Lately I’ve been apologizing to the Holy Spirit a lot. Why? Because I finally see how much I must’ve grieved Him whenever I made so many life decisions and actions without His counsel. He was always with me no matter how far away and hostile I was from God. How He must’ve grieved when I deliberately walked away from Jesus. 

I was a coward so if something traumatic occurred, I’m sure I would’ve scurried back to the Lord. But that’s not the type of loyalty and love Jesus wants from me. He doesn’t want me to follow Him out of fear. Now I see that out of His great wisdom and love for me, He allowed me to leave His embrace to experience life without Him. He knew that I needed to navigate the world for myself to discover at the end that there’s no other place like His embrace. This reminds me of a popular phrase that says, “If you love someone, set them free.  If they come back to you, they are yours forever.”

I see that with Jesus nothing gets wasted. My many years of living life without Jesus gives me a good understanding of the hearts and minds of people who are living on their own and the reasons for the hostility they feel towards Jesus and Christianity. I get their thought pattern. I also seem to instinctively know what ‘baits’ will work best because I was out there with them for so long. 

True to God’s promise to me that I’ll experience the ocean in due time, lately I’ve been ‘fishing’ a lot for lost souls. They are simply sent my way or if I paddle a little they are just right there. Praise God! 

Living life without Jesus is empty and hard. Even in my affluent waters with their many sources of comfort and distractions, I know that their lives need Jesus. If you want these folks to come near you and to give you a chance to speak into them, then it’s so important that you love them foremost and that you live a life that they can respect and they can clearly see God’s peace and favor on your life. 

As I’m invited more into their lives, I can see the wrong choices that they make cause great heartaches and grief for themselves and their loved ones. As I grieve and pray for them, I see now how much I must’ve grieved the Holy Spirit too and yet He never forsaked me. That is why I’ve been apologizing to the Holy Spirit a lot lately and asking everyday that I don’t grieve Him by my careless actions and words. It’s working because I seem to get quickly convicted now. Lol! 😂 Thank goodness for the blood of Christ who washes me white as snow from ALL my sins! 🤗

Because of God’s great love for me, I thank Him for allowing me to experience the world on my own so I can see for myself that it’s empty and hollow. It’s so liberating to follow Jesus because I want to and not out of duty and fear as I did before. That’s why I love Him and appreciate His goodness so much today. 

If you have a loved one who is not following Jesus Christ please keep praying for them, and keep on loving them. Because you see – ‘love never fails.’ Sometimes when I’m stumped or frustrated on what to do or say but I need to respond immediately, I noticed I make less mistakes when I ask myself, “what would love do?” rather than the more common “what would Jesus do?” Because frankly, many things Jesus did on earth still perplexes me! Anyway, try this question and see how it works for you. I works for me well. 😊

God bless you! Please pray for me as I’m learning how to fish for people and apparently there are many different methods and baits. 😅 I’ll be praying for you too. Thank you! Xoxo

1 Corinthians 13:8,13 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Ephesians 4:30-32International Children’s Bible (ICB)
30 And do not make the Holy Spirit sad. The Spirit is God’s proof that you belong to him. God gave you the Spirit to show that God will make you free when the time comes. 31 Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. 32 Be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.

Psalm 146:6
He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-He remains faithful forever.