Would you like to find out what your spiritual pathway is? I have included a simple assessment at the end of this post.

How do YOU best Connect with God?

A spiritual pathway is a way that you commune with God most effectively and naturally. Utilising your spiritual pathway is a great tool for spiritual renewal.

I first learned about the concept of spiritual pathways reading Bill Hybel’s book, Courageous Leadership.

In the chapter, ‘The Leader’s Pathway’, Bill concisely outlines 7 pathways [1].

I immediately recognised myself in three of these:

1. Worship Pathway

Fresh new worship gives voice to what is on my heart and helps me experience intimacy with Jesus. It is a means of being personally refilled with the Holy Spirit.

A new worship CD, discovery of an anointed song on YouTube or iTunes, especially if it is ‘Live’ worship, refreshes and uplifts me spiritually.

2. Contemplative Pathway

Introverted by nature I love my ‘cave times’ with God. I enjoy spending time alone, praying and reflecting with my Bible and journal—accompanied, of course, by my current favourite worship music.

3. Creation Pathway

Give me wide, open spaces where I can appreciate the beauty of creation, and I am refuelled beyond measure.

My favourite pictures consist of scenic photography and on my computer’s Desktop are inspiring pictures of nature’s beauty.

The Hunk, not surprisingly, is completely different from me in the way he connects best with God. His pathways are:

4. The Activist

My hubby has to be on a mission, fired up for a cause and spreading the fire. One of his favourite sayings used to be, ‘Two thirds of God’s Name is ‘Go.’ Of course, that phrase used to rile this Contemplative up!

5. Relational Pathway

No lone silent retreats for him—The Hunk takes his big strides forward when sharing and praying with other people.

Creation Pathway.

Yes, we do both share this pathway—and are blessed by times spent alone and together in the Great Outdoors!

There are two pathways I haven’t shared here. These are:

6. Serving (Caregiving) Pathway

I have a friend who has a serving pathway—feeling fulfilled and connected to God best when she is busy serving.

7. Intellectual Pathway

Identifying this as a pathway helped me understand a friend who loves hanging out with huge texts and books from ‘Thinkers’ in church history.

Others are Different

Discovering the concept of spiritual pathways has helped me to get closer to God. It has also helped me to appreciate that others do not connect to God the same way that I do.

I have learned not to place expectations on my husband, for example.

I have also learned that my spiritual pathway (or others) is NOT a sign of spirituality or Christian maturity.

Not Being Limited by Spiritual Pathways

As with other tools, such as personality and spiritual gift identification, spiritual pathways has been criticised by some as ‘putting people in a box.’

Personally, I think we should see the concept of spiritual pathways as a starting point, not a limitation, to perceive and discover the way God has wired each of us to uniquely commune with him.

How to use Your Spiritual Pathway to be Refilled with the Holy Spirit

Identifying my spiritual pathways helped me experience renewal when I was suffering from ministry burnout. Like other efforts related to my Christian life, devotional times had become a labour and a duty. I simply had nothing left to give to any task.

When I realised I needed to take deliberate action to be refuelled, I reviewed my spiritual pathways.

Recognising the value of my creation pathway, I began to schedule whole days to go out in the wilds, where I would pray and worship. I would return from these days feeling revitalised and refilled. This simple exercise contributed to my recovery.

Spiritual Pathways Resources:

Bill Hybels’ helpful summary of spiritual pathways draws from Gary Thomas’ book, Sacred Pathways [2]. Gary Thomas adds several other pathways to the mix. These include:

• Traditionalists—loving God through ritual and symbol
• Ascetics
• Enthusiasts

John Ortberg has picked up the concept of spiritual pathways in his book, “God Is Closer Than You Think.”

John Ortberg & Ruth Barton include an assessment based on the above 7 common pathways in their resource, ‘An Ordinary Day With Jesus’

This questionnaire, which I don’t have personally, but was utilised in my church, was helpful. However, I did find their emphasis on the corporate (church) context rather than personal devotional life—especially in the worship pathway—a little disappointing.

A Questionnaire To Help You Discover Your Spiritual Pathway

Following is a simple checklist that can help identify your spiritual pathway, using the 7 pathways described in Bill Hybel’s book, Courageous Leadership [1].

On a scale of 1 to 5, with one being ‘least describes me’ and 5 being ‘most describes me’, label the following points in each group.

Add up your scores and see which pathways you score highest in. These may be your preferred spiritual pathways. Note that like me, you may have more than one.

For a more comprehensive questionnaire, especially if you are leading a group, check out John Ortberg and Ruth Barton’s resource ‘An Ordinary Day With Jesus

Relational

• I love to pray with others and feel God’s presence more when I’m praying with others than when I’m doing it alone.
• I would rather do Bible study & journal with others than alone. I thrive on the discussion that comes out of these times together.
• I love worshipping alongside others
• It is hard for me to have solitary devotional times; I’d much rather be seeking God with others around me, spurring me on (& vice versa!)

Intellectual

• I feel closest to God when my mind is fully engaged
• Give me an intellectually stimulating book any time!
• My best devotional times with God have me poring over commentaries and studying the Bible
• I love research & study; it brings me closer to God

Service / Caregiving

• I feel closest to God when I’m serving
• I feel fulfilled when I’m doing voluntary work
• I am most aware of God’s presence when I’m doing something for Him
• I am happiest when worshipping God by helping others

Contemplative

• I love to spend time in solitude, and busyness drains me
• have a large capacity for prayer and for private worship
• I am a deep thinker; there’s usually a lot going on inside me!
• I would like to put boundaries around my schedule so that I can spend more time alone with God

Creation

• I feel close to God when I’m surrounded by the beauty of nature
• My best devotion times have been moments when I’ve been on a walk, or looking at a view, or staring out to sea…
• The wonders of creation leave me in awe of God
• I love to spend time in the Great Outdoors; that’s where I feel most connected to God

Worship

• I feel closest to God when I’m worshipping Him
• Putting on worship tapes or CD’s add life to my devotional times with God
• I love worship times in the church services; that’s when I feel I touch God
• If I lack opportunities to spend time in worship, I start to feel dry.

Activist

• I feel close to God when I am engaged in ministry at a fast pace
• I am a person of action!
• I thrive spiritually in a highly challenging environment
• I connect with God best when I’m using every ounce of energy to serve Him!

[1] Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership, 2002, Zondervan, Grand rapids, Michigan

[2] Gary Thomas, Sacred Pathways, 1996, Zondervan, Grand rapids, Michigan

******************************

Related posts:

Spiritual Renewal: Café Moments With God

Spiritual Renewal: How to Receive an Impartation of The Holy Spirit

When Your Devotional Life Is Dry: How to Fall in Love With the Bible Again

******************************

©  Helen Calder    Enliven Publishing

‘God is looking for men and women of maturity…

David Ravenhill [1]

I have kept an early edition of the Morningstar journal in my shelf for many years, for the value of the single paragraph above.

It speaks truth to something deep inside of me—a truth I find myself returning to regularly in my quest for spiritual renewal.

And that is, that at the heart of life-giving prophetic ministry—or any ministry, and even life itself—is intimacy with Jesus.

Face To Face—God’s Purpose from Beginning to End

We are created for a FACE TO FACE relationship with God. We see this at the outset—from the very moment of creation.

Genesis 2 V 7 says:
‘The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.’

Every other creature was created by the word of God, but God fashioned Adam from the ground and breathed life into him,

And from the moment of that very first FACE TO FACE encounter, Adam lived.

After Adam and Eve sin, in Genesis chapter 3, you see God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. It has evidently been His custom to walk and talk with Adam & Eve… FACE TO FACE, but now Adam and Eve have hidden their faces in shame from God

And you see throughout the whole of the remainder of Scripture, God is working, through His plan of redemption, to restore that FACE TO FACE relationship that was lost.

He accomplishes it by sending Jesus to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. And there on the cross, in one eternal moment, THE FATHER TURNS HIS FACE AWAY from Jesus.

Jesus bore our sin, and the punishment of separation from God that was due to us, in order that our own FACE TO FACE relationship with God might be restored.

And even now, that process of restoration continues until the final fulfillment will take place when we enter eternity…

The Apostle Paul explains it like this in 1 Corinthians 13V12:
‘Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see FACE TO FACE. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.’

Even though the ultimate fulfillment of our FACE TO FACE relationship with God is in ETERNITY, God WANTS to share a close relationship with us now.

• It is the purpose He created us
• It is the reason Jesus went to the cross

And this being the case, I want to know what a FACE TO FACE relationship with God means. In the certain knowledge that I have yet more to discover, I also want to know what I am missing out on.

Responding To God

We cannot meditate on this truth without considering our own personal response. For me, right now, that is twofold:

1. Soaking—Taking time to Worship and to be Refilled.

When Jesus was resurrected, He met with His disciples and FACE TO FACE, He breathed on them, saying ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’

Receiving His breath, His Spirit, His life, into us is an integral part of having a FACE TO FACE relationship with God.

For me that means spending time with God, with no other agenda apart from being with Him, receiving His Spirit, enjoying His Presence.

2. Conversing—Intimate Conversation with God

I am personally being challenged that God wants to speak to me FACE TO FACE a whole lot more than I have imagined He does. I recognise that doubts and fears have stopped up the flow of His voice, His revelation, to me.

So I will be digging into some journaling this week—with a specific focus.

Here are some ideas for how to do this, if you would like to join me:

• Start your journal with the words ‘Lord what do you want to say to me today?’
• A thought or idea may come to you immediately—in which case, start to write. But if not, wait for the Holy Spirit to give you a revelation—a picture/vision, a Bible verse or story, a word, feeling or idea. Write what you see or what comes to mind and also what you believe God is saying to you.
• Write your response to Him. You may even want to ask another question. It is your conversation with God.

Remember to weigh up carefully any revelation you receive. Keep up your regular Bible reading and always reflect on what you are receiving in the light of what God says in His Word.

[1] The Morningstar Journal Vol. 3 No.4 1993, ‘The Birthing of a Ministry, David Ravenhill.

*************************************************

Related Posts:

Face to Face With God: Can I Have a Relationship Like Moses?

Activate Your Prophetic Gift Through Prayer Journaling

Spiritual Renewal: How To Receive An Impartation Of The Holy Spirit 

How To Exercise Your Prophetic gift Pt 3: How Can You Tell Your Revelation Is From God?

©  Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

If you are concerned about unsaved or backslidden loved ones, or if you want to take your spiritual gifts of prophecy, healing or intercession to a new level, you will find treasure in these downloadable PDF books—check them out here.

*****************************************************

The Power of Hunger For God

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jer 29:13

In Song of Solomon, the Beloved is knocking on the chamber door. The maiden resists getting up to answer. ‘I have taken off my robe—must I put it on again? I have washed my feet—must I soil them again?’ (SOS 5:3)

She is in a state of repose, and for that moment, her comfort is more important than her relationship.

The maiden rises to open the door to her Beloved, but he has already left. Her hesitancy has cost her his presence. Now, her heart is stirred. Comfort is no longer an issue as she loses sleep and risks her safety to search for the one she loves.

Unable to reach him, she passes on a message, ‘Tell him I am faint with love.’ (SOS 5:8)

‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock,’ Jesus calls to His church. ‘If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.’ (Rev 3:20)

Jesus’ call to intimacy is a challenge to our comfort. To answer His knock, we must stir ourselves from our place of spiritual repose.

His promise: ‘I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.’

Jesus’ invitation is to Christians who are hungry.

Why Be Hungry For God?

Hunger: that gnawing ache on the inside of you; that sense of need that is not content until it is filled.  Hunger is an active state, for it results in you seeking out the object of desire that will satisfy your need.

Hunger for God is the longing to encounter Him, to be with Him, and to be filled with His Spirit.
As prophetic people, we need to hunger and thirst after God.
When we are hungry for God and His Presence, we will do whatever it takes to get close to Him. The place of intimacy is where we will catch, not only the revelation He wants to give us, but we will also catch His heart.

Many of us want to be filled with the Spirit, we long to be close to God and see miracles happen in people’s lives.

When we hunger and thirst for God, we will seek Him, and when we seek Him, we will be filled and empowered.

It all starts with hunger.

6 Ways You Can Stir Up Hunger For God

1. MISS IT

A person who is fasting eventually loses their appetite as their body adjusts to the absence of food. Although in Christian leadership, I was spiritually famished for so long, I lost the ability to hunger after God.

My turning point came when I realised what I was missing.

I noted in my journal,

‘I have come to realise that the real tragedy in the church is not spiritual famine: it is famine without hunger, dryness without thirst.’

2. PRAY FOR IT

Even the desire to seek God is a gift from Him (John 6:44).

When we pray for spiritual hunger, we are praying in accordance with God’s will. He wants us to be hungry for Him. (Matt 5:6). It is a prayer God loves to answer.

3. RECALL IT

Jesus told the Ephesian church, ‘You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen’ (Rev 2:4-5)

You can stir up a desire for God by remembering a time when you were pursuing God and experiencing intimacy in your life with Him.

Do you have books that you read at that time, worship you listened to, or letters or journals that you wrote in? These can be aids to help you recall what it felt like during that season.

4. CATCH IT

Spiritual hunger is contagious. Get around hungry people, or people who are further on in the journey than you. Study their books, listen to their messages, read their blogs.

Our friend James Anson wrote a blog post about having an ache in his heart for God. When I read it, it stirred the same sense of hunger in me.

5. HEAR IT

A new sound of worship can help impart hunger to you. When was the last time you heard fresh worship music that stirred your soul to worship and spend time with God?

These days, it is easy to purchase worship music through iTunes for a very small cost. A couple of songs from Rick Pino, ‘Your Love is Like’ and ‘My Romance’ have stirred the hunger in me recently.

6. ACT ON IT

‘Taste and see that the Lord is good.’ Ps 34:8
With the little sense of need that you have, pursue God. Like me, you will learn that the more you encounter His presence, the more you will want more.

And most amazing of all, you will discover that no matter how much you long for God, His desire for you is greater.

The maiden who sought her Beloved in Song of Solomon discovered this wonder:

I am my beloved’s, And his desire is toward me. (SOS 7:10)

Related posts:

Spiritual Renewal: How to Receive an impartation of the Holy Spirit

The River Returns: How to Be Refilled With The Holy Spirit When You Are Dry

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

We have been blessed to have our sister and brother-in-law, Stuart and Lynley Allan here in Melbourne during this past week. We attended a couple of meetings at which they, along with John and Carol Arnott, from Toronto, Canada, were ministering.

‘Do What it Takes to Get Filled’

Only four months ago, I was sitting overlooking a local reservoir that has been affected by our State’s drought. It was around 30% full.

The emptiness of the reservoir echoed the devastated state of my soul. 

I had spent most of the year **not** recovering from ministry burnout. I mistakenly thought that taking extended time out and reducing my ministry responsibilities would help me get better. It didn’t.

A wise pastor who had himself been through burnout said to me, ‘Time doesn’t heal the problem. You need to intentionally do whatever it takes to get refilled again.’ As he spoke, I realised that one of those things, for me personally, was taking time outdoors to meet with God.

Being intentional about doing what it took to get refilled, spiritually and emotionally, proved a turning point for me.

**********************

How Am I Going–Really?

Jesus called His disciples firstly to be with Him, and then to serve Him (Mark 3:14). When we get the order of that around the wrong way, we get into trouble. I have learned this the hard way.

As we begin a new year, let’s reflect on this very important question:

• Am I filled, or depleted in my spiritual life?

A similar question that is also vitally important, is:

• Am I filled, or depleted in my emotional life?

It can be difficult to tell how used up the tank of your emotional and spiritual reserve is, until it is too late. This is where looking for external clues to your condition become important—a subject I may cover another time. (If you have questions or ideas about this, feel free to comment on this post or email me).

As Christians we can receive the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, to empower us to be all we can be, and change our world (Acts 1:8).

However, we continually need a fresh impartation of the Holy Spirit if we are going to minister out of fullness (John 7:37-39). We also need to be acquainted with the Spirit if we are going to hear His voice and receive prophetic revelation that will break open situations and lead people to Jesus (John 14:26).

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word ‘impart’ means ‘to give, convey, or grant from or as if from a store.’

Impartation implies a source. When that source is God, and our need is for His Spirit, we know He has an unlimited heavenly abundance that we can draw from. (John 3:34)

3 Ways the New Testament Church received an Impartation of the Holy Spirit are:

1. Directly from Jesus

Matt 10:1, John 20:22-23.

We can also receive directly from Jesus when we spend time with Him by having a healthy devotional life.

2. From God as they prayed

Acts 2:1-4

The Church received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. However, this kind of praying and waiting on God should not just be a one-off experience. We see the church praying and receiving an infilling of the Holy Spirit again in Acts 4:24-31

3. Through the Ministry of Laying on of Hands

Acts 6:6, Acts 8:17, Acts 19:6

As effective as ministry with ‘laying on of hands’ can be, it should never become a replacement of our receiving personally and directly from God.

Also, it is our own responsibility to maintain the gift from God that this kind of impartation gives us. The Apostle Paul said to Timothy,

‘For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.’ 2 Tim 1:6-7

How to Receive a Fresh Infilling of the Holy Spirit

The Apostle Paul’s present continuous use of the verb, ‘Be filled with the Spirit’ in Eph 5:18-20, indicates that being filled with the Holy Spirit should be our ongoing experience.

Here are some things that I have found useful to receive a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit in my life over the past four months:

1. Doing what it took to be renewed in my devotional life

2. Being intentional about doing the things that connect me personally with God

(in my case, this included spending time in prayer and reflection outdoors, however it will be different for every person)

3. ‘Soaking.’

(Dictionary definition: To be immersed until thoroughly saturated.)

For me, this means taking time in God’s presence with no other agenda but to connect with and receive from Him. I find that intimate worship music is a great facilitator of this.

4. Receiving prayer from others (laying on hands) for a refilling of the Spirit

****************************

Has this worked?
Recently, I was again visiting the reservoir, when I noticed the difference: the emptiness of the dam no longer reflected my inner state. I knew I had been refilled. (Thank You Jesus). My response to God’s Presence in the meetings held here in Melbourne this week demonstrated the overflow.

What are the ways that you can be filled with God’s Holy Spirit, and refreshed, spiritually and emotionally?

For related posts, review the Spiritual Renewal Category

Check back on this blog over the next couple of weeks as I will be discussing ‘Prophetic Activation through Journaling‘

**********************************

Related Posts:

How To Discover Your Spiritual Pathway

The River Returns: How To Be Refilled With The Holy Spirit When You Are Dry

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

Do you remember that age-old birthday party activity called ‘Pass-the-Parcel’?

After seating the children in a circle, the music begins. The CD player is presided over by an adult, who judiciously stops the music in such a way that every child has a turn at unwrapping and receiving a gift. To the children, the anticipation of the ‘random’ stopping of the music whilst the parcel passes through their hands generates great excitement. Predictably, some in the group hold the parcel for a few seconds longer than necessary. And once chosen, their faces light with joy as they open their very own gift, small as it is.

I still recall the magic of the game from my childhood, and a generation later, when as a parent it was my own turn to carefully wrap one gift over another, until multiple layers of gifts were wrapped into one.

We have a generous and loving God, who delights in giving His children good gifts. You are loved and chosen by God, and He has paid the price in full through Jesus’ death on the cross, to give you a priceless, multi-layered gift. And you get to receive, enjoy, and use everything that’s inside. But the choice is yours as to whether you will unwrap each layer, receive all of the gifts He has given to you, and pass them on.

1. The Greatest Gift of All: Jesus & His Salvation

The first gift that the New Testament reveals to us is Jesus Himself, God’s Son. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
When you believe in and receive Jesus, and give your life to Him, you become a child of God, a member of His family. With that transaction, you receive the gift of salvation: ‘whoever believes in him shall… have eternal life.’

“How much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” (Rom 5:15).

The Greek word translated gift in this verse is dorea, meaning a free gift, emphasising that it is unearned and unwarranted. There is nothing you have done or can do to earn this gift—the price has been fully paid by God Himself.
Once we have received God’s free gift of salvation—freedom from the penalties of sin and eternal life in relationship with God, we discover another layer of His gift-package still awaits us.

2. The Gift Of The Holy Spirit

“Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39).

The second gift you may choose to receive is the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit resides in us from the moment of our salvation. However, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience that is separate and distinct to that of our new birth in Christ, during which we receive the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is outpoured from the throne of God to give us power to live a supernatural Christian life and be effective witnesses of Jesus to others (Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49). Again, the word used is dorea—a free gift, available to all who have received God’s gift of salvation through Christ. And again, there is nothing we need do to deserve this gift, for Jesus has paid the price in full. All we need to do, as Christians committed and submitted to Jesus Christ, is simply believe, ask and receive.

3. Spiritual Gifts

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us” (Rom 12:4-6).

As we unwrap the free gift of our salvation, we realise that God has called us—in turn—to be His gift to the world. After His death and resurrection, Jesus said to His disciples, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21-22).

We discover that God has not only saved us for eternity, He has a unique place and destiny for us as we live out our lives here on earth. The desire to be a history-maker, to achieve something lasting for God, is ingrained into our spiritual DNA. In Ephesians 2:10, the Apostle Paul states, ‘For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ He calls us to do something for Him that is God-sized.

Not only has God called us; He also enables us. And He does this by giving us special gifts to help us serve Him. These gifts are unique to us, and eminently suited to the life mission and ministry pathway that He has prepared for us.
The word used for a spiritual gift in the New Testament is ‘charisma,’ meaning a gift of grace . The emphasis here is upon the favour and kindness of God, His graciousness in bestowing the gift.

We have a saying, ‘Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?’ Whilst God has already laid our destiny out in advance, it doesn’t come with a map or set of guidelines, for He has called us to ‘live by faith, not by sight’ (2 Cor 5:7). Whilst the call of God does come clearly and sovereignly on occasion, it usually unfolds slowly. We receive clues to our arena of service by examining the unique gifts, passion and personality that He has given to us.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10-11).

No one has been left out. No gift is inferior to another; there are no little people or little places in God. And you have been given your own unique gifts and your own arena of service, to love people, bring them closer to Jesus, and help grow His church. You are irreplaceable.

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

Excited residents rushed to get a view of the returning river as it marched into town, following heavy rains last week. The president of the local rowing club received a call in the early hours to say that the river had just passed the rowing sheds. He walked alongside it, escorting the river’s head as it approached the town.

Jesus said,
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit… (John 7:37-39)

I want to be filled with the Spirit, to be a Supernatural Christian, but at times all I can see in my life is a dry riverbed; traces of places where He has been and reminders of His Presence. During these times, it seems I have nothing left to give. I long to be connected again, but am not certain where to begin.

The story of the Wimmera River struck a chord with me because I, too, am enjoying a River’s return—an experience of spiritual renewal after a long dry period.

How can we experience a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit when we have been through a dry season? Here are some keys that I have discovered in my own journey:

1. Thirst

‘If anyone is thirsty’ (John 7:37)

I remarked to someone a couple of months ago, that one of the greatest tragedies in the church today is dryness without thirst.

When we are dry, we may engage in wishful thinking about being full of God again. Unless we are thirsty, we will never pursue God. Thirst—real desire—results in action.

Am I thirsty? Or am I just dry?

2. Get Personally Connected to Jesus

‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me’

Thirst motivated me to take action in two areas of my life. These were:

1. Habits
   These are the self-centred things I indulge in instead of spending time with Jesus, or the things I turn to instead of Him to meet a need. Recently our pastor talked about ‘What is your drug of choice?’ Personal habits have included worry, work, late nights and time spent at the computer.
2. Commitments
   These are the other-centred things that I do that take the best portion of my life and leave little time to connect with God. Responsibilities are hard to drop once you have taken them up. You just get busier and busier, then drier and drier.
   In my quest for the River’s return, no commitment is sacred. I am now doing less, focussing more, and learning to say ‘No.’

3. Find Out What Fills You and Do It

‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.’

We all have unique ways of connecting with and receiving from God. Mine invariably require solitude. In the great outdoors I connect with my Creator. Long walks by the water, praying and reflecting, fill me up. Times of Bible study, listening to worship and ‘soaking’—just being still before God in a receiving attitude—fill me with Him. These times and activities must be intentional, or they will never happen.

4. Ask

‘Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” ‘(John 4:10).

Sometimes, we have not because we ask not. When was the last time you asked Jesus to fill you with his Spirit? Why not stop and ask him right now.

We are all wired differently when it comes to connecting with God. If you have ideas and experiences, please share them as a comment below. I would love to hear about it—and someone else may benefit from your insights.

Let the River flow!

**********************************

Related posts:

Spiritual Renewal: How to Receive an Impartation of the Holy Spirit

How to Discover Your Spiritual Pathway

©  Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

Photography © Junette Keefe   www.pictorialparadigm.com