JEALOUS SPIRIT

James 4:5 Amp. Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love?

We tend to think of jealousy as a bad thing but this trait is burning in the heart of God. He is a jealous lover. As a matter of fact the Bible says that “The Lord your God is a jealous God.”
He has created us for Himself and will settle for nothing else. He is after our hearts, He wants to have the first place of affection in our lives. That is where the problem starts, it’s our heart that causes us a problem. Jeremiah said that man’s heart is desperately wicked. No matter how hard we try, we don’t have the capacity to change that. It is only by the work of the Holy Spirit at the new birth that we can be born again. The miracle of the new birth goes way beyond forgiveness of sins. It deals with the heart issue. Not only are we cleansed but the power of the Spirit changes our very nature. At the root of this change is a heart that passionately loves God. This is the solution to our plight, this is the only solution. Andrew Murray spoke often about the work of the Spirit in our heart. Here is something he believed about the work of the Spirit in us.

“It is often said that the secret of success is to apply yourself heart and soul to your work. This is also true in the spiritual realm, especially when praying for the Holy Spirit to be present. I cannot emphasize it enough, that the Holy Spirit desires to possess you completely. He cannot be satisfied with less if He wishes to let His great power work in your life. He has the right to this because He is the almighty God. When you pray for the Holy Spirit, you are praying for the triune God to take possession of you. You cannot expect God to bring about just one or two changes and for the rest leave you free to further your own will. The Holy Spirit wishes to take complete possession of you. Perhaps you feel that this is the problem: You do not have such a burning desire for this as you should have. You do not see this as a reality in your life. Fortunately, God is aware of your inability and has therefore arranged it so that the Holy Spirit will work in you for everything that you need. What God expects of you, He will Himself bring to pass.”

This love for God often starts as a seed. It grows as it is watered by the word and by the rain of His presence. As you read this devotional today maybe you felt some stirring in your heart. That is a very good sign, now spend some time in His presence and let the heart change happen.