Sometimes I find myself feeling frustrated that I am not all that I could be. I don't love God as I should. I don't love the church as I should. I don't love the lost as I should.
Yesterday as I was walking to school feeling this frustration, I was reminded that in order for me to be able to do those things better I needed more of God's Holy Spirit power.
And then I remembered an earlier conversation in the day about how as Christians, united to Christ, God has given us everthing we need. His power and Spirit is accessible to us 24 hours a day.
But we are forgetful. We're like the Israelites who have been miraculously redeemed out of Egypt by the loving hand of God but now find ourselves in the wilderness, awaiting the promised land, eternity with God in heaven. The wilderness is hard. We face difficulties and trouble, pain and struggle. God wants us to walk by faith with him, learning to put all our trust in him. But we're often forgetful of all that God has done for us and instead of leaning harder into him when things are tough, the danger is we distract ourselves with other things to try and make ourselves feel better or life to feel more comfortable.
But they don't work in the long run. Just like the Israelites, we need to repent and turn back to God. Every single day. The gospel is for every day, not just the day we were saved, because all the time God is saying, come to me. Turn to me. I have everything you need.
So I began to pray that God would fill me again with his Holy Spirit power and I began to name people one by one and ask God to fill them with his Holy Spirit power. Power to love him more, love his people and love the lost.
The school run yesterday was pretty wet – in fact the heavens opened. We were all soaked by the time we got home. The houses on the streets have pipes that flow from the guttering straight onto the street and water was gushing from every single house I was walking past.
As I was praying I felt God remind me that as he fills us up with his Holy Spirit, rivers of living water will flow from us, just like this water gushing out of these houses.
I'm encouraged that at any moment I can turn to God and cry out 'help!' and as I put all my trust in him he will not only give me everything I need but his living waters will flow out of me too.
God, will you fill each one of us with your Holy Spirit afresh that we might be full and overflowing. Overflowing over our children and families. Overflowing over other parents at the school gates. Over our colleagues. Over the shop assistant in the supermarket. Over that person we find difficult to love. Over our neighbours and communities.
Lizzie Bassford is a wife, mum and missionary living in inner-city Manchester. Follow her on Twitter @captivated01.
