How does your spirit feel?

Posts are the original thoughts and writings of Rev. Kelly Bates Oglesby

As we near the end of Lenten season, let's assess our spiritual health. Examine our spiritual reflexes/responses to the word and will of God. Just as we get an annual physical this season marks an excellent time to spiritually check up on ourselves.
Now let's start with our heart. How is your heart, is it contrite and broken? Do you have a clean heart?
Consider Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me and Psalm 51: 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
Now let's look around the mouth and examine the tongue. Is your mouth and tongue consecrated to the Lord, do they edify and encourage? Again, let's go to Psalm 51:11 Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.
Tongue presents us with more spiritual considerations, Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Time for a hearing analysis? God is wondering can we hear Him now? Checking our spiritual ears, Mark 4:23 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” 24 Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given —and you will receive even more. 25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”
Our spiritual reflexes, this exam will reveal how willing, ready, and submissive we are to the will of God. Often in the natural we are not allowed to operate heavy equipment, drive vehicles, or be responsible in situations that require the capacity to react or respond quickly while maintaining our balance. The same is true spiritually, if you have not been allowed to minister, lead, or do something spiritually maybe you need to train and condition your spiritual reflexes.
Reflexes, there is a condition that would cause a lack of reflex action, but apparently it is a symptom of a variety of conditions that can impact our reflex response. Isn’t that just like our spiritual life? Are there aspects of your life that are numbing your reflex responses? Lifestyle? Habits? History?

Luke 11:28 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." Jam 1:22 But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

We need to condition ourselves to live out the word of God, we serve the true and living God, Jesus is our risen and soon coming Savior and Lord. We must be ready to answer when He calls, directs, or sends us.

Spirit Check!
It is the Holy Spirit that gives us the power, the strength, the boldness, ability, and the confidence to be witnesses for Jesus. We can't do it on our own.
If we want to be a bolder witness for Jesus, we need to be praying for it, obeying the Lord, and submitting to the will of the Lord. Don't be scared of experiencing God. Don't be scared of being a witness for Him either. Are you healthy enough to go from ashes to fire? Are you willing to do what it takes to accept and acknowledge humility and feel the fire?

Lenten season takes us from Ash Wednesday to Pentecost Sunday, we going from being publicly marked with ashes to affirm our humility, meekness, and submission to Christ Jesus. Throughout this season we reflect on our spiritual well being to strengthen and develop our spirits to be boldly afire just as on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost filled believers.

During this season, I check up to see if I have a need to change my spiritual diet or adjust my spiritual agility and endurance training. I pray this was useful to you.

I am on my way for further analysis. I have found some areas of my spirit that need special attention from the Great Physician, I am going to allow the Holy Ghost to operate in me, on me, and through me so that I may gain greater strength, wisdom, and capacity to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

Be blessed and be a blessing!
Rev. Kelly Oglesby

Have you considered...: Posts are the original thoughts and writings of Re...

Have you considered...: Posts are the original thoughts and writings of Re...: "Posts are the original thoughts and writings of Rev. Kelly Bates Oglesby Thursday, March 27, 2008 Are you a slave to debt? by Rev. Kelly ..."

Posts are the original thoughts and writings of Rev. Kelly Bates Oglesby

Posts are the original thoughts and writings of Rev. Kelly Bates Oglesby

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Are you a slave to debt? by Rev. Kelly Bates Oglebsy

If you do not know what is on your credit report, then you do not know if you are debt slave or not. Harriett Tubman knew it was impossible to free slaves who were not aware that they were indeed slaves...

Far too many in our community ignore the cost of debt and the calls of debt collectors. Money management or money mismangement is the legacy we hand to the next generation. Our children learn their fiscal habits from us. They are aware of our habits of shuffling cards, ignoring and blocking calls, and stacking mail we have no idea of how to or intention of learning to deal with so we can live in peace.

Many of us assume since we do not make a lot of money there is nothing that we can do. That is not true. We can to small but regular steps to establish money management skills that will improve our sense of physical well being and our fiscal health.

One suggestion I make to kin and friend is to check their credit reports each year as they prepare their tax returns. Thanks to legislation we are able to obtain one report that is aggregated from all three major reporting agencies annually. Apply tax refund, job bonuses, or raises towards paying off lingering debt. If you find errors invest the time to contact the credit reporting agency and the creditor and identify the error with as much detail as possible and ask for a correction. This annual check up is a good basic step.

Once we have our debt diminished we can become investors and savers which empowers us to become independent in pursuing our dreams and helping others.

Know what is on your report. Know where your money is being spent. Know where your money is invested. Knowledge is power. Know who to turn to for help and knowledge as you learn to become a money master rather than living as a debt slave!

I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves." - Harriet Tubman