Happy Saturday!

Today I finished my paper which is due Tuesday evening. I emailed it to Bruce in Amarillo but not sure if he will have time to look at it before he returns tomorrow.

Prayer: “Father I know from Your Word that the battles awaiting me today are not against flesh and blood but against spiritual rulers and wickedness. Strengthen me to walk in Your Spirit. Protect me from the wiles of the devil and receive glory from my life. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen”

Matthew 12: 31, 32 “ I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”

I remember as a teenager, and very young in the faith, someone mentioning the “unpardonable sin.” I could not imagine any sin that God could not forgive. Then I read about this “unpardonable sin.” I then could not imagine myself or anyone I knew committing this sin. But according to scripture this is the one sin that so devastatingly crosses the line that it cannot be forgiven in this temporary life on earth or in the eternal life after death.

Scripture tells us that we can grieve the Spirit in Ephesians, resist the Spirit in Acts and quench the Spirit in 1Thessalonians and still be forgiven. But blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the one sin from which no one can recover. It was a bit hard for me to wrap my head around this type of sin. I think this sin would mean to speak against the Holy Spirit. When we enter into relationship with Christ the indwelling of the Holy Spirit dwells within each of us and the more we come to know Christ the greater the power of the Holy Spirit becomes in each of our lives. As Christians, speaking against the spirit is not a sin we can commit because of the dwelling of the spirit within each of us. Ephesians 1: 13 says, “by the Spirit, our God is worthy of reverence.” We give thanks and rely on the presence of the Holy Spirit.
We act and speak with the knowledge that the Holy Spirit, God’s very presence is with us leading and guiding us in all we do and say. Let us each speak and act with honor in the knowledge that the Holy Spirit is alive and well and living in each of us today and each day!

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. When you pray, please lift each other up. Remember that each of us is fighting some type of battle. See you in worship. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.

This weekend in Amarillo, there have been more than 30 people who are training to lead Kairos weekends in California, Idaho, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas over the next year. May God bless their ministry and bless the many inmates who will have their lives changed as they encounter Christ. Please pray travel mercy on Bruce and other members of the Kairos leadership training as they travel to their various homes from Amarillo. Thank you. Peace, gc