This is part of my year-long series exploring human-centered alternatives to the spiritual promises in Oswald Chambers’ classic devotional My Utmost for His Highest. Today’s entry, “Am I Blessed Like This?”, promises that the Beatitudes contain “the dynamite of the Holy Spirit” that “explode when the circumstances of our lives align,” claiming that the Spirit will apply these teachings to specific circumstances and create “tremendous upheaval” as believers allow the Holy Spirit to “get his way” with them.
Here’s what waiting for the Holy Spirit to apply the Beatitudes to difficult circumstances actually delivered:
“The Beatitudes contain spiritual dynamite,” his Bible study leader explained with conviction. “When circumstances align, the Spirit will show you how to be meek and poor in spirit. Let the Holy Spirit get his way with you, even if it means tremendous upheaval.”
Kevin faced escalating workplace harassment from his supervisor—public humiliation, impossible deadlines, verbal abuse. The promise that the Holy Spirit would apply Jesus’s teachings about being blessed through persecution seemed like divine guidance for handling his abusive work situation.
Kevin embraced this spiritual approach completely. Instead of documenting harassment incidents or consulting with HR, he waited for the Holy Spirit to apply Jesus’s teachings about being meek and blessed through persecution to his specific circumstances. He believed the promised spiritual dynamite would explode with divine guidance for handling his abusive supervisor.
For months, Kevin endured escalating workplace abuse while expecting the Spirit to reveal how the Beatitudes applied to his situation. When colleagues suggested filing formal complaints or seeking legal advice, Kevin declined, believing this would prevent the Holy Spirit from getting his way and forming his spiritual walk through suffering.
But the promised spiritual dynamite was workplace destruction disguised as biblical obedience.
Kevin’s passive application of the Beatitudes enabled his supervisor’s abuse to escalate while he waited for divine guidance that never came. The tremendous upheaval that was supposed to result from Spirit-led obedience never materialized—only continued harassment and professional damage. The Holy Spirit’s application of ancient teachings to modern workplace abuse was completely absent.
Meanwhile, Kevin’s colleague Diana approached similar workplace harassment with zero expectation of spiritual solutions through biblical application. When Diana faced hostile treatment from the same supervisor, she immediately documented incidents, consulted with employment attorneys, filed formal complaints with HR.
Diana’s approach involved established legal protections and professional advocacy rather than expecting the Holy Spirit to apply ancient teachings to modern workplace situations. Her systematic response to harassment created actual upheaval—for the supervisor, who was eventually disciplined and required to undergo management training.
When Kevin finally followed Diana’s example and sought professional help, he discovered that workplace harassment required legal intervention and professional advocacy, not spiritual applications of the Beatitudes.
Where was the spiritual dynamite that was supposed to explode when circumstances aligned? Where was the Holy Spirit applying Jesus’s teachings to his specific workplace abuse?
The real transformation came through using employment law protections rather than waiting for divine application of biblical principles. The silence where spiritual guidance was supposed to manifest revealed the truth: there was no Holy Spirit applying ancient teachings to modern workplace problems.
Only legal protections and professional advocacy that actually worked when systematically applied to harassment situations.
Reflection Question: When has using legal protections and professional advocacy been more effective than waiting for the Holy Spirit to apply biblical teachings to difficult circumstances?
This story is part of my upcoming book “The Undevoted: Daily Departures from Divine Dependence,” which offers 365 human-centered alternatives to the spiritual certainties in Chambers’ devotional. Each day explores how reason, community, and human resilience can address life’s challenges without requiring divine intervention.
God or Delusion? 