerful scripture each and every time to combat the enemy.

*Exalting the Father: Jesus beautifully models for us what it means to exalt God the Father. He always pointed everything he did back to God. How many times do you notice him saying, “Everything I do comes from the Father.”

*Relational: Jesus poured into his disciples. He didn’t miss a single opportunity to invest in his followers. He exhibited what it means to be relational. Being relational takes time. It takes energy. It is intentional. He could have focused solely on teaching the crowds. But you see him taking more time to pour into the inner circle, the twelve.

So if these were the priorities when Jesus walked this earth, then I think it’s safe to say that these should be our priorities as well. The apostle Paul says it another way by urging us to “follow me as I imitate Christ.”

You might be thinking, How can I possibly fit all of those priorities into my schedule?

I’ve honestly thought that before. But I think the real question we need to ask ourselves is this:

How can I align my schedule to fit these priorities?

What does it look like in our daily lives to align our time, schedule and decisions around the priorities Jesus calls for?

As I’ve come to grips with how I should be living my life, I’m realizing that I need a dramatic shift in my perspective if I’m truly going to live as a follower of Jesus. And I don’t need to look at these things as a check list.

Going about my day, am I being led by the Holy Spirit? Or am I being driven by pride and selfishness?

Am I truly praying throughout the day, staying connected to God? Or is my prayer life limited to only emergency requests?

Are my decisions governed by my selfish desires? Or am I seeking to walk in obedience in every area of my life?

Do I open God’s word only on Sundays? Or am I soaking it up consistently throughout the week, letting truth guide me?

Am I characterized by taking credit for all the blessings in my life? Or do I truly give glory to God for all He’s entrusted me with and point others to Him?

Do I spend my time only with people I’m comfortable with and can benefit me? Or am I pouring into others who need encouragement and the hope of the gospel message?

Dear friends, these are tough and convicting questions. But these are the questions I need to ask myself if I honestly desire to prioritize my life to honor God. And to truly walk as Jesus walked.

What about you? Which of these priorities do you already have in your life? Which ones do you need to implement?I prayerfully challenge you to look at how you spend your time and make your decisions. Instead of feeling perplexed and overwhelmed, I pray you’ll find PEACE.

Blessings to you,

Lisa

Check out my devotional book, Embracing The Race.

 

 

 

 

Jesus on Facebook?

Lisa Preuett

If you’re an avid participant on Facebook, you know the feeling of excitement when you log into your account and see those red numbers lit up over these three features:

Friend Requests. Messages. Notifications.

Why do we get excited to see a friend request? Well, someone has searched for us and wants to specifically be a part of our social media world. You have a choice though to either accept or ignore this request. Once you’ve accepted, this person becomes part of your Facebook world….a window into your life.

It’s a big deal to get a private message from someone!  One of your friends is seeking you out with a specific message intended just for you.  Someone knows you well enough to ask you a question or connect with you on a deeper level.  You can reply back with confidence that nobody else sees your words because of the security attached to this private feature.

And what about all those notifications? What’s it really mean?It might sound simple, but the more active you are with posting comments and pictures, the more likely it is that people will give you feedback.  Ultimately it’s the evidence of interaction. The more you are actively engaged on Facebook, your social media life becomes more intertwined with others.

Maybe you didn’t realize it, but Jesus has been an avid user of friend requests, messages and notifications way longer than Facebook has been alive.  Now he doesn’t use these exact labels, but the parallels are strikingly similar if you ponder this closely. If He used our “Facebook terminology” it might look something like this:

Friend Requests: Because of what He did on the cross, Jesus has sent out a friend request to ALL people. Each and every person on this earth is extended a friend request from Him. He seeks them out specifically desiring to enter their world, and ultimately their heart.  They have the choice to accept or ignore that request.

Messages: After accepting the friend request from Jesus, your relationship becomes personal.  The Bible is God’s message for all followers of Christ. But the way He speaks to us goes even deeper than that! There are private messages He communicates to us through the Holy Spirit, living inside each uniquely designed follower.

He knows you well enough to meet your deepest longings. And you can pour out your heart directly to him with confidence. Confidence that nobody else knows what you just prayed–with security that He’s heard you.

Notifications: Once you’ve embarked on a genuine journey with Jesus, you get involved with other followers. You do life with them.  You celebrate your joys together as well as grieve through the tough times. You can’t do this alone by any means. You need the body of Christ.

He also calls us to fulfill the great commission…to become fishers of men. This is where we go beyond ourselves and reach out to others. We invite them into our lives. We pour into them. We build them up to go out and do the same. Just as Facebook notifications are evidence of involvement, our ministry to others is evidence of our faith. It’s our FRUIT.

So where are you, dear friend? Have you accepted His friend request?I pray that you have! But if you haven’t, the request is still valid. Call out to Him today.

If you are His child, are you seeking Him with all your heart and soaking up His word?Are you being still enough to hear His  message–that gentle whisper? Are you calling out to Him? Rest assured that He hears you. He knows you. He loves you.

What do your notifications (FRUIT)  look like? Are you walking alongside anyone? Pouring into those who need help? Reaching out to those co-workers who seem hopeless? Building relationships with your neighbors?

Ask God to give you courage to step out of your comfort zone and get involved. He doesn’t suggest this. He commands it. And what He calls us to do, He promises to equip.

Next time you’re checking your friend requests, messages or notifications, let it be a reminder to check the condition of your heart and see if you’re where Jesus wants you to be.

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Blessings to you!

Lisa Preuett 

 

 

Plugged in and Charged Up!

Lisa Preuett

Acts 1:8 “And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…”

I’m really bad about forgetting to charge up my cell phone. I’ll be out running errands, grab my phone to make a call and get the all too familiar warning:

“Battery too low….recharge your phone!” 

Ugghh! This happens frequently and then I feel helpless. Cut off from whomever I’m trying to get a hold of. Even worse, I’m cut off from whomever is trying to reach me! (usually it’s my husband who panics and thinks the worst if he can’t reach me)

My smart phone is really cool with all its apps and fancy gadgets. But it does me NO GOOD if it isn’t charged up. No power equals no communication…..either way.

Isn’t that just like our relationship with God? When we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, He gives us the Holy Spirit….right then and there. All of the Holy Spirit we will ever need is poured into our hearts at that moment.

But do we access the power of the Holy Spirit? Are we charged up and ready to go at any moment? Or are we frequently on the setting that blares “Battery too low….need to recharge!” Do we frequently find ourselves feeling helpless and cut off? I’m often guilty of this and wonder why I feel so frazzled and run down at the end of the day.

If I’m not plugged in to the power of the Holy Spirit, then I’m not in a position to receive what God wants to communicate to me. If my heart isn’t charged up then I’m not as likely to call out to Him in the midst of a challenging moment. What exactly does it mean for me to be plugged in?

Prayer. Time in His word. Sitting still before Him so I can hear Him.

Something else I’m realizing with my smart phone is that I’m still discovering new things about it. I’ve owned if for well over a year, but have never taken the time to read through the owner’s manual (who has time for that?). Just the other day I stumbled upon an app I didn’t even know was there! Wow! That app proved to be quite helpful to me in that moment. It’s been there the whole time. I just didn’t know.

And yes! God is like that too. He’s way smarter than all the smartphones in the universe put together. We may have known Him for a long time, yet there are always new aspects of His character and new perspectives He shows us. We learn something new about who He’s always been. He gives us fresh insight on a scripture we’ve known since childhood. And He often gives us glimpses of heaven and hope of promises to come.

So what about you? What are you doing to stay plugged in? What are you learning about staying charged up in His power? Running on empty and feeling frazzled with your life? Tired and exhausted from doing too much?

If you’re a child of God, then you have access to the power of the Holy Spirit. The power that brings life to your low battery. The power that brings life to what you think is dead. He is there. But you have to plug in!

What do you need to do to stay plugged in? Change your priorities? Slow down? Take something off your schedule so you can have more time to sit still? Maybe you need to reach out to someone to help hold you accountable. Perhaps you just need to admit “I’m helpless. I’m feeling cut off and empty.” 

Whatever it is dear friend, I challenge and encourage you to plug your heart in to the power of God and walk with Him moment by moment so you stay charged up. Charged up to do His will. Charged up to bring glory to Him.

Acts 1:8 “And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…”

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