IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT
Jesus returned from River Jordan to Galilee. This time, He's become a changed man. He was born of God but he was yet to be filled with the power of the holy spirit; that active force of God that quickens and energizes. The power that transforms man from ordinary to extraordinary. He makes natural man to become supernatural. That's the power of God; the spirit of God. It is the power that makes the difference.
Jesus grew up a Galilean. All people in that region knew him as a young carpenter working in his Father's shed. He is also know for his unique gifts and perceptions but surely no one knows him yet as the chosen one; the anointed one of God. Today, after the spirit comes upon him in the form of a dove and he encountered and overcome the devil, he returns home a changed man. He returns to proclaim to everyone who had known him, hitherto, that something great and extraordinary has happened in his life. The power of ministry has come upon him. The comforter has come. So, His time has come to start off the ministry for which he was born.
And so he reads from Isaiah 61 :1-2 "The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me because the lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor... The whole of that chapter is actually the blueprint of Jesus' mission statement. And, He lived it out to the full.
The point here is that we can't do the work of God without an infilling of God's spirit. When we downplay the role of the holy spirit we deny the Pentecostal power. Jesus, truly God, yet he couldn't do much without being completely immersed to the point of overflowing in the spirit, so he kept saying "it is not yet my time". When he receives the spirit, it was abundantly clear to him so he was able to say " yes, the spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me and he's anointed me to preach...".
Many believers in Jesus and in God are paralysed in their spirit man because they haven't experienced the Pentecost. They live in fear and doubt of the word of God. They fidget and fumble when there is need to speak up and defend the cross. They are timid and easy targets of Satan because the comforter, the teacher, the active and operational force of God has not yet become a part of their spiritual experience. Without the holy spirit, a believer's faith is lame. He's inefficient and non functional. His spirit may be willing but his flesh is weak.
Therefore, we must seek the infilling of the holy spirit. We must desire him earnestly. It is when he comes that the terminology 'born again' actually becomes a reality. He quickens, transforms, energizes, sharpens and empowers. He's the one who brings the spiritual into your journey. Without him, a believer could as well be practising a religion and following Christ will only be an arduous chore.
How Can You Achieve This?: Invite the holy spirit today. Be serious about it. Pray earnestly. Set yourself apart for a Retreat. Focus on receiving this baptism by fire through fasting and praying coupled with intentional bible studies in this area. It won't be long, you will receive a visitation. When the comforter comes upon you then it is time for ministry. Before he comes; you are not yet ready!
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