You might be asking why on earth are you talking about this Michelle? Glad you asked. I can tie all things back to God and this is no exception. I serve a God that specializes in FREE REFILLS! Praise God for that cause this girl needs to have a refill quite often. A refill of what you ask? Well, I am a girl who always is in need of doing some self monitoring and checking to see if I need a refill of the power of the Holy Spirit and an infilling of the love of God.
As mom, homemaker, wife, daughter, friend, neighbor, ministry leader, etc....( I could go on with all my titles but that would be bragging! ;0) I find that my joy, peace, patients, kindness, and love for ANYTHING and ANYONE gets depleted often. Quickly and often to be exact. I have come to the realization that one person has put a label on me... (the label of Wonder Woman.) One person has me thinking that I have to be all things to all people that I come in contact with. One person is right there to point out when I fail miserably at being wonder woman. Guess who that one person is? It's ME! For crying out loud, I do it to myself. Then, when I am exhausted, fall short of what I expect, I start being rather feisty with all those around me. Now, by "around me" I mean...my kids, my husband, my friend, my in-laws, my kids teachers,....oh who am I kidding...the girl cashing out my groceries at Wal-mart is fair game for me when I am in need of a refill!
I am here to tell you that this exact mindset is what the Holy Spirit can completely take care of. Yep. I tell ya....if I am honest and come to the foot of the cross with all my shortcomings, my God is right there. Ready to help pick me up. Ready to fill me up with the love He has for me. Praise God, I have the Holy Spirit at work inside me and when my tank is on E, I know it. My soul is not feeling the way it should be feeling. It is at these times when my running to God has such a powerful impact on my life. In order to be helped though, I have to be real. I have to be honest about what is going on inside. God already knows...we just have to bring it to Him and He can then help us to heal. Sometimes I am all good and things are going wondrous!! Other times I need to "be healed" 10x's a day. I am a weak, leaky girl that needs a refill... often.
How do I know that I need a refill and not just cranky and I will get over it? Good question. I can tell because I have come to a place where I am honest with myself. Rather, I try hard to be honest with myself. Another way I know that I am in need of a refill is because the Word assures me (and you) that when we accept Christ, we get the Holy Spirit too! Cool! Sounds like a BOGO to me!! Scripture goes on to explain how the Holy Spirit has great power. One specific verse goes like this...
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
Act 1:8
Let's face it...don't we need all the powerful help we can get! Amen!
You might NOW be asking...what kind of power? Again, such a great question! The power the Holy Spirit gives us is listed in scripture. It says...
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Galatians 5:22,23
Now...let's ponder this for a moment. On my very best days....I might possess these for a moment or two. Prior to my relationship with Christ, uuuummmmmm...never did I possess these. Maybe some of them for a while but never several of them or any of them for any length of time. I can testify that I am able to identify within myself when my Holy Spirit is NOT in full throttle. He's in there but my flesh has covered him up. All sorts of things cause this. All sorts of things that are either in my control or not in my control. The point is, I need a refill of what the Holy Spirit has for me. The world, my own poor choices, or maybe the people around me have eaten all the "fruit" of the Spirit. Time for a refill!!! Praise God they are FREE!!!
Here is how I get a free refill. It is an active process...I have to actually DO something. This is what it looks like in my life.
1. Ask God for what I need. Get on my knees and get into his presents. (scripture says you have not because you ask not! Ask and you shall receive)
2. Read some of the Word. ANYTHING! Just open it up! Sometimes I know where I need to go, other times I have no clue so I just open it.
3. Listen to praise and worship music. This fills me so quick!! It really does. Now, I am not talking about "churchy" music. For some, it might be "churchy" music that makes you think you are in a pew. For me, I need rockin' artists that are speaking God right to me!! If you don't have any favorite artists I encourage you to get some. Some of my favorites are listed on my web page (the link is on the left side of this blog). The wonderful, God directed songs out there are endless!!
The truth is, each person needs to figure out how to get an infilling, how to get refreshed by the Holy Spirit. This process is imperative in your Christian walk. Without refills, I would be just an empty vessel. Empty and available to be filled by the yuck of the world.
PS....you are not allowed to say..."that's great Michelle but you don't know my life. I am too busy to do any of that!" Remember, if our enemy can't get us sinning, he will just get us busy!
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