spiritual breathing Archives - Daily Thoughts about God

“You will be changed into a different person.” Doesn’t that sound glorious?

“The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.”
(1 Samuel 10:6)

These were some of Samuel’s words to Saul when he anointed him as king. God’s promise to Saul was fulfilled, as we read just a few verses later:

“As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these sign were fulfilled that day.” (1 Samuel 10:9)

“You will be changed into a different person.”

Doesn’t that sound glorious?

How wonderful it would be to have my failings and insecurities removed and to be remade into a different person. The promise of change has been extended to every one of us. Jesus didn’t die so that our lives could be improved or upgraded; He died so that we could be transformed.

Paul put it this way, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

That promise is for each person who accepts Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for his or her sins.

Sometimes the evidence of change is instantaneous, other times it appears more gradually, but the truth remains – if God’s Spirit lives in us we will be changed. How does believing that God has changed you affect your daily life?

Thank you Gracious God, that I am a new creation in Christ. Thank you for washing away the old and filling me with Your Holy Spirit. Help me to live in the reality that I am a different person. Amen

Action Step: Learn spiritual breathing – confessing sin and inviting the Holy Spirit to be in control – can help you become more Christ-like.

by Suzanne Benner
Used by Permission

“You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath. We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in You.” Psalm 39:5-7 (NLT)

“We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.” We rush to work and on our lunch hour, run as many errands as possible. Then we hurry home to throw in a load of laundry, grab a bite to eat and we’re off to the next activity on our calendar.

In the end, does all that dashing about really accomplish anything of eternal importance?

I’m reminded of how fragile life can be and how easily I forget that it is so. I get glimpses and reminders of my eternal destination but they are all too quickly swallowed in the temporal of the here and now. The crazy. The busy. The hectic.

Where does this insatiable need to fill my life with activity come from? Why do I consistently choose the transitory over the everlasting? Why do I neglect being in the stillness of His presence?

I crave more of Him and less of this madness. I hunger for solace and peace in the chaotic mess of my life. Life is but a breath, a blink of the eye, a snap of the fingers and then it’s gone! Will my life have made a difference?

Lord, remove the blinders that keep me from seeing life from Your eternal perspective. Teach me to look beyond my circumstances – to see eternity in the every day. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that is willing to let you lead. Make my one breath count! Amen.

Take half an hour of your day to learn and practice spiritual breathing.

by Kristi Huseby
Used by Permission