Sep 10, 2012
What The Holy Spirit Did In My Heart Thursday
Don’t get the wrong idea
I’m going to tell you about how the Holy Spirit worked in my heart Thursday.
But I’m hesitant — because this could give you the wrong idea.
You could think that–
- I have experiences like this all the time (I don’t);
- I am more holy than I am (I constantly battle sin and dulness of heart);
- I am trying to impress you (I’m not free from that — but it’s not what’s mostly in my heart).
But I’m going to share this story because it might —
- strengthen your faith in what God can do;
- encourage you with how the Holy Spirit can change hearts;
- help you understand more about how the Holy Spirit works.
So —
Here’s what happened
Thursday afternoon I took some time to pray.
I wasn’t feeling particularly spiritual. But I went ahead and followed my usual practice — starting with earnest prayer for more of the Spirit’s work in my life.
I prayed that God would increase the work of His Spirit in me — asking for stronger faith, more wisdom, conviction of sin, and power in witness.
And then —
For some reason I started dwelling on the last part of Galatians 2:20 —
The life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
I focused particularly on those last nine words —
… who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
That’s a glorious truth — that in spite of my sin, Jesus Christ loved me and gave Himself up for me by dying on the Cross.
But I wasn’t feeling it.
So I prayed for the Spirit’s work to help me see it clearly and feel it deeply.
Earnest meditation
Then I pondered — who is this who loved me and gave Himself up for me?
Here’s what I thought —
Jesus — the Son of God — loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Jesus — who existed from eternity past with no beginning — loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Jesus — through whom everything was created — loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Jesus — for whom everything was created — loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Jesus — God Himself — loved me and gave Himself up for me.
What happened
The Holy Spirit worked.
I saw it — felt it — knew it.
The glory of infinite-God-in-the-flesh — loving a rebel — giving Himself up for a rebel.
At that moment I understood more of His love maybe than ever before — a love of pure mercy, unstoppable power, breathtaking beauty.
And I knew — He loved me on the Cross. He loves me now. He will love me forever.
And as a result —
I was secure. Fully at peace. Completely satisfied.
But then —
That work of the Spirit lessened.
Those powerful feelings died away.
But — I had been changed.
My knowledge of Jesus’ love was deeper, my trust in Him was firmer, my love for Him was stronger.
Take-aways
Never let your present heart dulness discourage you about what the Holy Spirit can do. He can transform any heart (Luk 18:27).
Pray for more of the Spirit’s work — like Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers (Eph 1:16-17).
The Word is the sword the Spirit uses to cut away lukewarmness, so think and pray deeply over specific verses (Eph 6:17).
Don’t depend on feelings which change — depend on the truth of God’s Word which never changes (Isa 40:8).
But don’t settle for lack of feelings — ask and think and press on to know the Lord feelingly. He will come. He promises (Hos 6:3).
Comments? Feedback? Thoughts?
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And here’s some related posts you might find helpful —
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How George Whitefield read God's Word Sarah Edwards' Experience of GodA surprising outpouring of God's love
(Picture is from everystockphoto by lumix2004.)
Great article. Loved it! Thanks for being so honest. Almost everyone in their lives struggle through this, the spiritual dullness, the feeling of being forsaken, or being not enough or haven’t done enough. When I was first saved and wanted to be so passionate for God, I would spend hours weeping over what was wrong with me. It took me some years to get around this and to see things in light of God’s word.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share these encouraging words, John. I really appreciate it.
Wow!
Yes, it was a Wow experience. How kind and gracious of God to give us touches of His Spirit. And thanks for your encouragement in seeking the Lord, Paul!
Hi Steve, Thiis is the first time I have ever responded to any blog or any social website so I’m not sure if what is in my heart will come across in words. I too focus so much on Galatians 2:20. I am walking thru the darkest of valleys and my Lord is carrying me most of the time. I’m new to this Christianity thing but this particular verse has been my saving Grace. I started memorizing it and repeating it many times daily and the strength I get from these words gives me so much peace. Right before I close my eyes and I’m saying my evening prayers I always close with; Thank you Lord for your son who was born for me, who died for me, who was risen for me and who loves me always. Amen. I know how God feels about his son. I know the love, the hurt and the pain he felt in watching his son die, but I know more than anything in this world that I am loved by my Holy Father and that I’m gonna be ok.
Thanks for all you do. God is Good.
Greetings in Christ, Pamela. Thank you for taking the time to share your encouraging words with us — and the ways God is using Galatians 2:20 in your life. I found what you wrote profoundly encouraging.
In Christ,
Steve Fuller
Thanks, Steve. Had a similar experience recently as I meditated in I Jn.4:16: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.” I considered that God is creator of the entire universe – pictured swirling galaxies with time and distances unimaginable to me. That when God loves He does not just give me some of His love. If He IS love, when He loves, I get ALL of it, for so He loves Jesus and that love is also for even me(Jn 17:23). Since then I have felt His love almost as an extremely heavy weight, like the universe. Wow.
Hi Patti —
Thank you SO much for sharing this. It’s encouraging to hear how God is using His Word to stir your heart — because it builds my faith and expectancy in what He can do in me!
And deep thanks again for all the ways you and Bob have impacted Jan and me.
Much love to you both,
Steve (and Jan)
AMEN
Brief and to the point! 🙂
Thanks for your encouragement —
Thanks for the article
Holy Spirit please pour love, lots of fearless love into my heart in a stablished, holy way. in Jesus Name.
thank you for encouragement