Thursday, September 9, 2021 Some materiel taken from Holy Spirit Boldness
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Acts 4:29-31
Calling Or Comfort
We are creatures of comfort, and in the midst of a pandemic we learned how to embrace it even more. Just go shopping for clothes and the evidence is all around you. Most of the new styles are very roomy and comfy, and a lot of the new pant styles are glorified joggers or at least have elastic waists. We have embraced many other forms of comfort in exchange for interaction with others. We have been given a pass to stay home on Sundays and “watch” church at home, in our jammies, with our families. We have Bible studies, classes, and meetings via Zoom, and you don’t have to have your camera on if you don’t want to. All these things are safety measures that were put in place and are valuable for those who are quarantined or are compromised, but many have used it as a crutch to duck out of church and meeting together.
Comfort can be an idol if we are not careful. We can find ourselves worshipping the God of comfort and ignoring the call of the Holy Spirit on our lives.
We need to pray for holy spirit boldness because our calling is
more important than our comfort. - Sam Nobles
Whatever calling or purpose God has for our lives is most likely on the other side of something difficult. Victory only comes when there is a battle involved, and often it is the battles that define and reveal our purpose. If we don’t ever pray for Holy Spirit boldness and take the first step, we could miss a transforming and pivotal moment in our lives. It is so important to not only ask for boldness and confidence, but to be attentive and listening for God’s leading and direction.
Beware: when our hearts long for the idol of comfort, shouldering a cross
for the call of Jesus will feel foreign. - Sam Nobles
We want the Spirit filled life without the work to get it. We want to be transformed all right but straight to the finish line. When we take a step back and look at things, of course we want it no matter what. But we have to step back and clear everything else out of the way so we can see clearly.
Trust God when He allows difficulties into your life. Perhaps they are necessary to draw you close to Him, that you might give your all to Him in service, or that you might depend wholly upon Him. Anything He allows or brings us through will be so worth it.
