The Dogwood Nazarene Church’s building project is moving along according to schedule and the day is drawing near for the first day of worship in the new building, which is Easter morning. That glorious morning when the worldwide church body celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, and knows because He lives, every believer can live forever with Him. Especially on Easter morning, believers in every nation will be praising the name of Jesus in every language, as hearts recognize again, that because He lives and because God loves us, we can have a loving relationship with Him for eternity. As Easter approaches, I ask for God’s continued blessing on the building project until completion, but most of all, that the true meaning of Easter will be known through the sweet presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
The world and the devil have a substitute for the sweet presence of the Spirit, but the price to pay in exchange for this temporary “feel good fix” can end up costing your life and your soul. Drugs, gambling, alcohol, pornography and other addictions all stimulate the natural senses, but the person who indulges in these activities is trying to fill a spiritual need in a worldly way. The greatest thrill, the best high, is to be filled with the sweet presence of the Spirit of God who loves you, who the Bible calls the Holy Spirit.
The world and the devil will steal your joy and your life with false highs, but the Holy Spirit gives a spiritual high, the one we are most hungry for, and His sweet presence will give us new life, forever. The seed of the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit is who joins with the new believer’s spirit the moment they accept Jesus Christ as Lord of their life.
We can choose to get out of the life of false highs and choose instead the real thrill of what the Bible calls life in the Spirit. All we have to do is ask God and believe that He will give of His Spirit. The Bible says that our Father wants us to have good gifts, He is ready to give them, especially the Holy Spirit, so if you want more of the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit, you just need to ask for more! Lord may I have more of your Sweet Presence please? Until next time, God bless you and your loved ones.
