Do you sense God’s stirring these past two Sundays in our gatherings and in your life group discussions? When we start talking about who the Holy Spirit is and what he does, he almost always starts moving even as we’re talking. He’s such a good and wise teacher.

     If I could, I’d make the last two Sunday messages “required reading” for all in our fellowship. Not only will they help us walk in unity, but I believe your heart will be filled with anticipation and hope for God wants to do in your life.

     In our lives of relative comfort, it’s easy to find ourselves living out a faith that becomes complacent, not requiring much power from the Holy Spirit. In fact, a pastor visiting from a country where persecution is common once said to a group of American Christians, “I am saddened that your lives do not require you to desperately seek the Lord.” While the circumstances of this pastor’s life compel him to draw near to God, crying out desperately for more, in our life circumstances we often must cultivate desperation. Why? Because God responds to our desperation; he runs in response to our wholehearted yearning (Jer, 29:13; Matt. 5:6).

     In your life group or with other believing friends, discuss the messages of the past two weeks. Talk together about what inhibits your yearning for God. Be encouraged! God loves you dearly (as do I) and he has much more for us all.