Here in the west we have been acutely aware of air quality conditions. As wildfires have broke out in California, Oregon and in my own state of Washington our air has been polluted. At one point Seattle had the worst air quality in the whole world! It has been encouraging to see our air quality index moving toward healthier air, but we are still unhealthy for people in sensitive groups. Seeing the number improve is good for our moral and our bodies.
But what about our spiritual air? Is your spiritual air polluted? Is it cloudy with the haze of unbelief, distrust or disappointments? Have you been “fellowshipping” with doubters, those with critical spirits, or those walking in hostility? Maybe you have found those in your own soul! Galatians 5:19 declares: When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties and other sins like these. Wow, those are enough to pollute anyone’s air! If we were to add bitterness and frustration to the mix, it would be hard to look up and see where, when and how God is working.
We need clean, clear air to breathe, both physically and spiritually. I pray that the winds of the Holy Spirit would begin to blow hard and strong in and through each of our lives. We need to breathe in the freshness of His Spirit. In the natural, polluted air can cause temporary head aches, respiratory issues and an increase in anger and frustration. Long term effects can be heart disease, lung cancer and can actually cause damage to people’s nerves, brain, kidneys, and other organs. Way more damage than I knew. But no matter how horrible physical air pollution, the long term effects of spiritual pollution are even worse.
Spiritual pollution leads to blindness. It causes us to lose sight of the goodness of God, the hope we have in Him and even mistrust His leaders, our calling and our relationship with Him. These can be deadly to our souls. Viewing life distorted by spiritual pollution does not lead to life and godliness that He has provided for us. Minimally we live beneath His best for us, gasping for air, living in a oxygen deprived state of exhaustion and irrational thinking.
So how do we blow out this polluted atmosphere? We have been given several tools, not only to clear our air, but also keep it clear! First, we must recognize that we need some clear air. The blessing of the Holy Spirit is that He is constantly helping remind us that we need His Presence; however, if we ignore His nudgings, He is a gentleman and will not force Himself upon us. But He is faithful to come again and again. God’s Word is our first line of defense. Taking time to pray before you read the Bible is so helpful. “Father, lead and guide me in your truth” sets our hearts to be teachable and receptive to His Word.
Another way to bring His wind is through praise and worship. Entering into His presence brings His peace and clarity.
Communion is also so helpful. To me, it is like God’s reset button. It reminds me of why I need a Savior and that I have one. Allow yourself to really meditate and receive His forgiveness and love. You can take communion any where, alone or with others. Simply grab a piece of bread, some juice and remember what He did for you.
Community–worshiping together with mature believers is so important. When one is down, another is up. Helping each other walk with His purpose is another key to helping keep our spiritual air cleaner. Taking time to pray for each other strengthens both the person prayed for and the person praying.
Sometimes we can know more about our condition than we know about what God knows about our condition. What God says about our condition is the report we need to believe. Darryl Rodman, pg130 Heart Treasure
Oh how true this is. Not only do we need to know what He knows about our condition, we need to know what He SAYS about our condition. When those truths become bigger than our own natural thought then we have moved from hopeful faith, to true faith. Where we walk even though we can’t see. Where we expect even though we can’t see how or where things will come from… and we trust He will make a way where there seems to be no way.
Let’s get some clean air of oxygen flowing in our lungs, both naturally and supernaturally and watch what God wants to do in your life.
Faith Encounters 