Stop and ask yourself this question:
Am I hungry for the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life?
Today that question popped into my head as I was sitting in a leadership training session when we were discussing ministry and the Kingdom of God. Now I almost automatically assume that all Christians will quickly check the “yes” box on that question because we know that the Holy Spirit is God and wants good things for us and blesses us and is important for our lives and being effective and yada yada. Yes. We check a box way to quickly.
Let’s press this question a bit more.
Everyone that knows me will affirm that I’m radically committed to the biblical concept of God’s sovereignty. God is sovereign and in control and has supremacy and preeminence over everything. But this commitment, since it’s biblical, recognizes that God accomplishes His purposes through means. That is to say that God is sovereign and that He is “working all things together” but that He does so mostly through human vessels. Yeah, God uses people to carry out His plan. That’s a pretty awesome reality. God doesn’t have to use poor wretched sinners. He chooses to redeem poor wretched sinners who continue to fight against sin and partners with them for His purposes. Simply amazing.
So, for example, God uses people to preach and teach the Bible so that others can come to better understand the truths that God has revealed about Himself and His will. God sovereignly intends for those people to understand those truths and works through humans to accomplish that task. Make sense? I’ll assume so.
When we answer the question regarding our hunger for the Holy Spirit and His work in our lives, we need to keep in mind the different means that God uses to help us experience the work that the Spirit is a part of. What is one of the most practical ways that we can express our hunger for the Spirit’s work? Great question.
I believe that one of the simplest ways for us to demonstrate our hunger for the Spirit’s work in our lives is to simply ask for someone to pray for us or to respond to the invitation for prayer. Are you hungry for the Spirit’s increased presence in your life? If so, don’t pack your bags so quickly during the next worship gathering you are a part of. Stick around and either ask someone for prayer, respond to the invitation for prayer, or pray for someone (God can use you too).
Luke is a pastor-theologian living in northern California, serving as a co-lead pastor with his life, Dawn, at the Red Bluff Vineyard. Father of five amazing kids, when Luke isn’t hanging with his family, reading or writing theology, he moonlights as a fly fishing guide for Confluence Outfitters. He blogs regularly at LukeGeraty.com and regularly contributes to his YouTube channel.
Sometimes i think that people who are in a ministry cant get pray because they should have it all together