You will be experiencing:

• Silence

• Scripture

• Song

The Scripture

13 No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (MSG)

23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14:23-27 (ESV)

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 (NIV)

11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[a] his Spirit who lives in you.
Romans 8:11 (NIV)

The Thought

"People will fail you, but God is faithful." I had a professor in college that was known for saying this repeatedly. And he had us say it as students. As a pastor he saw a lot of situations, "had a lot of miles" as he would say.

It is one of the worst feelings to have people turn on you. To have people that you care about tell you they don't want you. To have people that you desperately want to welcome you in keep you at arms length, or even shove you away.

In these moments, it is natural to feel poorly about yourself. It is natural to want to lash out against them, or to even deny the truth inside you that you really wanted them to like you, or welcome you. It is natural to huddle back, and protect yourself, maybe even keeping yourself at a distance from people so that you'll never be hurt like that again.

If that is natural - is there a more than natural? Does anyone do it right? Is there a super...natural? Jesus told us the answer. Jesus lived the answer. And it is awesome.

• Jesus was tempted. But he reacted awesomely. (See Matthew 4.1-11)

• Jesus said we would be tempted. (That's what we read in 1 Corinthians 10.13) But how will we react?

• Jesus also said that we would have a helper. A super-natural Helper. (See John 14.23-27, Acts 1.8)

When people fail us, we still have a choice. We have the power to choose how to react. But the good news is that we are never alone. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in us (See Romans 8.11), and is there to make us new. To make us reborn, to re-create us. And we ARE reborn - but not of this flesh, of the SPIRIT.

• How will you react when people fail you?

• Will you act naturally? Or will you act super-naturally?

When one of these situations comes up, when people fail you (or perhaps you are thinking on one right now), you may find yourself longing for that very Spirit that raised Christ from the dead to be your helper. It is usually not a switch you turn on, but a learning and growing process. All the same - we are to ask for Him to come. So do you have His Spirit? Have you asked God to remake you?

Let's remember the old adage from my professor, "People will fail you, but God is faithful". As we worship through this song, let's pursue God's Spirit. Let's ask God's Spirit to invade us, to remake us, not natural, but super-natural.

The Song

Heaven Invade by Wilderness Love

Heaven invade us
Take back the earth
Capture our hearts
Spirit restore us
Lift every head
Stir every soul to life

Here we are waiting
Quiet and still
Listening to hear you speak
Visions of glory
Beauty beyond
All our imagining

Mysteries unravel
As your kingdom appears
Letting love loose in the dark
Knowing your presence
Here on the ground
Keeps us from breaking apart

Reclaiming Our Freedom
Receiving our savior
In suffering and in strength
Our Bodies are beaten
Our minds and our money spent

Heaven Invade Us
Take back the earth
Capture our hearts again
Spirit restore us
Lift every head
Stir every soul to life

Maker, make again
Create new life
Breathe Your holy words
Set all things right

The Reflection

• Is God your helper?

• Have you asked God to recreate you super-naturally?

The Challenge

Each day this week do one or more of the following:

• Listen to the song

• Read the scripture

• Pray the prayer

Consider briefly journaling or posting about your experiences.

Attribution

Music - Cymbidium by WMD
Music - Heaven Invade by Wilderness Love