Grace and the Holy Spirit

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell

where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the

Spirit.” John 3:8

My dad loved the saying that we are a spirit born in the image of Christ sent

here to live out a human existence before we head back home to Him. We

are first and foremost a Spirit born in the image of Christ. Our purpose here

is to live out the plan that God has for us.

The question is, how do we know what the plan is for us?

The focus in October with the Women of Faith Ambassadors is Holy Spirit...

the power within us. I struggled much of my life understanding the role of the

Holy Spirit. Through prayer and study, I have realized I made it much harder

than it needed to be.

Jesus describes the Holy Spirit to us in John 16:12-15: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

The Holy Spirit is God within us. The Holy Spirit is truth. The Holy Spirit is at

work within us applying God’s grace to our lives. Jesus told us “apart from

me you can do nothing.” We must accept the Holy Spirit into our lives in

order to live out the purpose He has for us.

I think of the Holy Spirit as a gardener for my soul. He is constantly pruning,

fertilizing, watering and shining within me so I can display the characteristics

of the fruit of the spirit...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

gentleness, and self-control.

An example of God’s grace and the Holy Spirit working within me was On

September 12, 2011, when I answered a call from my sister Sara. She asked

me to come be with her. “Don’t worry,” she said, “I’m okay. I was just

wondering if you could come be with me.”

Sara had been sick with a disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis. The disease was getting worse, affecting her immune system, and confining her to the four walls of her home.

As I made the four-hour trip to be with her, I prayed continuously, asking God to help me know how to help my sweet sister Sara. I knew in my heart that this visit was going to be different. The possibility of her time on earth coming to an end was at the forefront of my

mind.

God's Grace is "the power of God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves". And the fact is, we cannot do anything for ourselves. Jesus says, "...without me you can do nothing." ~ John 15:5

I needed God’s grace. Sara had given me a necklace to match one that she also wore. The inscription said, “By Grace Alone.” Those words kept going through my head as I asked for His help, His grace. Without His grace, I was lost. How was I going to help her? How could I ease her suffering and pain?

Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we

should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us

with groanings which cannot be uttered. ~ Romans 8:26

As we were told by Sara’s care team that it was time to consider hospice, my head said no and my heart knew when I saw the sparkle in her eyes and the excitement on her face that it was time to pray for her journey to heaven. Sara was going to her eternal home (and she was excited to go). She had fulfilled the purpose God had for her here. She said “Yes.” And her journey began...her journey to be with our Heavenly Father! I experienced life given by the Holy Spirit. I experienced God’s grace as I walked this journey with Sara and my family, a beautiful journey we could only experience because of God’s grace and the Holy Spirit.

I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit into your heart today and again tomorrow. Listen to the whispers in your ear, the tug on your heart and the fleeting thoughts in your head. These are examples of God speaking to you through the Holy Spirit.

God’s blessings to each of you!

Love and hugs,

Laura

P.S. Women of Faith Ambassadors focus on three specific areas...Spiritual

Strength, Real Relationships and Life Leadership. I encourage you to check

out becoming a Women of Faith Ambassador by going to

www.womenoffaith.com/ambassadors. Join myself and other sister’s in Christ as we lock arms and support each other in this safe place of grace!

Laura Pedersen is honored to be a Voice with Women of Faith. She is also a John Maxwell certified speaker and coach who has worked over 25 years in the field of human resources, organizational, and leadership training and development. Laura’s call to ministry came in 2011 after losing her sister, Sara Frankl.

Sara lived with chronic pain as a result of an autoimmune disease and was eventually confined to her home before dying at 38 years old. If anyone had reason to focus on the unfairness of life, it was Sara. Yet through her faith and trust in God, she surrendered her life to Him and therefore accomplished something few can…she chose joy!

In 2016, after being faithful to God’s promptings, Laura and her family were blessed with the release of the book, Choose Joy: Finding Hope and Purpose When Life Hurts. The book is a compilation of Sara’s God inspired message of Choose Joy. Laura is the president of the Choose Joy Foundation, which was established in Sara’s memory.

Laura also recently released an online course entitled "Choose Joy: Finding Your Hope and Purpose When Life Hurts" A go at your own pace 12 Chapter course.

As a speaker, Laura shares Sara’s legacy along with sharing her own life journey through divorce, loss, and breast cancer. Laura’s message is focuses on how the choices we make can transform our life. Laura believes that it is through our hardest times that we experience our greatest growth if we choose to surrender ourselves to God and trust in His will.

"WE ARE HERE AS SPIRITUAL BEINGS, LIVING OUT OUR HUMAN EXPERIENCE, WITH THE INTENTION OF GATHERING AS A COMMUNITY, GIVING OF OURSELVES AND DISCIPLING TO OTHERS, BEFORE WE HEAD BACK HOME TO HIM." ~Laura Frankl Pedersen

Women of Faith is a global ministry, providing digital media, resources and events to encourage and equip women to experience a deeper relationship with Jesus. Initiatives and programs allow women to be reached with the Word of God. Various media and events are utilized in delivering the message. Women of Faith's Foundational Voice is Alita Reynolds

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LIVE IN VICTORY... Across our various Women of Faith offerings you'll find tools to help you grow in spiritual strength, real relationships and life leadership, all in one place! Alita Reynolds, President and Foundational Voice invites you to share your experience of how God is transforming your life and we will coach and equip you to guide others toward victory too. Women of Faith is a global ministry, specializing in the use of all forms of media & technology, as a conduit to connect people to people and exponentially grow friends and community globally and to create disciples 24/7, 365 days per year. This allows Women of Faith to reach more people and to have more impact in growing God’s Kingdom. Women of Faith is also committed to carrying the legacy of wisdom, story and authenticity, by providing various media, initiatives, resources, events, courses, studies, partnerships and programs. These are utilized to encourage and equip women to experience a deeper relationship with Jesus.

ABOUT ALITA REYNOLDS: Alita Reynolds is the President of Women of Faith, host of the Women of Faith Show with Alita Reynolds, a Certified Master Christian Life Coach (CMCLC), and a sought-after speaker. She and her husband, GJ, are the Visionaries of Women of Faith, a global ministry equipping women to live victoriously with Jesus. In addition, she serves the International Christian Coaching Institute (ICCI) by leading the Women’s Life Coaching model, where she trains and mentors women’s life coaches. Alita believes in Life Leadership. Coining this term, Life Leadership, as leading yourself well and elevating all areas of life: spiritually, emotionally, mentally, financially, physically, and relationally so that everyone can influence those closest to them toward Jesus. Her heart is for Women of Faith’s 5+ million followers on various social platforms to join her in rising up as Life Leaders. She deeply desires to lead and strengthen their “March 2 a Billion” movement and radically impact the world for the kingdom. Alita’s life purpose is as simple as her upbringing was on a Nebraska farm. She passionately inspires others to find Jesus by bringing out God's beautiful story in their lives. Alita creates opportunities to encourage everyone to find their God-given purpose, live a life of excellence, and lock arms together to Be the Light! She simply loves to be with her husband, GJ, Logan and Hannah, Rees, and Lexi, her three adult children and daughter-in-love. For more, see https://www.womenoffaith.com/alita-reynolds

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Grace and the Holy Spirit

Grace and the Holy Spirit

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