Can You Tackle Your Problems in Peace and Rest?

By Rev. Ernest O'Neill

Through the week, do you find yourself filled with God, filled with the joy of God, filled with the delight of God, and able to tackle the things and the problems of the week with rest and peace? Now you see, I think what many of us do when we come here Sunday after Sunday is we can hear me preaching this beautiful life that God has for us and we can keep on saying, "Yes, I know pastor. Sometimes I think you exaggerate a little but I know that basically, it's true because it keeps coming from that Word. I see that. You seem kind of high too and I don't know if that's because you're Irish. I think that maybe it's real and I do see others here that seem to have more joy and delight then I have. But, I am getting there. I am getting there."

Do you see that there's a difference between the lower kind of Christian life where you know your sins are forgiven but then through the week it's a miserable long drawn out struggle against yourself? Do you see the difference between the lower kind of life and the higher kind of life where the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance?

The difference between that high kind of life and the kind of life that has the works of the flesh in it: anger, jealousy, envy, bad temper, depression, anxiety, worry -- the difference between those two kinds of life is an instantaneous experience called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.