August 31, 2025
by Pastor Chuck SwindollScriptures: 1 Corinthians 2:9
Virtually every day of my life I am digging into the treasures of the Word of God. I am probably more theologically orthodox than I’ve ever been in my life. But that does not mean I have stopped learning. I am still thinking, and I am still dissatisfied with the status quo.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Virtually every day of my life I am digging into the treasures of the Word of God. I am probably more theologically orthodox than I’ve ever been in my life. But that does not mean I have stopped learning. I am still thinking, and I am still dissatisfied with the status quo.
The fact of the matter is, I simply am not convinced that our understanding and appropriation of the Holy Spirit is all it can be or all it should be. While I don’t think we need “more of God” (an impossibility, since we have all of Him!), I do think we need to act upon all that we have. I don’t believe we need to pray for some new thing to come upon us, but I do believe we need to appropriate in much greater measure what is already within us.
It’s like the brain. During our entire lives, we use maybe one-tenth or less of it—one tiny portion of it—and the rest of it just lies there like a gray glob, learning nothing new, just marking time. I cannot believe that is God’s desire for His people when it comes to the spiritual resources He has given us.
I think the Spirit of God, who resides inside every believer, is ready to take charge and instill within us not only a dynamic but also a quiet confidence in life. Yet most Christians sort of stumble along from day to day virtually unaware of or unconcerned about the vast provisions that are ours to claim.
My prayer is that we remain open and teachable and that our God may lead us and reveal fresh truths from His Word, including blowing some of the dust off old truths and bringing them back to life. I hope to help you clear the debris from some great truths that await our appropriation.
I want to spend the rest of my years challenging people to go to the very edge of their faith to risk new thoughts . . . ponder new ideas . . . enter into new experiences without fear. The truth is, we have pulled too far back from some of the best things the Lord has for us.