Refreshing

How's your freshness? Are we weary or worn? There's a refreshing God works in human hearts. We can know His refreshing presence. We can also help to refresh the spirit of other people in our lives.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. May God refresh your faith, your zeal, your love.

God promises for us a recharging, a renewing. Isaiah 40:29-31 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. (30) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: (31) But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Wait upon the Lord. It tells of faith, of trust.Trust the Lord and rest in His promises. He will deliver. Rely upon Him. Trust His timing. Depend upon Him. Draw from Him your spiritual strength. God is teaching us patience and trust. Draw near to Him. Trust in His care. His plan for you.

Paul’s letter to Philemon has been called an instruction on how to refresh the saints. Philemon 1:7 For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.

The bowels speaks of the inner being; our spiritual being. It’s the deep inside core of our being - of who we are. It embodies emotion and affection. Paul used this word, to say he identified with the bowels of Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

Do we identify with our Lord, such that we share in the powerful feelings of our Lord, His earnest compassion, His deep felt love and mercies?

Refresh means to revive, revitalise, restore. Times of refreshing come from God. He does the work. It is His work of grace, done in hearts, by His Spirit.

Godly worship will refresh us. As when David ministered to Saul: 1 Samuel 16:23 …David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well…

The refreshing of God comes along with spiritual fellowship… Take a holy pause. Like it says in the Psalms: Selah. It says it 75 times. It means pause and consider.

Mary… sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving… It’s easy to be a Martha and fret and fuss and worry, and be troubled. Mary sat at His feet and heard His word. She had a holy hush. She took time for the presence of the Lord.

He says, enter into my rest: Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls…

The Word of God speaks of a refreshing, a giving of new life… a restoring… God pours out floods on dry ground.

Paul tells of some who had the ministry of being refreshers of others… 1 Corinthians 16:18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours… People’s spirits can be wounded, broken. Hurting people are everywhere.
People are broken in spirit. Crushed. There are deep wounds. The healer of the broken hearted can come and bind up our wounds.

God is with you. Always.

May we be like Philemon. And see beyond our own selves. Our own needs.

Refreshing brings restoration. It brings blessing. It brings boldness. Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John …they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Something happened to them. They had been with Jesus.

Times of refreshing happen when we are with Jesus.

We need a God-sent awakening… Let us wait upon Him for His supply. For His touch.

The anointing is for a purpose. It’s so that we will be able to minister to others. Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach – to reach…
• The broken hearted
• The captives.
• The blind
• The bruised.
We can be used of God. May we know a refreshing of spiritual life and boldness. Proverbs 26:13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. Let us shirk spiritual laziness… Let’s stop making excuses.

Draw near unto God with reverence – as Moses did: Exodus 3:5 …put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Enter in. Commune with Him. Take that personal time.

Keep on praying. Luke 18:1 …men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
Let’s face these trying times with courage. The presence of the Lord is with you.

Whose presence is going to dominate your life? Will it be the presence of the world, controlling you and your time? Or will it be the presence of the Lord?

Let’s refresh our love for God. Let us reject whatever would rob us of the presence of the Lord. May we refresh our love and our devotion for Him, and follow after Him, wholeheartedly.