There is joy and blessedness in being permitted to witness in an age of doubt and unbelief to that precious faith committed unto us. 
The Rt Rev'd H.B. Whipple, Founder of The Church of the Good Shepherd, Maitland, Florida, 1881

Dearly Beloved in Christ,

Paul's preaching of the Gospel is not accomplished through worldly wisdom but through God's power and wisdom.  And what is the power and wisdom of God?  Jesus Christ and him crucified.  The world looks at the cross and sees failure.  Paul looks at the cross and sees God's power and wisdom.

The question for us is whether or not we are training ourselves to see with the eyes of the world or with the same eyes as Paul.  To see with the same eyes as Paul we must be willing to allow the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us through Baptism, to be our guide.  Soren Kierkegaard puts it this way: "Christ doesn't destroy reason; he dethrones it.  A maturing Christian becomes wiser, not in the way of the world, but in the way of the Spirit."  For, says Saint Paul, "the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God ... now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God." How well do we discern the guidance of the Spirit?

In his blog "Oboedire" Steve Harper shares the following analogy concerning the presence of the Holy Spirit, and our ability to discern His presence:

"As you read these words, you might say, 'There's no television where I am.'  But that's not true.  Every television channel is coming through your room right now.  But you do not have the equipment in yourself to see or hear it.  If you have a television set nearby, all you have to do is switch it on, and immediately you will have television right where you are.   Similarly, we may feel that 'God is not where I am'-nowhere to be found.  But that's not true.  Our damaged receptors describe our feelings, but they do not define everything that's going on.  Instead of trusting our nerve endings, our brains, and our diagnoses, we need to turn to our souls where we can recall and receive 'signals' that do not come to us from these other sources."

How are our Holy Spirit receptors?  One sure way to keep them clogged is to hang onto unrepented of, and unconfessed sin.  Do you find yourself hanging onto a grudge, refusing the prompting to seek reconciliation? To continue the analogy - eventually all we will be able to receive is static, no clear signal.  It takes courage to confront our sins.  But this is the power and wisdom of God - Jesus Christ and him crucified - because on the cross our sins lose their power.  May we have the courage and the will to confront our sins and confess them for in doing so we receive the fullness of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

In His Peace, Grace, and Love,
Rev'd Sarah+