Ignite Women Can you imagine?

Can you imagine?

Apr

2013

Can you imagine?

Written by Linda Thomas (adapted from In Step with the Spirit – A Life of Passion, Power, and Purpose)

Imagine for a moment what God can and will accomplish through you if you allow the Spirit’s power to flow into the mundane, ordinary days of life. Imagine what your life would look like if the Spirit of Christ was invited into the details of your heartbreak…your loneliness…your addiction…your anger. Imagine what people would see in your laughter…your success…your everyday interactions when marked by the Spirit’s power. And imagine how your “impossible” situation might suddenly seem not so impossible after all.

Is it hard to imagine? If it is, don’t fret. Pray. There is great power in prayer.

Merriam-Webster’s “synonym discussion” says that power implies possession of ability to wield force, permissive authority, or substantial influence.

Have you ever noticed that the New Testament gospels are chock-full of miracle upon miracle? Jesus seems to keep himself quite busy doing the impossible, doesn’t he? While it’s extremely encouraging, I think sometimes we’re tempted to look for the astounding, the inexplicable, the miraculous as the primary evidence of God’s presence and involvement in our lives. I want to encourage you in a very different way today. I want you to be refreshed by the power of God in the ordinary days of your life, because in all honesty, isn’t that where most of us live?

Do you recall the encounter of Jesus and the woman at the well? Talk about an ordinary day. Jesus and his disciples were walking along dusty roads for miles and miles from Judea to Galilee. The text in John 4 even tells us that Jesus was tired. Nothing all that spectacular about a man walking from one place to another and getting tired along the way, is there? If you were to begin reading the gospels with a mission to find “ordinary days” and “ordinary moments,” I think you would find many more than you first imagined.

At the same time, I believe most of us do long for “more.” We yearn to experience a passionate relationship with the Lord and to sense his power in our lives. There is a simple solution for this. Begin practicing a continual awareness of God’s presence in every part of your day. From the moment you wake up, just talk to him without ceasing – that’s called praying!

One way I’ve come to recognize that I’m walking in the power of the Spirit is when what I’m doing is unnatural for me; even when it’s something mundane. I make myself a house of prayer (Mark 11:15-17) and experience God’s power throughout the day when I:

Feel joyful about doing the laundry. It gives me an “extra” opportunity to pray over each member of my family as I physically touch their clothing.

Load groceries into my car (I loathe grocery shopping!). Praise wells up within me for God’s amazing provision and the abundance I have to share with others; often followed by his voice calling me to action: Are you sharing it?

Listen patiently to my husband or child when I feel like butting in to “correct” them and impart my own “wisdom.” Succeeding in keeping my mouth shut are some of the most empowered, Spirit-led moments I have in a normal day!

Extend a sincere smile or word of encouragement to someone who doesn’t like me. What I’m usually feeling is insecure, fearful of their response, or sometimes even like “letting them have it.” There’s that keeping-my-mouth-shut victory again!

Relish God’s grace over me. This is the Spirit’s power for sure! I promise it would come much more naturally to beat myself up than to rest in the undeserved mercy of God, but it’s certainly not nearly as sweet and comforting.

This list could go on and on. The point is to prayerfully and constantly invite the Spirit’s presence and power into your common tasks and circumstances. In choosing to follow through with these simple acts and attitudes, Jesus is actually living through you. When we live prayerfully in the power of Christ’s Spirit, an ordinary day becomes extraordinary. Imagine that!

You can read more about Linda here.