Imagine an Elephant and a small Rhino living in a room. It would be very difficult for either to move around. In order to ease the situation, it would be good if the Elephant lost weight and ‘shrunk’ – as it were. As the Elephant loses weight and becomes smaller, it is easier for the Rhino to move around.
This situation is very similar to us when the Holy Spirit comes to live in us for the first time. Driven by our old sinful nature, the ‘still small voice’ of the Holy Spirit struggles to be heard within us. Daily, in our decision making process, our human nature takes control and is continually manipulating and managing situations to get what we need – very much like the Elephant forcing its way around the room.
The Holy Spirit in us on the other hand, is like the small Rhino battling to move around the room and having little say as to what the Elephant does, merely being forced to keep out of the way.
Before being touched by the Lord, we were completely ‘blind’ to our own sinful nature and actions which do not please God (2 Cor.4:4). We were not really concerned whether we pleased God or not – easy come, easy go!
Do we really have space for God in our lives or is He just someone who gets in the way of our comfortable lifestyles? We can continue our lives like the small Rhino and the Elephant in the room, continually jostling for position, or one party could make way for the other.
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us to help us become more transformed into His likeness. God will never force us to follow His ways but instead, puts a new heart within us, one that desires to please Him. I can’t remember the exact day that God touched my heart to follow him but there was a period in my life when things began to slowly change. Those changes still go on today some 30 years later!
What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit coming to live within us? Jesus says that the Holy Spirit is there to convict us of our wrongful ways – ways that do not please God (Jn.16:8). These wrongful actions are a direct result of the nature within us – the nature we were born with, descended from Adam (Gen.5:3). The Holy Spirit also brings sight or awareness of God to us. In effect, things of God start to interest us more and more. We want to know more about Him and desire to spend time together with those who love Him.
We begin to appreciate the true sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for us. In essence, what is happening within us, is that God’s Spirit is beginning to grow larger and our old human nature is now starting to diminish. However, we still feel like we are colliding with the ‘Elephant’ in our daily lives because we are striving in our own strength to please God.
Too many of us start our day really desiring to be good Christians. After the first half an hour of the day, we have failed God miserably on many accounts. Then the enemy whispers in our ears what poor Christians we are and we begin to feel guilty – exactly where the enemy wants us to be!
On our daily walk with God, we tend to look forward, aiming to walk the narrow road concentrating and focussing on each step. We worry that we will do wrong things and displease God. In reality, we should rather look back at the work Jesus did on the cross for us and realise that through that work, He empowers us to walk the daily walk – in His strength – not ours!
So…. it really makes sense for us to make more room for God in our lives. Allow His Spirit within to grow more by talking to Him all through the day, not just at designated times. Allow His Spirit to guide us through His word and we’ll receive personal individualised teaching. Allow His Spirit to speak through us as we fellowship with other believers.
Making more room for God means that His Spirit is more in control of our lives than our old sinful nature. We can take hold of His peace, available from within, to help us cope through our busy days instead of trying to draw from our old nature, which can leave us stressed, fearful and confused.
“Lord please change me….help me to bow down to the power of your Spirit within me. May your Spirit grow in me as my old nature gives way to new life. Let me see and taste of the fruit of your Spirit daily as you increase in me…” In Jesus name I ask these things.
Well….Is there (more) space for God in our lives?
Thank you so much for sharing your time with me. May our Father richly bless you, until we spend more time with Him again soon.
From: “…time with the Master…”