Voiceofgod

Psalms 104:4 NKJV
[4] Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.

Throughout the Christian world, every minister must desire to demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit, especially the gifts of the Spirit. The demonstration or at least the preaching of the Holy Spirit is vital not only in the Pentecostal world but also in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions.

Luke 24:49 NKJV
[49] Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

“Endued with power from on High”

Imparting the Holy Spirit’s Power:

II Kings 2:12-14 NKJV
[12] And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. [13] He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. [14] Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that, Elisha crossed over.

What was the significance of Elisha’s actions?

II Kings 2:8 NKJV
[8] Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

This was Elisha’s final and most recent witnessing of Elijah’s actions. He keenly observed the demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s power operating through Elijah.

God’s power is shared with fragile humans.

The Holy Spirit is Holy:

We must keep our vessels holy and clean. Believers should understand that the indwelling presence of Holy God in them is not to be taken for granted. We must give the same reverence we give in partaking of the Lord’s table. Here, we commune with the Holy Spirit daily, our bodies serving as the altar.

Elisha was revered as a holy man of God.

II Kings 4:8-9 NKJV

[8] Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. [9] And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly.

The Shunammite woman testified to her husband that Elisha was indeed a holy man of God. Her statement was based on regular observation as and when Elisha visited her house and had food.

What kind of testimony do we receive from our own family, neighborhood, colleagues, friends, church, and the public at large?

I Thessalonians 4:3-8 NKJV
[3] For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; [4] that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, [5] not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; [6] that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. [7] For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. [8] Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.

No believing Christian can ignore the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, for it is only through Him that we can call God “Abba, Father.”

Galatians 4:6 NKJV
[6] And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

Romans 8:15-16 NKJV
[15] For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” [16] The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
Amen.

So it is paramount that all children of God keep their vessels pure in sanctification and in honour.

Holy Spirit is our friend:

Believers, have restricted the Holy Spirit within the perimeters of praying in tongues.

It’s like someone who wants to swim deep but, upon reaching the river bank, is satisfied by only dipping their legs in the water.

what should we seek in relation to the Holy Spirit? First and foremost, the Holy Spirit is our friend. We should be seeking Him as a friend.

John 15:15 NKJV
[15] No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

God longed for our friendship from the beginning. When He found a friend, God made the entire world know him as a friend of God.

Isaiah 41:8 NKJV
[8] “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend.”

Exodus 33:11 NKJV

[11] So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…

We must experience the Holy Spirit as our friend. Only then can we know the heart and mind of God.

God’s prophets are first His friends.

God through Jesus Christ extended this friendship to all believers.

For us, those saved by Grace, it is the greatest privilege to be known by God. And God is more gracious to give an open invitation to be God’s friends.

The irony, however, is that only a few pursue God’s own heart.

Many are called, but few are chosen—those who persevere in pursuing God’s own heart.

It is dangerous to exercise faith through the gifts of the Holy Spirit without a consistent relationship with the Giver of the gifts. 

We shouldn’t end up saying, “Lord, Lord, in Your name we cast out demons,” and hear the Lord say, “I do not know you.”

Relationship requires significant commitment, endurance, and perseverance, as the Apostle Paul exemplified.

II Corinthians 11:23-29 NKJV
[23] Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. [24] From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; [26] in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; [27] in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— [28] besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. [29] Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

What is so special about this relationship that makes Paul and the other apostles suffer so much for Christ? It is a wonder; unless we too experience the depth of this great Love, we may not fully understand or comprehend it—

His Love, Jesus’ Love. The river of His Love never, ever dries up.

Romans 5:5 NKJV
[5] Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

We must experience God’s Love every day. God is Love.

Flowing in the fullness of God’s Love and His power:

Ephesians 3:16-19 NKJV
[16] that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, [17] that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, [18] may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— [19] to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

We may not know the precise moment when we receive the filling of the fullness of God; it can only be experienced, when we exercise our faith, like Elisha’s experience when Elijah departed. Elisha did not know he had received the double portion of Elijah’s anointing. But for this experience ,the very moment he exercised his faith and struck the river with Elijah’s mantle – he knew that the Lord ,God of Elijah ,has  now graciously chosen to be the Lord, God of Elisha.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 NKJV
[9] That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done…

When we immerse ourselves in the living waters, the filling of the fullness of God will lead us to proclaim, “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” Literally nothing can come between such a love relationship.

When our cup runs over, that moment is like “walking on the waters”.

How sad it would be to finish our race without   walking with Him in this life on this earth and experiencing the fullness of God within us.

This life is fleeting and will never be experienced again .

We should be spending it in sharing His purpose.

John 3:16 NKJV
[16] For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Father God , in Jesus’ name we pray, please help us experience you in our earthen vessels. May You pour your Love into our hearts through thy Holy Spirit. May we be filled with all the fullness of you. May we walk with you as your friends, fully accomplishing all the purpose you have planned in our lives, and forever, throughout eternity, may our beloved Jesus be ours, and we be His. Let nothing separate us from your Love. In Christ Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

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