Tuesday, January 25, 2011
School Of The Holy Ghost
The Holy Spirit has impressed upon my soul the fact that as Christians, we are partaking of a series of lessons to bring us closer to the place where we need to be in our walk of faith. We may stumble along the way, or have setbacks, but as we walk with the lord Jesus Christ, He will sustain us, pick us up and gently guide us along that path until the lesson is learned. In his book titled Remarkable Miracles, 1 C.G Bevington, confirms my thoughts about the lessons we are ever learning. As a wandering preacher, C.G. Bevington had many unusual encounters with the Holy Spirit. In relating one of those encounters he talked about sanctification. He said: " Every sanctified man and woman enters a school, not simply a holiness school, but a holy school. Thirty two years ago I entered this holy school." 2
Mr. Bevington went on to describe one of the first lessons he learned in the Holy Ghost School. In that lesson, During a cottage meeting at the home of a widowed sister who was of his age, he was impressed upon by the Holy Ghost to "enter into a covenant for at least one soul to be saved". "As the meeting progressed, one brother whispered to," Bevington, " 'Where is that soul?' Not one sinner was present in the house."3
That sinner less meeting continued until finally, the leader closed it at about 10:00 p.m. Then reported Bevington, those who had prayed with him began to get their wraps and depart for home. One of the participants who had not been the circle earlier, came to him and asked,” Aren’t you going home?"4 Bevington became silent with his head bowed and continued to pray under duress. For he says that he knew the others would draw their own conclusions about his presence in that house seeing that the owner of the home was a single woman and he was a single man. He was in fact quite embarrassed. But Bevington continued to stand on the promptings raised in his spirit by the Holy Ghost. So he prayed on, steadfast in his conviction that one soul would be saved that very night.
On and on Bevington prayed and talked to the Lord. And he continued to pray until it was first 11:00 p.m., then 11:30 p.m. At one point he cried our in his spirit: "Lord, just thirty minutes more for that soul."5 Then suddenly, he said, there was a noise at the front door which opened as a drunken man fell into the room and to the floor. A voice then said, "There is your man."6 The battle to complete this lesson did not end when the drunken man fell through the door and into the house. Rather the battle became more intense as the widow woman became upset about the presence of a filthy drunkard in her house. But Mr. Bevington prayed on, and the Lord be praised because God through the Holy Ghost had spoken. In spite of the woman's hesitance, and the drunkard's total state of confusion, God was victorious! The man was sobered up by the Holy Ghost and brought through to a state of repentance and acceptance of the Lord as Savior. And all of these things occurred before the midnight hour! Praise God for the School of the Holy Ghost. Praise God for leading his servants through a lesson of steadfast prayer and faithfulness in the battle for souls!
1. C.G. Bevington. Remarkable Miracles. Bridge Publishing, Inc. South Plainfield, NJ 07080, 1992.
2. Ibid, Page 21
3. Ibid, Page 22
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid, Page 23
6. Ibid.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Out Of Trouble
When first filled with God’s precious Holy Ghost, I did not understand the heavenly benefits of this blessing. A tireless adventurer, I was constantly in and out of scrapes, often encountering real or potential physical harm. Once I was saved by the Almighty’s intervention when I was attacked by a merciless gang, bent on destroying me. I was in a new school, walking home with a group of friends when a gang of teens approached us, singled me out, took me by the hair and threw me to the ground to stomp my face. They just did not like me and were after me to cause my utter destruction. After they threw me to the ground however, the Lord intervened and sent a young protector who dispersed the group allowing me to flee home in safety.
On another occasion, I was challenged by a violent would be attacker who was out to show the neighborhood that I was an easy target. Having been schooled in the basics of boxing arts however, I managed to deck my challenger with one punch. In later years I found out that this same attacker has spent many years in the State Prison with multiple visible scars from knife wounds and other battles. But, during those early years, God protected me because I was a believer.
By the time I was “filled“ with the Holy Ghost, I had been in and out of the country, seen a lot of trouble, and had been saved from several life threatening issues. While in Africa, my car narrowly missed being hit by a 13 foot long snake as it fell hundreds of feet with a loud thud from a tree over the road. Had we driven another foot forward, the snake would have broken our windshield and killed my entire family. On another occasion in New Your city, I was saved from being assaulted by two vicious trained Doberman Pinschers attack dogs. When the dogs saw me, they stopped their vicious barking and ran up to me licking my leg to the amazement of their hostile owner. The Holy Ghost was with me during those times and I was slowly learning to recognize the blessings that came with being “filled”. It took many years , but finally I came to realize how wonderful is the blessing of being guided in truth by the Holy Ghost.
In John 16:13 Jesus says, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth.” (KJV). The word is simple and profound and it encompasses all that a human being could need for any sort of trouble. It took me many years to learn this truth. Now however, I can attest to the marvelous power and benefit’s the Holy Ghost brings to those who have repented and are save and finally have been “filled“ .
Take my life for example. If I had been filled with and led by the Holy Ghost before being attacked by a gang, the Spirit of Truth would have guided me in my walk home from school on that day. In being filled, one also must be led by the Holy Ghost. But, having been filled and led, there is no way I would not have been prepared for the battles I encountered. Just as sure as I know that God is with me today, I know that I am filled with God’s Holy Ghost and that I am prepared to meet every situation., every difficulty and every challenge. I still have difficulties, but I am confident that Jesus is with me and His Holy Ghost guides me and leads me the best and safest way and out of all trouble.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Is God Calling You?
The wonderful Power Of God Is made manifest In the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It was in the book of Acts that the believers first received the awesome power of God in the form of the Holy Ghost. The scripture says: "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." ( KJV Acts 4:31)
God's Injunction All Believers Is To Receive The Holy Ghost
In the book of Acts The Almighty promised the Holy Ghost through his servant Peter. He said, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:38-39". God Does Not Alter His Course
God does not change, when He speaks through His word, or through a legitimate prophet, through His Holy Spirit, or through the Living Word- His son Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, He does what he says He will do. He told us in His word, "For I am the Lord, I change not"- ( Malachi 3:6-KJV. (Hebrews 13:8 -KJV) If your Bible does not say these things, then you have a version that denies the power of God and you need to get the King's James version of the bible.God Does Not Lie
Just remember, that God is who He says He is, he has not changed, and He will not change. If He said something, then it is true. If He said He will do something, then He will do what He promised. You can bank on His words and when you are filled with His powerful Holy Ghost, then His words will cause His power to manifest in your life. Having received His power, then you will receive one or more of His wonderful gifts. "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the Same Spirit".."For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit". "To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another diverse kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues" You Must Have Faith In God
Whatever you currently believe or do not believe about the Living God, one thing you must have faith above all else is that God does not lie. All you have to do is to look into His word to see that this is true. To Abram he promised "..I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth:.." (Genesis 13:16 KJV). The Abraham believed and had faith even until he was a very old man. But, in spite of Abraham’s advanced age, God did as He had promised. "For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age,.." (Genesis 21:2) The scripture explains that Abraham, "..being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb," (Romans 4:19 KJV). Are You Called By The Almighty?
God has said that the Holy Ghost is for all that are called of Him. Are you so called? if so, receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Holy Ghost Nudges Me About Slugs
Personally, I have never liked slugs, and I usually don't talk about them either. But, just as the
Holy Ghost, shows us things to come, He is also the Spirit of Truth and guides us into all truth. So when I first had a dream about slugs, I wondered just what the dream meant. After all, some dreams are good, and many are not so good and are about things that require prayer. So when I first had a dream about slugs, I wondered just what the dream meant. After all, some dreams are good, and many are not so good and are about things that require prayer.
Earlier in the year, I had had my fill of the little creatures. I had a backyard garden which the slugs were determined to destroy one way or another. I used slug bait and slug traps and all the slug eradication gimmicks I could muster, but in the end, after the garden had been cleared away, the slugs were still around. I had not resorted to killing them on sight, but I was at that point when I had the slug dream.
After I had that sluggy dream I prayed and the Lord through His precious Holy Ghost answered. I was still shocked about the topic of my prayers, but the Holy Ghost even the Spirit of Truth dealt with me concerning a subject that I did not care for.
Following my prayers, some thought and a little research, I found out that the Lord wanted me to realize that slugs are on the His clean-up crew. They eat the dead leaves, fungus and earth worms that litter grass and grounds in the fall, spring and early summer. They do in fact, really have a wonderful purpose. They are a seriously needed part of God's creation. I was shown all of this by the Lord through the nudging of His Holy Ghost, not to indiscriminately destroy His little creations, the slugs that help to clean up waste materials on the ground. Praise the Lord for all His marvelous creatures and His wonderful creation!
Holy Ghost, shows us things to come, He is also the Spirit of Truth and guides us into all truth. So when I first had a dream about slugs, I wondered just what the dream meant. After all, some dreams are good, and many are not so good and are about things that require prayer. So when I first had a dream about slugs, I wondered just what the dream meant. After all, some dreams are good, and many are not so good and are about things that require prayer.
Earlier in the year, I had had my fill of the little creatures. I had a backyard garden which the slugs were determined to destroy one way or another. I used slug bait and slug traps and all the slug eradication gimmicks I could muster, but in the end, after the garden had been cleared away, the slugs were still around. I had not resorted to killing them on sight, but I was at that point when I had the slug dream.
After I had that sluggy dream I prayed and the Lord through His precious Holy Ghost answered. I was still shocked about the topic of my prayers, but the Holy Ghost even the Spirit of Truth dealt with me concerning a subject that I did not care for.
Following my prayers, some thought and a little research, I found out that the Lord wanted me to realize that slugs are on the His clean-up crew. They eat the dead leaves, fungus and earth worms that litter grass and grounds in the fall, spring and early summer. They do in fact, really have a wonderful purpose. They are a seriously needed part of God's creation. I was shown all of this by the Lord through the nudging of His Holy Ghost, not to indiscriminately destroy His little creations, the slugs that help to clean up waste materials on the ground. Praise the Lord for all His marvelous creatures and His wonderful creation!
Friday, October 29, 2010
The Holy Spirit In Any Language
In Spanish He is called, del Espíritu Santo. In French He is called du Saint-Esprit. While in Italian He is Spirito Santo, and in German He is referred to as des heiligen Geistes. In the Book of Acts in English, He is the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost.
In the book of Acts when Peter encountered a group of persons who were mocking those who had been filled with the Holy Ghost, he said: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." —Acts 2:38b. His message was clear, and it was indeed for all men and women who desired salvation.
In Ephesians 5:18-21, Paul continued the message of the way the Holy Spirit should impact a Christians live life when he spoke to a group of Spirit Filled Christians who did not know their own power. He told them: " ...be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;" Ephesians 5:18-19.
In German that Paul's message is read as : Und berauschet euch nicht mit Wein, was eine Liederlichkeit ist, sondern werdet voll Geistes, —und redet miteinander in Psalmen und Lobgesängen und geistlichen Liedern und singet und spielet dem Herrn in eurem Herzen und saget allezeit Gott, dem Vater, Dank für alles, in dem Namen unsres Herrn Jesus Christus, und seid dabei einander untertan in der Furcht Christi. —Epheser 5:18-21
While in Spanish Paul's message is: "No os embriaguéis con vino, en lo cual hay disolución; antes bien sed llenos del Espíritu, hablando entre vosotros con salmos, con himnos y cánticos espirituales, cantando y alabando al Señor en vuestros corazones; dando siempre gracias por todo al Dios y Padre, en el nombre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo. Someteos unos a otros en el temor de Dios". —Efesios 5:18-21
No matter what the language is, or who the people are, the message from above is clear, Christians must ,"BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD", or SEI VOM GEIST GOTTES ERFUELLT or SED LLENOS DEL ESPIRITU DE DIOS. And subsequently, "......after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me. —Acts 1:8a
May GOD richly bless you all and may you all remember to: :Praise the Lord always and be filled with His Spirit!!!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
That Burning Feeling Within
In the song, “You Must Be Born Again,” the words speak about being empowered by the Holy Ghost when they say “you have that burning churning ”1. Other persons baptized by the power of the Holy Ghost2 have experienced sensations that they described differently.
C.G. Bevington - who traveled the American Deep South during the 1920’s and 30’s, talked about praying for three hours under a tree until he “was lifted up onto a plane he had never visited before. He continued to express that experience by adding, “ I became very happy and rose from under that tree most wonderfully blessed. I believe I was regenerated then, but not yet knowing what regeneration was and being so young, Satan kept me from realizing that this was conversion,3”
Charles Finney described his experience differently. He says: 4 ‘…the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed, it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love; for I could not express it in any other way. It seemed like the very breath of God. I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me, like immense wings.’
‘No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in heart. I wept aloud with joy and love; and I do not know but I should say, I literally bellowed out the unutterable gushings of my heart.’
Corrie Ten Boom relied heavily on the scriptures to talk about and to document her Holy Ghost experiences. First of all, she relied on Acts 1:8 where after his death and resurrection, Jesus told the disciples,” You will receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” In her book, Corrie Ten Boom, Her Life, Her Faith, 5 the author goes on to add that, Corrie stated that she knew that she had received that same power. Corrie words were, “some people call it the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Others call it the second blessing, I don’t try to give it a name. It was a new the beginning of a new spiritual blessing that brought me into a deeper experience with the Lord and a greater sense of His abiding presence.”
After I was first baptized in the Holy Ghost, a joyous abiding oneness with the Spirit of God is also what I felt. It was as though I suddenly came alive with the Holy Ghost presence and power from within my physical and spiritual being. The realization which hit me at that moment was awesome. This was many, many years ago, but I remember it as though it happened only yesterday. I felt the intimate presence of God’s power from within. It was a joyous, indescribably happy experience! God’s powerful Holy Ghost seemed to convey the thought that, “I am glad to abide with you”. Or even more poignantly He seemed to say “I’m happy to have you! “I am happy here with you!” I do not describe my Holy Ghost experience as a “burning churning within“. My experience was rather a wonderfully bubbly, exuberant presence from within. But it has all boiled down to what Corrie Ten Boom experienced as a wonderful “ spiritual blessing that has brought me into a deeper experience with the Lord, and a greater sense of His abiding presence“.7
1. Gospel Song Lyrics; "You Must Be Born Again."
2. KJV Bible, Acts 1:8
3. P. 13, Remarkable Miracles I Have Seen. C.G. Bevington. Bridge Publishing, Inc. South Plainfield, NJ 07080, 1992.
4. P 55, “Charles Grandison Finney: The Powerful Life”, They Found The Secret, V. Raymond Edmond, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids Michigan, 49506, 1975.
5. Corrie Ten Boom, Her Life, Her Faith. Carole C. Carlson, Fleming H. Revell Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1983.
6. Ibid p. 171.
7. Ibid p. 171.
C.G. Bevington - who traveled the American Deep South during the 1920’s and 30’s, talked about praying for three hours under a tree until he “was lifted up onto a plane he had never visited before. He continued to express that experience by adding, “ I became very happy and rose from under that tree most wonderfully blessed. I believe I was regenerated then, but not yet knowing what regeneration was and being so young, Satan kept me from realizing that this was conversion,3”
Charles Finney described his experience differently. He says: 4 ‘…the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed, it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love; for I could not express it in any other way. It seemed like the very breath of God. I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me, like immense wings.’
‘No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in heart. I wept aloud with joy and love; and I do not know but I should say, I literally bellowed out the unutterable gushings of my heart.’
Corrie Ten Boom relied heavily on the scriptures to talk about and to document her Holy Ghost experiences. First of all, she relied on Acts 1:8 where after his death and resurrection, Jesus told the disciples,” You will receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” In her book, Corrie Ten Boom, Her Life, Her Faith, 5 the author goes on to add that, Corrie stated that she knew that she had received that same power. Corrie words were, “some people call it the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Others call it the second blessing, I don’t try to give it a name. It was a new the beginning of a new spiritual blessing that brought me into a deeper experience with the Lord and a greater sense of His abiding presence.”
After I was first baptized in the Holy Ghost, a joyous abiding oneness with the Spirit of God is also what I felt. It was as though I suddenly came alive with the Holy Ghost presence and power from within my physical and spiritual being. The realization which hit me at that moment was awesome. This was many, many years ago, but I remember it as though it happened only yesterday. I felt the intimate presence of God’s power from within. It was a joyous, indescribably happy experience! God’s powerful Holy Ghost seemed to convey the thought that, “I am glad to abide with you”. Or even more poignantly He seemed to say “I’m happy to have you! “I am happy here with you!” I do not describe my Holy Ghost experience as a “burning churning within“. My experience was rather a wonderfully bubbly, exuberant presence from within. But it has all boiled down to what Corrie Ten Boom experienced as a wonderful “ spiritual blessing that has brought me into a deeper experience with the Lord, and a greater sense of His abiding presence“.7
1. Gospel Song Lyrics; "You Must Be Born Again."
2. KJV Bible, Acts 1:8
3. P. 13, Remarkable Miracles I Have Seen. C.G. Bevington. Bridge Publishing, Inc. South Plainfield, NJ 07080, 1992.
4. P 55, “Charles Grandison Finney: The Powerful Life”, They Found The Secret, V. Raymond Edmond, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids Michigan, 49506, 1975.
5. Corrie Ten Boom, Her Life, Her Faith. Carole C. Carlson, Fleming H. Revell Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1983.
6. Ibid p. 171.
7. Ibid p. 171.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The Coming Move Of Holy Ghost
Many prophetic pronouncements today speak of a coming move of the Holy Ghost. In a prophecy by
Douglas B. Clark, the speaker says, "God is raising up visionaries who see by the Spirit the potential for what He is about to do. These spiritual entrepreneurs will flow with the Spirit and hear the voice of God with great clarity. They will be sensitive to the needs of the people in a way like we have never seen before."
God's Precious Holy Spirit- the Holy Ghost is invisible to the natural man but when a man has discernment, he clearly sees the results of God's activity on the earth. In Romans 1:20 (KJV), the apostle Paul states: "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and godhead; so that they are without excuse."
The natural, man wants to give excuses. That man wants to continue in blindness following the dictates of man made science and vain philosophies. The natural man also likes to discredit and to deny the things of God. But the apostle Paul states that the things of God are clearly seen. Just as the man who sees a burnt building would say, "there was a fire in this place," so men and women who see an outpouring of the Holy Ghost shall surely be able to say, "there was a Holy Ghost fire in this place". The difference is that whereas the man made fire results in destruction and ruin, the fire that results from the move of the Holy Ghost leaves people changed. Men, women and even little children are changed through repentance and salvation. They are changed through healing miracles, and they are delivered from all manner of oppressing forces including depression, demon possession, penury as well as deliverance from a multitude of societal ills including, social diseases and social ostracism with the end result being their subsequent testimonies of renewal and the awesome power of God!
Douglas B. Clark, the speaker says, "God is raising up visionaries who see by the Spirit the potential for what He is about to do. These spiritual entrepreneurs will flow with the Spirit and hear the voice of God with great clarity. They will be sensitive to the needs of the people in a way like we have never seen before."
God's Precious Holy Spirit- the Holy Ghost is invisible to the natural man but when a man has discernment, he clearly sees the results of God's activity on the earth. In Romans 1:20 (KJV), the apostle Paul states: "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and godhead; so that they are without excuse."
The natural, man wants to give excuses. That man wants to continue in blindness following the dictates of man made science and vain philosophies. The natural man also likes to discredit and to deny the things of God. But the apostle Paul states that the things of God are clearly seen. Just as the man who sees a burnt building would say, "there was a fire in this place," so men and women who see an outpouring of the Holy Ghost shall surely be able to say, "there was a Holy Ghost fire in this place". The difference is that whereas the man made fire results in destruction and ruin, the fire that results from the move of the Holy Ghost leaves people changed. Men, women and even little children are changed through repentance and salvation. They are changed through healing miracles, and they are delivered from all manner of oppressing forces including depression, demon possession, penury as well as deliverance from a multitude of societal ills including, social diseases and social ostracism with the end result being their subsequent testimonies of renewal and the awesome power of God!
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