The other day I noticed a charge on my credit card statement that I didn't recognize. After a little research, I found that it was a yearly renewal of virus protection software. After a little more digging, I found the email I had received when I signed up for the service, and to my surprise, I realized that I had never actually downloaded the software!
Not only that, but in the process of downloading the file, there was a final step that asked me to activate the software. That's right - I purchased something that I never downloaded, and once I downloaded it, I still had to take another action to activate it.
It only took a few minutes for the Holy Spirit to use that little episode of computer business to get my attention.
Our salvation has been purchased with the very blood of Jesus. It's paid for; it's ours; it's settled in heaven with our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. The problem is that sometimes we stop right there when there is so much more included with that "salvation subscription", but only if we take the proper action.
We have to receive a download from heaven and that includes so much. We have access to the baptism of the Holy Spirit and all the wisdom of the Word of God. We have guidance, power, the fruit of the Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit. We have everything available to us that pertains to life and godliness. His Word tells us about all of that and more. Some of us download all of that through studying the Bible and praying, while others neglect those disciplines.
However, even if our minds know all about the elements of the download, we don't see changes in our lives or results from our prayers if we don't learn to activate the download. On my computer, it was as simple as clicking a button on the screen, but activating the things of God takes a bit more intentionality. We activate the Word by speaking it in faith. We allow the Holy Spirit to be active in our lives when we surrender to Him. We develop the fruit of the Spirit by walking with Him daily and renewing our minds. We exercise the gifts of the Spirit by seeking them and learning to listen to His voice guiding us to release those gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ.
Without all three of these things happening in our lives, we can't reach the goal that the Apostle Paul talked about in this scripture.
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)
How often do we just count on our salvation relationship to carry us through things, without specifically activating faith in any given situation? Just because we know Him and we are hoping for a thing to happen does not mean we are activating our faith. We don't walk in power in our ministries just because we know things - we must activate the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
It's so easy to coast in this Christian life sometimes. When circumstances are difficult, it's tempting to just operate in the "realm of overwhelm" and forget all the tools we have at our fingertips that God has provided to help us navigate those hard paths.
I'm experiencing a lot of "overwhelm" right now and the Holy Spirit used this crazy credit card charge to remind me of all the things I should be activating in my life. My mind knows what to do but my spirit-man has allowed the enemy to keep me in "download only" mode. I'm determined now to activate it. How about you?
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