Living in Renewal
Sunday, we considered how the puzzle pieces of our heart, mind, body, and confidence fit together so we can Live in Renewal.
It's so exciting to see all the ways God is actually renewing us now at High Street. Lord, we want more of Your presence to move in and through us.
During this sermon, I could see your eyes brighten and your spirits come alive as we read…
“If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11 ESV)
Such an eye-opening revelation--that the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus is inside of us?!
Click Here to Watch “Living in Renewal” from Sunday
And how do we stay connected with our God, the Holy Spirit? Check out a few practical ways to Live in Renewal right now:
1. Failure/Dysfunction is the Way-in - Over and over Paul and Jesus hammer that the Kingdom welcomes the broken (see Luke 18:9-14). Remember, “There is no condemnation…for the law of the Spirit of Life has set you free from the law of sin and death…you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but…a spirit of adoption by which we cry out ‘Abba, Daddy!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,” (Rom 8:1, 15-16). In Jesus, there is no disqualification. Not for sons and daughters. Now and forever, all our sins, griefs, timidness, delays, doubts, etc…are ways into relationship. All we have to do is share these with Him and they become places of honest encounter, fuel for our faith.
2. Get Clear on His Heart - Many times our own refreshing would come if we only really knew Who God is as a Father, and understood what His desire is for our hearts, our minds, and our bodies. When we see that He has made abundant provision in Jesus for our wholeness, our minds to be at peace, our hearts healed, our bodies enlivened, our confidence entrusted, then we begin to find the possibility of Renewal in every situation. Who is God? What has He provided? How powerful is He? Go back to His Word, these sermons, the Renewal stories…then prayerfully press-in for His best in your life. Check out the Renewal Sermon Playlist here.
3. Share your burden – Our heaviness often comes from carrying things alone. Allowing another friend to intercede can be a visceral experience of what Jesus is doing for you. (He intercedes for us, Romans 8:34). It may take more than one time of prayer. But opening your heart to another can often be synonymous with opening your heart afresh to Jesus. Take a moment to share your story with a friend, counselor, spiritual director, or pastor, and ask Jesus to have His way in you.
4. Pray for one another– Our service ended by praying for the Holy Spirit’s continued work in us. Many of us pause after salvation believing that is the end of the road for God. But He’s actually wanting to take us every step of the way. When we can’t see Him, when we’re hurting, when we’re sinning, we have each other. Who is praying for you? Who are you praying for? That is one of the biggest blessings of being in a church like High Street—ask for prayer, get prayer, pray for one another—and renew the immediacy of this work of the Spirit.
5. Dive into good books – In the Renewal series, I’ve referenced some powerful sources on Renewal: Defining Moments by Johnson & Miskov, His House, His Presence by Michael Miller/UPPERROOM, The Autobiography of Charles Finney (free here), and Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray, Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge, and more. I’m glad to chat more about resources that might breathe life into your season too.
6. Try this app – The One-Minute-Pause app is one of the simplest ways to live in Renewal. All you need is one minute. That’s it. And you can build your connection with the Holy Spirit from there.
7. Soak in worship – Saturating your day in worship is a wonderful way to Live in Renewal and can keep your mind and heart postured toward Jesus. Try listening to HSCC’s House of Prayer Playlist, or exploring UPPERROOM’s Youtube channel, or Soaking In His Presence Worship YouTube Channel
As we continue to lean into this renewal, we’re launching a series called, “I Speak Jesus,” through March and April, asking the Holy Spirit to continue renewing us by speaking and revealing Jesus to us in Good Friday, Easter, and every season ahead.
The Holy Spirit’s favorite thing is to reveal Jesus, to show us Jesus, to speak Jesus, to give us more connection to Jesus. How convenient that Good Friday and Easter are all about Him! Seeing Jesus rightly changes everything for us. "Speaking Jesus" changes everything around us.
Listen to “I Speak Jesus” Worship Video and prepare your heart for this series ahead.
PS. We also have an amazing guest preacher this Sunday—our own Daniel Burchell will be preaching on Sheep, Shepherds, and the Supreme Shepherd! Woo hoo, bring the Word, Daniel!