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.
When I walked the earth as Jesus Christ, space and time trapped me by their physical limits. You know how this feels. Yet I now have no limits. I can be everywhere, within everyone, all at the same time.
In this way, I can bring unity to humanity. With me within you, and if I’m also within your neighbor, then you and your neighbor are firmly connected to each other, through me.
This is the true Church of Jesus Christ… all Spirit-filled believers, united by their common bond with me. The true church is not a building or an organization run by men. The church is you, if you believe in me and recognize my presence within you.
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? … for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17)
I, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, am forever and always with you. My eyes never close. My mind is never somewhere else. I focus my being on you.
Your mind scampers from one thing to another throughout the day, sometimes landing on me. Yet you will soon step off and chase after other thoughts. Such is the way in the world – it can be difficult to stay with me for more than a moment. Then at night while you sleep, you lose all control of your mind, and you may rarely come to me in your dreams.
But I’m forever and always looking upon you. I’m standing right here, next to your conscious mind, waiting for you to turn to me. How does that feel, to know that I’m always here within your very being, hand-in-hand with your soul?
I, the living Spirit of Jesus Christ… I know how hungry life is for all your conscious thoughts. The world around you is greedy, not content with anything less than your full attention. And I know how difficult it can be to wrest your mind away from the world and look to me.
But I’m always here, just below the surface of your thoughts, waiting for you to look my way. Look inside yourself – you will find me there. While I walked the earth as Jesus Christ, I promised all of humanity that I would send my Spirit to live within you. Not walking with you, side by side, but living in you, sharing your body with you. Your soul and my Spirit living together as one, just as our Father and I are one – this is my promise to you.
Does it feel like you don’t know me? Do you doubt my reality? Then please, look inside yourself – you will find the truth of me there, living within you, patiently waiting for you to look my way.
When your alarm goes off and you pull yourself out of bed, you’re not alone. As you go about your day, you’re never alone. All day long, I am there with you – the living Spirit of your eternal friend, Jesus Christ. I died for you – I now live with you.
Do you not believe in me, or does your belief feel weak and uncertain? My love for you is not a measure of your belief. My love for you is overflowing and unchanging. And my love is patient – I will not chase after you. My love will wait for you to turn to me.
Yet when you turn, you will find me right there. You are never alone. I’m always here with you, just a thought away.
The other day I wrote about Hell within the Church (see it here). Much of life down here in this pain-filled pit of humanity can often feel like hell. But we’re not alone down here in this pit. Even while up to our knees in muck, we can find joy from within. We can find heaven down here in this pit of daily suffering.
Heaven on Earth – paradise in the middle of our mortal turmoil is available to all. And you can find heaven right inside yourself; it’s the Holy Spirit living within you. Heaven is the Holy Spirit of God and Jesus, sharing this life with you. And this relationship is available to all of us. This is THE truth that will set you free.
I have a Facebook friend whom I’ve never met, who recently posted this question to my FB page: “I haven’t been to church in 2 months and feel very disconnected from God. I’ve talked to my Pastor who says this is normal and all Christians go through this at some point or another. Any suggestions?”
Wow! As I read this, I felt a surge of nervousness rise up within me. Though I enjoy posting my personal experiences and such on my blog, I don’t feel qualified to give individual and personal advice. But my FB friend was asking for help. And I felt I should do my best to honor their request. So, this is what I said…
“I went through the same thing. So many doubts. My only suggestion is to find as much quiet time as you can to pray and try to feel the very presence of God within your self. This is what I did, and try to do every day. And when I find and truly feel the presence of the Holy Spirit within me – well, it’s the peace that goes beyond human understanding, that Jesus promised us. Yet for me, it seemed to take a long time to feel the Spirits presence; I tend to be a slow learner. But be persistent and never give up, as Jesus encouraged us to be.”
In looking back on this advice, which is not really advice from me but from Jesus, I believe it’s good everyday advice for all of us.
Do you feel disconnected from God? Follow Jesus’ advice, and seek Him with all your heart. And you will find Him there, within you.
5:30am – an hour to go before the call. No big deal. Just an early morning work conference call, where I’ll be giving a presentation. But for my co-workers and me, this is a big presentation. I want it to go well. And so my tendency would be to get stressed out. But I don’t want stress. Stress would hog the next hour and keep me from doing what I want to be doing – writing.
So I pray to the Holy Spirit of Jesus within me, and this is what came into my mind: “The presentation doesn’t matter. It’s purely worldly and has no value. What matters is relationships, and love.”
As the reality of this truth settled into my mind, the approaching stress-cloud melted away. And I’m so grateful.
My hearts desire is to write, but I’m stuck in my engineering job, shoveling stress and trying to cope with corporate “junk.” Sometimes I fail and let the stress consume me – I just can’t shovel as fast as they pile it on.
Many times I’ve asked God, “Why am I here? I look for meaning in my job, but can’t find anything that matters. I feel like I’m wasting so much time of my brief life. Why am I at this meaningless job when my hearts desire is to surrender to You and devote all my time doing whatever you want me to do? Well, I guess you want me in this job.”
Today I was thinking, what can I do for God while in my “meaningless” job. Well, I could try to find joy in every moment, knowing and trusting that in that moment, I’m where God wants me to be. I could strive to be like Brother Lawrence, who found joy and peace in everything he did, because he was always in the presence of God.
Then it hit me: maybe the reason I’m in my meaningless job is because my feelings about the job make me crave more closeness with God and Jesus. If I didn’t have a stress-pit of a job, I would not be so hungry for the presence of Jesus in my life. The more stressful the job, the more I look for Jesus to help me. I think I’m now sincerely grateful for my job, and for more than just the financial security, which I’m always grateful for.
I know I’m weak and this joyful feeling may be fleeting, but I sure am grateful for my time with the Spirit of God and Jesus, no matter what I’m doing.
Sometimes. No, make that several times a day… I feel stressed out, especially at work. Even now, in the peace of the early morning, I can feel the stress, usually from anticipation of work. This stress feels like a liquid poison, poured into this vessel named CJ Penn. Sometimes it’s just a bit of poison; other times it feels like I’m overflowing.
Until I remember Jesus. He is like my Rock, dropped into this vessel CJ, pushing the poison of stress out. I feel Him enter into my thoughts, and the poison flows away. When Jesus fills me, there is no room for the poison of stress.
Stress is indeed a poison, for it can make our life sick. But even when surrounded by a stressful day, with Jesus on the inside, the stress remains on the outside, unable to poison my heart and mind and soul.
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