Iron Rose Sister Ministries

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Published: 23 May 2018

• Holy Spirit

Allow me to share one of my favorite stories about how the Holy Spirit works in and through us... Back in the summer of 1996, a young freshman in college ventured on a mission trip to Venezuela—her first time out of the country and her first opportunity to put the Spanish she had studied in textbooks to the test. She spent the first four weeks on a campaign with about 20 other students, meeting people, inviting them to the nightly meetings conducted by the local church, studying the Bible with people and learning a lot about herself and a new culture.

After those initial four weeks, she and two other students stayed for another three weeks to follow up on all of the contacts that had been reached during the campaign. The young man that stayed spoke no Spanish and the other girl that stayed, while she was somewhat proficient, contracted salmonella and was in bed most of the remaining time.

So, this young girl, novice-level in her Spanish, and young guy, barely able to say “hola,” trekked across the city, following up on dozens of people who had signed up for personal Bible studies. They would visit a home and if it was a man that had signed up for the study, Michelle, as we will call her, would translate for the young man and if it was a woman who had signed up for the study, Michelle would teach while the young man read his Bible and sipped the coffee all the students had grown to love.

On one such occasion, in the home of a lady who had signed up for a personal Bible study, Michelle was faced with a difficult question she wasn’t sure of the answer to in English and felt even less equipped to answer in Spanish. She said a quick prayer and a few minutes later, realized that she had just given the most eloquent and Scriptural answer to a very difficult question. Actually, she didn’t. She didn’t give that answer and none of those eloquent words were her own. Even if she had been able to answer the question adequately, her Spanish was at a level that the response would have been less than eloquent.

Yes, that was me. I still remember that day vividly. I don’t remember the question the lady asked, nor her name, but I will never forget the light that came on in her eyes as the Spirit took over for me and spoke through me in a way that I had never experienced before. I was hooked. I knew from that day forward that I wanted to use my life in any way possible to allow the Spirit to speak through me to shed The Light to any that wanted to hear the good news of the hope we have in Christ.

Excerpt taken from the final chapter of Human AND Holy, available on our website.
Also, I share this and other stories during a presentation about Iron Rose Sister Ministries at Harbor/Pepperdine Bible Lectures. The video is available via Facebook Live and on our YouTube channel.

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Published: 16 May 2018

• Holy Spirit

Keep the main thing the main thing. Get back to the basics. Maintain your first love. Stay on the straight and narrow. Seek the ancient paths.

There are many ways to express the importance of retaining our focus as we move forward.

The Holy Spirit is described as our Guide. In John 16:13, Jesus promises, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

Waze, Google Maps, and other technology provide us with GPS coordinates and directions that follow the path of least traffic, guiding us from point A to point B. Yet the most up-to-date GPS cannot help us make the most important decisions about what direction we should take.

Jeremiah 6:16
This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”

This verse in Jeremiah has been a powerful reminder and gentle guide as I seek God’s wisdom. Here are the four reflections the Spirit has revealed through His guidance:
1. “Stand at the crossroads and look...” When we are at a crossroads, needing to make a decision, we must pause. For me, this means quieting the other noise and taking a moment to look around—assess where we are and where we want to go, through prayer. I cannot barrel forward full steam ahead without first stopping to stand, look, and pray.
2. “Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is...” God honors those who ask for wisdom (James 1:5), clarification (Acts 8:31), and direction (John 14:4-5), even when we ask with doubt or confusion.
3. “And you will find rest for your souls.” There is a promise when we walk the ancient paths. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. On the ancient paths, we will find rest for our souls (Matt. 11:28-29).
4. “And walk in it... But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” He who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins (James 4:17). And he who hears the words of God but does not put them into practice is foolish (Matt. 7:24-27). So, when God has made the ancient paths clear, we must soften our hearts, trust and obey, and walk with Him.

As I seek the ancient paths, with the Spirit as my guide, I will pause, pray, ask, rest, and walk with Him. God’s way is best, even if it seems old-fashioned. Will you join me on the ancient paths?

Want to learn more about listening to the Spirit? Week 5 of Called to Listen has seven listening exercises focused on listening to the Holy Spirit.

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