Let the Spirit flow!

     We were having a night of silent prayer, accompanied with beautiful worship music.  We are usually there for an hour or two, every other Sunday evening at the Church.  It's a time of quiet reflection, and praise to God for all that He is, has done, and will do in the future.  Our purposeful intent in this time in the Spirit, is for our hearts and minds to uplift Him in whatever situation we may currently find ourselves.
     At the close of the evening, we come together from the various areas of the sanctuary.  We take the last remaining moments to share as a group, and voice the feelings, burdens, and thoughts that we might have had on our hearts during this time.  We use it mostly as a time to vocally share our prayer requests with one another.  Doing as the Bible asks us to "bear one anothers' burdens", and "pray one for another".  In these moments, God's presence seems to seal our earlier offerings of deep heartfelt worship.
     Various members of the team spoke, each sharing a concern that they would like us all to agree with them in prayer for for victory.  Then, one woman spoke up in an assured voice.  She directed her statement to a believer, whom I will call Hannah.  She told her that," God was going to fill her with the Holy Spirit to the degree that she had wanted for a long time".
     Hannah was a little shocked, but then was overcome with excitement, sprinkled with a bit of trepidation.  You see, Hannah was a devout believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  And she wanted the fullness of God more than anything.  She had sought the Baptism in the Holy Spirit for decades.  She had come to similar moments like this many times before in her journey in Christ.  Each time to only come away not obtaining that overflowing presence of the Father's promise that she so earnestly desired.

     At various times in her past, people had prayed for her to receive the promise.  Most having a specific form or model of " how" a person should receive this gift,then pressed her into their mold.  Instead of simply ushering her into His presence to simply receive Him.  Yet, with each "failure" so to speak, there was being built up inside her an invisible wall.  Doubt, the enemy of faith, was being created in her heart.  A feeling/thought pattern that she may never be able to receive what her spirit longed for, for so long.  Yet, through all of the trials, and years, she had never lost the desire of her heart to know God fully.  That someday she would receive the gift that she had so valiantly sought.  So, here she was once again, faced with the hope and the promise, yet still having a spiritual track record of not obtaining the prize.
     The group being led by the lady who spoke, were united in faith for Hannah.  Believing that tonight was her night!  Praises rang out to God.  We asked Him to grant our friend the desire to know Him more.  Hannah was simply asked to receive what the Lord had promised as a gift, by faith, and to speak any words that He might be sharing on her heart, whatever He would put in her mouth to speak.  As you might have guessed, after a few minutes, nothing happened.
     May I share with you some insight at this moment?   There are times when Christians operate not by faith, but rather out of hope.  Which can easily be sidetracked, or even derailed because we base it on our current condition, or our past experiences.  Faith is based on God's Word, and His character alone!  Sadly, for our sister, she had had past experiences that were very similar to this moment in time.  So, in her heart that invisible wall had to be torn down, before she could obtain her victory.  This is in no way an indictment of her condition, but is meant to help others, and shed light on somethings that sometimes hinder all of us in our Christian walk.
     So, back to our story.  As you remember, prayer and praise was going forth for our sister to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and her spiritual language.  Suddenly, I felt a prompting, which I shared aloud.  " Hannah*", I said "  I see that you have already received this gift in your spirit, but there seems to be a blockage in releasing it in you.  I see you like a bottle of champagne, and the cork just needs to Pop! So speak out the joy and words in your mouth!"  Within a moment of those words leaving my mouth, she literally exploded with joy!
     This middle-aged woman seemed to be filled with electricity and emotion that burst forth like light in the darkness.  She laughed, she cried, euphoria seized every ounce of her being.  And then out of her mouth came a language that she did not know, faster than the tongue seems to have the chance to form syllables.  Interspersed with the loudest, "Praise the Lord's" that I have heard in a long time.  She knew that she had received her personal gift from above.  Joy had seized her, and His name is the Holy Spirit.  As we all observed, and would later testify, this was one of the most exuberant cases of someone being filled with the Holy Ghost as we had ever seen in our lives.
     Hannah slowly melted to the floor; shedding tears of happiness, and laughter full of praise.  Her spiritual language melodiously pouring across her tongue.  I can truly say, that the only time that I have seen such a state of euphoria before, is seeing a child on Christmas morn.  I believe that it wasn't just Hannah that received a blessed gift that Sunday evening, but the group as a whole.  Even in a Spirit-filled Church, we can become stale to the things of God.  In pursuit of ever more of the wonders of His grace,and power; we become bored with what is presented so simply before us, this, awesome and treasured gift given for all who believe. 
     There was a great lesson that we learned by observing another of His children receive Him as a little child.  We must always, always, remember to both come to Him in joy of anticipation, and in that a child has for a parent.  No wonder Jesus taught in Matt 19:13, Mark 10:13, and Luke 18:15; that we needed to be like a little child to enter this majestic Kingdom of His, and His everlasting presence.

Signs of Our Times

     We live in uncertian times.  Wait, let me re-phrase that statement.  More accurately, we live in very uncertian times! The stock market gyrates like a top on steriods.  The Middle East is seemingly remaking itself geopolitically before our eyes.  Jobs, Pensions, Home Ownership, cannot be taken for granted anymore.  Peace, stability, and things being
"solid as a rock", seem to have lost their meaning in these times.  It just seems to go on, and on, and on.

     Now, let me throw some gasoline on the fire.  All over the internet we see, hear, and read about how we are now even approaching the end of days.  That the end is maybe coming sooner than we may think!  Actually that sounds like a rephrasing of a statement by St. Paul from the Book of Romans.  He said, " the hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed". (Romans 13:11)  So, whether it be 2012, an asteriod, climate change ( formerly known as Global Warming), WWIII, economic armageddon, any and or all of which, could usher in extremely uncertian times;  we just seem to have an inner sense that mankind is living things out on a cosmic linear scale having a set appointment with destiny.
     Yet, within Paul's statement he paints a curious and reassuring twist on all of our doom and gloom.  Let's read it, again.  " The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation nearer", Stop there!  In the midst of what some may see as global demise, Paul sees hope!  He sees real hope and change, not just some cheap political gimic.  At a time when we least expect it, yet may have a gut level instinct that "something's up!", there it will be.  Our hope, the world's ONLY hope, Jesus.  Now, let's remember the world as it was from which Pauls words eminate.  He lived in the glory, depravity, and brutality of ancient Rome.  Yet, he preached hope and change.
     For the believer, the Second Coming of Jesus is the salvation of which he speaks.  It is salvation for the world and the material universe.  It may not be a bed of roses getting to that point.  But, He is coming back to reclaim all that was stolen from Him, and to seperate good from evil.  That is hope that you can believe in!  And, make no mistake about it, He is coming back.
     Jesus stated, referenced, and inferred; this policy position enough in His Word to call you to either accept it by faith as a future truth, or to make Him out to be a liar.  He leaves you no alternative.  He didn't want to have it any other way.
     Well, my original intent was to simply ask you, as I have recently been asking myself, still being cognizant of our times; Where is your heart at?  I mean your spiritual heart.  If, and I say If, we are "closer to (that day) than when we first believed", do you not think that that is a very valid question for all of us?  Would you be overcome with joyful anticipation if you knew His appearing was in say, 6 hours?  Or, would you be in regret and angst over the parting and loss of the pleasures, riches, and wonders of this earthly world?  Honestly, would you have a hard time seperating yourself from the entanglements of life on earth?  These may be hard questions, but I think that they are ones that we should be periodically be asking ourselves on a regualr basis.  Because He is coming back to reclaim what is rightfully His in the first place.
     I hope that you've been challenged, I have been challenged.  And with each passing day of our current era, my antenna perks up, to see if it could be tommorrow?  How's your antenna?  Is it out of tune and alittle rusty?  Or is it always ringing with joyful anticipation of that Day?

" For He will command His angels concerning You"

Psalm 91
    

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD " He is my refuge and

my fortress,

my God in whom I trust."

Surely he will save you from the fowlers's snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night

nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you make the Most High your dwelling-

even the LORD, who is my refuge-

then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike you foot against a stone.

You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

Because he loves me," says the LORD," I will

rescue him;

He will call upon me, and I will answer;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him

and show him my salvation."