Holy Spirit

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Sherris pictureToday I’m thrilled to have fellow ACFW member, Sherri Stone here on my blog. I don’t know about you, but I’m beginning to notice a common theme in the devotions I’ve posted lately. And no, I don’t plan what my guest bloggers write about. 😉 The theme? Pretty sure it’s clear in her title. Wow, this one is a hard one to get. Maybe that’s why God keeps repeating it. 🙂

Oh, and before I go much further, I wanted to announce the winner of last week’s give-away. Elaine Stock, you’re it! I’ve gotta admit, having won give-aways hosted on your blog twice now, I’m uber thrilled! I’ll email you soon to chat about the best way to get Janet’s book, Heaven’s Pray, to you.

Thank God It’s NOT About ME!!

         I’ve been a social worker for over twenty years, and as you might imagine that has brought me face to face with more problems than I care to remember. Some situations are out of our control as humans, but it’s startling to know how many miseries are self-induced. When you have my job it’s also quite frustrating to see how many “crises” come your way because of someone else’s actions.

One Saturday when I was on call I heard from one of my nurses that a patient was out of diabetic testing supplies and had been for several days. Of course it didn’t become a crisis until Saturday. Replacing those items is not difficult during the week when resources are readily available, but on the weekend…

I was mad. I had a patient to take care of and a nurse to support, and no solutions were coming to mind. I needed to pray but because I felt angry I didn’t feel like I had the right to pray. I certainly wasn’t feeling very ‘spiritual’.

You’re already thinking it, aren’t you? When you least feel it, that’s when you most need to do it. In fact, in that moment God was already speaking to my heart, and as he does so many times, he used that situation as a teaching moment for me. It’s as if he spoke out loud and said, “If I were bound by your feelings, I would be totally useless to you. When will you remember that it’s not about you? It’s never about you. I AM the One whose strength and wisdom matter. I AM the One whose love never waivers. I AM the One who is never surprised. IAM the One with ALL that you will ever need. Ask me.

         Ask me.

So I did. I vented my frustration and thanked Him that no matter how much of a mess my emotions were He was and would always be God. I also thanked Him ahead of time for taking care of the problem, which of course He did.

I do need reminding from time to time, though, so there is now a tab in my bible that marks Numbers 22, the story of Balaam’s donkey. The tab simply says “NOT ABOUT ME!”  God chose to use a donkey to speak to Balaam. (The amazing thing is that Balaam talked back, but that’s a story for another day.) The point is, God can use whatever or whomever is available. Sometimes that’s a donkey. Sometimes that’s me. Sometimes there’s not much difference.

Can we be thankful in all situations? Yes. Is it easy. Of course not. It takes remembering party-balloons-1-1158924-mwhere to focus our thanks. If we wait to feel thankful we have missed it. God is not now, nor will He ever be handicapped by our emotions. Picture God as a large boulder holding down the strings of many balloons. The balloons are our emotions and they may hold perfectly still on a calm day, or they may be whipped into  a frenzy in a storm, but they will never move the rock!

A thankful heart is not a feeling. It is a choice. Every day, in every situation we have the right, and God’s permission to come to Him at any time no matter how we feel.  We develop a heart quick to give thanks when we take our burdens to him – no matter how we feel – trust Him for the results, and give thanks for who He is.

Blessings,

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thes. 5:18, NLT).

Sherri is a medical social worker with hospice. She is currently working on her Dark Family Secrets Series, but is also collaborating with her hospice chaplain on a book about the hospice experience. This is her third year with ACFW.  Connect with her at  www.sherristone.net or http://www.facebook.com/sherrilynnestone or on Twitter @sherristone2.

 LivingbyGracepicLet’s talk about this. Join the conversation here, in the comments below, or at Living by Grace on Facebook.
I’m sure you’ve all been where Sherri was, when the last thing you want to do is pray. So, what did you do? And what happened? Our pastor said something last Sunday that I found immensely beautiful. He reminded us in those times when we can’t or don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us. (Romans 8:26) To me, that’s a beautiful reminder of grace. God knows we’re fallible, weak, emotional… But He loves us anyway, and praise God, His faithfulness is not dependent on ours. Granted, that doesn’t mean we toss our hands up and say, “I’m done. Go ahead and pray for me, God.” Nope, because as Janet reminded us last week, prayer is more than popping off a request list. It’s about drawing near to our Creator and allowing Him to align our hearts with His. Allowing Him to fill us with a joy that goes beyond our circumstances and a peace that surpasses understanding.

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When Steve and I were first married, we took up country dancing. Well, we tried, anyway. A local bar offered free lessons one afternoon a week, so each week we’d go and do our best to scurry across the dance floor, preferably in time to the music. We weren’t very good. Actually, we stunk, so I decided to practice at home. I went to our local library and checked out dance instruction videos, and while my husband was at work, I practiced. Then I met him at the door with arms positioned, ready to dance.

The more I “learned” the worse I got. I stepped on his feet, jerked left when he wanted to go right, and combined, we created a robotic display that was anything but romantic. You see, the problem was I was so convinced I knew how to dance, I lost sight of my dance partner.

I think often, I’m like that with God. I’m so focused on what I know to do, whether that be reading my Bible, teaching a Sunday school class, or fulfilling various responsibilities, it’s easy to take my eyes off the dancer. It’s easy to turn what should be an act of intimate surrender into rote behavior which ultimately leads to burn-out and ineffectiveness. But when I surrender to the dancer, forsaking my ideas and agendas, clearing my vision of everything but my Lead Dancer, Everything flows.

Have you ever watched professional ballroom dancers or skating partners? There’s an intimate dynamic that occurs between them. The crowd can scream and holler, cameras can flash, but they don’t see it. They are focused 100% on their partner, attuned to the slightest signal, responding instantly, beautifully, effortlessly.

What if we knew God that intimately? What if we were so focused on Him, so in tune with Him, like Jesus we could say, “I do only what my Father wills.”? And what keeps us from that? What keeps us angsting, striving, and experiencing burn-out?

On Sunday I spent the afternoon studying the Holy Spirit. Throughout Scripture, we are told the Holy Spirit guides us, has fellowship with us, teaches us, fills us, prays for us, and overshadows us.

2 Corinthian 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

Fellowship–intimate interaction.

John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”

Life-giving. Apart from Him, apart from full submission to Him, our efforts lead to futility. No matter how great our ministry, how in-depth our Bible study time, or how devoted our service, if it’s not ignited, guided and sustained by the Holy Spirit, it will be nothing but the effort of man operating on the wisdom of man to do the things of man. But we were called to more!

2 Samuel 23:2 “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; His word was on my tongue.”

Our ultimate goal as Christians should be to be cleansed and open vessels, ready to do God’s will. Like funnels, conduits of God’s power and grace.

Ephesians 5:18 “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

To be filled, we must first be emptied–of ourselves, our sin, our wants, our desires. I believe anytime we cling to anything–even good things–other than God, they become a hinderance to the working of the Holy Spirit. That job we fear losing, the ministry we can’t let fail, whatever it is, when we begin to strive for it, hold tight to it, we begin to operate in our own will. To be overshadowed, we need to stay surrendered completely, focused on our Dancer, not the dance. Otherwise, I believe, our actions lack power. Why? Because we’ve left our dancer behind.

Lord, may we be like Paul, so driven by Your Spirit, so infused by Your presence, that Your love compels us. (1 Corinthians 9:16) Remove all expectations and obligations except that of drawing near to You in full surrender, listening to Your voice, and obeying. Draw us into Your Dance, Oh, Lord.

 
Let’s talk about this!

Join us at Living by Grace as we talk about living fully surrendered, Spirit-driven and empowered lives. We all want to be there, right? We all want to experience the “power of His resurrection.” Stop and consider, what are some things that get in the way of experiencing the abundant life God promised? And what steps can you take to draw near, to come empty, and to receive all that God has in store for you?

What might our churches, our homes, our cities look like if Christians joined and stayed in the divine dance?

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Stop for a moment and think back to when you were a child. Do you remember all the dreams you had? Maybe you dreamt of being a major league baseball player, or a famous singer, or an actress. Then life hit and reality set. You began to look at numbers, statistics, and slowly your dream began to die. In fact, perhaps you quit dreaming at all and settled for the easy, the predictable, the nine-to-five. Which isn’t bad. Predictability and rational thinking puts food on the table.

But what if … God has more planned? Great works which He prepared—for you—in eternity past.

A few weeks ago, I told you about the Lifeway editor who’d always wanted to be a missionary to India. That’s a specific dream. In many ways, an unrealistic dream. And as the years ebbed by, and she watched others join the mission field, perhaps she thought she’d missed her chance. She turned forty, and her hair began to gray. She turned fifty, and her energy waned. Then came sixty, and seventy, and retirement followed. Retirement. The end of productivity, of dreams. She turned eighty when many her age moved to nursing homes. Some died.

And this was where her dream emerged, only not in the way she expected. Oh, no. God’s plan was much more glorious! At eighty years old, God showed her she had a new work to do. She began to write for Christ to the World Ministries and today her dramas broadcast across the globe. Instead of reaching one small village, one small city, God opened doors and helped her to reach an entire country! Not just one country, in fact, but 32, through radio waves.

What’s your dream? Why are you here? What does God want to do through you? Dream big, my friend!

It doesn’t matter how old you are, how many times you’ve “failed”. It’s not about your talent, your strength, your wisdom. It’s about drawing near to God and surrendering to the dream He’s birthed within you.

Psalm 18:31-36 (NLT)

God arms me with strength,
and he makes my way perfect.
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
enabling me to stand on mountain heights.
He trains my hands for battle;
he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.
You have given me your shield of victory.
Your right hand supports me;
your help has made me great.
You have made a wide path for my feet
to keep them from slipping.

If God’s behind you, there’s nothing you can’t do. He will perfect the plans He has for you.

I join with Paul in “asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11

Dream big and move forward in confidence, but keep a lose hold on the reins. If God birthed the dream, He WILL bring it about. But it may not be in the way you expected. He may have something even better in mind.

We know God will only bless those things that are consistent with His will. So, how can you tell if your dream’s from God? Come back Tuesday to read Henry McLaughlin’s thoughts on discerning God-given dreams.

Let’s talk about this!

Join me at Living by Grace as we talk about those long-forgotten dreams buried beneath rational thinking and what God might want to do with them.

Not to sound cliché’, but it’s an important question to ask: What might you attempt if you knew you could not fail? As you think about that, remember the power of the God who stands behind you. Remember His promises recorded in Scripture. All things are possible with Him. It is not by power nor by might, but by His Spirit. You are more than a conqueror. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You have the mind of Christ. Your cloud of witnesses are watching, cheering in expectant anticipation.

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I have a dear friend who is going through some unimaginable difficulties. When we speak, I am often at a loss as to what to say, primarily because I have no clue what it would feel like. Oh, I can imagine, but I know whatever I imagine pales in comparison to the emotions she faces daily. One Sunday, while at church, I stopped to ask a friend to pray for her. During our conversation, I shared a bit of what my friend was going through–the emotions she had shared with me. Not because I was looking for a solution, or advice, but because I wanted friend number two to understand so she could pray effectively.

I was told I “needed to help her…” and was then given instructions on how I needed to help her see truth.

Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

Funny thing was, my friend wasn’t failing to see truth. She was sharing what she was feeling openly and honestly. And what she needed wasn’t someone to bombard her with advice, but instead, someone to cry with her.

Through out my life I have had many “friends” speak truth, but few have stuck around when I needed them most. And on my end, I’ve crushed many, many friends by letting my mouth run. After I’ve dealt the painful blows, usually spoken in pride, I am reminded of something our pastor in Louisiana used to say, “Don’t try to be the Holy Spirit in someone else’s life.”

Think about that for a moment. True, we are to speak truth to one another and there does come a time when we must say the hard thing, but I wonder if perhaps that time arises much less frequently than we presume. Often the best course of action is to provide a listening ear and point our friends back to Jesus. Because the goal is not to encourage them to rely on us and come to us for wisdom. The goal is to encourage them to develop a closer walk with God, learning to hear His voice and seek His comfort. Because quite honestly, He’ll do a much better job than we will.

The book of Job is a perfect example. Job’s friends felt the need to correct Job’s thinking, to show him the error of his ways, but what Job really needed was someone to stand by him, to say, “I love you,” and “You aren’t alone.”

So the next time you are tempted to bombard a hurting friend with truth, pause and pray, and point them back to Jesus instead. He is their comfort. He is their friend who sticks closer than a brother. And He alone knows the best way to minister to His children. Then, if after considerable prayer, you still feel the need to speak the words that are burning on your tongue, do so, but do it with gentleness, love and humility.

 

 

 

 

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Hopefully all my subscribers have enjoyed having a week of Slattery-free blog post updates. grin. I was going to wait to post the top three of 2010 until tomorrow, but I realized I need to kick off my plans for January…

So what were your favorite devos of my top twenty? In my opinion, all the devos were awesome and drew our hearts closer to God in continual surrender. However, there were three that appeared to strike a heart-chord with you all.

By far, Edie Melson’s God’s Timing is Always Perfect, was your top choice. Apparently we all struggle with patience and faith, trusting that God is still working even when things don’t go according to our plan or timetable. You might want to read her post again, then spend some time reading through Genesis 37-45. God revealed His plan to Joseph when he was seventeen, but for decades, circumstances appeared to negate the vision he had received. He was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, taken into a strange land, thrown into prison. Could all that really be part of God’s plan? Had he heard correctly? Had God changed His mind? Not at all. God was working the entire time, molding Joseph into the man He created him to be.

Your second favorite happened to be one of my favorites as well, primarily because of the little God-moment application God gave me the night before. Who would have thought God would use taxes of all things to share His love? Thanks Gail for reminding us all of our need to be magnetic. May God’s light shine so brightly within us that no matter where we go, no matter what we do, the people we come into contact with catch a hug from God. Read her post again, Oh, To Be Magnetic, and ask God to fill you so completely with His Holy Spirit, His love pours out unhindered.

Your third favorite was Sheila Holinghead’s A Glimpse of Beauty. Let each day, each moment, each moonlit stroll and early morning sunrise be an opportunity to discover afresh the beauty of our Creator.

Join me tomorrow as I prepare for the New Year and the series God’s laid on my heart.

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I loved this devo by Gail Pallotta, posted on her blog on July 11th, because it reminded me of my life’s purpose. I was created to be an image bearer and a spark-ignitor. God’s desire is that people will see the love and joy in a Christian’s life and be drawn to the Joy-giver. And before I post Gail’s article, I’ll share a brief tie-in story. Over the Thanksgiving holiday my husband and I received a tax notice, with 30 days to respond. Needless to say, it freaked me out. Especially since I don’t know the first thing about taxes. Turned out, our accountant had forgotten to file a form (out of the plethora the IRS requires.) Only problem? Our accountant is seasonal and was unavailable. So, I tried to figure out the form myself. It was like reading Greek. So I called the city (where the form originated.) and was put on hold for an hour and a half. This got me nowhere, so I left a message. Then called our tax company to see if they could squeeze me in, ASAP, with another accountant.

The one day they had openings? Yesterday, when my schedule was already jam-packed. So, I cleared out an hour in my evening, left my family with a frozen pizza and headed to the tax office–not our normal office, but the headquarters, the only office open during off-season.

I got lost. Partially because I was on the phone with my dear friend Robin Prater, and partially because it was dark and I couldn’t see the street signs. When I got there, the accountant I was scheduled to see was behind, turning my quick visit into an extended stay. Sitting there fuming in my anxiety, frustrated with the time delay, and anxious to get home, I was given a choice: give into my sinful nature and make myself and the accountant miserable, or die to self and demonstrate the love and grace of Christ. Thank goodness God gave me an extra little dose of the Holy Spirit, because I chose the latter. Come to find out, the accountant’s mother had died the previous year, and this was her first holiday without her. And, it appeared she needed a friendly, non-judgmental, person to share with. When she finished sharing, I expressed my condolences and offered her a business card directing her to this blog where I hoped she’d get an extra dash of love. I shudder to think what pain I might have caused this poor dear woman had I given into my frustration.

So how does this relate to Gail’s article? Read it, then I’ll explain:

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My daughter and I love to bargain shop. But we browse more than we buy. Many times after we get inside a store and go to a particular display, we’re the only two people there. We pick up items and discuss them. If we really get interested in something, whether it’s clothing, cosmetics, accessories or gifts and books, we study it. If it’s a book, we make sure the print, pages and binding are intact. If it’s jewelry, and it’s supposed to have a necklace and earrings, we look to see if it has both. But this isn’t a piece about how to bargain shop.

Usually after we’ve been at a station for a while people flock around us. Then it’s extremely difficult to get to the merchandise. My daughter always asks, “Why is no one interested in this stuff until we start looking at it?”

I say, “I don’t know. Let’s look somewhere else, and they’ll leave in a little bit.”

One day my daughter complained to one of her friends about people in the stores rooting us out of our territory. Her friend said, “You probably appear very intense, so they think you’re looking at something of value. They want to make sure they don’t miss out.”

“Hmmm,” my daughter said, “I’d never thought of it that way.”

Later when I talked to her on the phone she said, “Mom, now I know why people run us away from the merchandise we’re trying to look at when we’re shopping.” Then, she told me about the conversation she had with her friend.

After I hung up the phone I asked myself, what if we were that intense over our worship and role as Christians?

John 13: 35, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Matthew 28: 19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

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This holiday season, you are going to be given numerous chances to make the same choice I did last night. Maybe like Gail and her daughter, you’ll find yourself surrounded by bargain-hungry shoppers, jabbing impatient elbows into your sides and invading your peaceful perusal. Or, perhaps you’ll find yourself stuck behind a monstrous line, or someone will cut you off on the freeway. In those moments when selfishness threatens to rear its ugly head, you can either be a people-repeller or people-attracter. And on those days when the choice is hard, think ahead to eternity and remember what’s at stake. Kinda makes the choice a tad bit easier, doesn’t it.

Now you have a chance to help determine the top three posts for 2010. Every tweet, fb share, like and comment counts. If you liked Gail’s article, share it, tweet it, leave a comment, or “like” it. (And show her your support by visiting her blog. I guarantee you’ll be blessed.) Then at the end of our top 20 of 2010, I’ll tally up all the “votes” and reveal the top three.

A bit about Gail and her Clash of the Titles winning novel, Love Turns the Tide: 

After writing articles for years Gail recently published her first Christian romance, Love Turns the Tide. This fall an excerpt from that book won the internet Clash of the Titles contest. In 2004, the American Christian Writers Association named Gail a regional writer of the year. Her husband, Rick, says she’s the only person he knows who can go in the grocery for a loaf of bread and come out with the cashier’s life story. That’s probably because she inherited her mother’s love of people and enjoys talking to them. In her spare time she likes to bargain shop with her daughter.  Sometimes they try on garments so wrong for them, they laugh for fifteen minutes. When they finally find a treasure, they’re so pleased. Gail wants to write books of faith that show God’s love. She and Rick live in Georgia. Find out more about Gail and her writing at her personal blog, Peering Through Life’s Window, and her website, www.gailpallotta.com.

Love Turns the Tide:

Shattered by a failed romance and challenged by a new job, feature writer Cammie O’Shea dreads meeting Bill Collins, editor of The Sun Dial, a new newspaper in Destin, Florida. Still in pain from her heartbreaking split-up, she wants no new relationships. That’s why Vic Deleona turns out to be her real source of angst. She must interview the real estate developer to help get the paper off its feet. He thwarts her efforts to complete his article, arranges extra meetings and attempts to court her. She resists his advances. But mysterious break-ins occur at Cammie and her friend’s condos. When Cammie and Vic launch their own investigation into the vandalism, Cammie grows fond of him. In the midst of the confusion she gets an opportunity to return home to her old job. Will Vic solve the crimes and win Cammie’s heart or will she leave Destin?

 

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Our family used to rock-climb. Yeah, I know, this probably doesn’t fit the image you have of me. I’ll bet you’re remembering that post I wrote a while back about my fear of heights which translated into a fear of flying. But you should also remember that I refuse to let this fear hinder me.  (And my fear of manmade things, like planes, is much greater than my fear of God made things, like rocks.) Besides, life is too short. Christ died to set me free. Why would I allow myself to remain in self-imposed bondage?

As I read my Bible this morning, I was reminded of a weekend we spent at a rock climbing ranch in Arkansas. It was one of those places designated for climbers, with camp sites tucked amidst mountainous boulders and well-trodden trails leading to numerous rock walls. The whole event is quite comical looking back. It had been my idea to go. In fact, the whole rock-climbing deal had been my idea. Largely because I felt God nudging me to do it. He saw a weakness in me—fear—and He wanted to slice it out. But as we readied for our climb, beef jerky, water bottles and climbing gear shoved in our packs, I wanted to turn around and head home. Fast. But I didn’t. I offered up a few, “God, don’t leave me hanging,” (literally) prayers and followed my husband up the mountain. The whole way I’m doing my, replace the lies with truth, mantra. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” “There is no fear in love for perfect love casts out fear.” “Do not let yourself be burdened by the yoke of slavery.” “For I have not been given the spirit of fear.”

You get the idea.

But twenty minutes later as I stood strapped into my harnesses ready to scale this towering rock wall, all my recitations fell flat as my best intentions collided with “reality”. Did I really trust God to hold me up? Was my husband (who was my belayer) as strong as I thought he was? Would the rope hold if I happened to slip?

Needless to say, I was terrified. My stomach twisted in knots and my hands went slick with sweat. Not a good thing when you’re about to climb.

Until I re-routed my thoughts. My rope was stronger. And it was attached to my anchor—my husband. Ultimately, it was my trust in him that allowed me to take that first step, and then the next, and the next, until I reached the top.

A while later, it was my daughter’s turn. She started out strong enough, but as the climb grew more difficult, she began to have trouble reaching those good holds. My husband noticed this as well and leaned back, working the rope like a pulley, lifting her up inch by inch, until she too made it to the top.

 

When I read through the New Testament, I’m awed by the tremendous amount of divine power displayed in believers. And they faced a lot more than a steep climb. They faced death. But they didn’t cower. Why? Because they had witnessed the miraculous—Christ rising from the dead. And sometimes, when we read about their courage and single-minded focus, it can be easy to rationalize it away. They had an extra dose of the Holy Spirit, right? But our God never changes. The same power that worked through them lives inside of us.

I love those verses that talk about God’s insurmountable power and I often have Chris Tomlin’s Our God is Greater on instant replay. But then, once the song is done, I go back to my nice safe little life, taking on only enough tasks to keep my boat afloat, but certainly not enough to send it into the waves. Basically, I take on those things that can be accomplished in my strength, keeping God and His promises tucked in my pocket for that occasional pep-talk. Nothing more.

It’s like I’ve built this natural safety net into my day. I’ve got to schedule in time for the occasional writer’s block, right? As doors open, I quickly grab my binoculars so I can see as far down that hallway as possible. And then I’ll walk tentatively, like a timid child, eyes darting all around waiting for that first hint of danger, ready to dash back into my safe, little predictable world.

Perhaps its a fear of failure that keeps me bound. And yet, Christ died to set me free. He’s given me everything I need to live a victorious life–a glorious life, a fully surrendered life marked by the ever-working power of the Holy Spirit.

For children set free by the grace of God, we sure live in angst. Fretting, stressing, over-analyzing, clinging to the safe and familiar. We say we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, but we live as if it’s all up to us.

I love this video created by Francis Chan:

I’ve been cemented to my balance beam for way too long. It’s time I lifted my head, centered my gaze on Christ and the power that He has given to me.

What about you? Are you giving yourself an excuse not to believe in God?  Excuses like, “I can’t do that!” or “I’m too young.” Or, “I’m too old, too shy,” whatever. Excuses that translate as lack of faith.

Step out of that boat. Yeah, I know, there’s a good chance you’ll sink–if you rely on your own strength. But God never intended you to go it alone. He wants you in a place of weakness because that is when He is most glorified. He wants you in a place of dependence because that is when you will be the most pliable.

I love this passage in Ephesians 1:17-21: “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”