Psst! Can I Tell You a Secret?

 

Those of us who live in countries where we are free to worship and serve God without fear of persecution, are blessed indeed. Not only can we openly attend church meetings or home fellowship groups, we also have access to a plethora of resources, which help us understand the Bible, develop as believers and draw closer to God.

But dear reader, even if you are not fortunate enough to live somewhere where you are able to worship God openly, and have unlimited access to biblical resources, please don’t feel you are at a disadvantage.

Consider the apostles and members of the early church. They did not have a Bible as we know it today. They had only the Old Testament.

Yet if we examine their lives and their achievements, we see they had an enviable relationship with God, were highly committed advocates of Christ’s teachings and were vessels through which God worked mightily, demonstrating his authority and miraculous power.

What was their secret?

The gift of the Holy Spirit!

Now in Acts 19:1-6, we learn that the apostle Paul came across some believers who caused him to ask whether they’d received the Holy Spirit. Apparently, something about their spirituality seemed lacking.

Once these same disciples became baptised in the name of Jesus and once Paul laid hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit, they experienced a higher spiritual level.

WoW followers and visitors, if you are a Child of God, if you are pursuing a God-glorifying and victorious life, if you earnestly desire to fulfil your purpose and follow your God-ordained destiny, I feel bound to ask you the same question today.

Have you received the gift of the Holy Spirit? Are you manifesting the evidence of this (i.e. speaking in tongues)?

In case you do not know what “speaking in tongues” mean, it is the ability (by the influence of the Holy Spirit), to speak to God in a foreign language, which you have not learned.

Going back to the above-mentioned text in Acts 19, we see that following the appropriate baptism and “laying on of hands” (which is the impartation of God’s power through faith and prayer), these disciples of John were elevated to Disciples of Christ.

Perhaps you are wondering why the gift of the Holy Spirit with the accompanying manifestations even matters.

Let me tell you.

You may recall, a series of posts I wrote a little while ago about knowing, understanding and doing the will of God. If you are a new follower, or would like to refresh your memory, please click on the following links:

Do You Know God’s Will? (Part 1) https://womenofwarfare.wordpress.com/2017/08/27/know-gods-will-part-1/

Do You Know God’s Will? (Part 2) https://womenofwarfare.wordpress.com/2017/09/03/know-gods-will-2/

Do You Know God’s Will? (Part 3) https://womenofwarfare.wordpress.com/2017/09/10/gods-will-part-3/

 

Now, you may recall these posts flagged up God’s command to us in Ephesians 5:18 to be filled with the Spirit.

Becoming filled with God’s Spirit is not a one-time act.  Just as a motor vehicle constantly needs to be filled up with fuel, in order for it to keep running efficiently and take us wherever we want or need to go, so our spiritual tanks need to be refilled, so that the power of God is readily available, both for our own needs and for the needs of others.

Now this supernatural empowerment may be accessed for use in our every-day lives, so we experience an abiding peace and the wisdom of God. It may also be manifested on such occasions where a miraculous intervention is required, showcasing the loving-kindness, mercy and power of God. However, as we take regular deposits from this resource, our storage capacity decreases.

So how do we top up? How do we refuel our spiritual tanks? How do we keep ourselves filled with the Spirit, as commanded?

An effective way of doing this, is by praying in the language of the Holy Spirit (i.e. speaking in tongues).

The disciple, Jude, encourages us to edify ourselves—that is build and maintain ourselves in the things pertaining to God and his kingdom. Let’s have a look at Jude’s direction:

But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;

Guard and keep yourselves in the love of God…

(Jude 1:20-21 Amplified Bible)

Again, in 1 Corinthians 14:4, the apostle Paul tells us that: He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.

Since God’s Word reveals that praying in the Holy Spirit (speaking in tongues) is how we build ourselves up in our faith… how we progress in our walk with the Lord… how we guard and keep ourselves within the protection and security of God’s love, why would we not use this mystical facility more often in our personal lives?

I can only think that the reason for this would be ignorance or misunderstanding.

Again, when we look at Romans 8:26, we discover that the Holy Spirit:

• helps us in our areas of weaknesses

and

• helps us to pray effectively for those issues where we have no idea how, or what to pray.

So, how do we avail ourselves of this help from the Holy Spirit?

We simply ask for his assistance and then we allow him to pray through us in his own language direct to God.

Dear reader, I can vouch for the added boost of power and effectiveness that praying regularly in the language of the Holy Spirit brings.

If you are expecting 2018 to be a year of unprecedented achievement, if you want to reign over your circumstances and triumph over the ploys of the Enemy, if you want to establish emotional and spiritual resilience in your life—indeed, if you want to experience victory in the areas of your life which have normally defeated or disheartened you, then begin to add regular (or increased) periods of praying in tongues to your success strategies.

You will be amazed at the difference this simple act makes.

 

This Week’s Prayer Focus:

Let us invite the Holy Spirit to help us in all our endeavors this year, whether they relate to business, career plans, our dreams and goals, ministry, parenting, relationships, school/university studies, or work.

PS: make sure you put on your spiritual armour before entering the battlefield of prayer.

 

PRAYER:

Father God,

We want to thank you for your foresight in sending your Holy Spirit to come alongside us—to be our helper, comforter, counsellor, intercessor, source of strength and our stand-by.

We want to thank you for blessing us with this precious spiritual resource, to which we have access day and night.

We want to acknowledge and thank you that the effectiveness of your power never wanes. It is our ignorance, or our disobedience, or our failure to persevere in the face of difficulties, disappointment, or disillusionment, which prevents us from experiencing your enabling power.

Father God, you know each one of us by name. You know our besetting sins, our failings and weaknesses.  Create in us a clean heart. Renew a persevering and steadfast spirit within us. Thank you for your amazing grace, mercy and unconditional love, which means you will never dismiss us from your presence, or take your Holy Spirit away from us.

Father, I ask that you grant us a spirit of tenacity, so that when it comes to prayer, when it comes to our faith, when it comes to walking out the Word of God in our lives, we will be like Jacob who refused to let you go until he prevailed.

Father God, we want 2018 to be a year of unprecedented growth and personal development—emotionally, mentally and spiritually. We realise that we cannot achieve this in our own might, or by our own willpower. We therefore invite the assistance of your Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, you are welcome. Come and take your place within our personal lives. Come and fill us afresh with your presence. Minister to each one of us the peace of God and the joy of the Lord. Help us to know and fully understand God’s perfect will in our individual circumstances. Motivate us to regularly edify ourselves, so we may build and firmly establish ourselves in our faith, and so we may keep ourselves within the protective parameters of God’s unconditional love.

Father, you said we should ask and it will be given, and you also said you will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask you. We have asked and we ask in faith, confident that you have heard us and will grant our request. Furthermore, as your Word directs, we ask in the precious name of your Son, Jesus.

Amen.

© Carol Hind

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Sunday’s Supplications

Sunday’s Supplications invites you to not only read the posts but also participate in the prayers. Each fortnight, I hope to introduce a new theme and prayer focus. Why not become a part of the WoW! community by participating in these prayers? Let’s pray for ourselves and for each other. Let’s obey God’s command to watch and pray for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18)

You are welcome to print off and use each prayer provided, either verbatim or adapted for your particular circumstance. Even better, why not construct your own prayer and share with others by linking to this post.

Please note, you do not have to be a blogger to participate.

 

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Women of Warfare followers and readers, I wish you a Spirit-filled and victorious week!

 

CREDITS: The above CC0 images come courtesy of Pixabay.com

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