I Feel it in the Atmosphere...

God does such profound things in our lives. I'm grateful for constant evidence of His leadership of and involvement in my journey. In these past few weeks, it feels like everything has shifted. Ever have a moment like that? It's like you wake up and somehow, you've got new eyes. You're looking at the very same things but seeing things you never noticed before...

That "shift" is part of the deal when we surrender our lives to Jesus. As the "Author" of your faith, He's takes creative liberty to throw twists and turns in the story whenever He sees fit. Such an incredible adventure! Any other path must be so very dull.

I really believe that being sensitive to even the smallest tweaks and turns from the Holy Spirit is an irreplaceable part of Christian living. Those "small" adjustments can have immense implications, just a the slight shift of the rudder on a boat can change its course entirely.

Part of the shift right now for me is simply a new level of surrender. Maybe a little more than a year ago, Molly Buccafurni shared the letter below with our congregation. Such truth in these words. Heavy truth; but truth that has come back up in my heart these past few weeks as I've asked, "What am I really willing to do?"

If God is speaking to you about small changes (or even big ones) take courage, friend! Step out! He will not leave you without support!

THE HIGH CALLING

If God has called you to be really like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put on you such demands of obedience, that He will not allow you to follow other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Other Christians and ministers who seem very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot do it; and if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others can brag on themselves, on their work, on their success, on their writing, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise all your good works.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them or in having luxuries, but God may supply you daily, because he wants you to have something far better than gold, and that is a helpless dependence on Him, that He may have the privilege of providing your needs day by day out of the unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hid away in obscurity, because He wants to produce some choice fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.

God will let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him, and get the credit for it, but he will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done, and this will make your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words or feelings or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do as he pleases with his own, and He will not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.

God will take you at your word; and if you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot do or say.

Settle it forever, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that others are not dealt with.

Now, when you are so possessed with the living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of Heaven.

No matter what scales we use, we can never know the weight of another person’s burdens.

Given to Molly Buccafurni by a missionary – 1986.