The Very Breath of God
I have a triple dog dare for you. I just held my breath for 67 seconds. I know – not that impressive. But see if you can beat my personal best…
Well, how did you do? Whether or not you dominated my best effort, you have to admit that not being able to breathe pretty much takes you away from your happy place.
That's the message that Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown are trying to get across in their duet called No Air. Check out the lyrics:
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Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air.
If I should die before I wake
It's 'cause you took my breath away.
Losing you is like living in a world with no air.
Oh
But how do you expect me
to live alone with just me.
'Cause my world revolves around you
It's so hard for me to breathe.
Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air.
Can't live, can't breathe with no air.
It's how I feel whenever you ain't there.
It's no air, no air.
No air, air
No air, air
No air, air
No air, air
But somehow I'm still alive inside.
You took my breath, but I survived.
I don't know how, but I don't even care.
So how do you expect me
to live alone with just me.
'Cause my world revolves around you
It's so hard for me to breathe.
No air, air…
Are you picking up on the whole "No Air" theme in this song? And perhaps you've felt that way as well. Just like holding your breath until your one consuming thought becomes getting some oxygen in your lungs, sometimes there are relationships that feel like a breath of fresh air on a 100 degree day in the desert.
Did you know that our soul needs to breathe as well? Christians are created to spiritually inhale and exhale, and when we don't, the eternal part of who we are begins to suffocate.
The problem is that many followers of Christ are trying to live with no air. They desperately need to breathe in the breath of God and renew their spirits.
So what is the breath of God? Well, it's not a "what" - or even an "it." The breath of God is called the Holy Spirit in the Bible. The Hebrew and Greek words for "Spirit" are ruach and pneuma. So check this out – both words literally mean "breath" or "current of air." So the Holy Spirit is not only God and the third person in the Trinity; He is also the breath of God.
Tell me how we're supposed to spiritually breathe with no air? The Holy Spirit is willing and able to put a gust of refreshing wind into our souls that will blow out the debris and the foul stench that sin has left inside us.
Here's the way the Bible describes our breathing:
And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace (Romans 8:2; 5-6).
This is a promise that is as sure as suffocation without air. Every minute of every day you choose to either breathe in the power of the Spirit and live to please God, or you hold your breath and choke on the sinful choices that surround you.
So the next time you decide to breathe – which I assume is fairly often – remember to breathe in the life giving breath of God through the Holy Spirit.
There's no air in the universe that is more refreshing and life giving than that!
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Lane Palmer is the Youth Ministries Specialist for Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., where he works with to provide resources for youth leaders and students. Dare 2 Share exists to energize and equip teens to know, live, share and own their faith in Jesus. For more information on Dare 2 Share Ministries or the GameDay youth conference tour, please visit www.dare2share.org. Send feedback to [email protected].
