Tune in to the Holy Spirit Channel, It’s AMAZING!

Discouragement is on the devil's channel. Encouragement is on the Holy Spirit's Channel. Tune in to God!

Recently, Greg preached a powerful sermon on the remedy for discouragement. I’ve been discouraged many times. It crushes the spirit and can leave you curled up in a fetal position on your bed in tears. As you lay there the demons from hell pour on the lie, “You have no hope now. This problem will never go away. You’re ruined.”
Greg hinted at the fact that there are some nasty pleasures to be had in this ugly scene. You get to blame someone else. You get to say, “I’m ruined because I’m being treated poorly by so-and-so. They’ll never change, so I’m doomed to misery.” HOGWASH! Get out your spiritual thought controller and change the channel.You are not tuned into the Holy Spirit. As Greg says, “The Holy Spirit never discourages.”
I used to spend way too much time curled up in a fetal position having a pity party. This was after many years of attending church regularly. All that time I believed the Holy Spirit lived in me. All that time I tuned into his channel far too infrequently and got a lot of static when I did. All that time I knew there was more to Christianity but believed I was not good enough to experience it. HOGWASH!
I “stumbled” across Graham Cooke, who then led me to Northlands Church, and I found the Holy Spirit Channel (static free). WOW! — is He an encourager. I’ve almost forgotten what a fetal position is. At 66 years old God has an AMAZING plan for my life and I refuse to be discouraged by setbacks and delays. It’s HIS plan, not mine, so He’s in charge of the timing. I’m only in charge of staying tuned to the right channel.

For the last six months I’ve been on a news fast. I watch and read no news. I used to visit the Drudge Report five times daily and get wall-to-wall bad news to choose from. It was the wrong channel for me. The right channel is Isaiah 61. I read it every morning. And I read David Outten’s Psalm 1. Greg suggested we try writing a psalm at home. I had actually done so a month before his sermon. For me it’s like starting my day tuned into the Holy Spirit Channel. It keeps me out of the fetal position:

Oh God You are my Father
You love and care for me
You share your vision with me
So I can really see
I rest in your protection
I live filled with delight
I trust that You will show me
What’s wrong and what is right.
Oh may my life delight You
The way You delight me
You’re such a loving Father
I wish the world could see
My sins You have forgiven
My life You’ve made brand new
Oh, may I give You glory
In everything I do
Fill me to overflowing
With love You’d have me share
I’ll pour it out on others
To show how much You care
Make me a light in darkness
God set the captives free
May earth be more like heaven
Lord start today with me.
For Greg Haswell’s sermon entitled: “Try This At Home: The Remedy for Discouragement”, click here: https://northlandschurch.com/watch/try-this-at-home/the-remedy-for-discouragement.

For Greg Haswell’s sermon entitled: “Try This at Home: Secrets of the Psalmists”, click here: https://northlandschurch.com/watch/try-this-at-home/secrets-of-the-psalmist.