"We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality among us is low. We have measure ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit is all but gone... [We] have imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost." ~ A.W. Tozer
I'm reading the book Forgotten God by Francis Chan and becoming utterly convicted at the lack of the Holy Spirit's power in my life. And I don't think it's just me. In other countries around the world, the Holy Spirit's power in the lives of the believers is evident, but here in America, where comfort and entertainment are the focal points of our culture, evidence of His existence is sadly lacking. And then we wonder why we struggle so much day to day in our spiritual lives. It is because we are trying to do everything in our own strength, instead of making room in our hearts and minds for the Comforter that Jesus promised. We weren't meant to struggle alone. It's the whole reason why the Holy Spirit was given to us anyway. Yet all too often, we ignore him.
How many of us live like the Bible teaches? Or have we simply been force-fed a statement of beliefs without questioning what it is and why we truly believe it? When was the last time we let the Holy Spirit lead us and read with an open mind, searching for what is true, as the Bereans in Acts did with Paul's teachings? I don't want to simply be okay with neglecting one of the greatest gifts God has given us. I want to live in the presence of his Spirit every day, every hour, and every minute. I want his Spirit to guide me in every decision I make, and in everything I do. So take this challenge with me: read your Bible as if you've never read it before. Read it and ask that the Holy Spirit would be with you every step of the way, opening your eyes to what God would have you to see. And then allow the Holy Spirit to be present and active in your life. Cry out to God and ask that he would show you areas in your life where you have been unwilling to let the Spirit lead. We have been given so much, so don't waste it! Ignoring God's gift of the Spirit is like being given a million dollars and then burying it in the backyard: it's just stupid.
