John 14:16, 17 – And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you forever . . . but ye know Him for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you.

Sitting here, at my desk, in my office today, I’m asking the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts on what He wants me to share with you.  I notice a beautiful picture on my screen saver.  It’s a picture of a beautiful serene setting in Italy.  The sun is shining bright.  A magnificent off- white castle looking building with a tall church steeple in the background.  The flat-water pond separating the two building wings makes the structure appear to be built like a U.  A walking platform meanders out to the center of the pond for visitors to enjoy a closer look at the water.   It makes you think, “I would like to be there today, because it looks so peaceful and calm”.   If you were there how could you have a care in the world?”  But, as in most things, this idyllic moment is hard to capture in reality.

I KNOW THE REALITY OF BEING THERE

I have been blessed to travel to nearly 80 countries.  So, I know that the reality of an experience, by being there, can be totally different than a picture.  You could stand in the same spot that the photographer took the picture and still never experience what you imagined.

Because, in the picture you couldn’t feel that the sun was so hot it made you very uncomfortable.  The humidity from the heat of the sun bouncing off that water was so high you could barely breathe.  And now your clothes were soaked in sweat.  And the mosquitoes . . . oh, let’s don’t even talk about the dive bombing starving mosquitoes that now see you as their primary food source.  But, the worst part is . . . you.  The same pain and broken heart in you now has a way of sneaking into your inner heart baggage and taking the trip with you.  I encourage you today to let the comforter give you liberty from all those things.

Your liberty is near you.  Embrace it.

 

*Please begin with “Devotion 1”.  They are progressive.

 

Author Profile

Lee Gilliam
Lee Gilliam
Lee is the co-founding designer of Overcoming Grief and author of 2 books and numerous articles. He has been in the ministry for over 40 years. He has traveled to over 80 countries and every state in the USA. His ministerial work involves both teaching and business. He is a mentor to pastors and business leaders alike. He is currently working on his upcoming international conference schedule and we will post it when it's ready. We hope you can attend one that will be close to you!! Please contact me at: leeg@overcominggrief.org