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Sealed With the Spirit – Love Beyond Measure · Still, Here

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: This is still here, a quiet moment to remember what is true.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to these words from the book of Ephesians chapter 1 verses 11 through 14.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: In him you also,
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: having heard the word of truth,
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: the good news of your salvation,
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: in whom,
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: having also believed,
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: Who is a pledge of our inheritance to the redemption of God's own possession to
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: the praise of His glory.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: After hearing that you are blessed, chosen,
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: adopted,
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: redeemed,
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: and gathered into God's purpose, another question may quietly rise within you.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: How do I stay in the flow?
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: You may believe that God has welcomed you and still feel responsible for maintaining
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: the connection.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: When prayer becomes inconsistent,
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: life grows distracting, or your desire for God feels less intense.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: You may wonder whether you have drifted too far.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Much of life teaches us that belonging must be maintained.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Approval can be lost.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Positions can be taken away.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Relationships can grow distant.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Even our efforts at personal growth can keep us measuring whether we are making enough progress.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: The small ruler says, My belonging is only as secure as my ability to remain faithful.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Paul gives us a different image.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: He says that those who have trusted Christ have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: In the ancient world, a seal carried authority.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: It marked something as genuine.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: It identified the one to whom it belonged.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: A seal did not merely describe an object from a distance.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: It placed a visible claim upon it.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: The Spirit is more than evidence of your commitment to God.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: The Spirit is evidence of God's commitment to you.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: That means you do not have to form your life by yourself.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: The Christian life is not a long attempt to hold on to God tightly enough.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: God is present within you, sustaining the life He has begun.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: People experience the Spirit in different ways.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Some remember moments of powerful emotion, unmistakable guidance, or deep spiritual awakening.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Others know the Spirit as a calm and reassuring presence that becomes recognizable over time.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: God is not limited to one pattern,
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: and you do not have to reproduce someone else's experience in order to belong.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: The Spirit may be present in a growing desire for God.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: You may notice a new ability to receive love, an inward movement toward truth.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Or Compassion that was not there before.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: You may recognize conviction that releases rather than condemns,
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: strength for one faithful step, or the quiet awareness that you are not alone.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: There may be days when your awareness grows dim.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: You may become distracted, tired, uncertain, or spiritually numb.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yet the Spirit has not abandoned the life God is forming within you.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Being sealed does not mean that growth is finished.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: It means God remains present within the growth.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Because your place is secure, you can honestly face what needs to change.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: You can confess without fearing rejection.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: You can receive correction without hearing condemnation.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: You can desire to become more like Christ without living as
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: though one failure could place you outside God's love.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: You do not live on spiritual probation.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: Your belonging does not depend on keeping every feeling alive
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: or maintaining perfect spiritual momentum.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: You are sealed with the Spirit.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: God is present.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Grace is still at work.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Take a moment for this prayer of presence.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Holy Spirit, you are the quiet assurance of God's presence within me.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: I confess how quickly I begin measuring whether I am doing enough to remain close.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: My life bears your seal even when my awareness grows dim.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Awaken me to the ways you are already forming truth, love, courage, And compassion within me.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: I rest in the calm strength of knowing that I belong.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: And as you move on to what comes next, carry this prayer with you.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: I am not on probation.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: I am sealed with the Spirit.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: I am not on probation.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: I am sealed with the Spirit.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: I am not on probation.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: I am sealed with the Spirit.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, stay steady, stay open, stay present.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: You are still here.