“ABBA, FATHER”
THE LANGUAGE & LEADERSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
DOES IT DOMINATE YOUR PRAYER LIFE?
With surrender…
Mark 14:36 (KJV)
And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away
this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
When you pray, are you able to leave all the particulars with God and simply focus on yielding yourself to His preference in all matters, coupled with a readiness to do God’s will? (SPIRIT LED) Or do you find yourself debating each and every correlating detail with the Lord and then “assigning” God His duties in every situation rather than trying to determine your own? (FLESH)
Jesus not only took of the bitter cup, He drank all of it! How many of us take the first sip of the unpleasantness of sacrifice and then push the remainder of the bitter cup away… Have you ever asked God to help you drink ALL of it??
“ABBA, FATHER”
THE LANGUAGE & LEADERSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
DOES IT DOMINATE YOUR PRAYER LIFE?
With security...
Romans 8:15 (KJV)
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Fear easily dominates the flesh and is instigated by the devil. It makes us tremendously vulnerable to satanic tactics. However, fear cannot manipulate the Holy Spirit because He is shielded by faith in the Father! As you consider the presiding climate of your prayer life, would you say it is dominated by anxiety or trust? FEAR QUENCHES THE SPIRIT, THE SPIRIT QUENCHES FEAR. How secure are you in your relationship with the Lord today? Would you say you are led most by the spirit of fear or the Spirit of adoption?
“ABBA, FATHER”
THE LANGUAGE & LEADERSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
DOES IT DOMINATE YOUR PRAYER LIFE?
With stability…
Galatians 4:6 (KJV)
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into
your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
The Spirit of God’s Son makes us “partakers of the divine nature” permanently. It is a Spirit sent to quicken and increase our love for the Father as we take on the nature of Jesus Christ. By condescending to dwell in our hearts, the Spirit of God can graciously improve the environment within us. Hence, with an increase in love, we will enlarge our obedience to our Father’s commandments. (Jn. 14:15) How much has your love for God increased since salvation? Have you stifled the Holy Spirit’s influence? Are you allowing Him to improve your relationship with the Father? OR is your flesh allowed to control the whole affair?
ABBA - is a term expressing warm affection and filial confidence. Such language displays respect, obedience, trust, and full commitment, all naturally expressed by use of intimate terminology. The language of the Holy Spirit is free of debate, free of concern, and makes no issue of cost. The flesh leads into argument, anxiety, and is absorbed with regular assessment of sacrifice.
At the moment we are born again, God sends His Spirit into our hearts with a cry much like that of the cry of a newborn baby! It is the language of the Holy Spirit and it exhibits complete love and dependency upon the Father. It is a precious cry that should never be quenched! In contrast, when an infant doesn’t get his own way there is an unmistakable distinction to his or her cry. This bawling takes on diverse tones and rises to an appalling level of discontent at times! How does such a cry affect a concerned parent? Negatively, for sure! Even so, the Lord would prompt agitated parents to deal with this display of flesh and deliver appropriate discipline.
Now consider what tone saturates your talks with God and you will begin to understand why the Lord has to deal with us in an unpleasant manner at times! Ladies, it is our heavenly Father’s desire that our lives would be regulated by surrender, security, and stability. That’s why He sends His Spirit into our hearts to begin with! Regrettably, our flesh habitually dominates our prayer time and rather than the Lord hearing His Spirit cry forth in our hearts, most of our conversation with God is rooted in the flesh. Our discussions with the Lord are flavored with argument, anxiety, and selfishly absorbed with cost. Hence, the cry of the Spirit has clearly been quenched…
1 Thes. 5:19 (KJV)
Quench not the Spirit.
FOR A BELIEVER TO QUENCH THE SPIRIT IS TO QUENCH THE GIFT OF SACRED SPEECH.
Ephes. 4:30 (KJV)
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the
day of redemption.
Whatever intrudes upon the will of God and interrupts the holiness of our hearts hurts the third person of the Trinity. God’s Spirit is given to us to purge and purify our souls and override the influence of the flesh. His Holy Spirit would move us to address God in a very exclusive manner. Is His control evident in your life? What does the language of your prayer life tell about your relationship with the Lord? Is “Abba, Father” your natural response, even in times of deep distress? Seeing and experiencing God as a loving Father should transform our understanding of what it means to live as a Christian! What changes have you been resisting in your life that you are now willing to allow your loving heavenly Father to complete? God’s Divine and gracious Spirit has done so much for us; He is our Helper, our Guide, our Teacher, our Comforter, the Sealer of our salvation! Let Him express Himself in and through you as He was designed.
“ABBA, FATHER”
THE LANGUAGE & LEADERSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
DOES IT DOMINATE YOUR PRAYER LIFE?
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60: 1&2
Copyright 2004 Pamela A. Iannello
