a fool in the spirit
"Keep watch over yourselves, and over the whole flock the Holy Spirit has given you to guard." —Acts 20:28
When the Spirit is activated in our lives, many other realities come alive, such as Christian community, spiritual warfare, and Satan. In our highly independent, secularized society, these are not popular realities. When you enter into life in the Spirit, you will not be popular either. You'll even be laughed at, mocked, and insulted. When you seek Christian community, you'll seem un-American or a throwback to the Sixties. When you speak of Satan and spiritual warfare, even many Christians will consider you primitive or prehistoric, although you are only espousing Biblical orthodoxy.
When you live the life in the Spirit, you seem like a fool to some and an antique to others. Some people will not even want to be seen with you anymore. This is the price of activating the Spirit in your life. Are you willing to be different, even if that means ridicule and rejection? To receive the Spirit, you must answer this question "Yes."
Prayer: "O Father most holy, protect them with Your name which You have given Me [that they may be one, even as We are One]" (Jn 17:11).
Promise: "Be on guard, therefore. Do not forget that for three years, night and day, I never ceased warning you individually even to the point of tears. I commend you now to the Lord, and to that gracious word of His which can enlarge you, and give you a share among all who are consecrated to Him." —Acts 20:31-32
Praise: Francis lost his friends when he came into the Church, but found not only a true Friend but countless brothers and sisters.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our leaflet, Seek the Gifts of the Spirit, or our series of four tapes on Gifts of the Spirit starting with audio AV 3A-1 or video V-3A.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 1, 2011
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