Issue #1164 – Running With the Wind – May 30, 2023
Many years ago, when we were first married, Kathy and I lived on Vancouver Island. While we lived there, we took sailing lessons. I confess to having long forgotten the mechanics and nautical terminology, but the experiences remain clear.
We learned to sail in a single-masted, twelve-foot craft called mirror dinghies. They were small enough to be easily sailed by a beginner but fast enough to be pretty fast once you got the hang of handling them. In fact, mirrors are used for racing in many areas.
Sailing is an art and a science. You must be constantly alert for changes in the wind and be prepared to change your sail at a moment’s notice. You learn to sail across the wind, against the wind and race with the wind. Any experienced sailor reading wind conditions can go a long way, even with almost still skies.
No matter how much wind is blowing, if you don’t understand how it is blowing or aren’t ready to set your sails correctly, you can’t go anywhere. With your sails down or improperly set, you may go absolutely nowhere.
We learned that lesson early in our sailing careers. The experienced sailors would be out there, sails filled and clipping along, having a marvellous time. At the same time, the beginners sat there trying to figure out what we needed to do and filled with envy for those who made it look so easy,
Soon though, we learned how to set and adjust sails. We learned to not fight the wind but harvest it. Then we were out in the strait, sails full and clipping along with the others.
It can be that way in our spiritual lives, faith walk and ministry. Holy Spirit can be moving all around us, but unless we are paying attention and are willing to work with Him, we can be dead in the water. If we are not sensitive to His leading, Holy Spirit can nudge us or blow up a gale around us, and we will miss out.
We can sit there and struggle, envying those walking in the Spirit and wondering where He is. We can forget that He dwells in all believers, and His power is available to us.
It is the Spirit that empowers us.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
We must keep in step with HIm.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Galatians 5:16-17
The Spirit is our counsellor (or Helper in some translations):
But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. John 15:26-27
All the help and counsel in the world are useless if we don’t seek it or heed it.
Perhaps the best way to run with the Spirit is to listen for His voice and heed it.
Until next time, may your sails e filled with the breath of Holy Spirit.
Be Blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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