![\"Clouds\"](\"https:\/\/corehealingfromtrauma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Clouds.png\" "\\"Clouds\\"")
\n\tToday, when someone mentions the \u201ccloud,\u201d it\u2019s usually referring to a place to store data. The \u201ccloud\u201d we\u2019re considering here has nothing to do with technology. Oswald Chambers<\/strong> said \u201cclouds are always connected with God. Clouds<\/strong> are those sorrows<\/strong> or sufferings<\/strong> or providences<\/strong>, within or without our personal lives, which seem to dispute the rule of God. It is by those very clouds <\/strong>that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n What \u201cclouds\u201d eclipse your vision of God? When I heard about dear friends in a BIG country I won\u2019t name (in case you\u2019re wondering, it\u2019s a vast nation with eleven time zones!) where Internet access is at risk, I felt profound sadness and concern. Then I remembered\u2014we can live without the Internet<\/strong>; we cannot live without Christ<\/strong>. And, dear ones, He is with YOU<\/strong>, wherever you are, whatever happens.<\/p>\n For our inevitable dark times, Oswald explained, \u201cGod cannot come near without clouds<\/strong>, He does not come in clear shining. It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials: through every cloud He brings<\/strong>, He wants us to unlearn<\/em> something.<\/strong> His purpose<\/strong> in the cloud is to simplify our belief until<\/strong> our relationship to Him is exactly that of a child<\/strong>\u2014God and my own soul, and other people are shadows.\u201d<\/p>\n Relearning<\/em> life, trusting God<\/strong> with childlike<\/em> (not childish!) faith keeps us walking faithfully<\/strong> with the Lord through every storm, challenge, hurt, or disappointment<\/strong>. Consistently relying on God, we\u2019re galvanized for transformational living.<\/p>\n The word transform is from the Greek metamorphoo<\/em>, which describes \u201cthe change of moral character for the better, through the renewal of thinking power\u201d (New Unger\u2019s Bible Dictionary). Throughout every joy or sorrow, we can be transformed!<\/strong> Regardless of how, where, when, or by whom we\u2019ve been hurt, we can continue being transformed! <\/strong>How does God\u2019s love change us? His love transforms<\/strong> our thoughts, attitudes, and actions, enabling us to love ourselves and others.<\/p>\n A Jewish scholar asked Jesus, ‘Which commandment is first and most important of all?’<\/em> Jesus answered, The first and most important one is: \u2018Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD; and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, understanding), and with all your strength.\u2019 This is the second: \u2018You shall [unselfishly] love your neighbor as yourself.\u2019 There is no other commandment greater than these<\/em>\u00a0(Mark 12:30, 31, AMP).<\/p>\n When we choose to love<\/strong>, the emotions of love follow our obedient choice. In \u201cPracticing the Presence of People,\u201d Mike Mason wrote, \u201cLove is like oxygen. The breath of it I had just a moment ago will do me no good if I do not take another breath soon. To stay alive, I must keep breathing. In both Greek and Hebrew, the word for breath is the same as the word for spirit. But there is one vital difference between physical and spiritual breathing, for while the former is governed by an autonomic system, the latter is governed by the will\u2026spiritual growth cannot happen automatically but only through conscious choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Spiritual breathing<\/strong> involves the intentional, continual choice to inhale and exhale spiritually. How? We exhale spiritually <\/strong>by confessing sin: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness<\/em>\u00a0(I John 1:9, NASB). Whenever we exhale<\/strong>, we\u2019re agreeing with God about sinful attitudes or actions and choosing to live in His gracious forgiveness. We can yield every aspect of life to God, allowing Him not only to cleanse us from sin but transform us from the inside out.<\/p>\n When we inhale spiritually,<\/strong> we\u2019re appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit, living in His strength instead of being governed by human weakness. Jesus said, I am the vine, and you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing<\/em> (John 15:5, NASB). For God\u2019s children, the process of breathing spiritually is vital to victorious living. Paul used a metaphor to explain the process of spiritual inhalation: And don\u2019t get drunk with wine, which is rebellion; instead, be filled with the fulness of the Holy Spirit<\/em>\u00a0(Ephesians 5:18, TPT). Someone who is drunk is controlled by alcohol; God wants us to be controlled\u2014graciously empowered\u2014by the Holy Spirit!<\/p>\n Jesus provided power and hope<\/strong> for us when He asked God the Father to send the Holy Spirit to dwell within each believer: And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor\u2014Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever\u2014the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come [back] to you<\/em>\u00a0(John 14:16-18, AMP).<\/p>\n Although the Holy Spirit indwells <\/strong>all believers, few allow Him to empower<\/strong> their lives. (Billy Graham once said only about 5% of born-again Christians understand the Spirit-controlled life!) Living in the Spirit\u2019s power is not a faith \u201cadd-on\u201d but the right and privilege of every believer.<\/p>\n In every area of life, we can experience the mighty work of our Triune God<\/strong>! God the Father loves, comforts, and directs His children. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!<\/em> (1 John 3:1, NIV). God the Father sent His Son so we can experience new life: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name<\/em>\u00a0(John 1:12, NASB). Jesus gave His life so we can be born into the family of God (see John 3:3-17). God provided the Holy Spirit <\/strong>to indwell and empower us to live triumphantly. Because of God<\/strong> the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we can<\/strong> enjoy living as God\u2019s beloved children every day!<\/p>\n Galatians 5:19-24 provides a simple litmus test to help us identify our spiritual condition. Now the works of the flesh<\/strong> are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these<\/em>\u00a0(verses 19-21, ESV). This passage likens \u201corgies\u201d to \u201cidolatry, jealousy\u201d or \u201cstrife,\u201d etc., each word describing an aspect of being controlled by the flesh, not God\u2019s Spirit. As soon as we recognize ourselves in verses 19-21, it\u2019s time to exhale, confessing sin, then inhale<\/strong>, allowing the Holy Spirit to cleanse and empower us.<\/p>\n As this passage transitions to the<\/em> fruit of the Spirit<\/em>,<\/strong>\u00a0please note the word \u201cfruit\u201d is singular, not plural! This is a significant distinction since each word\u2014from love to self-control\u2014expresses the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us. [To describe an apple, for example, we might use multiple words (\u201cred, yellow, green, tart, juicy,\u201d etc.), each word helping us visualize one fruit.]<\/p>\n But the fruit of the Spirit<\/strong> is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires\u201d<\/em>(Galatians 5:22-24, ESV). Please don\u2019t pray for \u201cthe fruit of the Spirit,\u201d since it\u2019s already yours in Christ! [That would be like asking for an apple you\u2019re holding in your hand!]<\/p>\n To access the fruit of the Spirit, yield<\/strong> your life to God\u2014thoughts, actions, attitudes, and actions\u2014allowing<\/strong> the indwelling Holy Spirit<\/strong> to take His rightful place as your Lord. He can do more in and through you than you can ask or imagine!<\/p>\n May you walk in the simplicity and joy of radical, transformational trust in God! Romans 12:1-2 (NASB) urges us to \u2026present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\tSubscribe on YouTube\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/h2>\n\t