By Judy Lee Jenkins
One day as I was listening to Pastor John Hagee from San Antonio, Texas on Christian TV. he was giving a very interesting sermon on the Holy Spirit. He had a real horse’s bridle with him on the stand and gave an analogy of how the Holy Spirit acts like a horse’s bridle in our lives. The purpose of a bridle is for the rider to have control over his horse. When the horse feels the pull of the bits of the bridle in his mouth, he reacts,
He knows that he should come to a halt or go a different direction and follows the guidance of his rider if that horse has been well trained. As Christians, we’ve been given the Holy Spirit as a gift from God to live inside us and guide our lives all our days. If we truly love the Lord we will strive to always follow his teachings and Commandments. However, there may be times we might tend to stray and if we do, we could feel that nudge or pull from our Spiritual bridle, the Holy Spirit.
He whispers in our ear that we are going the wrong way and nudges us like a bridle back on the path we should be on. He communicates with our conscience and becomes a great blessing in our lives. We should never ignore him and heed his warning not because he wants to spoil our fun but because he wants us to be happy and receive all the abundant blessings that God desires to lavish upon us.
However, if we walk in wrong paths, we will never have God’s best for our lives. Pastor John Hagee closed his sermon by saying, “I WISH SOMEONE WOULD WRITE A SONG ABOUT THIS.” I thought, wow, is he talking to me? I decided to take him up on the challenge and wrote the following song.
IF WE BELIEVE IN JESUS AND IN HIM WE PUT OUR TRUST,
THE HOLY SPIRIT TAKES RESIDENCE TO DWELL IN EACH OF US,
THE FATHER DESIRES TO CONFORM US TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON,
AND THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT IS HOW THIS WORK IS DONE.
HE TEACHES US TO WALK WITHIN GOD’S HOLY LIGHT,
AND IN A STILL SMALL VOICE PROMPTS US TO DO RIGHT,
BUT IF WE TEND TO WANDER LIKE A HORSE THAT WANTS TO STRAY,
HE BECOMES OUR SPIRITUAL BRIDLE TO TURN US BACK THE RIGHT WAY.
CHORUS
WHEN WE FEEL THE PULL OF OUR SPIRITUAL BRIDLE,
NUDGE US THE RIGHT WAY LIKE THE BRIDLE OF A HORSE,
WE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO THE SPIRIT’S WARNING,
AND THE STILL SMALL VOICE THAT WE’RE ON THE WRONG COURSE.
VERSE 2
HE GIVES LIFE TO OUR SPIRITS AND SEALS US AS HIS OWN,
WITH A DEPOSIT OF OUR 2ND BIRTH FOR OUR ETERNAL HOME,
HE HELPS US WHEN WE STRUGGLE WITH SPEECH OR HOW TO PRAY,
AND INTERCEDES FOR US WORDS TO WONDERFUL TO SAY.
HE COMFORTS WHEN WE’RE HURTING, FEELING SAD, DOWNCAST AND LOW,
AND BRINGS THAT PERFECT PEACE AND LOVE DEEP WITHIN EVERY SOUL,
HE GUARDS OUR HEARTS AND MINDS BY POURING TRUTH WITHIN
AND WHEN WE’RE NOT IN TUNE WITH GOD, CONVICTS US OF ALL SIN.
CHORUS
NEVER ATTEMPT TO GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT,
BUT LIVE TO PLEASE GOD IN ALL WE DO AND SAY,
AND WHEN WE FEEL THE PULL OF OUR SPIRITUAL BRIDLE,
PERHAPS THE PATH WE’RE ON IS NOT THE RIGHT WAY.
CLOSING
IF WE WANT TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE,
PAY ATTENTION TO HIS WARNING AND THE STILL SMALL VOICE!!
SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES:
- 1 Corinthians 3:16”DON’T YOU KNOW THAT YOU YOURSELVES ARE GOD’S TEMPLE AND THAT GOD’S SPIRIT LIVES IN YOU?”…
- 2 Corinthians 1:3 “PRAISE BE TO GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE FATHER OF COMPASSION AND GOD OF ALL COMFORT WHO COMFORTS US IN ALL OUR TROUBLES….”
- 2 Corinthians 1:21 …..”HE ANOINTED US, SET HIS SEAL OF OWNERSHIP ON US AND HIS SPIRIT IN OUR HEARTS AS A DEPOSIT, GUARANTEEING WHAT IS TO COME.”
- Romans 8:26 “IN THE SAME WAY, THE SPIRIT HELPS US IN OUR WEAKNESS. WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT WE OUGHT TO PRAY FOR, BUT THE SPIRIT HIMSELF INTERCEDES FOR US WITH GROANS THAT WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS.”
- Ephesians 1:13 …”HAVING BELIEVED YOU WERE MARKED IN HIM WITH A SEAL, THE PROMISED HOLY SPIRIT, WHO IS A DEPOSIT GUARANTEEING OUR INHERITANCE UNTIL THE REDEMPTION OF THOSE WHO ARE GOD’S POSSESSION TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY.”
- Philippians 4:7 “AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS.”
- Romans 8:29”FOR THOSE GOD FOREKNEW HE ALSO PREDESTINED TO BE CONFORMED TO THE LIKENESS OF HIS SON…”
- Ephesians 4:30”AND DO NOT GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, WITH WHOM YOU WERE SEALED FOR THE DAY OF REDEMPTION.”