Creating a Holy Spirit Strategy

1.  If we want more of the Holy Spirit, we need to recognize our “love deficit.”   This love deficit is what many of us have in our hearts because of problems in our upbringing.  Simple put we  struggle with not feeling loved.I recently heard Ben Williams (from Global Awakening) share a metaphor about Allied forces arriving at a liberated concentration camp and finding hundreds of starving POWs.  In misguided compassion the Allied soldiers brought the newly freed prisoners  their  rich American food.   The POWs  gorged themselves on that food, paying no attention to the nutritional value, the amount, or their own physical responses. Many killed themselves in that act of over-eating or eating the wrong things.In my community, I see people with “love deficits”, people who are starved for love— but I had not thought about their way of responding to their need for love as harmful.  Yet, at a closer look these love-starved folks choose “deeds of love” that become unhealthy and hurtful to themselves and others.  For example, we love selfishly in order to get love.  We perform good works or serve others in order to be noticed. We befriend someone so we in turn will be loved.  We relate to others with strings attached. These choices go undetected and are a major problem in the Body of Believers.  The solution for our “love deficit” is coming into the Heavenly Father’s love.2. To receive the Father’s love we need the Holy Spirit.  But in our pursuit we face some unintended obstacles.  Many of us are not taught that “It is just as biblical to be loved by God as it is to love God.”  Often we are not told that Abba Father sees us as His beloved child.  We do not realize that His heart’s desire is to love us.To solve this problem, this verse is key:  “Direct your hearts into the love of God (2 Thes. 3.5).”   Once we have directed our hearts into the love of God, we need to ask, “Now am I actively receiving God’s love?”Take a minute and consider this: Do you feel that you are actively receiving God’s love?  I know a lot of people who would say, “No, I’m not.”Why is that?  In the above verse, the word “direct” means to “remove all hindrances.”  Many of us haven’t done that.   We continue to sin, and struggle with our “love deficit”. We need to be in control.  Our obstacle is that we are not using a “Holy Spirit strategy.” Our Heavenly Father has His arms wide open and is running to meet us and love us.  Unfortunately our “love deficit” has left us with a need to stay in control.  And running into the embrace of Someone and letting Him love us requires releasing that control. It requires trust.  Once we use a Holy Spirit strategy, we can give up control to God, because the Spirit of Truth provides the safety and comfort we need in order to let go.   Only then, we can turn into His arms, accept His embrace and receive His love.3.  Once I am safe in the arms of God, once I am anchored in my identity as the daughter of the King,once I am enfolded against the heart of Jesus, my attitude changes.I become thankful. So my prayer life changes.Now I offer up thanksgiving for all that I am experiencing.Thank you, Jesus, that you have set me free from sin.Thank you, Father; you accept me unconditionally,and I no longer need to perform.Thank you, Holy Spirit,  for pouring your peace upon meso I don’t grasp for control.Thank you for filling me up with  your glorious love.Thank you for showing me this “Holy Spirit” strategy.I bow before you in gratitude, hungry to receive you. In Christ,