Tag: help

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Cut away the veil of What If’s

Do you sometimes get caught up in all the what if’s in your life?

You know, when you think, what if this happens and then that could happen which could lead to….

As I was caught in one such moment I thought Father was then saying to me….

Why do you get so caught up in all these What If’s???

They do you no good.

They are like a veil which you have weaved together, with all these what if’s, that covers your eyes and stops you from seeing the What Is!

I want you to take a knife to the veil of what if’s and cut them away.

There might be a few small what if’s that can teach you and keep you from harm, BUT, they should only be a few small single threads, which are cut short so that you can learn a lesson from them.
When the lesson is learnt, then cut them away as well.

What is important is the What Is.

You can’t cut away the what is, but you can blind yourself from what is by looking too intently at the what if’s.

So take that knife and cut away the what if’s, and let me lead you along the what is.

I am with you and will guide you, if you let me.

Father,
Help me to not dwell on the what if’s.
Help me to focus on the what is instead.
Help me to hear Your guidance and to follow Your ways.
Help me to cut away all that doesn’t help me and to trust and follow You that much more closely.
Thank you that You are there to lead and guide me.
Amen

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I’m fragile. Please handle me with care.

This is something I wrote when something I was trying to do just didn’t quite go to plan.
I have been unsure as to whether I should publish this or not, but as you are now reading this, it appears that I have jumped in and given it a go.
So…..

I’m fragile. Please handle me with care.

You see I’ve also got a bit of a problem.
I have a vision of how something could be and would like to see it happen.
I only have so much energy to give to it, and not enough understanding of how to see it through.
Is there any one who can help me?
I’ve tried to do it on my own and had limited success but my failures have cost me, more than I probably know.
You see I’m fragile, please handle me with care.

I’ve recently been told that the one who has the vision then has to be the one to see it through.
This I can see to be true. My biggest problem is I don’t understand what best I ought to do.
Is there any one who can help me to see it through?
I don’t want to see this vision not come true.
It would be good to say that my God shall see me through and provide all my needs. I’ve tried and failed.
I’ve only got so much of me I can put into this.
You see I’m fragile, can you please handle me with care?

I’ve just had a thought.
The church is my family, which God has provided.
Do you think that they may be able to help me?
After all a family is there to help and support each other.
I’ve got a problem here though as I have not helped in the past, when perhaps I could have.
Does this mean that I can’t ask and expect help now that I’m in need?
Or is the church bigger than my own failings.
Can you forgive me as I need to forgive you?

I don’t want for you to do all the work.
In some ways I’ve enjoyed what I have done and would like to carry on.
I just need a little help, to see me through.
Could you be that help I so desperately need?

You see I am fragile, will you please handle me with care?

_________________________________________

I don’t usually feel quite as fragile now as when I wrote this.
However if we are all honest with ourselves, then can we all, at times, echo some of the words written above?

Do our leaders feel, at times, that they are a little bit (or a lot) fragile at times?

Part of the reason of why I am posting this is that, sometimes the people who we think are the most together can sometimes be the ones who are quietly coming apart at the seams with no one noticing.

Those who are in a leadership role (or trying something new) need to appear as if they know what they are doing and where they are going.
After all, who is going to follow someone who appears to be lost?

When anyone tries something new for Father then how will you respond to them?
Will you ignore them thinking, that’s just not for me?
Will you be just too busy to even give it a second thought?
Will you be the encourager to all, and jump in and say yes to all things? (Your a better (or sillier) person than me if you can do this one)

Or will you take the time to ask Father, Do you want me to get behind this?
Is this in your plan Father and what do you want me to do with it?

At the end of the day, if my vision or plan, is something which is wrong, then it’s better for it to not work out.
But if it is from Father, …..Then will you ask Him,
“Do I have a part to play in this, and what is it You want me to do Father?”

Will you be one who follows Fathers promptings?
Will you say yes to Him.

This reminds me of another something I wrote a while back…

When God calls what is the easiest word?

When God calls what is the easiest word to say? No.
No requires no thought, no action and no effort.

When God calls what is the hardest word to say? Yes.
Yes may require thinking, action, effort and hard work.

What are the rewards for Yes and no?

The reward of no is no change.

The reward of yes could mean aggravation, work and effort.
The reward for yes could also be victory, breakthrough and change to a better place.

When God calls to you, do you want to be a no or a YES person?

__________________________________________________

Father,
Help us to look to You for what we should be doing.
Help us to hear You that much more clearly so that we can know that it is You we are hearing.
Then help us to have a heart that does indeed say YES to You.
Help us all, to be all that we can be in You.
Amen.

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The Electric Bike Sermon (Part 2)

If you haven’t already, then please read “The Electric Bike Sermon (Part 1)” before reading this post, it should make more sense if you do.

In Part 1 of these posts I wrote about the benefit of having an electric bicycle.
In part 2, I am looking at the charging of the said electric bicycle.

Having an electric bicycle is great, but if I don’t charge the battery up… well then, the benefit can slowly disappear.
If the battery becomes flat, then I’m left with a heavier bicycle that has none of the benefit of an electric bicycle.
Which can leave me struggling all that much more, (all over again).

As Christian’s we also have this need to keep charged up, or plugged into Father.
If we don’t, we can then effectively end up running on empty.

So, how do we keep fully charged?

Remaining in Father and his will is the first thing which comes to mind. But, just how do we do this.

Prayer, word and fellowship are the three words I’ve heard from the front of church many times.

Prayer, talking to Father (this also includes listening for his words to us).

The word. Reading the bible, God’s word’s to us to help, to instruct and lead us in how we should go.

Fellowship. Meeting with other Christians in order to help and encourage each other in the ways we should go.

To me, these are the first three things we should hopefully all be trying to do.

Listening to praise worship is another favourite of mine.
There is so much good music out there which is easily available (for free) through YouTube.

Bethel Church and Elevation Church music videos are often played on my TV and also on my work PC (through ear phones with the screen minimised) so that I can be effectively charging almost at anytime. There are also many semons available (again through YouTube) which can be listened to in order to build you up.

We can also praise God, or pray, wherever we are and at anytime. We can sing a praise song, or pray, even if it is just in our heads.
It all adds up to that charging effect of coming closer to Father.

We always have the choice available to us to seek His presence in order to find that something extra to see us through the day.
Whatever you need to do to keep charged up, please keep doing it.
It’s always going to be better and easier to deal with life in general if we do so while we are fully charged in God.

Father,
Thank you that you are there for us.
Help us to remain in You.
Help us to always keep looking to You for our guidance and help.
Thank you that You do love us and that we can look to You for all our needs.
Amen.

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The Electric Bike Sermon (Part 1)

I ride an electric bicycle to get to and from work.

It makes the task of cycling that much easier.

I have been called a cheater at times, along with the remark of, if you can’t do it all on your own strength then you shouldn’t do it at all.

These comments do annoy me and also leave me thinking, you just don’t have a clue about this electric bike business.

Who am I cheating?
The hill and the headwind?
I’ll endeavour to cheat them all day long. I’m not in a competition against other cyclists but just someone who wants to get to and from work who is thankful for a bit of help.

On a normal bike, I’ll be completely worn out by the end of the week.
On a normal bike the best I could manage would be 3 days a week with having a rest on 2 days of the week.
But even with the rest days I would still be worn out by the end of the week.

On the electric bicycle, with the assistance it gives me, I can manage to do all 5 days of electric assisted cycling and not be worn out at the end of the week.
I still have to put the effort in.
It’s an electric bicycle I have, and not an electric motorbike.
But come the end of the week (or a strong headwind) I am not looking for the nearest skip to throw the bike into as I can do it, with a little help.

So why am I telling you all this?

I see the electric bicycle as a picture of the Christian life and the standard bicycle as a picture of a non Christian life.

The Christian life means having access to that something extra to help me through life’s troubles.
Just like the electric bicycle gives me that little bit extra, being a Christian means that I can call on Father for his help and assistance when times are harder. (Actually I can call on Father at anytime).

When I do call on Father, then he is there to help.
I might not see it, but he is there.
He is able to provide that little extra so that I’m not looking for the nearest skip to to throw the bike into and sit on the floor in a mess.

To me it’s a no brainer.
Do it all in your own strength, or….. have that little bit of extra help.

For me I am soooo thankful for the help I have had from Father.
When I look at all that I have had to go through I don’t know how I would have done it without his help. Even though at times I might not have seen his help, it was there and got me through.

The Good News is that, the help I received is also available to you!

You can also ask for Fathers help too!
The first step is to acknowledge him and ask him into your life and heart. (Choosing to take the electric bicycle over the standard one.)
The next step is to ask for His help and guidance.
There is a bit more to it than just that, but taking the first two steps is a good start, and if you do, then Father will be there to guide and lead you onward.

Father,
Thank you that You are real and able to to help us.
Thank you that we can come to You for help and guidance.
Thank you that You do accept us where we are, and will help and lead us to a better way.
I ask that you help us all to come to You that much more and help us all to open our hearts and lives to You that that much more so that we can all know You, all that much more!
Amen.

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The Vast Battle

There was a vast battle going on between two armies.
One army was far superior to the other.
Both armies knew what the outcome of the battle would be, but the battle still raged on.

In the end the superior army won the battle.
There was a time of great rejoicing and celebration.
After this time though, the superior army looked around at each other and said, “What do we do now then?”

One person piped up, “That was so good and effective, lets go back to where we started from and do it all over again!”
So they did…???

This time however as they were advancing on the battlefield they had a very real sense of déjà vu. “We’ve been here already, why are we having to go through this again?”

The battle had already been won!
How silly of that army to give away all that ground.
The enemy would happily take any ground that is given to it and then try to hold onto it for as long as possible, always knowing that it would always loose in any battle it faced.

Instead of trying to relive an old battle and past glories the superior army should have gone forward onto the new frontier and taken new ground instead.

Can we be like the superior army at times?

When we pray for things in the spiritual, we have the victory in Christ.
He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and every knee will bow at his name.

We may struggle to see this though.
Instead we can sometimes go back over old ground doing the same things and saying the same things, when in actual fact we’ve already got the victory and we should now be moving forward onto the new ground, to the new frontiers where Christ is leading us.

Father,
Thank you, that in you we do have the victory.
Help us to see this in a greater way.
Once we have the victory, then help us to see the new ground to take.
Help us to always keep moving forward with you.
To remain in step with you.
Amen.

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“I’ll Raise a Hallelujah” is a battle cry

Do you sometimes think that a certain song can being sung in wrong way?

That’s how I feel about “I’ll Raise a Hallelujah”. (Bethel Church)
I sometimes feel that people can sing it, a little bit too happily.

Yes that’s right, I did say too happily.
So why would I possibly think this?

For me, that song is a Battle Cry!

It says to me, “I WILL Praise my God, even when it hurts”.

You just need to just look at the words and you might start to see where I’m coming from.

I’ll Raise a Hallelujah, in the presence of my enemy.
I’ll Raise a Hallelujah, louder than the unbelief.

I’m gonna sing, in the middle of the storm.
Louder and louder, your gonna hear my praises roar.

Are you starting to see why I think this song is a Battle Cry?
When making a Battle Cry it just works better if you deliver it with a ROAR rather than a smile.

I have to admit that there is no wrong way to sing the song, but for me, I do try to declare the words in the song from somewhere deep within.

I think that the song captures the essence of what Habakkuk, one of the Old Testament prophets, was saying.

Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the sheepfold and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

When the song was written it was in a time of impending sorrow.
A little boy was very ill and things were not looking good.
If you would like to hear the full account then search on YouTube for “The Power of Praise – Miracle of Jaxon Taylor’s Healing”

The song was written at one of the darkest points of that time.
It was written to say “Yet I Will Praise the Lord, even though it looks bad”.

The feelings of happiness were probably less at that point in time, but the declarations that God is Good were that much louder!

Then miraculously he became better.
After the doctors were saying there was nothing more they could do, after all the prayers and praises, then he then was healed.
It’s worth watching the video.

So what can we take forward from this?

Sing the song in a happy way, praising God, if that is where you are at.
But also, try to declare the words as what we want our will to be.
Use the song as a Battle Cry in harder times, in order to declare that God is Good, what ever is happening around us.

Father,
Thank you that we can Praise you at all times.
Thank you that we can Praise you in the good times but also when times are not so good.
Help us to look to you in times of trouble, so that we can lean on you to bring that something extra to keep us going in our times of struggle.
Thank you that You are with us and all we need to do is to call out to you.
Amen

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Why is it that when you have troubles people can tend to tell you to rest up, and do nothing?

This might seem like a bit of a strange question but I have sometimes found myself asking this very question in times of trouble.

I understand people’s intentions when they have said such words to me. (Or taken away tasks which I was doing or was about to start doing.) They are trying to help me by giving me time to work things out.

The problem is that sometimes it might not be exactly what is needed at the time.

You might think that this is a strange thing to say, because if you are having troubles then surely having time to work things out is a good thing…..isn’t it…???

Sometimes the answer is yes, time is needed to work things out and having less to do can help the process but at other times the answer could be a resounding NO!

Sometimes, if you are having troubles then having something to do can be just the tonic the doctor ordered, as the saying goes. If this seems strange at face value to you then shall we look into it a bit further?

One of my first points of calls is the bible. So, what does the bible have to say about this?
One reference to rest which is probably well known is Matthew 11 vs 28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Well does that sound like I have got this wrong then…??? The verse is telling me we can have rest. So, should I just put my feet up and take some time out when troubles come my way?

I wonder how many people would be putting their feet up if everybody chose to do this. ☺ 

I think we need to ask what is God’s rest?
I think part of the answer to that question is found in Matthew 11 vs 29-30

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Do we ever read vs 28 and ignore 29-30 ? The passage needs to be read as a whole though.

In 29-30 God does not say put your feet up and take it easy but instead says take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

He has work for us to do. It is a task which we can do. He will not overburden us, but (in this instance) he does not say do nothing. On the contrary he says get up and do something.

What that something is for each individual person is going to be different and individually right for each person. (Sorry but I can’t tell you what that something is, you’ll need to hear that from Father himself for the answer to that question.)

So can you now see where I’m coming from?
Why is it that when you are having troubles people can sometimes think they can help you by removing a burden?

Sometimes it might be just the thing that is needed for a short while but it might not be.
Sometimes it may be that the very thing we need is to be a blessing to someone else. Is there a phrase about it being more blessed to give than to receive..???

There is another time in the bible which comes to mind whilst thinking about this. It’s when an angel made breakfast for Elijah and then told him to sleep. It can be found in 1 kings 19 vs 4-8

In this instance Elijah is told to eat and sleep…..for a while. He is not told to eat and sleep indefinitely but only for a short while in order to strengthen him for the journey he is about to go on.

So, even when God tells us to take a break (which I’m sure he does at times), it’s not meant to be a permanent break. He still has a task or tasks for us to do.

So where have I got to, in all this meandering?
Sometimes you need to do less and sometimes you need to do more…. Well I’m glad we have sorted that one out then….?????

I think what I’m trying to say is that because someone is having trouble it doesn’t automatically mean that they need things to be taken away from them. It might be that they may need something taken away from them or they might just need someone to walk a little closer with them for a while. It might be that they need something added to them to help them along.

I think that part of the problem is that we like to think we know what is needed. We can go on previous experience of what worked in the past. If X, Y, and Z worked then, then we shall do that again now.

Not every situation is the same though. X, Y, and Z might be chucking a hand grenade into an already painful situation.

So, where do we go now then?

My only answer to that is to seek Father, to hear his voice and his direction.

It does mean we need to be able to hear his voice and follow his lead, even if it makes no sense to us. He has the answer to each and every situation. He is the one who knows when to stop and when to rest and he also knows when to stand up and move.

So when all is said and done, are we willing to hear and follow Father’s lead? It is the best way to go.

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How do you react when you are having a bad day?

Lets face it, we all have bad days from time to time.
We all can have days that leave you crying out AAARRRHHH!!!!!!!!

So how do you act or react when a bad day comes your way?

Do you scream out at anyone near you? (unfortunately those closest to us can bear the brunt of this.)
Do you go and hit something? (hopefully not breaking whatever it is your hitting, and most definitely hopefully not a person or pet.)

Or do you just crawl off to a quiet place to hide and wait for the day to end singing, The sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, will be OK. (Just like the little girl with red cotton candy curls sings in a film.)

None of the above options really help us that much.
They may be a small release, but is there a better option?

I believe there is a better option.
Like all better options it’s not an easy one to put into practice but it can bring a release that goes to another level.
One that can bring in a victory.

So what is it I hear you say?

Seek the Lord your God and call on him to help you!

Simple really, isn’t it…???

Maybe not so simple when all you want to do is all of the above.
So How can you do it?

You could try the, singing a song idea.
No not the song mentioned above but a different one.

Incidentally, do you know who the true author of that song, “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” is …???
I’m not talking about who wrote it but the one who inspired it…???

I believe it is the enemy himself, the deceiver, the father of lies.
Before you go off and call me whatever it is that’s in your mind right now, please, just give me a chance and I’ll explain.

What is the message of that song….???
Give up on today! Today is done! You have been beaten today, so just give up and try again tomorrow. (It sounds all the more convincing if you say the above with a bit of a growl in your tone of voice.)

The problem with singing that song today is that tomorrow still has troubles of its own to deal with, which will try to lead you to singing the same song over and over again.
A song of eternal defeat.

This is why I believe this song is a song from the enemy!

There is a different song you can try to sing in its place.

This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made.
I WILL rejoice, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!, and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!
This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made.

As I have said it can be a hard thing to put into practise, but it can bring about a victory. (Even if it is only in your heart and mind but this is where the victory has to come first).

There is an incidence in the bible where we can see this principle in action. Can you guess which part I’m thinking of….?

Well, I’m thinking of Paul and Silas when they were locked up in the inner cell of the prison, with feet fastened into stocks. And this was after having been stripped, beaten and flogged. Acts 16 vs 16-40

Well, they were having a VERY BAD day!
They were Roman Citizens and should not have been treated in such a way.

We may think we have human rights but they had Roman Rights!
They should have been protected by Rome!
We can see how they should have been protected in Acts 22 vs 25 when on another occasion when Paul was about to be flogged he asked
“Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t been found guilty?”
On that occasion Paul wasn’t flogged because of his Roman Citizen Rights.
But back in chapter 16 he had his rights abused.

He had every right to complain!
He could have said “I am a Roman Citizen, How Dare you treat me this way!”
But he didn’t. instead he (and Silas) looked to their citizenship in GOD!
He looked to a higher power.
Father in Heaven.

How did they look to their Father in heaven?
Well they were both were singing, even though they were beaten, battered and bruised.
They were singing even though they had had such a very bad day.

When I first read this passage I had a bit of a romantic view that God must have enabled Paul and Silas to worship after having such a bad day. After all, how else could they have done it? Surely God must have inspired them with power from on high…???

I now think that the reality is some what less dramatic. I now think that they were singing because they needed to. You see, I think they knew they needed to draw close to God and singing was the method they were using to do this.

This turned my thinking on it’s head.
They were singing because they needed to, not because they were inspired to by a power from on high. (How ordinary.)

What happened after they had been singing for a while?

They not only saw the victory in there hearts and minds but also in the reality of their situation.

There was an earthquake, the doors were opened and even the jailer and his house hold came to salvation. (You need to read Acts 16 vs 16-40 to get the whole account.)

This all happened because they made the decision to sing rather than complain.

The miracle happened after worshiping.

So can we do likewise?
When things don’t go our way instead of doing all the wrong things can we instead turn to God, using whatever method works for you to enter into his presence?
Can we try to seek His face, His help and His assistance?

It is the better option.

Father.
Help us to always look to you.
When times are good and also when times are not so good.
Help us to seek and trust you always.
Amen.

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How Do You Pray when you feel you just can’t do anything?

Have you ever found yourself in a place where doing anything seems impossible, where even the simple tasks are a major chore to do?
If you have, then how do you pray when in such a place?

When doing anything seems impossible then praying can seem like the last thing you want to do.
It’s in these times that it could be the most important thing to do!

So how can you do it?

If you can, then using the Lords prayer can be a good starting place.

If I’m struggling, then using The Lords Prayer gives me a model of how to pray.
I take each line, one at a time and dwell on what it means for me in the here and now.
I’ll demonstrate with the first line.

Our Father in heaven – Yes you are my Father, my Daddy. The one I can go to. You are there for me, thank you that you are there for me.

I might dwell on that one line for longer or that might be all I think of for that time before moving onto the next line and repeating the process again.

If you can put this idea into practise then great, please try to do that.

It Will Bless YOU!

But what if you can’t even do that.
What if even that seems impossible.

There is still hope!

You are not so lost that you can’t be brought back!

When I in the past have reached the point where I can’t even say the prayer in that manner,  then I will just recite the Lords prayer.
Parrot fashion if I must but I still do it because even doing that has a power to it.

But what if you can’t even do that?
When I have been there in the past, then I have had another fall back option on prayer.

It’s one of the most basic prayers I have called out.
It’s only six words long.

Praise you.
Help me.
Thank you.

The order the words are used in can be different each time but I try to Praise Him, ask Him for help and also try to remain thankful for what I do have.

That last one can seem difficult to do when you think you have nothing but we all have something to be thankful for, if we look hard enough.

We have air in our lungs to be thankful  for. If we have a roof over our heads and food on the table then we have something to be thankful for.

It can be hard to say thank you, when everything else seems to be wrong, but we always have something to be thankful for.
If we can only open our eyes enough to look for it.
It can be a very hard thing to do but it is the right thing to do.

When I have said the six word prayer in the past I have tried to use the same method spoken about above. Trying to put some meat on the bones, as you say.

There have been times in the past when all I could do is say the six word prayer.

In them times I could only let my heart groan and cry out to Father with the words I didn’t know how to form with my mind.

I can say to you that Today in the Here and Now, I am soooo much Better!!

It can seem so hard if all you can do is call out the six word prayer, but PLEASE, DON’T GIVE UP!!

Father is there for you, and rooting for you.

You can overcome ALL things with Christ who strengthens us.

There is this power from God which IS available to us if we seek him, even if it is with only six little words.

I would like to offer a prayer to anyone who is in need.

Our Father, who is in Heaven.
Thank you that you care for us ALL.
We are ALL special to you.
You gave your son Jesus for us ALL.
Thank you.
Help us all to KNOW that we ARE LOVED BY YOU!
Bring a healing touch to ALL who are hurting.
Help them.
Bring a Help to them that WILL bring a release.
Enable those who are struggling to carry on in YOU.
Thank you that you ARE REAL.
The one True Living GOD who cares and LOVES US.
Help us all to remain in you.
Please guide our steps and lead us to an abundance in YOU.
Amen

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I see a Vessel

This is a picture which, at the time, I believe was very much for me.
Hopefully I have now let God in that much more, it is the best option after all.

I see a Vessel

I see a vessel before me. On the outside it looks impressive, strong and altogether, but on the inside it’s cracked and broken, almost falling apart. It feels as if, if anything is poured into this vessel it will just fall apart, it will crack open.

God is wanting to pour his Holy Spirit on us.

The vessel feels that if God pours his Holy Spirit into it, it will break.

God does not come to destroy though!

No, he comes to build up. Where we have cracks He wants to come along and heal them. He doesn’t wish to see us destroyed. No, He wishes to renew us, rebuild us and make us like new.

The fact that we feel broken and not ready should not stop us from saying “Lord, come to me please and fill me.” No it means we need Him all the more.
He does not come to destroy but He comes to build up. But He can only do this if we let Him in.
So He waits patiently asking.

“Will you let me in. I wish to rebuild and renew you, to make you strong and whole, so will you please just let me in? Just let me in?”