Two Ways the Holy Spirit Guides Me

In review of Psalm 27:11 it says, “Teach me, LORD, what you want me to do, and lead me along a safe path” (GNT).

Psalm 27:11

Tell me what to do, Lord, and make it plain because I am surrounded by waiting enemies.

God offers help for today and hope for my future. An unwavering confidence in God is my antidote for fear and loneliness.

It may seem obvious, but one thing that can keep me from knowing God’s will is not asking him about it. James 4:2 says, “You do not have, because you do not ask” (ESV). God knows the details of my life more than I do. So engage him, my “guidance counselor” by asking specific questions. He will guide me through my circumstances and feelings.

Think about it: I don’t just have the guidebook, the Bible. I also have the author speaking in my ear. When I became a believer, God placed the Holy Spirit within me, and he’s been teaching me ever since to listen and respond to the Holy Spirit’s counsel. He knows every step of the journey and understands the blessings and dangers ahead. He knows where I’ve been and where I’m going, and he knows the best path to take.

The primary way the Holy Spirit guides me is by reminding me what I’ve read in the Bible. That’s why I should memorize Scripture. It stores his Word in my mind, and the Holy Spirit helps me to  remember.

The other way God guides me is by impressions. God gave me a brain, and he wants me to use it. God will not control me; he’s given me free will. But he will give me an idea, and when I respond to it, he then begins to fill in the details.

When God gives me an idea, that’s called inspiration. When the Devil gives me an idea, that’s called temptation. When I need to know the difference, ask, “Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do, and lead me along a safe path” (Psalm 27:11 GNT).

Bottom Line:

Teach me your way Lord; lead me in a straight and easy to follow path.

What this means to me:

Instruct me on what I should do, O Lord, make it plain to me so I can understand in the midst of those and that of which oppresses me.

In summary, I need to ask God what to do and to make it plain to me. God offers me help for today and hope for my future. My unwavering confidence in God is my antidote for any fear or loneliness I may experience. The one thing that can keep me from knowing God's will is by not asking him. Ask specific questions and he will guide me through. I'm fortunate to not only have the guidebook but the author who can respond to me. He gives me the Holy Spirit who teaches me and reminds me of God Word through my reading and scripture memory. God will not try to control me, he's given me free will, but he will give me an idea. When I respond to it, he will fill in the details.   

This morning Father I thank you for the reminder that you are there to guide me, I just need to ask. I pray this morning Father that I always reach to you and not flounder on my own, You want to guide me, I just need to ask. I ask this morning Father for your wisdom and guidance to handle the activities I’m responsible for. Help me lead my team and guide me in my response to others. Allow me to be loving like you are, providing grace like you do and helping them just as you willingly help me. This I pray in your Son Jesus name, amen!

How to Show Love to a Demanding or Selfish Person

In review of 1 Corinthians 13:7 it says, “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (NLT).

Today’s verse is from 1 Corinthians 13:7 where Paul reminds me that  Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.

Society confuses love and lust. Unlike lust, God's kind of love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward myself. It is utterly unselfish. This kind of love goes against my natural inclinations. It is impossible to have this love unless God helps me to set aside my own natural desires so that I can love and not expect anything in return. This, the more I become like Christ, the more love I will show to others.

Love like this can be absolutely exhausting. Don’t let anyone fool you. The kind of love that really makes a difference in this world will zap everything out of you.

Sometimes I may not feel like I have any more love to give. I think, “I just can’t face another need, another problem, or another heartache.” So I shut down. Or I need to show love to a particular person who is demanding, acts selfishly, and never returns my love. And I think, “I’m done. No more.”

While that’s a perfectly natural and entirely human response, it’s not the standard of love God calls me to in the Bible. Today’s verse reminds me that, “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT). Love never gives up.

In order to have this kind of persistent love for another person, I need to get refueled.

To give the kind of persistent love that God wants me to give, I have to refuel my love tank. Look around at society, and I’ll see it’s littered with debris from relationships that have crashed and burned because people didn’t refuel their love.

How do I refuel my love tank? I start by letting God love me. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV). When I’m worn out, tired, and unable to imagine showing love to anyone else, remember that God loved me so much that he sent his Son to die for me.

Just last night one of my small group members put together a time of remembrance for what Christ did for us on the cross and with his resurrection. He did this though our own form of the Lord’s supper and watching clips from the “Passion” which provided a visual representation of what Christ endured for us in his trial, beatings and crucifixion. When we see it visually represented it’s more powerful than just reading it. It’s also a way for me to look back at what he endured to show his love to me and to bring me back to the Father, something that I would never be able to do myself.

Now that’s real fuel. It’s what should keep me going when I want to quit.

Bottom Line:

Love never gives up or loses faith, it is always hopeful

What this means to me:

To love someone, I'll need to be loyal, no matter what the cost. I will always believe in them, always expect the best of them, and always stand my ground in defending them.

In summary, Love is always protective, trusting, hopeful and it always perseveres. Unlike human love (lust), God's kind of love is directed outward toward others and not inward toward myself. It is utterly unselfish. It is impossible to have this kind of love unless God helps me set aside my own desires so that I can love without any expectation of anything in return. Love of this type never gives up. In order for me to have this kind of persistent love for others, I need to get refueled. So how do I refuel? By letting God love me. Remembering that God loved me so much that he sent his son to take my punishment and die for me.

Today Father, I pray that I can relax in your love knowing how much you care for me, and letting it refuel me so that I can display your kind of love to others. I also pray for your wisdom and guidance in handling this list of things I need to do for work, in how to organize the work to help manage the team's activities, how I provide leadership to them and how I interact with others. I pray this through your Son who sacrificed greatly to bring me into a relationship with you.

Learning To Bringing My Love and Work Together

In review of 1 Corinthians 16:14 it says, “Do all your work in love” (GNT).

Today’s verse is 1 Corinthians 16:14. Paul tells me that whatever I do, I need to do with kindness and love.

The apostle Paul says, “Do all your work in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14 GNT). He doesn’t say some of my work but all of my work. Earlier he also said that “no matter . . . what I do, I’m bankrupt without love” (1 Corinthians 13:3 The Message).

The point is that any job I do can be turned into worship when it is built on the foundation of Christ’s love. When that happens, his love is expressed through me to co-workers, clients, and customers. Mother Teresa said, “It’s not what I do so much that matters, but how much I you put into it.”

Everyday, I need to pray, “Father, today I want to worship you through my work. I want to express my gifts. I want to do it as if I’m doing it for you, and I want to do it in love.”

I’m also reminded of Romans 12:1, “So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer” (GNT).

Bottom Line:

Do everything in love.

What this means to me:

I am to do everything with love, because without love, I would be no more than a prideful noisemaker.

Seems a clear message has been coming up for me and it deals with my interactions with others who request assistance and work tasks from my team. The volume of work seems overwhelming, and there is so much demand and expectations that it be completely quickly. I try to protect my resources from being overwhelmed, and overburdened. I have been getting defensive and unloving in some of my responses. So, I don’t think my co-workers would characterize me as being loving based on the way I’ve been treating them.

I need to adjust my responses and be more loving in what I do. I need to remember that ultimately I’m doing it for Him. So, today Father I pray that you will help remind me to be loving in my responses. Also help me to not feel overwhelmed and overprotective. It is not their fault they have needs. I pray also Father for your continued wisdom and guidance in handling my work load, leadership and interactions with others. This I pray in your Son Jesus name, amen!

Learning To Really Love People from the Heart

In review of Philippians 1:7 it says, “It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart” (NIV).

Today’s verse is Philippians 1:7. Paul tells the Philippians, that it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart.

His love and affection for them was based not merely on past experiences but also on the unity that comes when believers draw upon Christ's love. Let Christ's love motivate me to love others and to express that love in my actions toward them.

What Rick Warren observed, if people are not on my heart, they’re on my nerves. This is likely one of the reasons so many marriages struggle is that mates are reacting to each other from their mind rather than their heart. I need to really listen, their feelings are legitimate

Heart love begins with understanding why someone feels the way they do. I need to ask questions and then listen. Hear the hurt, look for the problems, know what makes my spouse or others near me  tick. I need to understand the moods of the people closest to me, why they act the way they do. If I care, I’ll be aware.

How do I love people that you find unlovable, even when you do understand them and their moods? “God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:8 NIV). Paul was saying, “I’ve got a gut feeling of love for you.” That is not a natural kind of love. It is a supernatural kind of love. That’s why Paul said it’s not from himself, but it’s the affection of Christ Jesus. Human love wears out and dries up and dies on the vine. The only kind of love that lasts in spite of heartache and difficulty in tough circumstances is God’s love, the affection of Jesus Christ.

So how do I get this kind of gut love? “God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us” (Romans 5:5 GNT). God’s love is not something I work up. It is something that is poured into me by the Holy Spirit as I let him live in me day by day.

Father this morning, I pray that you help me love others and really care about them and their needs. I also ask for your wisdom and guidance in handling the work task myself and my team has. Help me to lead and respond to those I interact with. I pray this in your Son Jesus name, amen!

I Love Because God Loves Me

In review of 1 John 4:19 it says, “We love because he first loved us” (NIV).

Today’s verse is from the last part of 1 John 4. Simply it states, we love because God first loved us.

What I’ve learned is that God's love is the source of all human love, and it spreads like fire. In loving me, It should kindle a flame in my heart. In turn, I can love others, and become warmed by God's love through me.

One reason God wants me to love is because he is love, and he created me to be like him, to love. The only reason I’m able to love is because God loves me: “Love comes from God . . . because God is love” (1 John 4:7-8 NIV).

I was created in God’s image to do two things on Earth: First to learn to love God and secondly to learn to love others. God intended my life to be all about love.

But love all started with God. He loved me first, and that gives me the ability to love others (1 John 4:19). The only reason I can love God or love anybody else is because God first loved me. He showed that love by creating me. He showed that love by everything I have in life; it’s all a gift of God’s love. And he showed that love by sending Jesus Christ to Earth to die for me.

In order to love others well, I first need to understand and experience how much God loves me. I shouldn’t just want to talk about love, read about love, or discuss love; I need to encounter the love of God.

I need to reach a place when I truly understand how God loves me completely and unconditionally. I need to become secure in the truth that I cannot make God stop loving me.

Once I’m secure inside God’s unconditional love, I’ll start cutting people a lot more slack. I won’t be as angry as I’ve been. I’ll be more patient, more forgiving, and more merciful. I’ll give others grace.

Today I need to remind myself how much God loves me, and let him heal my heart so that his love can flow freely through me. It’s impossible to love others until I really feel loved myself.

Bottom Line:

We love because he first loved us.

What this means to me:

My love for him and for others comes as a result of his loving me first.

In summary, I love because God first loved me. God's love is the source of all love. His love for me should kindle my heart and in turn I can love others. I was created to do two things, learn to love God and to learn to love others. God intended my life to be all about love.

God wants me to refuel my love when I feel empty by spending time with him and his Word. It’s a reminder to me that he cares so much and wants to use me to show love, compassion and help to others. This morning Father, I thank you for this reminder. I ask that you help shape my perspective in what I do to be loving and of a help / assistance to others. I also pray for your wisdom and guidance in how I organize and complete the tasks in front of me, how I lead my team and how I interact with others. This I pray through your Son Jesus name, amen!