HOLY SPIRIT OUR SOURCE OF LIFE, STRENGTH AND POWER

O

Text: Matt. 25:1-13 – “THE KINGDOM OF Heaven can be illustrated by the story of ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. But only five of them were wise enough to fill their lamps with oil, while the other five were foolish and forgot. So, when the bridegroom was delayed, they lay down to rest until midnight, when they were roused by the shout, The bridegroom is coming! Come out and welcome him! All the girls jumped up and trimmed their lamps. Then the five who hadn’t any oil begged the others to share with them, for their lamps were going out. But the others replied, we haven’t enough. Go instead to the shops and buy some for yourselves. But while they were gone, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Sir, open the door for us!’ but he called back, ‘Go away! It is too late! “So, stay awake and be prepared, for you do not know the date or moment of my return.” (TLB). Pray – Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask you for the on-time anointing that I may always be spot on and always be on time to keep the right schedule that you have for me. Help me to keep appointment with the schedule you have for my life. May I never be too late. Father, please help me and every member of my family to always be at the right place at the right time doing the right thing the right way so that we can get the right result, in Jesus name.

There cannot be life without the spirit. What differentiates a dead Church from a living Church is the move of the Holy Spirit, not the crowd or the activities. Any Church where the demonstration of the move of the Holy Spirit is not present has lost its purpose. When God created man, man was lifeless until God breathed into him. Thereafter, man became a living soul. The word spirit is from the Greek word ‘Pneuma’. It is the same word that is used for breath. It was the breath of life that made man a living soul. Whenever the spirit leaves, decomposition and degeneration set in.

Sometime last year, I had an encounter with Jesus where he told me that his people are not ready! Any ministry that is not preparing you for heaven is preparing you for hell! There are only two final resting places; the headquarters of light, which is heaven and the headquarters of darkness which is hell. There is no intermediary place. What differentiated the wise virgins from the foolish ones is in instruction – their response to oil, the value they placed on oil. Oil is one of the symbols of the precious Holy Spirit.

The Christian race is a tough one. Some are not in the race at all, they are not even interested in meeting the bridegroom (our eternal bridegroom is Jesus). They are not virgins at all. But some run and fall by the way side. Some run but they are not keeping the rules of the game; they run according to their own whims and caprices. They are lord unto themselves. They proclaim that Jesus is Lord but, in their heart, they are the lord. They fall into the category of the foolish virgins. It is the oil that represents the Holy Spirit and not the lamp which represents the believer’s salvation.

God, in his mercy, gave us the Holy Spirit as a gift so that we can know God and be able to do all things. Nobody knows God better than the Holy Spirit. You cannot know God with your carnal mind. How can you fathom an infinite being with a finite mind? That is the reason why after much use of the intellect to fathom a divine personality, the intellectual comes up and says that there is no God. The Bible calls such a fool.

The Acts of the Holy Spirit in the Believer’s Life

There is no room in this to support the theology of once saved, saved forever. It is not in the Bible, but that is what some people are preaching today to the delight of many. You don’t smuggle your way in the things of the spirit; there is nothing like cutting corners. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you. Submit to the revealed will of God which is the word of God that is when these works of the Holy Spirit will begin to manifest in your life.

• The Holy Spirit is a teacher. John 14:26, “But when the Father sends the Comforter instead of me – and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit – he will teach you much, as well as remind you of everything I myself have told you.” Anyone who is not learning is dying. There are so many definitions of leadership but the one I love so much is that which says leadership is learning to live. How do you live? If you have not enrolled in the school of the Holy Spirit, you have not started living. In the university of the Holy Spirit, there is no graduation. The Holy Spirit is a teacher and he is ready to teach you but have you surrendered your will to his will? Anytime you resist the Holy Spirit, he stops because he is a gentle spirit. Holy Ghost Fellowship International is not another denomination; it is simply partnership with the Holy Spirit; learning how to be led by the spirit. There is no limit to which he can teach you.

TO BE CONTINUED