dailywordofdestiny

Part Three

“The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got UP FROM THE GROUND, BUT when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. But the LORD said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is My CHOSEN INSTRUMENT TO CARRY MY NAME BEFORE THE GENTILES AND THEIR KINGS AND BEFORE THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL…’ Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the LORD – JESUS, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here – has sent me so that you may see again and BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.’ IMMEDIATELY, something LIKE SCALES FELL FROM SAUL’S EYES and he COULD SEE again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, regained his strength. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD” (Acts 9: 1-20).

“While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ They answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’ ‘John’s baptism,’ they replied. Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.’ He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, IN JESUS.’ On hearing this, they were baptized INTO the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came ON them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19: 1-6).

“For you were once in darkness, but now you are LIGHT in the LORD. Live as children of LIGHT (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the LORD… for it is LIGHT that makes everything visible. That is why it is said: ‘Wake up, O sleeper, RISE from the dead, and Christ WILL SHINE ON YOU.’ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. INSTEAD, BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. SING AND MAKE MUSIC IN YOUR HEART TO THE LORD, ALWAYS GIVING THANKS TO GOD THE FATHER FOR EVERYTHING, IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS” (Ephesians 5: 8-20).

Last time I talked about my experience when I asked Jesus into my heart. How did I KNOW that I had been truly born again and was a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5: 17, 18)? By the way my THINKING had changed (no longer wanting to say or hear swearing). As time passed, I had a new sense of values and a “different outlook” on life. The AMAZING thing about this is that I didn’t really notice the changes were occurring, but my friends and family did. After I had opened the first door to Jesus, I opened another door (reading His Word), and then another door (study of His Word), etc. As you continue to consecrate and walk in the light as Jesus is in the light, there comes a time in your spiritual GROWTH that you will look up and say, “None of self, but all of Thee, LORD!” It’s really just like caring for a newborn infant; if you don’t feed the baby, it doesn’t grow and if you feed the baby only soda, or water it will become weak and its growth will be affected. The Word of God is literally spiritual food for our spiritual growth, BUT there can be no growth until the person has been born again. And when there is SURRENDER TO CHRIST OF BODY, SOUL, AND SPIRIT, THEN THE PERSON IS ABLE TO RECEIVE THE GLORIOUS INFILLING OF HOLY SPIRIT!

It is the presenting of our body as a vessel for Holy Spirit to use in SERVICE for the glory of God. It is only when we surrender our selfish motives and desires, and surrender our will to Him, that we have no will of our own. We live to please Him; OBEYING Him in all things. Our body becomes the temple of Holy Spirit, a vessel filled with Holy Spirit, and He comes in and uses our mind, our tongue, our hands, and our body. Our will becomes not a will that is separate and apart from the will of God. We become so surrendered that we have one will and that will is the will of the Father. Holy Spirit now directs the Father’s will through our lives to touch the lives of those who do not know the message of HOPE.

The purpose of Pentecost (Acts 1: 7-15; Acts 2: 1-13, 14-21) was not to teach the disciples something, but to make them an incarnation of what they preached so they could literally become GOD’S MESSAGE IN THE FLESH… “But, ye shall RECEIVE POWER, after that the Holy Ghost is come UPON YOU: and ye shall be witnesses UNTO Me…” (Acts 1: 8). As the disciples tarried in the Upper Room, they RECEIVED NOTHING BY FAITH; it was by FAITH they went to the Upper Room. But while they were in the Upper Room, SOMETHING REALLY HAPPENED! Hallelujah! Was there an OUTWARD EVIDENCE of what happened in that room as there is when we are born again? Yes! As people notice the OUTWARD change in your character as the evidence you have been born again, there WILL be an outward evidence of the filling with Holy Spirit if you have the experience. A very good example is Peter. He was once a man afraid to admit he even knew Jesus, but he was changed into a man who came from the Upper Room and preached to thousands with FEARLESS BOLDNESS, “Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, AND YE SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST” (Acts 2: 38). Peter did not accept the promise of Holy Spirit by faith. He accepted the Word of God by faith. He tarried and there were visible manifestations of the power of God. Then, when he walked out of the Upper Room, he KNEW HE HAD BEEN FILLED, and there is scriptural and Biblical evidence of His experience. It was Holy Spirit using him to PROCLAIM the GOSPEL with POWER!

I AM HOLY SPIRIT FILLED and I delight in His presence. I read and studied the Bible avidly in the first year of my NEW LIFE, but when I received the Baptism of Holy Spirit, it was THEN that the Scripture came ALIVE to me! Holy Spirit gave me and continues to give me INCREASING REVELATION, WISDOM, and KNOWLEDGE of His Word; truly He has made His Word a LIGHT unto my path! Hallelujah! My LOVE for the LORD has increased exponentially; I LIVE for Him alone, and I WILL DO anything He asks of me because I KNOW that WITHOUT HIM I CAN and I AM NOTHING! I KNOW that the church needs Him in the FULLNESS of HIS POWER in these last days. I KNOW that believers need Him in order to walk in DAILY VICTORY!

Once the LORD was glorified in His ascension, Holy Spirit came into the world (John 16: 7-15) and He has been here ever since (INDWELLING all who believe). We have to RECEIVE the revealed truth that He is here and when we welcome Holy Spirit into our lives WE ARE RECEIVING REVIVING LIFE FROM OUR ASCENDED LORD! It is not the Baptism of Holy Spirit that changes people; but the POWER OF THE ASCENDED CHRIST COMING INTO OUR LIVES through His Spirit! The baptism of HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT an experience apart from Jesus Christ, HE IS EVIDENCE HERE ON EARTH OF THE ASCENDED CHRIST and HE IS NEEDED BY THE CHURCH NOW AS NEVER BEFORE!

“Wherefore he saith, ‘AWAKE thou that sleepest, ARISE from the dead,’ and CHRIST SHALL GIVE THEE LIGHT. See that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, REDEEMING THE TIME, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5: 14-16)