Skip to main content

The Spirit Cries ‘Abba”

The Spirit Cries “Abba”
              When you speak about the Holy Spirit, many thoughts come to mind.  Many Christians don’t even try to explore the Holy Spirit because they do not want to be associated with strange fainting, rolling in aisles of churches and speaking in unintelligible languages.  It appears to be a show.  The attention focuses on the person dancing in the aisle or claiming to know a heavenly language that sets them apart from others.  It’s all rather difficult to take in if you were not raised in this kind of setting.  
              I do believe that the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in different Christian lives in different ways.  Most of what I observe is that you learn to accept His presence from being around other Christians who accept His presence in that way.  The Holy Spirit never overpowers a Christian’s free will.  You have to want Him to be graced by His presence.
              I admit I do feel uncomfortable in some settings where Christians are worshipping in the Spirit.  Settings like that seem to shut down my connection to God in the Spirit and raise doubt about the strange happenings I have witnessed.  It is not my place to say that because of my personal response in such settings that they are not from God.  All I know is that they are not from God for me.
              What I do know for sure is how the Bible describes the Holy Spirit coming into our lives.  The Bible goes into great detail about it.  I want to talk about one way that all Christians from the lively worshippers to the “frozen chosen”, can receive the the filling of the Holy Spirit, and that is a deep connection to God that is like Father to child.
Paul explains the Christian status as heirs of God.  He writes in Romans 8:15: “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’.”
              The Spirit of God manifested in Christians will awaken us to an intimate and loving connection to God.  This connection is not only intimate and loving but also empowering and sufficient.  As the Spirit calls out “Abba” from your soul, you are reminded that your Father-God has made you an heir of all He owns and that He loves you beyond reason.  Though imprisoned by the world in your present condition, you know the reality is that you are a dearly beloved child of God and that your Father is rescuing you in time from the prison of the world.  In the meantime He asks you to live your best life, seeing the resources He brings to you in a fallen world.
              With a Spirit that cries “Abba” you can stop chasing love from your relationships and begin to feel the power of being loved.  This soul-sustaining love fills your heart to the brim and overflows into genuine, forgiving, and selfless love for others.  You are still human, so you will need to cry a few tears from the rejection and hurt you live with, but your tears are wiped away only by the dear Father-God-Abba-Daddy, whose comfort is beyond all other comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3).
              Holy Spirit-filled Christians know they are dearly loved children.  Holy Spirit-filled Christians are assured of their inheritance in heaven.  Holy Spirit-filled Christians want to spend their time on earth doing the work their loving Father prepared for them.  Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit are secure in the storms of life, are at peace in the stress of chaotic relationships and are comforted by a Father’s love.
Copyright © 2019.  Deborah R. Newman  teatimeforyoursoul.com  All Rights Reserved

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Pilgrimage that Started with Tears

                Who would think I would shed tears deciding to set out on a wonderful journey that I have longed to take for many years?   Before I was ready to fully accept God’s invitation for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, I had to journey to a place of agreement between what my soul wanted and what the Lord wanted for me.   For years I have been declining opportunities to travel to Israel—not because I didn’t want to go but because I wanted to go with my husband by my side.   I know that God could have arranged that for me, but instead He asked me to accept that He wanted me to be willing to go and leave everything behind.   When I was asked to make a decision about going on a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, God gave me this verse in answer to my prayer -- Debi, observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are cr...
2 comments
Read more

Why Me?

              When something tragic or unexpected happens, our first question seems to be, Why me?   It’s only human to feel this way and wonder why life has got to be so hard.   God has helped me look at my unwanted circumstances with a different question.   Rather than keep the focus on my pain and ask, Why me?   I focus on Him and wonder, How can You be glorified when everything is going wrong?             Adding one more word to that question makes a huge difference spiritually and opens my soul to find so much more than just my pain.   Another way to look at life’s tragedies is, Why not me ?   Sure, we each have our own amount of personal sorrows. These are the kind of sorrows that have no answers.      We can't explain away death, cancer, rape, bankruptcy and other heartaches.   It is easier to explain...
Post a Comment
Read more

Holy Saturday

Nothing is written about the events of Holy Saturday except Luke 23:56, “they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.” These few words speak volumes about our life with Christ.   What was it like for these ladies to rest on the Sabbath?   They had watched carefully, they knew how quickly Jesus’ body was laid in the grave. The men had brought spices and linens, but they had little time to properly anoint this most precious of all bodies.   As the women watched carefully, they made mental note of the supplies that would be necessary to complete this sacred act of burial as it should be. They spent the last few hours before sunset to prepare the spices for this holy act of reverence. The Sabbath signaled the time for rest.   I’m sure they didn’t feel like resting, but by complying out of obedience they were probably served by its benefits.   Their minds racing from the horror they had just witnessed, at best they could allow their bodies to rest and ...
Post a Comment
Read more