As a leader in church and community I’m obsessed with how to get growth and blessing all round. And rightly so.
I sought God over many months and concluded the need to make space for the Holy Spirit. What that means practically is not my subject here.
This winter I have a theme of sitting by the sea, usually in the cellar. What I mean is, being present to God, aware of his presence, like an ocean that I sit beside. Everything comes from that.
Then we reached the year’s end and progress nationally has been patchy. Blessing has been where households have sought and heard God, and applied the word together.
The word for 2012 is Courageous Faith And Action, which is certainly better than Action And Hope For The Best, which has sometimes been my approach. But I faltered as the plans and pump-up were rolled out at our national event. I’ve turned sixty and can I keep this up, plug on at everything and still not see great progress?
Then a smaller meeting reminded me that it’s all about bringing God’s power to people at ground level, and my spirit stirred again.
This morning in the cellar I worried away at why we don’t have God’s distinct direction enough, but seem to do the stuff half sure of his leading. I checked Acts on how they did it, and I hit fire. Of course. As Samuel Chadwick said, Destitute of the Fire of God, nothing else counts; possessing Fire, nothing else matters. So here I am. Deal with things that quench fire, drink fire, run with fire. Make space for fire. Sit by the fire. Stir fire with faith and act with it. It’s that conclusion again. Yes I can keep that up.
