Dot-to-dot worksheets are popular tools for teaching children to connect random dots by sequential numbers or letters. To the delight of any child, connecting every dot according to the instructions reveals a completed picture.

As a Christ-follower, our lives are like a dot-to-dot worksheet. Apart from union with our Creator by faith in Christ, life often appears as a series of incomprehensible dots on a page. Our souls are continually shaped by countless experiences and interactions with others, good and bad. We lack the understanding to interpret the relevance or process the pain of many different life events. As a result, we often suffer from despairing emotions that tempt us to doubt the goodness of God. We are incapable of connecting the apparent randomness of many dots or experiences that God in His foreknowledge has allowed.

Yet as we daily come to Christ and deepen our understanding and faith in God’s sovereignty, goodness and love, we learn that each dot in our lives has been carefully ordered:

“We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

God will reveal His purposes for you as you trust and follow Him with the carefully chosen dots of His design. He simply instructs you, in a broken world, to pay careful attention to His precepts and to order your life by them. Yielded to and guided by the Holy Spirit, His predetermined plans for good will be accomplished. Like the careful strokes of a child’s pencil guided by preset instructions, you too will be fully assured of the God-exalting and soul-satisfying outcome that God is meticulously completing in you. The connected dots of your life will form the image of Christ to the praise and honor of His name.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finished on the day when Christ returns.”

Philippians 1:6

Here’s a thought: As Christ-followers, let’s give the media something life-altering to talk about. The transformational effect of God’s Spirit upon a single human life can and should be so radical that people notice and talk about it. Consider Jesus. Though not always embraced, and at times rejected, He was never ignored. The religious leaders tried numerous tactics to silence and remove Him from the public eye. Yet news of the words He spoke and the miracles He performed spread quickly throughout the region.

What could be more newsworthy than the visible effects of God’s holy character displayed through an individual life? As Scripture has commanded:

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

As God’s Spirit works in us according to His purposes, we become:

“…blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the Word of life” (Philippians 2:14-16a).

The life of God living through us will present a radical contrast to the ways of the world. Ask God to work in you. Ask Him for the immeasurable privilege of displaying who He is through the events of your everyday life. Then, whether in the bleachers of a ballgame, at a neighbor’s dinner table or on cable news, may people speak of the excellencies of our God. They will do so because they’ve seen the transforming power of His Spirit in each one of us.

The ability of a jet plane to become airborne, defying the laws of gravity, is directly related to its power to produce forward thrust. Thrust is generated when rotating fans push air through the rear of jet engines, producing forward movement. As the speed of the aircraft increases, its propelling power lifts the plane, keeping it aloft, its intended purpose. Imagine an aircraft at full throttle, tied to an immovable tree with an unbreakable chain. The jet would be grounded despite the exertion of great power.

Christ-followers are often like that jet engine chained to an immovable tree. We contain within ourselves the limitless power of the Holy Spirit but do not experience its effect. What quenches that power? Choosing to gratify the strong emotions and sinful desires of our old nature thwarts the miraculous working of God’s Spirit. As a result, there is no forward momentum in our lives to lift us out of sinful thoughts and behaviors. Like a chained jet at full throttle, we are incapable of lifting ourselves out of sin. Striving in our human strength inhibits a personal understanding of the incredible greatness of God’s power working in, and for, those who believe. Instead of holy transformation, endless cycles of frustration and defeat become our sad reality.

What “strong trees” are keeping you chained in patterns of sin and stunted spiritual growth? Perhaps you’re facing bleak circumstances, unmet expectations, or difficult relationships. Christ died to secure victory over sin and peace in every circumstance as you live by faith and trust in His promises. As a jet plane ascends, defying the law of gravity, you too will rise up, freed from the chains of sin and death. In humility and repentance, come to Jesus. Let the explosive power of His Spirit and Word lift you high above evil.

“After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? So I say; let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”

Galatians 3:3; 5:16

From the telephone to cable television to the Internet, optic fibers revolutionized how we communicate and disseminate information. They changed how we live and conduct business. Light passes through these strands of optically pure glass and plastic, ones as thin as a single human hair. As a result, large quantities of information are transmitted over long distances almost instantaneously.

Though one of the top modern inventions, optic fibers do not compare to the pinnacle of God’s “inventions”: the dissemination of His life and glory through the flawed containers of His children. God placed His Spirit in us to broadcast to the world who He is. This is our calling as Christ-followers. Christ in us should transmit the glory of God through us.

As confidently as we expect information to flow to our phones, televisions and computers, we should expect the power of the Holy Spirit to flow through our lives:

“Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this He meant the Spirit” (John 7:38-39a).

Before Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the disciples struggled to believe Jesus. All but John abandoned Him as He was arrested and hung on the cross. After receiving the Holy Spirit, however, the once weak-willed and fearful men boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah before thousands of people. They performed wonders and miraculous signs. They spent the rest of their lives proclaiming the gospel throughout the world.

Do you expect such a radical transformation in your life? You should! Scripture proclaims that God:

“…is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

We expect the flow of information through optic fibers, though few people understand the science behind it. How much more should we believe that God, through our submission to His indwelling Spirit, will display a clear and vivid picture of His beauty and power through us to the world?

“All things are possible to him who believes.”

Mark 9:23

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of shattering glass and unknown footsteps. You realize there is an intruder in your house. Thankfully, because of the activated security alarm, a shrill warning system will bring armed policemen to your home. Robbers who came to steal from you flee.

Satan is like a robber. He comes unexpectedly, looking for unlocked doors into our minds. His goal is to infiltrate our thoughts with lies to steal our faith in Christ. He studies us, looking for easy points of entry: fears, trials, the temptations of ungodly desires, and selfish ambition. He longs to strip us of the riches of holy character that come only through obedience to Christ’s Words.

Without a properly wired and activated alarm system, victims of robbery are often helpless against armed intruders. We too lack strength to defend ourselves against Satan’s lies. Our minds need to be wired with God’s powerful Word. The Holy Spirit functions like the “on” switch of a security system. When lies seek entrance into our thoughts, the Spirit warns us by reminding us of the truth. The implanted Word becomes activated to successfully defend our minds against lies.

In order to secure their Promised Land, the nation of Israel was warned to drive out the inhabitants that did not belong there. Otherwise, they would be robbed of their rightful inheritance. Lies are the enemy inhabitants of your mind. They must be driven out by the truth of God’s Word. If they are not, they will rob you of your rightful inheritance in Christ, victory over sin.

Have you been allowing Satan’s lies to break into your mind and ransack your faith in Christ’s word? If so, you are like an unguarded burglary victim. You will be stripped of the rewards of faith, the priceless treasure of Christ-like character. Press into Jesus. Rewire your mind with His Words. Activate the mighty power of God’s Spirit through humble and obedient faith.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.”

Ephesians 6:10