As we further refine our vision strategy we have reviewed our mission statement so that it more accurately reflects what we do. Our mission is
Helping people reach their full potential in Christ by the Power of God

This simple yet profound statement is accompanied by some core values or convictions which we hold dear highlighted by 5 key words. The value I am covering this month is

                                                  Presence

  “We believe that the presence and power of the Holy Spirit is an essential ingredient to enable people to reach their full potential”

The presence of the Holy Spirit in anyone’s life is vital. It is impossible for someone to reach their full potential without asking Christ in to rule and reign. That lordship of Jesus is spearheaded through the presence of the Holy Spirit within.

During a recent conference I was speaking at, which I shall report on next month our theme was ”By My Spirit”. This was taken from Zechariah 4:6. The context of this scripture is a word to Zerubbabel the civil head of Jerusalem charged with completing the rebuilding of the temple. He was told that this task would not be completed by natural strength, might and power but by the Spirit of God.

Many people try to live out their lives in their own strength and at times fail because of circumstances of life. We were never made for such a life on our own. In the beginning God himself walked with Adam and enabled him to understand his environment and be a success in all he did. After the fall the personal presence of God was no longer available to man on a regular basis as we see in the Old Testament. That is until Jesus came, died for our sin and won back for us the right to the presence and fellowship of the Father.

In several scriptures from John 14:16 to John 16:15 Jesus describes for us what this presence will be like when the Holy Spirit comes. In John 14:18 particularly, He tells us that we will not be left orphans any longer in this world. In other words we will not be on our own. John 14:16-17 gives us a first taste of what the Holy Spirit will be for us

16” And I will pray the father, and He will give you another Helper, that he may abide with you forever-
17 the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for he dwells with you and be in you.”

The Holy Spirit is here for us as Christians. He is with us and in us. That is an awesome place to be, the Holy Spirit of the living God lives in us permanently. Chapter 16 of John’s gospel then explains 7 things the Holy Spirit will do for us. We must also remember the fruit He brings as highlighted in Galatians 5:22. Check them out.

The problem for many of us is that we pay lip service to this knowledge. It is like as if we have just allowed the Holy Spirit into the basement of our life, when Jesus promises that he can and wants to be in the kitchen cooking for us. In other words sustaining our whole life.

How many of us have allowed the Holy Spirit to be for us all that Jesus promised He would be? I believe this is one of the reasons we are not enjoying a full life as we should.

We know Jesus also promised that we would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon us as Acts 1 and 2 promises. However we sometimes confuse the purpose behind this. Jesus promises the Holy Spirit in Acts so we may have ability to do the work of spreading the kingdom and being His witness.

However the Holy Spirit also wants to provide inner confidence to do those works. He does this through His indwelling presence. We need to allow Him to teach us and guide us. We need to rely upon Him and seek after His way more than ever. Allowing Him free reign in our life is not just a matter of acknowledging He is there. We have to yield to Him or to put it another way place our lives at His disposal and trust He can change us into the person God has always planned for us to be.Then we have to be ready to make adjustments in our life at His prompting so we become more like Jesus.

In Philippians 3 Paul encourages us to press on into the things of God because there is a high calling for us. In the same chapter he calls for us to count all natural ways of doing things as rubbish compared with the opportunity of knowing Christ in a deep intimate sense. The Holy spirit is here to do just that for us. His presence within us will reveal to us the heart of Christ so we are truly found in Him and can progressively be changed in our thinking so we do become more like Him.

Learning to walk in the Spirit in this way is not operating as if you are floating on a cloud all day or never do anything unless you hear a voice telling you what to do. No instead it is a sense of being aware of His presence within and His ability to lead you on a constant basis. So when there are difficult decisions to make you know you have someone you can turn to for advice who knows the truth and is able to help you make the right decision.

I know he has helped me in this way on many occasions and that is why I enjoy sharing this core value as part of my ministry wherever I speak

Have a great month.