June 30 - Romans 5:3 - PATIENCE

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

PATIENCE, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23 

 

let us exult in our troubles

and rejoice in our sufferings,

knowing that hardship produces

patient and unswerving endurance.

Romans 5:3

 

You know the old joke about praying for patience, don't you?

 

I heard it from pastor who said, "I was troubled in my life that I wasn't patient enough with people and plans, so I started praying for patience ... and something bad happened.

 

"Frustrated with how I handled it -- impatiently, of course -- I prayed for more patience. And a week later something else bad happened. So I prayed for more patience ... and another bad thing happened. After a year of being battered by a series of unfortunate events, I have to confess I'm a whole lot more patient with the little things!"

 

The old joke is: "Whoa! Don't pray for patience. God may just give you something to be patient about."

 

It's a joke.

 

God's primary mode of developing our character is not to inflict us with trials. Nevertheless, God is absolutely willing to use any trial that this broken world inflicts. God's desire is to use circumstances to develop our faith, our witness, and our character. In Romans 5:3, Paul encourages us to use circumstances to better ourselves too.

 

Paul also tells us -- in Galatians 5 -- that this kind of patience is superhuman (i.e. supernatural). It is, indeed, a fruit of the Spirit. When life batters us like a sailor is battered by a hurricane, patience is not natural. But if patience can produce endurance and endurance can produce character, Paul assures us that we'll eventually work our way to hope!

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's not praying for patience!

... but is praying for the Spirit

and any supernatural power to endure

June 29 - Psalm 85:8 - PEACE

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, PEACE,

patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23 

 

I will listen to what God the Lord will say;

he promises peace to his people ...

-- but let them not return to folly.

Psalm 85:8

 

Recently I've been reading Eric Metaxas' award winning biography of Lutheran theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer -- Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. 

 

A champion of the Word of God, Bonhoeffer was one of the earliest and most vocal opponents to the anti-semitism and totalitarianism of the Nazi regime. He was eventually executed for his resistence.

 

In my reading today, I was struck by one of Bonhoeffer's explanations of peace:

There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For peace must be dared, it is itself the great venture, and can never be safe. Peace is the opposite of security.

"Peace must be dared." Why? Because of two things: 1) the threats of the world, and 2) our continual desire to adopt the comfortable ways of the world.

 

Therefore, we turn to today's verse which gives us a three step process to peace ...

1. "Listen to what God say[s]." From God's gentle encouragement to his most challenging commandments, God points the way to peace and life ... but will we listen? ... or will we go our own way?
2. Personal peace is a promise. It's a Fruit of the Spirit. Step two is: believe that peace is possible!
3. There will be challenges along every journey. The question is ... will we continue to follow his path? ... or will we return to our former foolish ways? (Folly.)

Listen ... Believe ... and Follow (instead of Folly) ... that's the way of peace! 

 

Peace must be dared. Will you dare to follow? ... or retreat comfortably into folly? 

  

In Christ's Love,

a guy who'll dare

to find peace

June 28 - 1 Corinthians 13:13

The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23 

 

And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;

and the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

 

I want to be careful. I don't want to confuse the Fruit of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit.

 

We're talking this week about Fruits. 1 Corinthians 12 and 13 talk however about Gifts. In the twelfth chapter of this letter, Paul outlines a long list of gifts which are given to us by God. In the thirteenth, Paul acknowledges people's competitiveness -- essentially, "I have this gift. What do you have?" -- and tells us that the greatest gift is love. (And truly we'd never be bragging devisively if we were operating on the basis of love.)

 

Just as some are given the ability to preach the faith or speak in tongues, love is a supernatural gift that some are given in extra abundance. Do you know anyone with this gift of overflowing love?!!!

 

But please be clear ... love is also a fruit.

 

The Spirit's fruits give us the ability to be peaceful in the midst of trials and self-controlled in the face of temptations. What then does the spiritual fruit of love give us? Mainly it gives us the ability love those who irritate us, to pray for our enemies, to turn the other cheek, to give sacrificially, and to become peacemakers. (Basically, the fruit of love gives us the ability to live up to the Jesus' self-sacrificing calls in the Sermon on the Mount.) 

 

And here's the thing about a fruit instead of a gift. With a gift, we can argue and say, "That's not my gift." But when the Spirit's in you, a fruit can be done by anyone ... and everyone. In other words, there's no excuse for a Christian not to love.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who loves fruit salad

(and wants to be part of God's fruit salad)

June 27 - Acts 13:52 - FILLS WITH JOY

The fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23 

 

the disciples were filled with joy

and with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13:52

 

Today we begin a focus on the fruits of the Spirit.

 

And today's message is simple, when Jesus' disciples proclaimed the good news, they "were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."

 

"Persecution" is in the sentence before this! Their lives were in danger. And yet, when they proclaimed the good news, they "were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."

 

Joy is one of the nine fruits of the Spirit -- Galatians 5:22-23. Normally, we associate joy with joyful circumstances, and that's how worldly expressions of joy work. If the circumstances are joyful, we have joy.

 

The spiritual fruits are very different. They are not circumstantial. Indeed, the spiritual fruits often defy our circumstances. The world says, if the circumstances are joyful, I can have joy. Faith says ...

• If I have the Spirit, I can have joy ... even when events are sad
• If I have the Spirit, I can have peace ... even when conflict is raging around me.
• If I have the Spirit, I can have love ... even when I've been betrayed and forgiveness comes hard.
• If I have the Spirit, I can have hope ... even when I stand beside a grave.
• If I have the Spirit, I can be free ... even when the world tries to enslave me.

Are you experiencing joy right now? Maybe you don't need to change your circumstances, maybe you just need to draw closer to the Spirit.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's learned to be joyful

June 26 - Acts 4:8 - speaks THROUGH us

Yesterday we said talked about the Spirit talking TO us.

Today we talk about him talking THROUGH us.

 

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them ...

Acts 4:8

 

Do you know people's biggest barrier to witnessing? Fear.

 

Sometimes we're afraid of what people will think of us. This, then, is a question of faith. Are we looking up and playing for an audience of one? Or are we looking down and concerned about what the world thinks? That's common. Most all of us have some measure of self-consciousness and fear.

 

But there's a second fear that many of us have -- often in addition to the first. We really do love God ... and we really do want to witness to God ... but we're afraid we'll say something wrong. We don't want to mess up anybody's faith -- especially a new believer's -- so we keep our mouth's shut.

 

We need not worry!

 

            1

 

If it's because you love God so much that you don't want to mess anything up -- especially a new believer's fragile faith -- then there's an easy solution: Just tell the other person why you love God.

 

If people want details, they can ask an expert or read a book. But you can give them one thing that's not in a book -- love. Just tell them why you love God! 

 

            2

 

Remember that Holy Spirit is with you. He spoke through Peter; therefore, he can speak through you! Indeed, he WILL speak through you.

 

Do you remember when Jesus sent out the disciples for their first experiences of witnessing, he said, "When you are brought before [the] authorities, do not worry about ... what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."

 

            3

 

Pray.

 

I'll bet Peter did one thing before speaking that we sometimes forget to do ... He prayed. Read the Book of Acts! Peter and the disciples prayed a lot, and the Spirit descended upon them a lot.

 

If you have an occasion to witness to another person, pray. You may have days to prepare for this encounter ... Pray. But if the occasion arises suddenly, don't worry. You can still pray. In your mind quickly whisper, "Holy Spirit, this person needs you. Therefore, this can't be me. Therefore, Lord, just speak through me. I am yours."

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who often whispers,

"Lord, speak through me."

June 25 - Acts 15:8 - speaks TO us

God ... testified to them

by giving them the Holy Spirit

Acts 15:8

 

I've often asked people if they know the mathematical formula for salvation. (Did you know you can boil salvation down to mathematics?!).

 

I base this formula on Romans 3 -- "We are justified by God's grace ... effective through our faith ... apart from the works of the law." Do you see the formula?

 

J + G + F + W = S

• (J)ustification + (G)race + (F)aith + (W)orks = (S)alvation, right?
• Now, (W)orks = Zero, because Paul tells us that it's God's (G)race "apart from our (W)orks that save us.
• Thus it's really, J + G + F = S
• Now, who does (J), the justification? God! Therefore, (J)ustification is a given.
• And who does (G)race? God! Therefore, (G)race is a given.
• Therefore, I like to ask, what then is the only variable in this formula of salvation? (F)aith, right?
• And who is (F)aith up to? Us, right? And that's true. We do need to say, "yes." 
• But we must not forget that God is constantly working to weave (f)aith into our hearts.

To weave faith into our hearts, God woo's us and wow's us. He's ahead of us on our journey, beckoning us down paths of faith. He intervenes in our circumstances and whispers our name. And as today's lesson clearly says, God speaks to us -- "he testifies by giving [us] the Holy Spirit." 

 

Yes, we may have to eventually say, "Yes." But God is also speaking faith and hope and possibility into our hearts. And that's all before we ever know him.

 

Then once we believe, he speaks courage, blessing, challenge, peace, and so much more.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who always needs to remember

to keep tuning in 

June 24 - Acts 4:31 - EMBOLDEN

When they had prayed ...

they were all filled with the Holy Spirit

and spoke the word of God with boldness.

Acts 4:31

 

Today represents a simple pattern: Prayed > Filled > Emboldened.

 

You may remember the context ...

• Peter and John heal a lame begger ("We don't have money to give you, but we'll give you what we do have. In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk."-- Acts 3:1-10)
• The healed man leaps and dances and praises God.
• This raises questions throughout the city.
• Peter and John testify to the city.
• Peter and John are arrested and brought before the Council.
• Peter and John testify again.

One of my favorite verses in the midst of this is: "they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men ..." (Acts 4:13).

 

Ordinary, yet bold.

 

Uneducated, yet speaking with power.

 

How? Why? The story continues to unfold ...

• Peter and John testify before the Council
• The authories are amazed. And it's in a worried kind of way. These uneducated men have more power than they do.
• The authorities threaten them ... but they also release them.
• The believers give thanks ... and they pray for the same boldness.

We asked a moment ago how and why these ordinary, uneducated men spoke with such power. The answer is found in 4:31 when the same boldness comes upon the rest of the believers: After they "24 raised their voices together to God" praising him for the safety of Peter and John, and "when they had prayed, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness."

 

The pattern was this: Praised > Filled > Emboldened.

 

If you want to be emboldened in your faith and witness and hope and courage, praise may just be a powerful starting point.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who doesn't want to wait to be healed

to go leaping and dancing and praising God

June 23 - Psalm 65:9 - ABUNDANCE

You care for the land and water it;

you enrich it abundantly.

The streams of God are filled with water

to provide the people with grain,

for so you have ordained it.

Psalm 65:9

 

Yesterday's theme of spiritual emptiness was symbolized by a dry and dusty desert.

 

Today the theme is abundance. The land is abundant with rich harvests because God has watered it abundantly.

 

Now, there are places in this world where this is definitely true. There are tropical rainforests where the vegetation is thick and rich. But there are also vast deserts where seemingly nothing abides. The irony of this passage is that it was written in portions of the Middle East which most of us would consider sparse at best.

 

Is the Psalmist naive?

 

Is he being relative? ("Compared to the Negev desert, Galilee feels lush.")

 

Or is he observing a powerful spiritual point?

 

Jesus teaches us to pray for daily bread. In this daily view of sustanence, all we need is "enough." "Enough," therefore, is "abundance."

 

Having lived for many years in the desert, one grows to appreciate every sprinkle of water and every glimpse of green. Enough is abundance.

 

In desiring the presence of the Holy Spirit, we've rightly said that we desire an overflow. When we can begin to define "abundance" as "enough," there can be an overflow every day.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's hoping to see

just enough of a

drop of rain on this hot day

(I wouldn't mind feeling just enough

of the wind of the Spirit

on this hot day too.) 

June 22 - Psalm 63:1 - EMPTY

God, you are my God.

I search for you.

I thirst for you like someone

in a dry, empty land

where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1

 

Last week the word was "filled" -- How can we be filled with the rush of the Holy Spirit?

 

Today the word is "empty."

 

We've asked to be filled, but since then, life has gotten in the way. At least that's true for me. I'm surely not empty, but a little water has evaporated from the watering can. Do you ever feel like that? Are there ever days that feel like a dry and dusty desert and your heart feels parched?

 

In a journey across a desert we hope that we might happen across a fruitful oasis. In the journey of faith and life, we have the ability to make an oasis suddenly appear. Generally it just takes time and attention. If we slow down the busyness and reprioritize God and faith, we are likely to suddenly find ourselves beneath streams of living water.

 

On the days when you're feeling evaporated and empty, reach out your hands, asking God for splash of refreshing water.

 

In Christ's Love,

an oasis maker   

June 21 - Acts 20:28 - CALLS US

T H E   R O L E   O F   T H E   S P I R I T

Calls Us

 

the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,

to shepherd the church of God

that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

Acts 20:28

 

What is the role of the Holy Spirit? Among other things he calls us.

 

The Spirit calls some of us to be overseers, shepherds, and pastors. Those aren't higher gifts. Some see pastors as closer to God. Hah!

 

Pastor is just one role within the community of faith. There are also apostles, prophets, teachers, and evangelists. The Spirit bestows on us practical gifts of service, giving, leadership, mercy, and proclamation/exhortation. The Spirit also fills us with spiritual gifts including wisdom, knowledge, prophecy, interpretation, discernment, faith, healing, and tongues.

 

The question is: What is your role within the community of faith? (If you've never taken a spiritual gifts inventory, click here:http://buildingchurch.net/g2s.htm)

 

But let me end with this ... Do you know the words that begin today's partial verse. Half of it, talking to pastors, is "Keep watch ... over all the flock." But there's one more piece of the phrase: "Keep watch over yourselves." Whether we're pastors or choir members or Sunday School teachers or pew sitters, we are called to keep watch over our own selves. No matter who we are, if we bear the name of Christ (Christian), we are always representing Christ, so keep watch over yourselves ... because others are watching you too.

 

In Christ's Love,

a crook

(wait ... no ...

a guy called by the Spirit

to carry a crook ...

a shepherd's crook)

June 20 - Acts 19:2 - Word, Hands, Baptism?

"Did you receive the Holy Spirit '

when you became believers?"

They replied, "No,

we have not even heard

that there is a Holy Spirit."

Acts 19:2

 

Do you know the formula for receiving the Holy Spirit?

• Some will say that you need to say a particular prayer.
• Some will say you must be baptized first.
• Still others say it requires the laying on of hands.
• Others say all you have to do is believe and "boom!" ... Holy Spirit.
• Others say even just hearing the Word can stir the Spirit.
• Still others say God can simply give the Spirit whenever he desires. 

Acts 19 seems to suggest that the key is baptism and/or the laying on of hands. Paul, you see, happened upon a group of believers in Ephesus. They believed, but didn't have the Spirit yet. So "5 they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 [and] when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied."

 

So are the keys baptism and the laying on of hands?

 

Not in Acts 10:44-48. In this case, the Spirit comes through the Word "44 Peter was speaking [and] the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word ... 46 [They were] speaking in tongues and extolling God. 45 The circumcised [i.e. Jewish] believers ... were astounded [read "appalled"] that ... the Spirit had been poured out ... on the Gentiles. 46 Then Peter said, 47, '[Who] can withhold the water for baptizing th[o]se who have received the Holy Spirit [just] as we have?" 

 

So it's not baptism and the laying on of hand? Is it the Word? Is it their moment of belief? Is it God just pouring himself out?

 

Yes.

 

Yes! It's all of them. The Spirit comes to us through faith ... through the Word ... through baptism ... and/or ... through the laying on of hands ... and most of all, the Spirit comes whenever and wherever he wants: "The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who gets winded

(mostly when I run,

but often when I read the Word

and catch the Spirit)

June 19 - Acts 9:31 - COMFORT

Living in the fear of the Lord

and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit ...

the church ... was built up ... Acts 9:31

 

How was the early church built up?

 

By fearing God.

 

"The fear of the Lord" means, of course, profound respect. It is awe over God's power, and it is trembling over our sins. God is mighty, and my response is to fall humbly before his throne. A more contemporary way to say this is: "God is God, and I am not."

 

So ... what built the church and what builds individual faith? The fear of the Lord.

 

But here comes the irony and the blessing. What's the gift of bowing humbly before our awesome God? Comfort! Fear leads to comfort. In other words, if I fear God, I do not need to fear anything else. I no longer need to worry. I no longer need to fear death. I can cast all my cares on him.

 

How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit? By fearing God. And the fruit of this faith is peace -- indeed, the comfort of the Holy Spirit.  

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who rests better

beneath a comforter

June 18 - Given to Whom?

the Holy Spirit

whom God has given

to those who obey him

Acts 5:32

 

How are we filled with the Spirit? Today's answer is obedience. Let's call it alignment or direction.

 

Imagine the Holy Spirit as a treasure. (That's not hard. The Spirit definitely is a treasure.)

 

Now imagine a treasure map. How do we get to the "X" that marks this holy spot? The simplest way is to follow heaven's map, and biblically, obedience is what points us in the right direction.

 

Throughout the Bible, obedience is path that leads to life.

 

Now, we definitely the grace of God along that path, to be sure. From time to time, we'll all stray, and like the lost sheep and the prodigal son(both in Luke 15), we all need a graceful Father and diligent Shepherd. We all need frequent forgiveness and repeated reorientation, but that doesn't deny that obedience is the path that leads to eternal life. And Acts declares very simply that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey him.

 

If you want the treasure of being filled with the Holy Spirit, try the most direct route: Obedience.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who tried obedience

and now has the Spirit

as his compass

June 17 - TRUST and BELIEVING

T O D A Y ' S   Q U E S T I O N

Do I need to keep being filled with the Spirit?

 

“There is no such thing as a once-for-all fullness. 

It is a continuous appropriation of

a continuous supply from the Lord Christ Himself. 

It is a moment-by-moment faith

in a moment-by-moment Savior,

for a moment-by-moment cleansing

and a moment-by-moment filling. 

As I trust Him, He fills me; ...

and as long as I keep believing, ... I keep receiving.” 

Charles Inwood

a 19th century Irish Methodist Minister

 

The question for today is: Do I need to keep being filled with the Holy Spirit?

 

The answer is a glorious yes! And I call this glorious because through the power of the Holy Spirit, life can keep getting better and better. If you love where you're at in life, it can get better! If you don't particularly like where you're at in life at the moment, yes, it can get better.

 

"Better" doesn't necessarily mean easier. Life can be hard. "Better" simply means that with the Spirit's power you can have a hope that keeps your spirit floating, a joy that defies circumstances, and a peace that surpasses all understanding.

 

We've talked so far this week about three ways to be freshly filled with the Holy Spirit.

1. Prayer is the first. Ask for the filling of the Spirit.
2. Praise is like a duck swallow. (Odd image, I know. But ...) When a duck swallow it lifts its eyes toward heaven and opens straight channel -- down her long neck -- and into her inner most part. Praise lifts our eyes to heaven and opens a channel straight into our inner most parts. It's a channel for the Holy Spirit straight to our heart and our soul. 
3. Confession is next critical step. Our heart is always filled with something. Confession empties the darkness and allows room for the light of the Spirit.
4. Trust, according to today's pastoral quote, is the next step. Trust says, "I can't do this on my own," and that confesses two powerful things: 1) God can do this. God is in control. And 2) I must humble myself. When we humble ourselves and trust in the Lord, we again create an open channel for the filling of the Holy Spirit.
5. Believing is next. But notice, Pastor Inwood doesn't say, "as a believer you made one confession once upon a time." He says, "keep on believing." It's a continual process. It is moment by moment by moment by moment. Our circumstances will inevitably make our feelings go up and down. Actively reaffirming our faith on a moment to moment basis is like opening the windows in a old house on a hot day. Keeping believing allows the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit to continually refresh us. This is active faith -- not satisfied with the status quo, but hungry for fresh experiences. That's why you're reading this today. (Good job. Keep on believing.)

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's opening another window

and learning to drink like a duck 

June 16 - What are you FILLED with?

be filled with the Spirit

Ephesians 5:18

 

For the last few days we've been talking about how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Yesterday, we said one of the steps was confession.

 

Today I want to reiterate that step. Why? Because our heart will always be filled with something.

 

Think about it. What else competes for space in our hearts? Material possesions? Pride? Anger? Unforgiveness? Scripture adds it's own list of things that fill our hearts. 

• Rage: all in the synagogue were FILLED WITH rage -- Luke 4:28
• Jealousy: the high priest took action ... being FILLED WITH jealousy -- Acts 5:17
• Darkness: If your eye is ... not healthy, your body is FULL OF darkness. -- Luke 11:34
• Adultery: These people ... are blots and blemishes ... They have eyes FULL OF adultery, insatiable for sin. -- 2 Pet 2:13,14
• Lawlessness: Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Inside you are FULL OF ... lawlessness." -- Matt 23:8
• Hypocrisy: Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Inside you are FULL OF hypocrisy ..." -- Matt 23:8
• Fury: the scribes were FILLED WITH fury -- Luke 6:11
• Villainy: "You are an enemy of all righteousness, FULL OF all deceit and villainy." -- Acts 13:10
• Deceit: "You are an enemy of all righteousness, FULL OF all deceit and villainy." -- Acts 13:10
• Cursing: "There is no one who is righteous, not even one ... They open their mouths and are FULL OF cursing and bitterness." -- Rom 3:10,14
• Bitterness: "There is no one who is righteous, not even one ... They open their mouths and are FULL OF cursing and bitterness." -- Rom 3:10,14
• Envy: The multitudes ... were FILLED WITH envy -- Acts 13:45
• Confusion: The city was FILLED WITH confusion. -- Acts 19:29
• Greed: Pharisees, hypocrites ... inside they are FULL OF greed and self-indulgence. -- Matt 23:25
• Self-Indulgence: Pharisees, hypocrites ... inside they are FULL OF greed and self-indulgence. -- Matt 23:25
• Wickedness: They were FILLED WITH every kind of wickedness ... -- Rom 1:29-31
• Evil: They were FILLED WITH every kind of ... evil ... -- Rom 1:29-31
• Covetousness: They were FILLED WITH every kind of ... covetousness ... -- Rom 1:29-31
• Malice: They were FILLED WITH every kind of ... malice. -- Rom 1:29-31
• Murder: They were FILLED WITH every kind of ... murder -- Rom 1:29-31
• Deceit: They were FILLED WITH every kind of ... deceit -- Rom 1:29-31
• Gossip: They were FILLED WITH ... gossip -- Rom 1:29-31
• Slander: They were FILLED WITH ... slander -- Rom 1:29-31
• Insolence: They were FILLED WITH ... insolence -- Rom 1:29-31
• Boastfulness: They were FILLED WITH ... boastful[ness] -- Rom 1:29-31
• Rebelliousness: They were FILLED WITH ... rebellious[ness] -- Rom 1:29-31
• Foolishness: They were FILLED WITH ... foolish[ness] -- Rom 1:29-31
• Faithlessness: They were FILLED WITH ... faithless[ness] -- Rom 1:29-31
• Ruthlessness: They were FILLED WITH ... ruthless[ness] -- Rom 1:29-31 
• And Satan Himself: Peter asked, "why has Satan FILLED your heart ...?" -- Acts 5:3

Wow! Did you know all that was in there?!

 

If we're not filled with the Spirit, we will be filled with something. Therefore, I know I need to take confession more seriously.

 

Lord forgive me for ____________________ (use the list). Take out my heart of stone, and fill me with your Holy Spirit.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who never wants to be

full of himself again!