What if we defined the Christian life as living in pursuit of the Holy Spirit?  Against this measure, how would our life look; are our choices supporting a life in pursuit of the Holy Spirit, is His leading evident in our life?

To live in pursuit of the Holy Spirit is a conscious decision we must make daily.  It fits every season of life. The Spirit’s leading is in how we spend time raising our children each day, in making our house a home with the Lord’s presence; The Spirit’s leading is in our workplace, in how we perform in our position, in being vessels of honour.  The Spirit’s leading is in life as a friend, being an encourager, sharing a meal.  The Spirit’s leading is in the quiet times we have simply as God’s child; the moments where we seek Him and wait to hear His voice.

To live each day by the Spirit is to pursue Him with a surrendered heart, a softened heart ready and willing to hear His voice and follow His leading.  We do this by spending time in prayer and by spending time in God’s Word.

As we immerse daily in the Lord’s presence, the truth of Ezekiel 11:19 emerges for it says ‘I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.’It is from the deepening of our relationship that faith intensifies and the desire to truly follow the Spirit’s leading day after day is birthed.  

Our relationship with God is not meant to be hard work, it is not meant to be a ritual we force ourselves to comply with; it is to be a progressive communion of the heart.  His very light resides within us, the essence of God gifted to us to set our heart aflame with passion and an outpouring of the Spirit.  If our Christianity is a grind then perhaps our heart is more stone than flesh, perhaps we are more selfish than surrendered? A harsh reality, but change only comes when we get real, when we view our position, our stance in the light of God’s truth…

This position of surrender can seemingly make no sense when viewed through the lens of this world. Where the world sees surrender as weakness, God emblazons it as strength.  When the world says you know what is best for you, God says His ways are higher.

How we spend our time and the attitude in which we spend it is always a key indicator of our heart’s pursuit in life.  

When the foundation for our day (or even more so, the foundation for our heart) is God, His ways and His heart for the moment, our lives are a shining testament of God’s light and love.  We are empowered, energised by His divine goodness and graced to meet the need.   It is not a daily grind but rather a life of passion, a life truly in pursuit of the Spirit of God.

Lay down any burdens, take up the cross and see God’s overflow in your life.