I, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, know your love for me is real. But do you ever feel confused about how to show me your love? How do you show love to other people in your life? In some way, you give them your attention; you give them your time.
Every time you think of me, I feel your love. You’re showing your love right now. Be at peace and know that, even in the midst of your distraction-filled day, I know your love. And with me, cherish those moments when we can be alone together. Those are the sweetest.
Now, as I live here within your heart, I want to show you my love by giving you a hug, a hug from the inside – out. Close your eyes, look within, and feel my arms around you. Now let’s go have a great day, together.
Today, please, find some quiet time in a solitary place to free you mind and be with me, the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Yet even as you sit quietly with me, the things of this world will pop up in your mind. Chores on your to-do list, tasks at work, your plans for this weekend, relationships, and of course worries – these things are like walls that rise up between you and me. Yet all you need do is look through the wall, to me, and that wall will come crashing down, for now. Find a quiet place, knock down the walls of worldly distractions, and focus your minds eye on me, within you.
We are living together within your self. Try not to let the world come between us. For together, we can face the world. Together, we can conquer life’s problems and challenges. And besides, it’s more fun living together, than alone.
Some of God’s children carry around a heavy burden… their past. I, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, weep over the children who cannot let go of painful memories. They believe God will not forgive their past. So their memories become a barrier between them and me. They cannot let me in because they believe they are just not good enough… because of their past.
Is your past a burden for you? Please, open your mind and hear this truth: your past is no longer real. It’s like a vapor, blown away by the winds of time. It’s gone. The only time that is real is now. That’s the time that matters.
And please accept that God’s love is not conditional; He does not judge His children as being “good enough” for His love. There is no favoritism with Him. He’s not that kind of parent. God loves all His children equally because your behavior cannot influence His love. God’s love forgives, and God’s love forgets… your past.
Please, if your past weighs heavy on your heart, let go of it. And as it turns to vapor and drifts away, I can enter in.
“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
“He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.” (Ephesians 6:9)
Do you believe that I, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, can live within you, sharing your life with you? Do you believe this, yet not feel my presence? If you seek me, you will find me when you seek me with all of your heart. But what does this mean to you, to seek me with your heart?
You will find my story in the Bible. Read the Bible and you will know something about me. But you can only truly know ME, as a presence within you, as a person living with you, when you seek me inside yourself.
Yet the world, always in your face, blinds you to me. You must first shut out the world before you can see and feel me. As you close your eyes and mind to the world, you will begin to see me more clearly. Look inside yourself for me in your prayers. Reach within to me, with all your heart and all your love. Practice seeking me as often as you can. And you will find me within your heart, for that’s where I live.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
[Look, something brought you to this blog post. If it was a mistake—sorry. But if you’d like to see something that is probably more worth your time, please check out the blurb about my soon-to-be-published novel on my new website. It’s basically about seeing a different perspective of Jesus, through the eyes of some background characters in the Bible. New website: cjpenn.com]
What does it mean to you to trust me, the Spirit of Jesus Christ living within you? Please, take some time right now and think about trust. How does it look? If you completely trusted me, what would today look like? What would be your experience as you go through this day?
To me, trusting is relying on me to guide you, help you, and protect you. Trusting is believing that I will gently steer your life to where I want it to be, which might be exactly where you are right now. Trusting is offering control of your life to me; trusting is surrender.
Do you feel you can trust me, the Son of the creator of all that exists, to direct your life to what’s best for you? Or do you think you can do a better job? Please, trust me. And by that trust, you will experience the peace that goes beyond human understanding.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.” (Romans 12:1)
What does it mean to you to be holy? To me, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and to my Father God, by believing in me you are holy, now. For by your faith, your sins are no more.
You cannot become holy by anything you do. You are holy because of what I already did for you. I took upon myself the penalty for your sins, and I paid the price. Now, in God’s sight your sins are no more. Your sins are forgotten, as if they never happened. This is holiness: you are clean and pure, in God’s eyes. It is done; it is finished. All you need do is believe in my sacrifice for you and accept my gift of holiness. That’s faith.
Please, accept my gift, so painfully given to you. And be free of the burden of your past sins.
“We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10)
“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” (Colossians 1:21-23)
Do you trust me? I am the Spirit of Jesus Christ. I am the Spirit of God, living within you. Yet even if you believe in my presence, do you trust me? You may think this is a silly question. “Of course I trust you. You’re God,” you might say. Yes, it seems that belief and trust will naturally go together, when thinking of me. So it’s easy to assume there is trust when your belief has blossomed.
But I ask you today to think about trust. Think about what it means to truly and completely trust. Imagine what it feels like to completely trust in the presence of the very Spirit of Jesus Christ, living within you. What would it feel like to trust me to guide you, counsel you, and give you strength when in need, forever and always to be here with you, within you?
For most of my children, their growing trust completely changes their life – their worries disappear. Please, trust in God; trust also in me. And you will find a peace that goes far beyond your human understanding. The gift of trust is peace, my peace, an enduring peace, unaffected by the things of this world.
Do you trust me? If you’re not sure, that’s okay. If you feel you want to trust me, yet your trust feels weak, then just get to know me better. Trust comes from a close relationship; you know this from other people in your life. In knowing me, you will trust me. The more time we spend together, the more your trust will grow. And the more your peace will grow.
“Do not let our hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” (John 14:1)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
It takes courage to let go of the familiar and pursue the unknown. I know it takes courage to let go of the world, and look inside to me, the Spirit of Jesus Christ living within you. To you, the world, though hard and sometimes filled with pain, is real and familiar. It’s comfortable.
I ask you to have the courage to get up off that couch of comfortable familiarity and step off on a journey of adventure. And more than adventure; I offer you love, joy, peace, and the heavenly traits you need to truly live life. I just ask you to gather up enough courage to take that first step and look inside yourself, to me. And I will give you the strength and courage you need for the rest of the adventure.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
I, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, exist for you. I promised my Spirit to you before I was crucified. But what does this mean, to have my Spirit available to you? What does it mean to have me inside you?
Is this a tough question? I know it’s difficult to understand; the spiritual is foreign to your mind that has its roots deeply planted in the material. But please know that I’m more than a thought, more than a dream, more than imagination, and more than a wish. I am real and I am here, within you.
To have me inside you is to have my real and tangible Spirit actually living within you, sharing your body with you. Please, don’t over-think it… just believe it, and accept my presence within you. And seek me as often as you can, for when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me there. And I will truly be real to you.
Happiness – it’s seems so elusive, and temporary, doesn’t it? This is because it comes from the world, and all things of the world are temporary. The happiness I, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, offer you is eternal and permanent, for it does not come from material things or worldly experience; it comes from God. I call this joy.
True joy starts growing when you look inside yourself, looking for me. I’m there, always waiting for you. When you believe in my presence, joy begins. As you empty yourself of the temporary things, as you empty yourself of your self, and make more room for me, then I will fill you up. As I become more within you, so does joy. And I can fill you to overflowing with joy. I’m already here, within you – please let go of your grasp on the material, and grab a hold of me, and the joy will begin to flow within you.
As you go about your day, as you go to work, or school, take care of your children, do chores around your home, please let me share these times with you. I am the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and I long to share your day with you.
Just because you’re not sitting on a pew in a church does not mean I’m not there, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to be there. I want to be with you every moment of your day, wherever you are.
I know there may be times and places that are very private for you. And you may feel that they are too human, too worldly, and maybe too crude, for me to share. But please remember, I understand humanity, I know humanity, for I too was human once. I’ve experienced all of what it is like to be human.
So please, look for me in everything you do. I’m there, within you, just waiting for you to look my way.
I, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, know that life is hard. After all, I lived my own life. I lived a human life, with all the pain, and the emotional trauma, and coming face-to-face with evil, and anger, and hypocrisy, and even friends who turn against you. I’ve faced hardships similar to what you’re facing. So I know how difficult life is.
And I’m here to say that you don’t have to go through this alone. I am with you. I am within you. All you need to do is believe this, and look within yourself and find me there. Faith will open the eyes of your heart to see me, within you. And you will realize that you are not alone on this journey through this valley of the shadow of death.
I am walking with you on this journey, sharing it all with you. And sharing myself with you.
What do you think of humanity? If you were on the outside gazing in, how would it look to you? Beautiful, or sometimes ugly? I, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, have a unique perspective, for I am right in the midst of humanity, within the bodies of all who believe. Yet I’m also on the outside, with our Father in heaven.
To me, humanity looks broken. Evil, pain, anger, selfishness, and pride have consumed humanity. Though these things are not what I want for God’s children, they are just a part of human nature. Yet, even with all these flaws, God loves His children.
Our Father’s love is true love, for it is unaffected by behavior. You may get angry with your children, but you still love them. Yet as much as the most loving parent is able to love a wayward child, my Father and I love His children more, no matter how wayward they may be.
Yes, like you, God gets angry with the poor choices and evil behavior of his children, but His anger is always mixed with love and compassion. And God feels sorrow, for His misbehaving children are victims, victims of their own human nature.
When you look at humanity, do you get angry at people who exercise the flaws of their human nature? Do yourself a favor; please don’t let your own human flaws define your reaction. And mix your anger with love, compassion, and a bit of sorrow.
Here’s one more thought for you: what is a common human reaction when faced with unconditional love? Is it sometimes to improve behavior as a way to validate that love, and in a way… earn it? Well, this is how I hope God’s children will react when they come face-to-face with His unconditional love. And I’m here, within you, to help.
Do you desire quiet, intimate moments with the ones you love? I do. Are there times when your desire grows to an emotional craving, where it’s almost as if your wellbeing depends upon the hug you desperately seek? For me, nearly always.
I, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, crave intimacy with the ones I love. I crave intimacy with all of my Father’s children. Yet my intimacy is unique and very precious; I crave spiritual intimacy. I hunger for spiritual hugs.
You will find and feel my intimacy when you look inside your self: I am there, with my spiritual arms reaching out for you, waiting for you to reach out to me. Close your eyes, picture me there, within you. See me reach out to you. Now, step into my arms, lay your head on my shoulder, and hug. Feel the peace. Feel my strength. Feel the soothing calm. Stay with me here for a while, please. Oh how I love you my child.
Do you love me? Are there times when your arms ache to reach out and hug me, and to feel my arms hug you, my arms that once stretched out on the cross for you? For a spiritual hug, just look inside yourself. For a physical hug, hug a friend, for I may be there too, within them.
Do you feel guilty about your sins? Are there influencers in your life, like friends or your church, who in some way tell you that you should feel guilty? Does pressure to feel guilty come from inside you, rather than from other people? Is there a seed of guilt, planted into your heart long ago that sprouts to full bloom with the slightest sin?
Then listen to this truth. I, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, come to you to tell you that there is no place for guilt in your life. There is no need for guilt in your life. You see, feelings of guilt about sins against our Father God are not what He desires. Rather than guilt, God desires that your faith in him grows to full bloom. Yet feelings of guilt are a sign of a faith that has not yet blossomed.
Please listen to me and believe. I took upon myself the guilt for ALL sins. I paid the penalty for all sins. There is no more call for guilt. Guilt is dead; it died with me, on the cross. It is done. It is finished!
Look inside your heart… I’m there within you. Come to me, and I will open your mind to this truth and give you rest from guilt. Faith will set you free from guilt. And as your feelings of guilt wilt, your faith will open to full bloom. And our Father will look upon you and smile.
Your life is such a special gift, given especially to you. Yet God did not intend this gift to be horded selfishly. I, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, ask you to share your life with others, and with me.
Yet life is often very difficult. You have periods of peace and comfort. And you have times of pain and suffering. You know this; you’ve experienced it. This mix of peace and pain, sometimes out of balance to the pain side, is just what life is, within the broken world of humanity. Yet again, it’s not what I intended. Sin entered into humanity and brought with it pain.
And some people choose to escape this broken world, and leave this life. Yet no matter how broken you may feel – your life, everyone’s life, is infinitely special and important. For through you, I can walk the earth yet again, on your two feet, with you.
If you feel that walking through life alone is too difficult, if you’ve ever thought about giving up on your life and running away, then please look to me. Instead of surrendering to fatigue and despair, surrender to me. Let me fully enter into your life, and make my home with your soul. And you never need to take another tiring step alone, for I will be walking with you, within you.
Just pray – look to me. Awaken your mind and soul, to stare on me. And soon I will come into focus and you will see me clearly, not with your eyes, but with your feelings, within you.
Do you feel empty? Does it feel to you like something is missing from your life? Look to me, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and I will fill you with my presence. I will fill you with my love, my compassion, my humbleness, and my peace. The peace I bring to you is not the fragile peace you find in your world; it’s an enduring and strong peace, able to stand against the stormy winds of life.
Your sense of emptiness is your soul speaking to your mind, telling you that it’s hungry for companionship, that it’s hungry for me.
Look to me, and I will fill you up.
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10)
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command. And I, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, have only this command… love each other.
You are my friends if you love one another. Look, I’ve already taken all your burdens upon myself; I’ve already paid the penalty for your sins. All I ask of you, the only burden I leave with you, is to believe and to love.
What does it mean to you to be a friend? Does it mean being there when your friend needs you? Does it mean caring for what your friend cares about? Does it mean feeling pain, when they are in pain? Does it mean celebrating their joys, when they are joyful? Does it mean being a listener, when they need someone to share their concerns with?
This is what it means to me to be your friend. This is what I offer you, as your friend; I offer you love, compassion, sympathy, empathy, and a shoulder to cry on. And I’m always right here, by you side. More than by your side, I’m within you, living with your soul. Look inside yourself; your feelings will tell you of my presence. If you feel I’m not there, just look inside. This act of faith will open the door of your heart and I will enter.
“This is my command: Love each other.” (John 15:17)
Dear one, I long to fill you with my love. I am the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As God is love, so am I. To have my Spirit within you is to have love filling every part of you. To know me is to know true love – unconditional, humble, other-centered love. My love, true love, knows no limits and imposes no requirements. It just is.
Yet do you sometimes hold back my love, as a dam holds back a wall of water? Look inside yourself. Is there a wall within? My loved ones often build such walls, with stones of pride, and fear, and doubt, selfishness, greed, guilt, and the world. Gently lower your wall and my love will flow and flood your entire being. My love will overflow you, and splash onto those around you.
Do you feel empty at times? That empty feeling is your soul, hungry for my love. Please, let me in.
Do you wonder at my existence? Are you uncertain, yet curious? Am I really the Spirit of Jesus Christ? Do I really exist within your being, sharing your body with your very soul?
If such questions occupy your mind, maybe that’s because I occupy a space in your heart. Such questions come from me, within you. Your earth-bound rational mind will doubt, yet there is part of you that is able to escape the limits of your humanity and look beyond the things you can see, to me.
Look for my story within the pages of the Bible. Look for me within you. Seek, and you will find me in prayer. For prayer is where you and I come together. Prayer is where wonder and curiosity becomes reality… with me, within you.
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