Inhale and Exhale

Last night, I met up with my friends for fellowship, and my dear sister Lynette (who was dressed as a teacher, fit for the occasion) shared with us "Secrets to Bearing Fruits," a message she heard from a church camp earlier this month. It was a very interesting topic.

She said that it is possible for us to be filled with love, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness and self-control... only when we are born again. You might ask how can we be born again? Isn't it impossible for us to go back to our mother's womb? Don't worry, Nicodemus asked the same thing to Jesus himself in John 3. And Jesus answered ""I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."

The Spirit, or the Holy Spirit, is one of the trinity that lives in us once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. He is the revealer of truth, our counselor, our comforter. He also empowers us to love, to have joy, peace and all the fruits of the Holy Spirit I've mentioned above. Sadly not all Christians feel that He's with them. Probably because they rarely experience the fruits of the Holy Spirit, like they can't control their anger, or they just don't feel the Holy Spirit, or they have no passion in bringing people to Christ, or they remain in their sad sinful state. The Holy Spirit empowers us to fight sin, He often reminds us God's word when we need it. So how come some people do not think that He exists?

1. Lack of Knowledge.
Sometimes we do not possess what we already own. The illustration shared with us was about a man who was very poor and was living under government subsidy. The only thing that he owns is a humble house on a land. Then one time there's this billionaire who leased his place and drilled the land, they discovered that his property was very rich in oil. Instead of relying on government subsidy, he could have been a millionaire since the oil was under his property. The Holy Spirit is already here and if we do not acknowledge Him then sadly, we cannot experience its fruits.

2. Lack of Faith.
More often, we do things based on our own capabilities, our own strengths that we left our Counselor, at the back seat. This usually leads to the opposite of the Holy Spirit's fruits: anger, frustration, bitterness, restlessness, lack of self-control, etc.

What should we do then?
INHALE and EXHALE.
When you INHALE ~ pray, acknowledge the Holy Spirit, submit to God's control. Let the fruits of the Holy Spirit fill you.
When you EXHALE ~ confess all the wrong thoughts, emotions and actions you've committed towards God or another person. Let go of anger, of self-reliance, of pride, of everything that hinders your relationship with God, and consequently, your growth. This is what we need to do also when we "prepare our hearts" to listen.

INHALE AND EXHALE daily dear readers. :)