Move from strength to strength

ARE YOU spontaneous? Or do you prefer a steady routine? Everybody thrives with at least some kind of schedule or structure. Still, when we end up going through the motions without really living, it hardens your heart. It drags you down.

Ask yourself, has stagnation creeped into your life?

Work, media consumption, social life — are you doing the same old thing day after day, week after week, month after month with no variety or color in your life?

The modern world wants to automate and optimize everything. This happens so much that in the end, humans could become obsolete. Instead of machines serving us, we become part of the machine. We are programmed to work and consume, not much more. A powerful vacuum sucks us in.

So maybe on the surface we get things done, but underneath there’s no passion. And then there’s no real compassion either.

Even in places where technology hasn’t invaded, people still get stuck in a rut. They might look productive and active, but on the inside their spirit is mummified.

Am I doing things just to get them out of the way — like a machine? What sense does it make if I’m living purely out of obligation and routine?  

You can decide to take up a new hobby, join a group, or take a class. That might help. But maybe you don’t have the time or interest. And this leads us to a secret everybody knows but only a few accept.

Authentic renewal starts on the inside.

Am I mumbling the same old prayers over and over again without putting my heart into it? Does the expression of the Holy Spirit truly flow through me and from me? You might be wondering what this means. I’m talking about intensity. It’s a call to be aware.

The human mind and spirit are incredibly powerful. We are created in the image and likeness of God. So the next time you pray, gather all the resources God has given you.

Don’t just pray the same old prayer. Pay attention. Wake up! Break free from your rigidity.

The Creator of heaven and earth is there for you and with you. In Jesus, your prayer rises up to heaven. And the expression of the Holy Spirit comes forth from your prayer. How many times have I prayed without taking this miracle into account?

The Spirit of God prays with you. He is the same Spirit that resurrected Jesus and came down like fire on Pentecost — this is the Spirit that prays with you to our Father in heaven.

Summon all your heart, soul, and strength to dig deep into these truths.    

The Spirit of God renews all things. He is freshness, life, abundance.

So even if on the surface your routine hasn’t changed much, on the inside a fire burns. Compassion runs deep.

You see meaning in every encounter, no matter how trivial things look on the surface. An abundance of love and gratitude flow from you.

You are in harmony with God — through him, with him, in him — united to him in Spirit and truth.

Can you see it? Look deeper into this reality.

Let the Spirit resurrect those dead places in your heart. Let him free you from the shackles of your mind. No matter what routine you are stuck with, no matter how great the difficulty, step into a wide open spiritual space.

The freedom you find there cannot be reproduced in any other way. With the Spirit of God at your center, you cannot be corrupted by the trials of this world. You join with others to be one Body of Christ.

You move from strength to strength.

This is not a call to perfection, but rather a call to humility.

Then you are not afraid to feel — not afraid to proclaim Jesus as your Savior — and not afraid to love.

Since living is fully feeling, both the good and the bad. 

So let it begin in your communion with the Lord, in prayer.

Take it seriously. Focus. Immerse yourself in the Spirit. Ask for this grace.

Reach for a new level of intensity — then harvest the abundant fruit of his peace.

. . . . . . .

I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.

John 17:23

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