I often find myself in awe when I read the bible. No matter how many times I have read a passage, book or scripture, as my life changes and as I grow, the bible becomes alive to me in new ways. Katheryn Kulhman once said that the bible is not out of date. That it is the most up to date book we have because the Holy Spirit is constantly revealing it to us. I couldn’t agree more. I came across a scripture today that melted my heart and got me excited and thinking. It is one that I have read countless times.
John 16:7-15 (TLV):
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away! For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
I still have much more to tell you, but you cannot handle it just now. But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; but whatever He hears, He will tell you. And He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is Mine. For this reason I said the Ruach (breath, wind of God) will take from what is Mine and declare it to you.”
My greatest joy and comfort in my life is the Holy Spirit. He is my treasure and prize, day in and day out. I am only a woman, but the Holy Spirit causes me to be so much more than that, through His work in and through me. I was thinking about the cost of receiving the Holy Spirit and how Jesus had to go, in order for the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) to come. I was thinking in my own life about the times I have had to let go and say goodbye to good things in order to see something even greater come along.
I have had so many instances in my life where I was scared to let go of a good thing because how could anything get better than this job, position, title? I would pray continuously, “God, I am happy here. I want to serve here, love here, devote my life right here.”
Sometimes, God calls us to lay down the good things, for greater things. I believe this is where He calls us to live a life that is fully surrendered to Him. Not my will Father, but Yours be done. In my “yes” to allowing God to move me from something I loved, He brought me into His plans for my life even further. I had no idea that stepping away from something that God had called me to for a season, was going to launch me into a ministry I had secretly been desiring my whole life.
I would bet, the disciples had no idea what they were being launched into. They were seeing in the physical realm of losing someone they so dearly loved. They had no idea of what beauty, power, miracles, love, joy and determination, that they were being launched into in the Spirit. If they knew, they may have given Jesus a big hug goodbye and danced into what God had for them and the hundreds of thousands of people that would know the name of Jesus because of their work and partnership with the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes what feels like a loss, is actually gain. What feels devastating to say goodbye to, is what is giving us the ability to be launched into greater things. It might not feel it, it might be hurtful or confusing, but when you are in surrender to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will take you further than you could have ever possibly imagined. One thing I have learned over the years is that God LOVES the impossible. If God is asking for the good things in your life, or if you have recently lost a good thing in your life, be encouraged! God has plans for greater.
If it’s possible, it is man. If it’s impossible, it’s God.