Spirit of Power
“But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Prior
to Jesus returning to Heaven, He told the disciples that He was going the send the
Comforter to give them what they needed to accomplish the Great Commission.
They would receive Power that could only be given through the Holy Spirit. But
what was this power that would be given? The Power of the Holy Spirit is
likened to a battery for an automobile. The vehicle may have all the things
that it needs to operate such as tires, lights, gas, seats, and steering wheel.
Nevertheless, if the vehicle does not have a battery that is fully charged, the
other parts of the vehicle will remain useless. This is how it is without the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives the believer power to do the things of God. The
Bible says, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in
you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal
bodies” (Romans 8:11).
The apostles would have been powerless to heal the sick, raise the dead,
speak in other languages, and possess the courage to stand strong for God, while
knowing that they would face death if it weren’t for the Holy Spirit. It was
only through the power given to them from the Holy Spirit that they were able to
operate in the fullness of what God had called for them to do. The
Bible says, “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all
creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not
believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16). The Holy Spirit did not
come until Jesus left, but on the Day of Pentecost, when the church was on one
accord, the Spirit came down upon all who were present. The Bible says, “Suddenly
a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the
whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire
that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with
the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them”
(Acts 2:2-4).
The apostles never acted on their own account. They only acted as the
Holy Spirit gave them utterance, through which, they were able to do many signs
and wonders. The Bible says, “And these signs will accompany
those who believe in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak in new
tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly
poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick
people, and they will get well” (Mark 16:17-18). Jesus had a work for
the apostles to do, and the Holy Spirit enabled them to be a light to all who
were once in the dark. They were able to understand about God and receive
healing in both the spiritual and the natural for all who believed. The same
power of the Holy Spirit is still being given as a gift today. God has no
respect of person and for all who ask and believe in Him, the same will be
given and then received.
Spirit of Truth
“But when he the Spirit of
truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own;
he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is to come” (John
16:13).
There
is so much deception in the world today. From mainstream media, to politicians,
government officials, and even leaders within the body of Christ, find it hard
to tell the Truth. Nevertheless, God never allows His people to be deceived. The
Holy Spirit being all truth reveals Himself to those who earnestly seek Him.
From the beginning of time, the devil has done nothing but deceive the whole
world. His deception began with the angels in Heaven and after his fall from
grace, he continued his destructive path of deceit, which led to the fall of
man.
The Bible says, “You will not certainly die.” The serpent
said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be
opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5).
Satan deceived the woman into thinking that she could be like God just as he
desired to be like God, but he failed to mention that it would have extreme
consequences in the long run. Therefore,
the Spirit of Truth is needed for the believer.
The
Holy Spirit gives us Truth because God never deals in deceit. He longs for His
children to be fully aware of the devil’s schemes and this is why the Holy
Spirit empowers us to be filled with the complete Truth, so that we may not
fall into the enemy’s traps. The Bible says, “Stand firm then, with the belt
of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in
place” (Ephesians 6:14). The world is deceived into thinking that
everything is good and acceptable for them as long as their fleshly desires are
appeased. However, when we understand who God is and allow His Spirit of Truth
to reside in us, we can then appreciate God’s laws, for they are not to do us
harm, but to give us standards in order for us to have the best life in Him.
Jesus
spoke of the devil as not knowing any other language other than lies, and we
are to remain girded with the Spirit of Truth for the devil’s goal is to
destroy us spiritually and in the natural. The Bible says, “You
belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s
desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for
there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he
is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not
believe me!” (John 8:44-45). In Jesus' day, the religious leaders could
not accept Him as the Messiah because the devil had blinded their eyes to the
truth. Despite all His teachings, they looked upon Him as a threat rather than
a Deliverer. This was because those who think carnally cannot understand things
of the Spiritual nature and therefore, do not understand truth. The Bible says,
“The
person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit
of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they
are discerned only through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
The
Bible tells the story of a husband and wife, Ananias and Sapphira, who had
promised to give the proceeds from land that they had sold to the church.
However, they kept part of the money for themselves after they made the sale.
Instead of being honest with Peter when asked if they had brought the full
amount from the sale of the property, they lied and told Peter that they had. The
Bible says, “Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your
heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of
the money you received for the land?” (Acts 5:3). Ananias fell dead,
and later, his wife did also. They had not only lied to Peter but to the
Holy Spirit, for God is a God of Truth.
The
Holy Spirit gives discernment to the believer to know the difference between a
lie and the truth. The Bible says, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false
prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit
of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh
is from God” (1 John 4:1-2). There are many people who are doing the
things of God, but do not know God and therefore, they are leading many astray.
Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit who is all Truth will not allow the Children of
God to be deceived. Those who seek Him in Spirit and in Truth will never be led
astray, for we will hear the voice of God and will follow. The Bible says, “My
sheep listen to my voice, I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Any
voice other than God’s is a spirit of deception, but we have the Spirit of
Truth.
Spirit of Prophecy
“And afterward, I will pour
out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old
men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants,
both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28-29).
God
gave His people prophets by way of the Holy Spirit to be His mouthpiece and to
deliver messages directly from the Throne to guide, teach and warn them of
things to come. The Bible says, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you
apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:4-5). A
person who is truly a prophet of God is not designated by men, but of God. Jeremiah
was chosen to be a prophet before he was even born. He was handpicked by God to
deliver a word of warning to the Israelites who had turned away from Him and
wandered into idolatry. God wanted the best for His chosen nation, but they did
not align their will with His and were therefore judged.
God has a plan for all those who will
be submissive to His will. The Holy Spirit, therefore, enables those whom God
chooses to work in the office of a prophet, to speak on His behalf. The Book of
Joel lets us know that God promised to pour out his Spirit upon all people where
they would prophesy in the last days. This does not mean that everyone will
have the office of a prophet, but God would pour out His Spirit to give dreams
and visions so that His people would never be unprepared for the days to come.
The Bible says, “Surely the Sovereign Lord does
nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).
God used many people in the Bible to
give a prophetic word for His children. Prophecy should never be taken for
granted, for it is God’s gift to the believer and is an important part of the
believer’s relationship with Him. God gives the Holy Spirit messages to give to
the believer because He loves and cares for us and His word never returns void. The
Bible says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to
it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields
seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my
mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and
achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 56:10-11).
Not
only does the Holy Spirit imparts prophecy to the believer as a message from
God, but the Spirit of Prophecy testifies as to who Jesus is. The
Bible says, “At this, I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t
do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who
hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy
who bears testimony to Jesus” (Revelation 19:10). When Jesus was on
earth, He spoke prophetically about things to come in order to warn His
disciples concerning things that they would have to endure as well as the
believer regarding to the end times. Yet, warnings are not the only work of the
Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives prophecy to help guide the believer just as a map
gives directions. Prophecy is like a reflective mirror of Christ and if we
allow Him to lead us through the prophetic word, then we are being a
representative of Jesus. This is why the Bible says prophecy is for the
believer and not the non-believer. The Bible says, “Tongues, then, are a sign, not
for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers
but for believers” (1 Corinthians 14:22).
Many
people have confused the Spirit of Prophecy with getting a word in regards to
material possessions, jobs, status, fame and popularity. Many of the saints of
God flock to prophets not to get a word from God in regards to being in good
standing with Him, and to find out what they need to do to please Him, but they
are looking for God’s hands to fly open. This, unfortunately, tarnishes the true
meaning of the gift of prophecy, which is given through the Holy Spirit. It
also misrepresents prophetic enlightenment when this is the mindset of
Christians that is often endorsed by many televangelists, pastors, and
self-proclaimed prophets; therefore, perverting the true knowledge of the Holy
Spirit. Nevertheless, we as believers are to understand that the Holy Spirit
imparts prophecy to us in order to enable us to be fully equipped for the
Kingdom of God. The Bible says, “For prophecy never had its origin in the
human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried
along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).
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