The Deep Work – Week Two

Easy rarely yields great results. I wish it weren’t so, but it’s true. The outcomes we see in almost any area of life have a direct connection to the work we put in.

For example, I would love to have a beautiful yard with lovely flowers, a well-manicured lawn, and an outdoor seating area; however, I have spent very little time or money working on my yard. As or right now, my yard is just an average yard. The grass is cut, the bushes and trees look okay, and I have a few beautiful flowers that bloom. Without effort o my part that will not change, no matter how long I imagine a different outcome in my head.

Just like my yard has not been magically transformed, there are many other areas I have grand schemes of what could be, yet see little or no results – learning Spanish, increased physical fitness, sewing a quilt, or painting my kitchen. Why? Because I have either done nothing or not done enough to see the transformation I desire.

This principle is never more true than in my spiritual life. So often I want to see God’s power, have prayers answered, and overcome struggles – yet I don’t take the necessary steps to see that happen.

I don’t know about you, but nothing discourages me more than when I know I have fallen short of what God desires. Deep within me I want to please Him, yet at times I don’t know how. With the projects I mentioned earlier, it is easy for me to come up with action steps and get to work. Yet, often with spiritual growth I am less certain. I wonder – What should I do? How can I grow? What will make an impact?

What about you? Can you relate?

Thankfully, God understands our struggles and He has not left us to figure out everything on our own. He gave us a Helper – the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was sharing this same good news with His disciples He went as far as to say it was to their advantage that He was leaving. My guess is the disciples did not agree. Maybe they were thinking – How could it be good that their teacher and leader was deserting them? How would they know what to do? Could they keep serving God without Jesus’ guidance?

Jesus explained, the Holy Spirit would come when He left, and the Holy Spirit was coming with a specific purpose, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (John 16:8 NASB) The Holy Spirit would guide Jesus’ followers into truth, giving them access to God’s thoughts and direction.

Jesus placed great emphasis on our need for the work of the Holy Spirit, but too often we overlook our need for this work to take place. If you study the Holy Spirit and what the New Testament reveals about Him, you will see He is frequently connected to another topic we often neglect – sanctification.

So what exactly does this mean? Sanctification is the process of day by day becoming more like Jesus. It means that God doesn’t want to leave us where we are. It means that He wants to do something in and through you that is much greater than anything you can imagine. (see last week’s post if you want to read more)

God doesn’t want to leave us where we are. He doesn’t want us to just think about how we can grow in Him, know Him more, see victory, or make an impact in the world. Jesus and the writers of the New Testament place a great emphasis on transformation, and this transformation is directly related to the Holy Spirit working out our sanctification. (See 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, or 1 Peter 1:2)

Often we measure spiritual success the same way we measure success in our careers – by outward results. However, that is not what we are talking about here. The true work of God begins with inner transformation. God is more concerned with your character than your competency. Though people can perform good works without having a good heart, a good heart will always yield good works.

I love how Dallas Willard puts it “True Christlikeness, true companionship with Christ, comes at the point where it is hard not to respond as he would.” In other words, if I am having to force myself to be kind, patient, or loving I am not there yet. If I am doing things because I think they are the right thing to do but my heart is not in it, I am not there yet. If I am bitter and angry on the inside but pretending I am not, I am not there yet.

The Holy Spirit’s role is to do a deep work within each of us. He is not impressed by how much we can do; instead He is concerned by what is going on in our heart and minds. His purpose is to make us like Jesus from the inside out.

Over the past year, I have sensed God challenging me to accept this wonderful gift from Jesus – to allow the Holy Spirit to do a deep work in me. And I believe that is the challenge God is giving to every one us, every day.

Often, this deep work of the Holy Spirit is painful. Many times it does not yield immediate results. Many days it is hard. But this is the path of Jesus. This is the process of knowing Him. The only way to see Him work through us.

There is no shortcut for spiritual growth. But like any other area, the more work we put in or the more work we allow the Holy Spirit to do in us – the greater the power, the greater the transformation, and the greater the intimacy with Jesus.