March | 2023 | Poiema by Lynn

I drive a 2015 Hyundai Sonata hybrid. As I was pleasantly noticing the amount of gas still in the tank, I thought having a hybrid vehicle takes advantage of the best aspects of both gas and electrical power.

This led me to consider spiritual power. For living a spiritual life in Christ, a hybrid model won’t work. We can either be walking in the Spirit or walking by the flesh, but we can’t successfully meld them together. “Those who are dominated by their sinful nature think about sinful things but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death, but letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6

The church at Laodicea tried to blend worldly comfort and accomplishment with the things of God. Jesus said they are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold and that He would spit them from his mouth. Revelation 3:16

Why can’t the Spirit of God and the spirit of the world combine in the life of a believer? The world urges us to preserve our lives, the Jesus tell us to lay own our lives. Those walking in the Spirit listen and respond to the word of God while those walking by the flesh prioritize feelings and human perceptions.

I came across this very idea as I was reading The Pursuit of God (A 31 day Experience) by A W Tozer.

True Spirituality A W Tozer

First is the desire to be holy rather than happy.

A man may be considered spiritual when he wants to see the honor of God advanced through his life.

The spiritual man wants to carry his cross.

Again a Christian is spiritual when he sees everything from God’s view-point.

Another desire of the spiritual man is to die right rather than to live wrong.

The desire to see others advance at his expense is another mark of the spiritual man.

A spiritual man habitually makes eternity-judgments instead of time-judgments.

Lord, I repent of clinging to things of this world and allowing myself to keep walking in the old way of self instead of completely yielding to your Spirit. I desire to cast off anything that is entangling me as I walk by faith in you alone.

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

In today’s society, greater influence and larger accomplishments are often the measure of success. Many days, I feel rather unproductive, so once again, I realize I am becoming squeezed into the world’s mold. I need the Holy Spirit to transform my thinking because the world’s way of evaluating effectiveness and God’s promise to bear fruit through us are not the same.

When I received an email from a friend in Thailand, Butter, she encouraged me by sharing an example of how God uses the smallest, unlikely thing to bring about His purposes. (Butter and her sister, Jam, were named after her father’s favorite foods 😊) At the end of her semester, two of her classmates independently approached Butter and shared how her humility to admit she did not understand and her courage to ask questions had been a testimony and emboldened them. She was just being herself – intelligent and curious, and God was shining His light through her. She wasn’t intentional, but God was still at work.

A few weeks ago, we were talking to my son’s teacher after church. Although Joshua is not able to vocalize, he communicates using an I-Pad. Mrs. Baker said that Josh is a witness to her because every Monday he presses the button for church. It shows her how much he enjoys church and reminds her that it is important to be with other believers. God is speaking, using a child who is not verbal.

In Acts 4:3, “When they (the onlookers) saw the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus.” I am an ordinary woman, yet I want my life to bear witness that I, too, have been with Jesus.

Have you been abiding in Jesus? If so, God’s word assures us that He is bearing fruit for His glory in our lives. Even when our lives seem unproductive or ineffective, we can rest in His promise that in Him our lives are indeed fruitful.