Daily Huddle - Fri Nov 6, 2020 Hand Saw Or Power Saw

Love you all, praying for you,
 
Have you ever had to cut a two-by-four or a piece of wood with a hand saw?  You gotta measure it, draw a straight line, hopefully have a guide. It’s back and forth and back and forth, unless you’re an expert, it takes time, it’s probably a little off, and the chance of do-over is high.  But if you have a power saw, a circular saw, just plug it in, it’s already got a guide attached, in 3 seconds it’s done, perfect cut every time, it’s actually hard to screw up even if you’ve never done it before.  They even have battery powered ones now, so you don’t even have to mess with a cord.  That’s the difference between living life powered by you, and living life powered by the Holy Spirit, no batteries required, no cord needed. it’s more like WIFI at your house, you’re always on it.  The difference between trying to do it on your own, and letting the Holy Spirit power you – is like a hand saw versus a power saw but far greater.  Some things bear some fruit and other things bear other fruit.  You will never get apples from a fig tree.  The things that God has for you come not from you, but the Source within you.  First you have to be transformed, having received Christ as your Savior and also your boss – that’s what LORD means… You are a completely different person from the inside out, now able to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  And once you have been filled, you can be filled again and again.  Like setting up the WIFI, and from then on, just use it.  You got filled by asking (Luke 11:13) just like you got saved, by admitting you were a sinner, and asking him to forgive you and take over your life…  Now as the Holy Spirit fills you daily, you can ask Him to, and just talk to Him, He’s a person, not an it…  And when you pray in the Spirit – He is active in you, just like picking up your phone – you are already connected to WIFI.  Wait on Him, don’t just go on your own.  If you’re at star bucks – choose their WIFI, rather than burning your data.  The same with the Holy Spirit, it’s easy to rush ahead, but if you do… you’ll get the fruit of your tree, the old man… rather than the fruit of the new tree, the tree of life, by the Holy Spirit.  The fruits are direct opposites.  Galatians 5:16 – So I say then, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.   What does that mean?  It means when you are out of the Spirit, but in your old nature, you do what that nature wants you to do, rather than what the Spirit of the Living God, has power for you to do.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, (that means obeying God, and preferring others over yourself), joy – that means an irreplaceable happiness, peace and expectancy of good deep down within you, that has nothing to do with the circumstances around you), peace (an immovable knowing, that “God’s got this.” and He’s for you), patience (that means a willingness and even a desire to wait for God’s best and His best timing), kindness (that means going out of your way to show mercy and bestow good things on those you love, and even those who don’t deserve it), goodness (the only one Good is God, so that means what the Holy Spirit leads you to do, is what God is doing), faithfulness (that’s just Divine Power by the Holy Spirit to remain in the fruit He produces, rather than flip-flopping between new and old fruit), gentleness (that’s the opposite of harsh or demanding, when you are filled with the Spirit you don’t have to be – you’ll get what you need, you can be selfless), and self-control.  That’s really ‘temperance’ avoiding extremes, not led by your emotions, but having put them under submission – so you can be led by the Spirit, not your feelings.  So you walk in knowledge, not impulse, wisdom, not foolishness.   Praying that you will ask the Holy Spirit to fill you again today, right now, whatever you are facing this hour or in this next project or conversation or activity.  That you would pray in the Spirit, so your mind is set to the side, so the Holy Spirit has full reign, so then He can bring across your mind, the next thing that is most important, and most effective for you, that God has perfectly planned for your very next step.  Praying in the Spirit is always a choice, it’s not a feeling thing.  Yes there are times in worship where it just comes over you, but most of the time, it’s a choice, an act of the will to obey God’s Word – and pray in the Spirit - even when you don’t particularly feel like it.  So The Holy Spirit through your choice of opening your mouth and letting Him fill it, can praying God’s complete and perfect will for you right now where you are at, in this moment.  So He can direct your steps in His perfect will, so He gets the glory and you get the blessing.  Praying that your life will be powered by Him, not by hand, not by your own doing, but in His wonderful plans, by His infinite power.  Praying that you will always pick up the power saw, never the hand saw. 
 
Love you all,
dad