Renew your thoughts and attitudes (Ephesians 4:23) Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31) Be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2)
We have all had it happen. The remote doesn’t work. The garage door won’t go up and the list goes on. The solution is usually to recharge or replace the batteries. Our spiritual life is like that.
In God’s economy, there are no new upgrades required every three months. No new models release every year. No recalls are made due to design malfunctions. No, we simply need to be plugged into the Lord and have our systems recharged by his Word continuously.
We were not created to experience the staggering power of regeneration never to depend on God again. We were created to need His revival continuously as we ebb and flow this side of glorification. Every day we need the Lord to breathe life into our bones that still get dry and weary from sin and failure and weakness and troubles.
At times, we attempt to plug into power outlets we weren’t created for. The result leaves us more depleted and in need of the only One who can revive our depleted hearts. In this society marred by sin, it is the Lord himself who restores and revives; therefore it is necessary for our survival to be plugged into the Word of God. This is no mistake or misstep.
Just as we plug in our phones every day, God has designed our new operating system (Ezekiel 36:25-27) to be daily charged by the ultimate Power Source because, while our heart and flesh may fail, he is the strength of our heart and our portion forever (Psalm 73:26). And this “plugging in” is not a once-daily surge from our quiet time, but a continual sustenance throughout the day.
When we, like Jesus, realize everything in our life flows out of our individual time with the Father, it changes the way we view our schedules and priorities and everything else. We submit to our need for the Holy Spirit to daily recalibrate our hearts, and we plug into him for the grace and strength to survive and thrive in our fallen flesh and fractured world.
As broken people living in a broken culture, our greatest need is to be plugged into the only One who can bring revival in our hearts. And the amazing news is that Jesus came for this purpose—to revive our hearts. He is committed to reviving the hearts he awakened.
So how are your batteries?
By John Grant
used by permission
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