Spirit Led Living

Rom 8:26-27 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will . Unlike the rest of my extended family, I was not brought up with the idea of memorizing prayers that you would then recite in order to gain God’s favor. My mother, Gloria, taught me to kneel next to my bed and to pray to “Papa Dios”, or Daddy God. I would fold my hands and close my eyes and just talk to God. The more I grew to know His Word and understand Who He is, the more sophisticated my prayers became. 2 Tim 1:12b … I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. However, I have to say that a couple of events have greatly impacted the way that I view prayer. The fi...

I just recently went through a period of basking in the Lord’s presence and feeling His love in deep and personal ways.   From 5 days at the VineyardUSA national conference, to two wonderful weeks at the beach. First with dear friends and then just with my wife, I just swam in God’s love and yearned for His presence. It had been a long time since I felt that way. I felt so close to God. It was like I could hear His voice in my inner being and I wanted nothing more than to please Him and enjoy Him. Ps 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. I was experiencing that love firsthand and it was the sweetest taste. I felt that refuge and experienced the peace that surpasses all human understanding. Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. I understood that lov...

Psalm 68:6a “God sets the lonely in families...” God is a loving God. Some us don’t have the luxury of natural families. Sometimes death, distance or family squabbles cause us to feel alone. I have always been a bit of a loner.  I’ve had some friendships, but I also have had many betrayals and after a while it is just easier to keep people at a distance. I’ve lost both my parents and my only biological family lives in Puerto Rico. Not exactly close. At one time I dreamt of having children only to discover that because of many x-rays that were taken while I was in-utero parts of my reproductive system did not develop and as a result I couldn’t father children. Many people felt sorry for my wife at the time because this impacted her ability to bear children. Somehow, no one stopped to think how I felt about it. I felt emasculated, defeated and less than a man. No children would be flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood. God provided and we were able to adopt Aaron and...

There is a thread that runs through the entire Bible and it is that of the Great Romance. From the opening pages of Genesis, through Song of Songs, the Gospels and on into Revelation, the Bible is one big love story. Solomon’s Song of Songs has been seen by many as just a near eastern erotic compilation of wedding poems that exalt the bride and groom. However, upon closer examination we can extrapolate that this is a love song between God and His creation; and more specifically between the groom, Christ, and His bride, the church. The Bible tells us that He delights in us, sings over us and calls us His treasure. I think in too many ways we tend to overthink and analyze our relationship with God. We make it overly cerebral and we disdain experiential emotionalism. I get it, we shouldn’t be ruled by our emotions, but faith is not just a matter intellect. Even Paul, the most cerebral of all the Apostles knew that every bit of knowledge and wisdom paled next to the power of love. I ...

Malachi 3:16-18 The last verses of the Old Testament find God making a promise to His people.Those who “feared the Lord and honored His name” hung on every word and wrote them down so that they might not be forgotten. God calls us “His treasured possession” and promises that a day is coming where it will become more and more obvious who does and does not follow Him. When he was giving his testimony, John Wimber recounts that if he knew any Christians before he was converted they never blew their cover in his presence. How can we be salt and light if people can’t see any difference in the way that we live our lives. He has given us the Holy Spirit precisely so that we can be, do and say what God wants to and thus make a difference in this lost world. The question is, are we willing to be obedient? #liveaquestionablelife

Mike Pilavachi, the leader of Soul Survivor in England and a vicar in the Anglican Church, led the next two sessions. His theme for the first one was “Do Whatever He Tells You.” He starts with Mary, the mother of Jesus telling the servants at the wedding at Cana to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.   He then tells them to fill the jugs with water. He follows that instruction by telling them to draw some out of those very same jugs and take it to the master of the banquet. They do so, but in the back of their mind they have to be thinking, “You want us to take plain water for the master to taste?” When he tastes it he marvels at the fact that they saved the best wine for last. The servants must be thinking that he is drunk or out of his minds because they know that they poured ordinary water into the jugs. The lesson is to do what we are told even when we don’t understand what or why He is asking us to do it. We want intimacy with Jesus, but are we willing to be obedient eno...

Phil Strout, the leader of Vineyard USA taught us to Hear and Obey. He reminded us that if we are faithful in little, He will make us rulers of much. It’s the follow-through that counts; not just how we start. We are to have a trusting obedience.   In Luke 5 Simon says, “I will do as you say” without question.  Phil shared a story of a powerful man of God that he interned under a man who was teaching him a lot about leadership and serving. One day he asked him to tie up some peas in the garden they were tending. He explained exactly how he wanted them tied. Having grown up on a farm, Phil only half listened and then went on and tied the peas his way, thinking that his mentor would not notice or care. That afternoon his mentor called him into his office and asked if he had explained how he wanted the peas tied. Phil said yes. Then he asked if Phil had agreed to do it that way. Again Phil said yes. Then he asked if the first two things were true, why did he ignore the inst...