As I arrived into Europe on Friday morning, I was feeling really good about the opportunities ahead.  I had prepared well (so I thought) and was confident in what the Lord was going to do in our training school sessions.  After teaching for over two hours Friday night and thanking the Lord for His presence and power that were evident, I found myself praying a much different prayer on Saturday.  Again, I felt good about my preparation, but simply wasn’t “feeling it” that morning.  I was asking myself questions such as, “Why am I here?  What do I have to offer?”  I did not feel ready for the task at hand.

Typically, when we don’t “feel it,” we just remove ourselves from that situation, but I didn’t have that option!  It’s what I came here to do!  At that point, I did all I knew to do.  I cried out to the Lord for help, and prayed my oft-visited prayer on submission (I’ll share it at the end).  Immediately, I experienced it – the revelation of the Miracle of His Presence.  How He can take His Word delivered through a human being and cause people to know Him is truly a miracle!

I’m learning more and more these days that the words with which Paul encouraged Timothy, “Be ready in season and out of season…” has something to do with my level of preparation, but way more to do with my level of trust in His Spirit alive IN me.  Do I really trust Him, or do I trust my own preparation more?  Oh, how far we could carry that thought!

If we have given our lives to Jesus Christ and been born again, Scripture is very clear that there are MANY promises that follow.  One of those that has been a central focus in many of the teachings I’ve been doing so far in Belgium and Holland is the promise of His Spirit.  Galatians 4 tell us that we have been redeemed and adopted, and because of that, we are now sons of God!  “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!'”  You see, we ARE sons and we DO have His Spirit alive in us!  That truly is good news!

In addition to being sons (and daughters, of course), we have been given the awesome gift of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.  In so many parts of the world such as Europe, this is such a transformational truth.  Plainly stated, Christianity is not a religion.  It is a Relationship.  Of all the religions the world has to offer, none of them offer a true relationship.  What they do offer is some type of make-believe reward for following a set of humanistic rules.  For those of us adopted into the Kingdom Family, our reward is Jesus Himself and that begins now!  That is even better news!  He truly is our ever-present help.  He has given us a new heart, and we now have the mind of Christ.  These things we cannot ever earn.  Instead, they are gifts as part of the Kingdom.  What a great God!  Inside of a relationship with Him, we can have a living encounter with THE death-risen Lord Jesus!  I am blown away today more than ever by how very real this is.  He is completely trustworthy.  I choose to submit to Him…

Submission Prayer:
Today, O Lord, I thank You that You are alive and ever-present.  I choose to submit myself fully to Your leadership and lordship in my life. 

I choose to submit my spirit to You, and ask that You fill me completely today with the fullness of the Holy Spirit – to overflowing! – that I will have more than enough and have something to give others.  I choose to follow Your Spirit.

I choose to submit my soul to You – all of my mind & thinking, will & decisions, and emotions & reactions.  I choose today not be led by any part of my soul, but will follow after the Spirit in all things.

I also choose to submit my body to You – this temple of the Holy Spirit.  You paid a great price for me, and I choose today not to be led by my body.  I will not let hunger, bodily pain, or ANY other physical desire be my decision-maker today.  I choose to follow after the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. 

He is the good news, and the miracle of His presence is a life-changing revelation!

Living life on mission…

Casey