From Temporary to Lifestyle
We’re good at seasons. Summer comes and we break out the shorts. Fall comes and suddenly everyone is a pumpkin farmer. Christmas rolls around and we’re singing about peace on earth while fighting somebody for the last parking spot at Target. We know how to do seasons.
But we also know God’s presence was never meant to be seasonal.
Think about Obed-Edom. He didn’t treat the Ark like a three-month rental from the spiritual version of Rent-A-Center. He didn’t shove it in the guest room and say, “Well, this will be cool for a little while.” No, it marked his house. It changed the atmosphere. His family, his livelihood, his future — all of it shifted because he said yes to God’s presence, even when it was unexpected.
Here’s the problem: we love moments with God, but moments are easy to pack away when the season changes. We do the summer Bible plan, the youth camp worship nights, the New Year’s fast, and they’re all real and beautiful. But then Labor Day hits, or the routine comes back, and we go right back to living as if God’s presence was only available during the highlights.
The GREAT thing is Jesus didn’t call us to highlights, He called us to abide! “Abide in Me, and I in you… apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). Abide is not a seasonal word. It’s a staying word. It’s not fireworks once a year—it’s a steady flame that warms the house every single day.
If we’re not careful, we treat God like sunscreen. We only reach for Him when the heat gets unbearable, and as soon as the burn fades, we toss Him back in the closet until next summer. But the Spirit of God is not seasonal relief. He’s the breath in your lungs, the wisdom in your decisions, the peace in your home, the joy in your relationships, the strength in your weakness.
Practical step: What’s one habit you started this summer with God? Maybe you began praying with your kids before bed. Maybe you read Scripture in the mornings instead of scrolling. Maybe you whispered “Good morning, Holy Spirit” before you checked your emails. Whatever it is — don’t box it up with the pool floats. Drag it into the school year, into the cold months, into the everyday grind.
Let it become a lifestyle.
Because the truth is, moments inspire us, but lifestyles transform us.
And if this whole summer has been about anything, it’s this: the presence of God is not a seasonal accessory. It is your lifeline. Don’t just taste it in June and July. Live in it. Carry it. Build your life around it.
Obed-Edom only had the Ark for three months, yet get the Spirit for every breath. Don’t let Him stay in the guest room. Make Him at home.
But we also know God’s presence was never meant to be seasonal.
Think about Obed-Edom. He didn’t treat the Ark like a three-month rental from the spiritual version of Rent-A-Center. He didn’t shove it in the guest room and say, “Well, this will be cool for a little while.” No, it marked his house. It changed the atmosphere. His family, his livelihood, his future — all of it shifted because he said yes to God’s presence, even when it was unexpected.
Here’s the problem: we love moments with God, but moments are easy to pack away when the season changes. We do the summer Bible plan, the youth camp worship nights, the New Year’s fast, and they’re all real and beautiful. But then Labor Day hits, or the routine comes back, and we go right back to living as if God’s presence was only available during the highlights.
The GREAT thing is Jesus didn’t call us to highlights, He called us to abide! “Abide in Me, and I in you… apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). Abide is not a seasonal word. It’s a staying word. It’s not fireworks once a year—it’s a steady flame that warms the house every single day.
If we’re not careful, we treat God like sunscreen. We only reach for Him when the heat gets unbearable, and as soon as the burn fades, we toss Him back in the closet until next summer. But the Spirit of God is not seasonal relief. He’s the breath in your lungs, the wisdom in your decisions, the peace in your home, the joy in your relationships, the strength in your weakness.
Practical step: What’s one habit you started this summer with God? Maybe you began praying with your kids before bed. Maybe you read Scripture in the mornings instead of scrolling. Maybe you whispered “Good morning, Holy Spirit” before you checked your emails. Whatever it is — don’t box it up with the pool floats. Drag it into the school year, into the cold months, into the everyday grind.
Let it become a lifestyle.
Because the truth is, moments inspire us, but lifestyles transform us.
And if this whole summer has been about anything, it’s this: the presence of God is not a seasonal accessory. It is your lifeline. Don’t just taste it in June and July. Live in it. Carry it. Build your life around it.
Obed-Edom only had the Ark for three months, yet get the Spirit for every breath. Don’t let Him stay in the guest room. Make Him at home.
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