Thank You for Your multiplied presence in our services today, Father. May the word that was given be multiplied in all present and in all that will participate online in days to come. Amen.

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If you’ve read my posts more than a few times, you probably know without looking that my blog is called MoreThanUseless. That’s been its name from the beginning. It’s still applicable today. I am…you are…more than useless. No matter what we’ve been led to believe, no matter what the world says, no matter what any parent, sibling, spouse, boss, neighbor, ad nauseam, has to say, we are all more than useless.

I stand by that, but as time has passed my heart and mind have shifted – at least in my understanding. Now I’ve written and vocalized this before, but to live a victorious life in Jesus, we cannot do it alone! There is no pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps in the Way (better known as Christianity).

To conquer our bent to sinning we must count on Jesus. Every breath of every day, we must live our lives in Him. That may sound a bit odd…but think about it.

I would dare say that we all have weaknesses of some sort or the other. Now we may go awhile without yielding or entertaining thoughts regarding those weaknesses, but over time there will almost definitely come a moment when we will linger just a second or two longer than we normally allow ourselves to in that area of weakness. That is a crack in our dam of determination. We may shove it back a little but the next time that weakness rears its head, we often will linger once more…maybe not for very long, but another crack appears in the dam.

It may take a few times, but each time another crack will appear, and at some point, we will linger longer. More cracks will appear, the yearnings of our heart pressing more and more to escape. Eventually, those yearnings will overwhelm the desire we have to hold back, and before we know it the dam will burst, and we will be thrust into the irresistible flood of yearnings and desire.

Initially, there may be some satisfaction but for many of us, it will quickly give over to feelings of guilt and remorse, at which point we will drag ourselves back to Jesus’ feet, asking for forgiveness once more…for the thousandth upon thousandth time.

I do not claim perfection. (Everything I’ve just written shows that I’m pretty familiar with how things work…) But…I will say that while I cannot do it alone, I most assuredly can be victorious if I walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Once more The Valley of Vision speaks to me. Here is a portion of Spiritus Sanctus.

Holy Spirit…

Come as power,
….to expel every rebel lust, to reign supreme and keep me thine;
Come as teacher,
….leading me into all truth, filling me with all understanding;
Come as love,
….that I may adore the Father, and love him as my all;
Come as joy,
….to dwell in me, move in me, animate me;
Come as light,
….illuminating the Scripture, moulding me in its laws;
Come as sanctifier,
….body, soul and spirit wholly thine;
Come as helper,
….with strength to bless and keep, directing my every step;
Come as beautifier,
….bringing order out of confusion, loveliness out of chaos.
Magnify to me thy glory by being magnified in me,
….and make me redolent* of thy fragrance.

*redolent – strongly reminiscent or suggestive of

Oct 16th, 2022, Sun, 4:35 pm