The Holy Spirit creates change in the heart. True spiritual change is never a mental decision, that’s why God said he would “write it on our hearts”.  Emotions flow from the heart and the Lord uses love as the conduit to reach each of us and effect spiritual change.  Peter’s first sermon to the Hebrews  

“cut them to the heart” and about 3000 believers were added that day and on it goes.  Spiritual Conversion it’s the greatest miracle of all because it’s eternal. 

When conversion occurs, there is a joy, a feeling of a new start, a realization of being chosen by God, and an expectation of what is to come, an excitement, and an urge to tell others.  Life is no longer mundane.  We become part of the Great Commission. 

Currently, we are seeing a wave of the Holy Spirit moving in Africa, Russia, and in China.   

In the US it is declining. Time and the adversary have stepped in and our response to renewal and telling others dissipates.  The excitement is gone, love wanes, and we become quiet.   

BUT 

There is another chart to look at that shows the number of Christians in the world by country: 

For America, we are still in the “running” because that percentage equates to a lot of Christians in America.  Reminds me of the story of a shoe company that sent two salesmen to Africa around the turn of the century.  After they arrived the first one telegrammed back “Send me a return ticket, nobody here wears shoes”.  The second guy telegrammed back “Send shoes, lots of them, the opportunity is endless”.  (Sort of like the message from Joshua and Caleb.) 

The opportunity is here, we have the base to work from, we just need to be “stirred up again”.  God will do that if we ask.  I like the verse from James, it goes like this: 

Elijah was a man, just like us.  But he earnestly prayed, and God answered. 

 

It’s time to send a telegram back home,
We have to, because we need help, we need to be “stirred”,
And our children are waiting, they need “shoes”.

 

SELAH 

SCRIPTURES:     1 Corinthians 13:13 

Jeremiah 31:33 

Acts 2: 37-39 

Hebrews 12: 1-3 

2 Timothy 1: 6-7 

James 5: 17-18 

PRAYER FOCUS:   My Loved Ones 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:  Who needs some “shoes”? 

~ Written by Gene Bennett