Who am I this Week?
SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
The shame was unbearable. It told me to run and hide. Hide from God and those who love and respect me. Cover up and compensate by putting my church face on. Bolster my spiritual confidence and reputation with religious activities. Talk a big talk to hide my weak walk.
Trembling, mouth dry, afraid. Words begin to form in confession only to be swallowed again into the shame. I know what God must think of me… a reject, a failure, a disappointment. Oh, the shame! Overwhelming, disabling, unrelenting. What will others think of me? Run. Hide.
Shame is a liar. It will accuse you of being out of God’s good graces. It will tell you that you’ve crossed the line and there is no way back. It will compel you to run from God because you will not be able to bear His disappointment. It will tell you that you have traveled beyond the reach of grace. It will tell you that you are exiled from God’s kingdom. It will assure you that you are the only one. It will tell you that you will lose all respect and love of those closest to you.
Been there. Done that.
Shame is a formidable nemesis against this powerful, unimaginable truth:
God has placed His SEAL upon YOU!
The supernaturally bestowed seal of the Holy Spirit is the guarantee that exceeds all others!
The Holy Spirit is the assurance of who I am in Jesus now and He is the guarantee of my eternal inheritance reserved for me in heaven!
“…you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” ~ Ephesians 1:13b-14
His seal is authentic.
His seal is authorized.
His seal preserves.
His seal is enduring.
His seal is a mark of ownership.
His seal is security
What do you think of when I say “seal”? A proclamation from a medieval king that has been sealed with wax and stamped with his ring? A sealed shut envelope sent in the mail? Maybe a jar of jam sealed for preservation until it’s open and ready to be spread on toast.
But look at God’s seal – it is a person! THE HOLY SPIRIT! This seal is God’s gift to us (Acts 2:38). He is the PROMISE from the Old Covenant [Testament] (Acts 2:14-21).
Jesus sent Holy Spirit to YOU and ME!
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” ~ John 16:7
Your life is sealed by God, in Jesus with the Holy Spirit.
Your seal is not a lump of wax with a religious engraving. It is not static or inert. Your seal is the dynamic, relational, interactive, divinely powerful, living Spirit of God!
The seal of the Holy Spirit is authentic. United in ONENESS with Him is the real deal. Not religious. Not tradition. Not pretense. Authentic relationship empowering me to live like Jesus!
His seal upon me is authorized by the King of Kings. I am known by God as I am found in Jesus. No accusations can stand against His authority. His word is final. His authority is upon me and as His child, I walk in His authority.
“And I [Jesus] give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” ~ John 10:28-29
Your life is preserved by God’s seal! Your name is written in His book (Luke 10:20) and engraved on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16). You are secure from satan, the power of sin and death. Like the Israelites in Egypt who escaped the Angel of Death by the blood of lambs painted over their doors, you are marked by the blood of Jesus and sealed by His Holy Spirit for salvation. God’s seal is the preservation of all that you are in Jesus NOW and all you will be in the future!
His seal endures. It starts and ends with eternity. I guess that precludes any beginning or ending. Your name is written in permanent ink. You have no expiration date or “good until…”. You will not be discarded or thrown out.
The Holy Spirit seal is God’s mark of ownership. We belong to Him – recreated by God in Jesus, consummated in Him and maintained by Him.
Our seal is the HOLY SPIRIT of PROMISE. He is Himself the promise of God to us and He is the guarantee of God’s promise – our inheritance in Christ! As His children, we have His inheritance. The Holy Spirit is like God’s down payment guaranteeing the full payment of our inheritance upon the completion of our redemption. His seal is a promise backed by the power and faithfulness of God to keep His covenant. And that is a seal of security.
The inheritance we get to enjoy now has already been described in the verses before: you have every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, you are chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed, forgiven, entrusted, God’s inheritance, and exist for the praise of His glory.
But our inheritance is not complete. There are future promises, and the Holy Spirit is our guarantee!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” ~ 1 Peter 1:3-5
The Holy Spirit is the ASSURANCE of WHO I am in Jesus now and He is the GUARANTEE of my ETERNAL inheritance reserved for me in HEAVEN, the fullness of which will be revealed in the last time!
“…[you] were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit. That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the first fruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it—to the praise of His glory.” ~ Ephesians 1:13b-14 Amplified Classic
The Devil says, “Shame on you!” The Heavenly Father says, “Holy Spirit fill you!”
Shame is a counterfeit of conviction. It makes you feel bad about sin (the condition and/or the act) but unlike conviction, leaves you hopeless and avoiding God. Shame does not lead to repentance. It makes repentance impossible. Shame finds its power in pride.
Pride is our own estimated opinion of ourselves put above God’s declarations of WHO we are.
You are SEALED by the HOLY SPIRIT of PROMISE. Allow this truth to destroy the shame and all other deceptions meant to keep you from walking in the fullness of WHO you are in Jesus.
“Such hope [eternal salvation] never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.” ~ Romans 5:5
REJOICE in this amazing truth!
FEATURED INSPIRATIONAL PHOTO
“Bloom in Light”
There was nothing particularly special about this ordinary Buttercup bud. It was reaching up to the sunlight along with many others on an early spring morning. But I singled it out for the shot. It reminds me of the seal of God upon my life – the Holy Spirit. Encased in the pedals is beauty preparing to blossom into its full magnificence. Protected and growing in the bud, the flower is ready to be revealed in the full light of the sun’s presence. The Holy Spirit is the seal upon my life protecting and preserving me and guaranteeing my inheritance in Jesus to be revealed in the last day!
This photo is available as an inspirational wall hanging with the caption “Bloom in Light”.
YES! Allow these powerful truths to free us to walk in the fullness of who we are and who we were created to be.
Need to read this powerful teaching over and over to let the Holy Spirit write it on my heart so when the enemy’s lies come they have no place to land because “I am God’s beloved” sealed with His promises.