Drink and Pray, Drink and Pray

I knew that would get your attention! It isn't what you initially thought, but I hope it remains as intriguing. Before I left Texas, a sweet friend gave me a book by John Piper entitled Taste and See. This book is broken into 140 "meditations" on different Scriptures or Biblical principles. I'm going to copy one of the entries verbatim, because it has spoken to me so wonderfully and hopefully it will you, too.

How to Be Filled With the Holy Spirit

How Do You Drink the Wine of God? 

A Meditation on Ephesians 5:18-21

Ephesians 5:18 says, "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit." There are at least four effects of being filled with the Spirit. First, in verse 19 the effect is very musical: "...addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all of your heart." Clearly, joy in Christ is the mark of being filled with the Spirit. 

But not only joy. Also gratitude in verse 20: "...always and for everything giving thanks in he name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. "Perpetual gratitude, gratitude for everything, comes from being filled with the Spirit --- which obviously aims at overcoming grumbling and pouting and self-pity and bitterness and scowling and murmuring and depression and worry and discouragement and gloominess and pessimism. 

But not only musical joy and universal gratitude --- also, loving submission to each other's needs: "Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ" (verse 21). Joy, gratitude, and humble love --- these are some of the marks of being filled with the Spirit. 

To this should also be added a fourth effect: boldness in witness. You see this most clearly from Acts 4:31: "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness." No one can fail to be bold and eager in witness when the Spirit is producing in him overflowing joy, perpetual gratitude, and humble love. Oh, how we need to be filled with the Spirit! Let's seek it! Pursue it! 

But the crucial question is, how? Start with the closest parallel: Don't be drunk with wine, be filled with the Spirit! (verse 18) How do you get drunk with wine? You drink it. Lots of it. so how then shall we get drunk (filled) with the Holy Spirit? Drink it! Lots of it. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:13, "We were all made to drink of one Spirit." Jesus said, "If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.' Now this he said about the Spirit" (John 7:37-39)

How can you drink the Spirit? Paul said, "Those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit." (Romans 8:5) We drink the Spirit by setting our minds on the things of the Spirit. What does "setting the mind on" mean? Colossians 3:1-2 says, "Setting the mind on" means seeking, directing your attention toward, being very concerned about (Philippians 3:19). It means being devoted to and taken up with. So drinking the Spirit means seeking the things of the Spirit, directing your attention to the things of the Spirit, being devoted to the things of the Spirit.

What are the "things of the Spirit"? When Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:14, "The natural man does not welcome the things of the Spirit" he was referring to his own Spirit-inspired teachings (2:13)-- specifically his teaching about the thoughts and ways and plans of God (2:8-10). Therefore, "the things of the Spirit" are the teachings of the apostles about God. Jesus also said, "The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life." (John 6:63). Therefore, the teachings of Jesus are also "the things of the Spirit". 

So drinking the Spirit means setting our minds on the things of the Spirit. And setting our minds on the things of the Spirit means directing our eager attention to the teachings of the apostles about God and to the words of Jesus. If we do this long enough, we will get drunk with the Spirit. In fact, we will develop a wonderful Spirit dependency. 

One more thing: The Holy Spirit is not like wine, because he is a person and is free to come and go anywhere he wills. (John 3:8). Therefore Luke 11:13 must be added. Jesus said to his disciples, "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" If we want to be filled with the Holy Spirit we must ask our heavenly Father for it. And that is just what Paul does for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:19. He asks his Father in heaven (verse 19) that the believers "might be filled with all the fulness of God." Drink and pray. Drink and pray. Drink and pray. 

Christians, the sad fact that I see often, even in myself, is that we are not Spirit-led. If we were, our actions and speech would be a lot different. It breaks my heart to see and hear of the things that are being done and said in the name of Jesus and Christianity, but they are not led by Jesus at all--they are completely opposed to how we have been directed in the Scriptures to walk. If we are walking in the Spirit, self-righteousness and religion would not be flowing from us. It would be humble love. It would be rivers of life. It would be Jesus. Again, drink and pray. Drink and pray. Drink and pray. 

The Cat is Out of the Bag

No, we're not pregnant. Just as a side note, it's not okay to ask when we're going to have babies or if we're pregnant yet as small talk. That was free and has nothing to do with the rest of the blog.

The big news is that we will be moving to Clinton, MS in June. It has been incredible seeing God move over the last year to get Zach and me on the same page with this decision and to see Him putting all of the pieces together.

For all of our Texas friends, this is not our hometown. It is roughly 3 hours south of our hometown. We knew that we had to make a decision of where to be after Zach graduated, and we knew church planting is the long-term goal. Zach and I could not agree or get to any compromise when we first started talking about it. Zach was originally opposed to going back to Mississippi. I had a hate-hate
relationship with Texas, and we weren't necessarily gravitating toward any other state. We decided not to talk about it anymore, but we prayed about it separately. About 4 months later, we brought it up again and God had put the same location on our hearts. So, we started making moves toward that direction, and  God has confirmed very clearly over and over again that that is where He wants us.

We took a trip over spring break, and we began house hunting. HOUSE HUNTING!!! That means that I get to STAY somewhere! That makes me so happy that I can't put it into words! I have moved
more times than I can count, and I am ready to stay, set roots, develop lasting community. Did I mention stay somewhere?

We met a realtor to look at a couple of houses,  and we found out that he planted a church in the area two years ago. So, as he is walking these newbies through this house buying process, he is able to
give us a little insight into the neighborhoods in regard to the ministry and spiritual side of things. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't our realtor telling us that he was praying for us as we walked through this process. I don't count our meeting him as coincidence.


While we were there, I had an interview and another meeting with a principal. I didn't expect that to happen because it was spring break, but it did. I met with Mrs. Tyner just to meet in person, but I would have a FaceTime committee interview the following week. I fell in love with the school and could just tell that she is an excellent leader that strives to foster unity among the staff. She had a staff picture in her office, and she pointed out the people that would be a part of the committee interview. One of the teachers on the committee showed up at the school at the same time I did, during spring break might I add. We walked down and met her which made me feel better to have at least met two of the interviewers. Zach and I went to Chick-Fil-A right after I met with the principal, and the first person I saw was the other teacher that would be on the interview committee. The fact that I recognized her and remembered her name after seeing her pointed out in a picture once is a miracle in and of itself.  So, in true stalker fashion, I walked over, told her I knew who she was, and introduced myself. I was so thankful, because I didn't want to have the disadvantage of not personally meeting the people that would interview me. I also give God the credit for orchestrating those meetings.

I did the Face Time committee interview the next week as Debbie Grief, ACI's office manager, was trying to sabotage my internet connection. When I finished the interview my thoughts were as follows: "That was a dumb answer." "Why didn't I say that?" "I'm going to be really surprised if they offer me a position." So, Mrs. Tyner called me roughly 4 hours after I interviewed and offered me a second grade position at Northside Elementary! God was so sweet in two big aspects of this. (1) He showed me that He is in control, and my ability to answer  questions well or even perform well doesn't earn me anything. I am not promoting slacking at your job or neglecting preparation in any way. You get the point. (2) My anxiety is sin. I acknowledge that fully, but He allowed for a quick response. I felt like that was just another way of Him telling me that He is guiding every step of this move and I simply need to trust Him. I am amazingly excited about joining the team at Northside and being a part of the Clinton Public School District.

I am at a point now where I enjoy Texas, and there will definitely be things I miss. I wish I had found this contentment much earlier. I will especially miss ACI Academy. I have learned a tremendous amount during my time there, and they have definitely taught me a lot about being flexible! The students and families are simply amazing, and I will miss them terribly. I will also miss City Church. We have been trained SO well by them. I feel as if all of our time there was unofficial training, because family and discipleship are so intertwined with everything that they are. The leaders and their wives are incredible, and I am eternally grateful for them. Thanks for showing us what true community is!

We definitely covet your prayers as we continue to move in this direction. There are many more big decisions to make before we roll out of Fort Worth on June 7th. We have to find a house, and Zach is still searching for a job. Please pray that we will find peace, trusting in God for provision in all aspects. That last one is mostly for me.

Shaped by Grace, 

Jessica Hardy

If Only…

 

This is a phrase constantly stated. Things could be different if. If I had done this, the outcome wouldn’t be the same. This situation wouldn’t exist if. Whatever the “then” to your if is, we say it all the time. There is a heartbreaking reality I have seen in my life and in the life of other believers around me. Instead of joy, peace, love, and freedom abounding in our lives, strongholds are abounding! This is not the life God has promised us, fellow believers!

 

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I sadly have allowed myself to be robbed of the joy and security that are found in Christ. I have searched for satisfaction and security in things that will unfailingly fail me. I see it in others, too. It’s craziness! We know that Christ is life. We know that Christ is security, joy, peace, all of these things which we are constantly in search of. But do we really know? Do we live as if we truly believe it?

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I think the kicker for me was when I looked at Isaiah 48:18 today. As the rebellious Israel is spoken to, God says, “Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river; and your righteousness like the waves of the sea…” IF ONLY! IF ONLY they had submitted to the authority and commandments of God, it would result in PEACE like a river and RIGHTEOUSNESS like the waves of the sea! I want to share with you an excerpt from a Beth Moore book about this Scripture:

“Beloved, few bodies of water are more exciting than rivers! When was the last time you saw white-water rapids? We can have active, exciting lives without suffering through a life of turmoil? When God uses the analogy of a river, He described a peace that can be retained while life twists and turns and rolls over boulders.”

Isn’t that exciting?!? Why aren’t we doing it?!? I think for many it might be that we are trying to live a life in the present based on a relationship that we had with God in the past. Another little helpful tip from Beth…”A river is a body of fresh water fed by springs of tributary streams. Peace comes from an active, ongoing, and obedient relationship with Christ.” Man, I would love to sit down for coffee with that woman!

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It reminds me of a fun song that I would sing with the girls as a camp counselor at Camp Garaywa.

“I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me

Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see (peek-a-boo)

Opens prison doors (use arms as opening doors)

Sets the captives free (I’m free!)

I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me!

Spring up a well (gush, gush, gush) up from my soul

Spring up a well (splish, splash) and make me who-oo-ole

Spring up a well (gooosh) and give to me

That life abundantly”

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty ready to live life abundantly! God doesn’t desire us to be kept in bondage, to have strongholds. What are the strongholds in your life? What’s keeping you from the abundant life in Christ? What in your life are you striving after with all that you have? I’m here to tell you from experience, if it’s not under God’s authority, it will drain life not give it. It can never fully satisfy. Christ alone can fully and completely satisfy. Man, I’m ready to live in that truth! “If only…”

Shaped by Grace,

Jessica Hardy

Booking it!

 

I love to read. I always have, but I haven’t always “had time” for it. The truth of the matter is that you will make time for what is a priority in your life. Well, these past couple of years, I have rearranged my priorities. Reading is back up there on the list. Getting into a book can take you away from reality; it can make you feel as if you are one of the characters. Reading obviously increases your knowledge base, so I find it fun to glean wisdom from people who have much to give in the practical areas of life.

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I teach second grade, and I share what I’m reading with my students. I don’t read it with them, because it’s simply not on their reading level. I do share though, and it creates an open communication with them. They initiate recess conversations and after school pickup conversations about what I’m reading now and what I think I’ll read next. They ask about the emotion that my current read evokes. They want to know what genre is my favorite, and I sure hope that it is a tiny little igniting of a love for reading in them.

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I get lost in books; I forget my surroundings. I had the pleasure of rooming with my best friend, Amber Marie, during college. She laughed at me as I read. She said that watching me read was entertaining. I would ooooh, ahhh, gasp, and burst into laughter…whatever emotional response was necessary. I would speak to the fiction characters as if they could hear me or adamantly agree with the truths stated by non fiction writers. Zach has learned also that when I get a book in my hand, it’s pretty much time to say goodbye to me until it is put down. That’s why I’m linking up with Amber for 24 in 2014 Book Challenge.  Some of the following books I have already begun, but have not completed. Some are books that I have seen browsing through my free reads on my Nook, and some are ones that I have wanted to read for a long time. I am listing them in no particular order.

 

You can link up with Amber as well!

Shaped by Grace,

Jessica Hardy