Uncomfortable Skin
Have you ever been uncomfortable in your skin? I mean you wanted to jump out and be someone else. Maybe sin has found you out or caught up with you. Maybe you have been called on the carpet about a mistake or mishap at the least and you just wanted to disappear. On a positive note, maybe you have been blessed immeasurable or been given an incredible talent. Whatever the case may be, it causes you to stand out and that makes you uncomfortable.
Back in the Old Testament times the Spirit of God would come and go as the Lord pleases. Many times the Holy Spirit or glory of God would depart from the Israelites due to sin, broken communications, complaining and grumbling. If God got “uncomfortable”, He would not dwell where He was not being honored and glorified..
The scripture tells us we are the temples of the Holy Spirit. That means when Christ died for all people at Calvary, He left the Holy Spirit with us or within us to those who were believers. The Holy Spirit would never leave or depart. It makes me really consider what I must do to the Holy God dwelling or as the original language actually translate “tabernacling” in me, when I sin, quench, and grieve the Holy Spirit.
“Quenching the Spirit means to say no to His presence or lead in our lives. Grieving the Holy Spirit means to give over to sin and to not repent or experience true forgiveness,” writes Beth Moore from Living Beyond Yourself.
Does God get uncomfortable in our skin? Everything God filters down in my life is very much for a reason. When things come into my life, easy, hard, frustrating, exciting or even fun, I have a responsibly in my actions and reactions. He knows and feels my thoughts also. I can react and think in a way that brings Him glory or I can do the opposite that meas Him want to find somewhere else to dwell. He is not that kind of God. He is there to stay and promised to never leave! He just has a hard time working through our lives when we are not living for Him daily.
In Isaiah 66:1 God is asking where He can reside or where He can tabernacle. In verse two we find that He longs to dwell in the place that is humble, contrite in spirit and with one who trembles at the word. He longs to be in the skin of the one that is constantly seeking righteousness and forgiveness; one that is looking to bring Him glory. The tests may be rough, the blessings may be ample, but is He comfortable in your skin?
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you have been sealed for the day of redemption.” ~ Ephesians 4:30
Smileplz,
Leigh (Speaking Thru Me)
My husband and I were talking this morning about our temples in which God lives and what we need to do to make them pleasing to God! So we are praying about those changes… Praise God!
In His Grip,
Sherry
PS please enter me. 🙂
Thanks for a reminder. I have been seeing this theme in the last few days, so I’m going to stop and think on it and make sure God is comfortable.
Thank you,
Jenny
“enter me, please”
I was just thinking about this last night. As I was praying, I prayed that Jesus would not leave my heart when I realized that He will not leave, so I prayed that I would not leave from Him! Thanks for the eloquent reminder!
Happy Easter!!
Leigh,
This really spoke to me. A friend sent me a prayer recently that came to mind when I read your post. God desires a humble heart. Thank you.
Dear Father,
May we see pride as our archenemy and refuse its pleadings. Though it comes with utter reasonableness and soft entreaties, convincing appeals to our goodness and sense of worth, or even clever proof-texts from Holy Scripture, may we flee pride and heed the call of God to avoid thinking more of ourselves than we ought.
May we embrace humility as our closest friend and let things be. The world, once pristine and innocent, fell into sin and chaos shortly after the creation of people, and no amount of effort on our part will restore paradise. We cannot by our efforts right the wrongs of the world, even if we did possess flawless discernment. We must accept that we might be wrong more than we are right and find our rest in the Lord, allowing Him to correct others in His way…in His time.
May we return to the Cross when we find ourselves in need of an example of true humility. Proud, self-righteous men condemned Jesus to die. And proud, brutal men carried out the sentence. As they nailed Him to the cross and hung Him up there to die, He looked down with the compassion and said, \”Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing\” (Luke 23:34). His gentle, humble heart won the day. May He do so again with your heart and mine.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Really humbles me to know that he has chosen this tent of my flesh for his abiding. May I never lose this perspective.
peace~elaine
please “enter me”
this week, God has been impressing on me the necessity of making my home a place where others are welcome and comfortable.
thanks for the reminder that my heart should have the same effect on Jesus- that He would feel welcome and comfortable in the place I invited Him to make Him in.
also, pretty please enter me 🙂
Talk about stepping on toes. This really makes me think twice about how I respond and act to the encounters I have in my life. It also makes me wonder how many times I may not respond in a way that pleases God. From now on I will be more thoughtful thanks to your prompting. I will also explain this to me children. This was good and I ususally miss Saturday’s posting. This was for me today!
Please Enter Me
Lisa E.
AWESOME post sweet sister!!
“Come live in me, all my life take over.
Come live in me, I will rise on eagle’s wings.”
I pray He’s right at home in me so that I may be renewed, refreshed and restored every morning with his perpetual mercy and grace!!
Love ya girl!
Val
Please Enter me!
Bless you dear one.
Please enter me.
Thank you!
Well said, Leigh. Happy Easter everyone!
Enter me today,please.
This year I have been praying that God would show me what it really means to ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit – above and beyond the fact that He is in me already. Not looking for an “experience” but looking for what the fruit will be when He answers that prayer – what will be different. I am sure that at least one answer to that prayer has been the compulsion to write devotionals – first for a book – and then learning about blogging and all that can do. It is the urgent compulsion to write that had been absent for some time that convinces me it is from Him. Thank you for today’s thoughts.
I am in an uncertain time, relating to my job. I have been praying for God to lead my steps to where he wants me to be. I will hold your words, “He just has a hard time working through our lives when we are not living for Him daily,” in my heart. Happy Easter.
Please enter me, thanks.
Every so often I inventory the opportunities the Lord has brought my way to say or do something that I did not respond to. Then I pray that I will not get used to letting them go undone and quench the Spirit, but that He would continue to convict me until I become more and more obedient.
Well, there is always room for improvement, but I do pray that He is comfortable here in me.
Happy Easter, Joanne
******************please enter me***************
Does God get uncomfortable in our skin?
Wow! I never thought about it that way before, thanks for giving me something to think about this week.
God bless
Thank you for this devotion. I have been studying about Mary and Martha. I want to be a Mary and put everything else aside and worship Jesus. In Church I have been hesitant about my outward worship of the Lord. I did not want eyes upon me but the Lord. I remember a time the Holy Spirit poured out on me and I did not obey and do what he ask. By quenching the Spirit I had many years of not feeling the Spirit in my life. I had to work hard to build that relationship back. Today I was in a service and I was so Blessed by the song being sung. My arm was burning and the Spirit said raise your hands and worship. I didn’t and in a split second the feeling was gone. I ask for forgiveness and ask God to please give me another chance to worship him and not to let the Holy Spirit leave me. I was Blessed beyond my imagination. I found myself standing arms raised high in the air and in total worship of the Lord to the point I may have shouted. I am not sure, all I know is I was praising my Lord with out any hindrance. So to any of you that feel the way I did…let it go and just worship God. I felt like I was the only person in the building. I never want to quench the Holy spirit again.
“enter me”
Thank you for sharing. Please enter me today.
Thanks,
Vickie
Thank you for this awesome devotional.
Denise A
Enter Me Please1
I have noticed that I am more prone to quench the Spirit when I don’t pray before I react. This recently happened and I instantly lost the peace that I had just minutes before. I was incredibly “uncomfortable in my skin” The Lord is gracious though in his promise to never leave.
In His Grace!
Please enter me.
I remember sitting in a movie theater a few years ago. It wasn’t a “bad’ movie, but the language was definitely bad. I thought, “I have brought Jesus into this place…” I decided right then I would never go to a movie like that again. I must be careful to do similar things with every area of my life. Thank you for this wonderful reminder. I have a long way to go.
I remember that I am in a temporary Temple of God… I am a renter..
Amen.. Wonderful post
When reminded that I am the temple of the Lord, that God dwells in each of us, I shutter to think what kind of home he has found in me! That is why sometimes I pray that God will move out everything in my heart, tossing it to the curb and replacing it with accomodations that are fitting to him. It’s usually not a pleasant move and many things are broken each time he is faithful to fulfill this request. But I don’t fear because he’s got mover’s insurance and he always replaces it with better things than what was there before! Fortunately for me, these replacements come with lifetime guarantees because I’ve been known to trash this temple more times than I care to admit…
Enter me please.