How To Transform Atmospheres

Let God do it. Let Him have His way. Rest in His peace. Rest in His love.
Sounds simple, doesn't it? And in so many ways it is. The pattern is laid out by King David in the Old Testament.

Psalm 23
God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.
Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.
You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.
Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.

King David understood atmospheres. He especially understood hostile atmospheres! The 23rd Psalm, so full of peace and rest, banquets, love, mercy and God’s goodness, reflected a time of turmoil, uncertainty and unrest in his world. 

Graham Cooke has affected my view of God more than anyone else in recent years. When Graham posited that the greatest weapons of a spiritual warrior are peace and rest, he had my attention. In one thought he made me realise that most spiritual warfare was about the atmosphere. He introduced the idea that I am most powerful when I am at my most peaceful.
    
While it is an inspiring concept, at the time I was not a man of peace. I was often described as a workaholic, who could easily ‘wind you up.’ There needed to be changes in my life if I was to carry a different atmosphere.

What I have discovered is that the rest and rhythm of God are fundamentally at odds with our driven world. 

Matthew 11:28-30 MSG
 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Jesus words were in direct conflict with the prevailing wisdom of the time taught by the religious elite.  In His day there were over 600 religious edicts that ruled the lives of Jews.  I can only imagine the weariness of the ordinary person under the weight of all those commandments!

I realised that if I was to transform atmospheres with the atmosphere that I carry, I needed an upgrade in His peace and rest.  As you may imagine, this was not an overnight achievement and I am still on the journey of discovering greater depths and heights of the peace and rest available to me as I walk with Jesus.

During the initial phases of my journey towards transforming atmospheres, I was leading a group through Graham Cooke’s Way of the Warrior series.  The second book in the series is called Manifesting Your Spirit. I facilitated the group for two years before I got to grips with this concept. In simple terms, this means having your spirit on display, and mine was locked up inside me. It sounds foolish now but I had Jesus and the Holy Spirit so hidden away that what people were experiencing around me was just ME. Warts and all, they got me in the condition I was in on any given day. I had no real way of maintaining an atmosphere that was not entirely dependent on the circumstances of the day.    

So, are you ready for the revelation on how we transform atmospheres?  

We let Jesus and Holy Spirit OUT!

The more we allow the peace and rest, the burden and the yoke of Jesus to be the reality of our daily lives, the more profound our ability to transform every atmosphere that encounters ours!

Andee

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