Closer Than Your Next Breath
Howdy there, friend, come on up here on this here front porch and settle yourself right down for a lil’ ol’ spell because what we’re about to talk about is more eye opening than an ol’ rooster that gits to crowin’ right outside your bedroom window a little bit too early. I was standin’ out by the shed this mornin’ watchin’ a big ol’ bullfrog tryin’ to hop up onto a stump that was clearly way too tall for him. He kept jumpin’, slidin’, gruntin’, and tryin’ again like he was auditionin’ for some amphibian Olympics. And right then the Holy Spirit let me know, “Why, friend, that’s just like you forgettin’ who’s already livin’ right there inside you.” Well, that’ll make stop right there in your tracks and do some powerful thinkin’, for sure. So git real close over here because 1 Corinthians 6:19 is tellin’ us somethin’ real powerful by sayin’, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”
Now, friend, that right there is somethin’ worth shoutin’ about. In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God came upon folks for a moment, then lifted like a hawk catchin’ a breeze. David even prayed in Psalm 51:11, “Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.” He’d seen the Spirit leave Saul, and he feared the same. But Pentecost changed everything. Acts 2 tells us the Spirit did not just visit anymore. He moved right on in. Permanently. Not rentin’. Not passin’ through. He plum made Himself at home.
And if that’s true, then how in the world can we walk around actin’ like we’re powerless, abandoned, or left to figure life out like a possum tryin’ to read a road map? Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself testifies that we’re God’s children.” John 14:17 says, “He lives with us and will be in us.” That there means you’re never gonna be alone. Never gonna be forgotten. Never gonna be without direction. The Holy Spirit is plum closer than your next breath, and He’s not goin’ anywhere.
Father, thank You for placing Your Spirit within me. Help me remember I’m never alone and never powerless. Teach me to listen, trust, and walk in the strength of the One who lives inside me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Well, stomp my ol’ hat and git a smile on your kisser, friend, before you go marchin’ off this ol’ porch like a lil’ goose with somewhere important to be, let this here truth git to settlin’ right on in your heart the way sunrise settles over a quiet pasture. When you finally stop and drop them things God never asked you to lug around, your soul starts to movin’ with the ease of a canoe glidin’ across still water. You’ll notice your spirit breathin’ again, the way a field breathes after a long, gentle rain. And you’ll find strength risin’ in you like a barn cat stretchin’ awake after a good, long nap, slow, but sure, and ready for whatever comes next. So, go on ahead and step forward with confidence because the Lord, who called you to run this race, is gonna be right there beside you, lightenin’ your load, steadyin’ your stride, and leadin’ you toward the sweet freedom He’s been wantin’ you to be tastin’ all along.
With joy,
Gwen
