On Saturday, my dad will celebrate his first anniversary in glory. Dad would be the first to tell you he wasn’t the most consistent follower of Jesus; not only did he take summers off: sometimes he took years off.
A few years ago as Dad and I spoke about the difficulty of living out our faith, Dad confessed, “I’ve been pushing the Holy Spirit down to my toes for over 30 years.” I replied, “Dad, just let Him loose!”
I saw changes in Dad after that. Granted, they were baby steps, and sometimes they were backward steps, but I saw changes.
A few days before Dad died he said to me, “If I survive this, my house will shine like a beacon for Jesus! If I don’t survive this, you tell everyone I am not afraid to die!”
We can’t judge Dad’s failure to live in the power of the Holy Spirit daily because you and I are no different. We may or may not push the Holy Spirit down for years, but it’s not unusual for many of us to push Him down for the summer as we take time off from Bible study, quiet time, prayer, fellowship groups and even church attendance.
Perhaps you take the summer off because you’re tired. You’ve been working hard for months trying to be good a Christian; trying to live the life you think you should live, and you’re exhausted. It takes a lot of courage to admit that you don’t have the power to maintain that kind of life.
You can’t be who you’re supposed to be simply by pulling up your bootstraps and participating in Christian activities. The power you need to live the way God wants you to live is the power of the Holy Spirit!
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him… “2 Peter 1:3, NLT
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. – 2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT
My challenge to you is this: Search the depths of your heart and ask yourself, “In whose power am I living today? Are things being accomplished that I know I could never do on my own? Am I exhausted because I am trying to live a Christian life without God’s power?”
When you come to the end of yourself, your ability and your power, that is where you will find God. All of God’s power is available to you through the Person of the Holy Spirit who lives within believers.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. – Ephesians 3:20 NLT
God’s power is available to you throughout the summer. God’s power will energize you. God’s power will give you the strength you need to be the person God wants you to be every day. And God’s power will propel you into the fall fully ready to go –especially if you choose not to take a spiritual summer break.
… and let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…” – Hebrews 10:22-25(NIV)
Marcia Furrow 
Thanks for sharing some of your dad’s faith story with us. It’s hard to believe that a year has gone since he went to be with Jesus! Thanks for encouraging your blog friends not to take the summer off from spending time in Bible study and prayer, it was well said!. Our pre CBS class using Engaging God’s Word, on James, meets here on Wednesday’s at 1:00. We have 15 who are not taking this summer off!
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YAY! Keep up the good work, Sandy! You are definitely an encourager!
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Reblogged this on freedomson1958's Blog and commented:
I was so Blessed to have parents that lived their faith 24/7, 365. Unlike them I falter far to often.I needed this Spur on:). Brings back the memories of my parents and the witness they put in front of me i to often forget.
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I was so Blessed to have parents that lived their faith 24/7, 365. Unlike them I falter far to often.I needed this Spur on:). Brings back the memories of my parents and the witness they put in front of me i to often forget.
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After last Sunday’s sermon… “Blessed” is definitely the word to use!! Thanks, George.
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Everyones faith walk is different. And blessed are all of us. It is still one day at a time.
God’s blessing Marcia.
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Bev, it is the first step that matters most, isn’t it? That is the one that determines the finish line! Love you, thanks for reading/posting.
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Marcia,
Thank you so very much. What a lovely tribute and a true statement to lean on God’s power and not our own.
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Thanks, Susan
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Very thoughtful insight of the battle many of us struggle with. Consistency in seeking God and accepting what He offers should be so easy, but sometimes life gets in the way. Thank you for this message of inspiration and spurring!
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Sue, thanks, I really appreciate your encouragement! Love you!! ♥
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marcia your dad was a awesome man! and thank you so very much for sharing this!i kinda think of my walk with god like medicine,when we are sick and broken we run to him to make us better,and he always does,but then we feel feel better and think we no longer need the medicine.and then guess what? we get sick again!
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Cindy, that is so true… He’s always there when we need Him! Love ya!
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