September 6, 2012 ~ Issue 33
Hello Friends,
Do you know how to connect with the Holy Spirit’s work in you to give you power for the overcoming life? Do you know how to receive correction and instruction from Him?
This story is about the gift of the precious Holy Spirit and how He became my helper who led me with correction, instruction, inspiration and wisdom, and empowered me toward life in Christ.
Who can know the heights, depths, and breadth of God’s love for us? On the third Sunday in January of 1988, the Holy Spirit had come into my soul, setting a burning fire in my heart, an unquenchable passion to surrender everything that I had been, and everything I hoped to become. I find it impossible to describe how God’s love felt when He shed His love abroad in my heart, changing my life forever. I can, however, tell how His love impacted my life, how He empowered me to live my whole life for Him. This has been the motivating force of my ministry to bring others to know that same love of Christ for themselves. Here’s the story that led up to that powerful, life-changing event.
It had been three years since God had awakened my heart’s desire for Him by setting me free from depression, and a mere two and a half years since He had given me a born again experience that set me on a new path of life with Him. I had learned many lessons of the Spirit-led walk of faith in that brief period of time. The Lord had given me a number of answers to prayer, several miraculous healings, and a strong awareness of Him around my life—like a good parent—constantly affirming me that I was doing well, that I was on the right track even when no one around me seemed to be going there with me. However, my soul often raged inside with frequent emotional ups and downs. I wanted to obey God more than anything, but the struggle to be good and to carry out all the new duties of being a homeschool mom was more than my undeveloped character could handle at times. I had felt so ill-equipped and deeply needy, and I wanted so much more for my children than had been provided in my own life.
My struggles continued to intensify, and I knew I was approaching burn-out and didn’t know what to do with it. Jim had made the original decision to bring our kids home from school, but it had taken me awhile to even understand his reasons for doing so. However, as I set myself to learn, I had finally adopted my own conviction about the path we were on, and so our mutual homeschool decision was a permanent one out of the conviction of our conscience. But I still didn’t know what to do with the intense need for help in my distressed soul.
In the fall of 1987, I began to study some of America’s Christian History, and for the first time a vision began to form in my heart for what education was supposed to accomplish. I knew I needed that education. I knew my children needed it too, and that it was somehow supposed to produce character in us and an ability to be self-governed from the inside out. Of course I didn’t have a clue how to put it there, but my prayer life began to be influenced with my new hopes and desires that continued to grow in me for something more for my family.
I was accustomed to often praying amiss, failing to understand what God was after in me and His ways of working in the lives of His children. But that fall season, God began to give me really serious prayers to pray. I began delving into a deep word study for the first time that was completely led by the Holy Spirit. Even though I was studying a particular set of ideas about education, I didn’t just want to know what God had to say about learning. I was deeply hungry to know Jesus for myself! I needed something but didn’t know what it was I needed.
I prayed a desperate prayer during that time that God would become more real to me or I would probably go back to living the sinner’s life. It was too hard being a Christian, and trying to live right for Him. The struggle with my flesh was so strong, only at that time I didn’t know that’s what my problem was. “For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do” (Galatians 5:17 AMP). I did know I was experiencing the cross due to the books I was reading at that time about the true spiritual life in Christ, but I didn’t know I could be released from that struggle forever. I just assumed I was always going to be miserable, living my life for God. I did believe God could do something, I just didn’t know what, and so I put all of my focus toward my Bible study to see what He would show me.
I was so amazed at how God began to reveal himself to me through His Word! He had a plan for how life works! He even had a plan for me! I learned many marvelous truths through my study period, but the most remarkable thing that happened was that something began to grow in my soul that was foreign to my experience and I knew what it was! I was beginning to experience love growing inside of me. I was feeling love! I knew Jim loved me, but never had I felt his love inside of me like this. I thought of it as God loving me, but it may have just been my own soul response to realizing my Heavenly Father wanted to be more intimately involved in my life. Either way, I knew God put it there and caused it to well up inside of me. My soul began to respond to this very real experience that continued daily, but I didn’t know what to do with it, except that I had begun to do lots of weeping during my study times. The Lord continued with His instruction and told me to give my love back to Him or I would lose something very precious. I had no idea what that was, but the Lord instructed me to give my love to Him during worship time at the new church we were visiting for the first time. I had never done anything like that before and so I didn’t know how, but I would attempt to do what the others did in giving my expressions of love to God.
Well, long story short, I practiced giving soul epressions of love and adoration to the Lord and continued the following week and the third week. I felt wonderfully and deeply satisfied releasing my spirit to love the Lord through song. Then on the third Sunday of my worship activity, God surprised me by sending the Holy Spirit who descended on me and came into my heart, setting a fire burning in me that I felt for many months after while He performed a cleansing work in my heart. I felt completely surrounded by and enveloped by God’s love! He had plunged my soul into His precious Holy Spirit, the gift He warned I would lose if I didn’t give myself in love to Him.
His love now empowered me to live for Christ. The struggle to live for Him completely ceased on that day and never returned! His love was now inside of me, making it possible to obey Him by faith without my prior struggles. His Spirit began to take me to the cross of putting to death all self-centeredness and wrong emotional dependencies. I had been learning the Spirit-led life, but now I had understanding for the deep work God wanted to do in me. He wanted me to become a habitation for Him to live through me! He didn’t just want to visit my life occasionally, and He didn’t just want to be in my life, but He wanted to bring me up into His life! He wanted my life to be a sacrifice of love for Him and the work that He called me to. He wanted all of me, and so I began the process of allowing myself to become broken and emptied by the Lord as I experienced His glorious, loving presence daily, encouraging me, and filling me up with more and more of Himself…
The Holy Spirit wants to bring Christlike character to our hearts, and it’s His primary work to give us correction and instruction and show us our fruit. “And He when He comes will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:8). While He wants to walk closely with us, He also wants to empower us from the inside!
“I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out.’” ~ Mark 1:7-8
Do you know the Holy Spirit yet? Are you trying to live for God in your own ability, struggling to set things right in your human relationships and to instill Christlike character in your children? You don’t have to do it all alone! You don’t have to live for God in your own ability! You can receive this precious gift of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who wants to empower you with His love to apprehend the promises God desires for you and your family. He will be a continuous presence in your life, comforting you in your faith. Why not commit a season to seeking God and becoming sold out to Him alone so He can do a more powerful, transforming work in you? Jesus loves you so much and wants you to know His love in your real experience!
Do you want to understand more about the work of the Holy Spirit? The 5th and final mini coaching program “The Holy Spirit” is now ready for purchase from our eStore! The Making Heart Level Connections coaching programs have been so well received! Barbie and I are excited to see the real changes taking place in the participants.
Here’s what a few participants have shared:
“After going through ‘The Holy Spirit’ program, I understand the Holy Spirit and His work better. I had many false ideas and beliefs about the function and person of the Holy Spirit. Lies have been exchanged with the truth, and because of that I love Him more and am more sensitive to His working in my heart. I have received Him as a gift rather than Someone who was given to me and taken for granted. I used to think that the ‘spiritual’ happenings throughout my life were His most important work. I don’t think that anymore. I thought the Holy Spirit was a mystical, mysterious Being who lived in me. He was not personal and intimate to me like He is now. I am growing in love with Him. I am so grateful for what He is doing and I want to cooperate with Him to be dead to self and filled with love…just writing this brings tears to my eyes.” ~ Carlise S.
“Marilyn and Barbie, thank you so much for this program and the others as well. I am so thankful for the teaching. It has been so life-changing with understanding and helped me to seek a closer relationship with the Lord and be led by Him.” ~ Julie M.
“After going through the program I definitely understand the reality of the Holy Spirit and understand much better the filling of the Spirit and how He works in us. I understand so much better the power and works of the Spirit and how healing and miracles work with a heart transformed relationally. This makes so much more sense now. I understand much better the struggles I’m going through and how this is because the Lord is in process with me. I am encouraged by Marilyn’s words about where we’re at in our process. Thank you so much for opening up your life and testimony to us and for giving us hope!” ~ Melanie C.
“I have SO much more hope now for my future relationship with the Lord! Something is different in me. I have moved to a deeper level of obedience, and I am experiencing a deeper desire to have more of Him. It’s like this last program tied together and added exactly what I needed to complete all I had learned through the first four programs of the series. Something broke off of me, and something really good has been unleashed in me. I feel closer to God than ever before, and I am recognizing and obeying His voice much more readily. I KNOW now that I will never go back.” ~ Ericka H.
Click Here to Learn More about the programs in Making Heart-Level Connections
Go Here to get “Your Conscience”! Regular price is $63.00. LOLACHE?members pay only $47.00!
Go Here to get “Your Standards”! Regular price is $63.00. LOLACHE?members pay only $47.00!
Go Here to get “Your Heart Desires”! Regular price is $63.00. LOLACHE?members pay only $47.00!
Go Here to get “Your Faith”! Regular price is $63.00. LOLACHE?members pay only $47.00!
Go Here to get “Your Helper”! Regular price is $63.00. LOLACHE?members pay only $47.00!
Grateful to be in the Lord’s service,
Marilyn Howshall for Lifestyle of Learning™ Ministries
[Lifestyle of Learning™/LOLACHE eNewsletter ~ September 6, 2012, Issue 33]
Portions of this story were excerpted from the book, Empowering the Transfer of Moral Values and Faith.