The Exchange of Breath--Truth for Lies

I mentioned here before that I am on an assignment which began Nov 1, 2019 and goes until Oct 31, 2020. I am speaking the entire Bible during this time-- reading out loud, writing summaries and making prayers and proclamations daily.

The Lord said that as His spoken word is released it will dispel the darkness, lies, and toxic breath of the land in America. It would be a cleansing of the land through the spoken word like Jesus said (John 15:3).

Since Nov. 1 various other themes have come up such as:

• freedom to America (or any nation) coming through discipleship because when we study His word we know the truth which brings freedom (John 8:31-32).
• Darkness being dispelled through transformation, not just displacement was another theme. (And conversion can come through discipleship, but discipleship doesn't always follow conversion). 
• Cleansing being a separation from dirt, from that which defiles, so there is a holiness type of cleansing occurring (Jer. 15:9). 

But what I want to get to, is that most recently the focus has been back to the breath. As His word is spoken--breathed out--its released as a breath of truth and life. With each exchange of breath lies are exchanged for truth. Not driven away, but changed. The inhaled truth is processed through the lungs and heart. As the heart is changed, the breath of the lungs becomes pure and releases life and truth with every exhale (word). 

Specifically relating to the virus, this breath--His words that we've inhaled or studied and processed--will replace the toxic contaminates in the air (physical or spiritual) with life and truth, bringing both health and freedom. And the freedom will be more than the stay at home bans being lifted!

Psalm 12:6 says the words of the Lord are pure words as silver tried in a furnace of the earth refined seven times. We are the furnace and His words are processed through us--our heart, lungs and mouth--to release breaths of life and truth. As our spirits are filled with the Spirit of God, in alignment with His truth, then what is exhaled from our spirit--our breath--will be life-giving truth.

Take the time to hear and process the Word of God. Study it. Meditate on it. Put it into practice. Align your life with it. Make a point to intentionally inhale, process, and then, after all that, exhale (speak) the word of God.

Also check out The Parresia Anointing here.

Inhale

"...Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries." Psalm 135:7

I just returned from vacationing upnorth and the one thing I always notice up there is the fresh air. My entire body is refreshed just by breathing. I often bring back rocks or other little treasures when I leave, but one thing I cannot bring back is the air. If you want to breathe the air in a region you have to go there. However, you can breathe the air and then breathe out the refreshment you receive in other ways. You can breathe out words--spoken or written. You might even breathe out that refreshment in the form of art--an inspired dance, painting, sculpture, song or even a culinary creation. Your life and your work can become revitalized by going someplace where you connect with the Lord and breathe in that refreshing air. You breathe it out through your words and your work.

What you breathe out after breathing in from the Spirit of God can bless other people. There are refreshing places on earth, and there are refreshing places in the spiritual realm where we can breathe in from the breath of God and breathe out life-giving refreshment to others. This is good for us to do. This is what God wants us to do. However, at some point each person needs to inhale from the Spirit for themselves. It's good to be inspired from others, but the air becomes stale if we do not, at times, go to the Lord ourselves and breathe in the air of the Spirit--inhale the wind and words He gives to us individually.

What exactly do we breathe in when we inhale from the Spirit of God? Well, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are characteristics of the Spirit Himself. This is how He treats you. You must receive these things from Him first--breathe them in--before you can exhale these things towards others. If I try and extend goodness to others without having received the goodness of God first then I'm offering stale air, something that is not refreshing like His Spirit is. 

Today is a good day to inhale the refreshing breath of the Spirit of God. If you can, enjoy the beauty of His creation while you do so. If not, He is still here, waiting for you to come breathe in from His breath, His Spirit and His life.

See also "What's in Your Atmosphere?"

For more on discovering art as worship visit www.HoHodos.com. 

What's In Your Atmosphere?

"And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.""

John 20:22

Every one of us must breathe every day. In fact, we must breathe every moment of every day. We don't get to save up breaths for later on. If you don't like the smell of the atmosphere you are in, you can't decide not to breathe and catch up on your breaths later on. Every moment of every day, no matter where you are and what is around you, you must breathe. Of course I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. However, what we don't always remember is that there is a spiritual atmosphere around us all the time just like there is a physical, oxygen-filled atmosphere. 

What kind of spiritual atmospheres do you go through during the day? When you wake up in the morning is the atmosphere of your home a God-filled one where you are able to breathe in the breath of the Holy Spirit? When you go to work or school or wherever your day takes you, do you spend a good chunk of your day in an atmosphere where others are breathing out complaints and criticisms, or thanksgiving and encouragement? You breathe in the same air as them don't you, but do you breathe out the same air as them? Do you breathe out words of criticism or words of praise? 

It isn't always easy to breathe out words of life when you are breathing in everyone else's grumbling words. But Jesus gave us a clue here in this verse in John. The disciples were in the presence of Jesus after He was resurrected. He was talking to them--breathing out words of life. He said, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And after He said that He breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit--the very breath of God--into them. They had to breathe His breath in first before they could breathe out. You can't breathe out life until you breathe it in! As a believer in Jesus Christ, you can breathe in the very breath of God--His Holy Spirit--and as your spiritual lungs stay filled with His breath, you can breathe out words of life wherever you are! How do we do this?

When we receive His peace and stay in the presence of the Lord wherever we are, breathing in His Words and the breath of the Holy Spirit, then we will stay filled with His breath. As we walk and talk with Him wherever we are so we continually breathe in His Words, rather than the poisoned atmosphere of the complaints of others around us, then we will be able to breathe out His words into the atmosphere around us--filling it with life instead of death. Life overcomes death! Good overcomes evil! Light overcomes darkness!

Jesus gave us another clue when He continued His conversation with the disciples and said, "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." If we hold on to the hurtful words of others and take offense then we succumb to that atmosphere of death, which is contrary to the Spirit of God who is loving and forgiving. Quit struggling and beating yourself up for giving in to the atmosphere around you and instead breathe in His peace, His breath, His words, and His Spirit. Stay in communion with Him throughout your day, and watch the atmosphere around you change!