FAITH AND FASTING

So, then, be careful how you live. Do not be unwise but wise, making the best use of your time because the times are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Stop getting drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:15-18

The key to understanding truth and experiencing God’s power in the life of a child of God is the Holy Spirit. Everything He has called us to do is made possible when His Spirit is in control.

Jesus told the disciples before His earthly departure that the Comforter would come to dwell with them and guide them. In the book of Acts, the Spirit was described as coming dramatically with a rushing wind and flames of fire appearing above everyone’s head in the upper room. They found themselves filled with joy, inspiration and power, speaking in languages they’d never known.

Can you picture it? A flame hovering above each of the heads of those in the room. Do you realize what had happened?

In that moment, the disciples, the first Jewish remnant – believers in Christ who had literally survived the transition from Old Covenant to New upon the death and resurrection of Christ – had become a living Menorah!

Christ, the servant lamp, had sent His Spirit to His people as promised, and each of them were set aflame to comfort His people and reach the world. They were His Menorah in His temple! And He had visibly identified them as His, set apart to carry out His mission.

From that point on, the disciples were empowered, emboldened, guided to exhort the people with divine wisdom, heal the sick, speak in foreign languages when needed to evangelize the lost, and more. All because of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit infilling each believer today continues to enable God to flow through us in every situation. He then uses us to reach the lost world through every means necessary. We continue to be His living Menorah! The entire Body of Christ, His magnificent, living temple!

‘Sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise…’ Ephesians 1:13

Certainly, the presence of Christ in our lives is sealed upon the moment of salvation, but the full power of the Holy Spirit is not constant. His ability to flow requires constant surrender.

The believer will struggle with surrender, finding it so tempting and easy to take back over his own life. But, only one can be in control at any given moment. When we are in control, He is not.

We have to relinquish the reigns and give them to Him every day, every hour, every moment. Perpetually willing the Spirit to take over is an absolute must in order to live a life flowing with the power and wisdom of Christ. It is why Paul in Ephesians 5:18 exhorted us to, “Keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit.”

It means simply, all the time!

Interpreting Scripture in the Spirit

This may be one of the most important truths I’ve ever shared. Fellow believers, please understand, when someone is not surrendered and filled with the Holy Spirit, their teaching of Scripture may actually be dangerous. Yes, dangerous. For, they will be studying and understanding in only human wisdom, and will often miss the mark, get it wrong. Many others are misled when a teacher is off target.

Have you ever watched a scene in a movie where the good guys are trying to decipher computer code in order to save the day? Until the moment they enter the right key to break the code, the characters on the screen are a jumble, gibberish impossible to interpret.

That is what trying to understand and fully interpret the Word of God is like without the Holy Spirit. I’ve said before, the Bible is an incredible, 3D matrix of truth. It is deep and wide, long and mysterious with only a small portion obviously visible, like an iceberg. Without putting on the mind of Christ through surrender and filling of the Holy Spirit, we may scratch a little on the surface, but will miss the whole picture.

The Spirit is the key to the depths of Scriptural knowledge. Everything changes when He is put in His proper place, in the lead. The Word comes alive, springing into 3D focus, and the heart and purpose will be breathed into your being by the Spirit.

Walking in the Spirit will be even more vital in coming decades while voices of deception grow louder and more dominant, and truth becomes harder to discern. Only those filled and surrendered will keep their heads above water and be able to call out frauds and deceivers. The rest will be vulnerable to following false prophets and even well-meaning teachers who take us far away from our real priorities and away from our first love, Jesus.

‘His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness.’ 2 Peter 1:3

Practice today and every day surrendering and asking the Holy Spirit to fill you. Give Him charge of your day and of your study every time you open the Bible. He will keep you on center and will reveal truth.

In addition, His presence will comfort and guide you in every relationship and circumstance. It is His role, promised by Christ to the precious people of God. Don’t miss His wonderful gift to us, of Himself!