God In Us
The Holy Spirit is your gift and you have power.
“Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. ...Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle."
Exodus 40:9-11, 15-16, 34-37
The connections in the Bible are amazing. On the exact day we read about the glory of the Lord filling the tabernacle, we read about the Holy Spirit filling those who believe in Jesus on the day of Pentecost. Exactly ninety days from the beginning of reading a chapter a day of the Bible, both scriptures perfectly align.
God has a plan. His desire is to dwell with and within His people that they might have the power to do His will. Do you know you have an anointing? The Lord God has anointed you as a kingdom priest and desires to fill you with His presence.
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom...May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.”
Psalms 90:1, 12, 14, 17
David teaches us two principles that are directly connected. God's dwelling and to number our days. God's original design from the time of the Garden of Eden is to dwell with His people. Unfortunately, just like in the garden, sin has a way of separating. One of the most divisive sins in our lives is procrastination.
Procrastination says no need to hurry. Do what needs to be done....tomorrow. Only tomorrow never happens. How often do we let procrastination keep us from kingdom purposes? We will get in shape...tomorrow. We will make the change...tomorrow. When we number our days, we put God first. We reorient what is right now to what is right for us. What have you been putting off that has kept you from dwelling with or desiring intimacy with Yahweh?
“Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence...no one has power over the wind to contain it"
Ecclesiastes 8:3, 6, 8
Do you feel hurried? Busy? Overwhelmed? Our God teaches us to hold fast to peace in our hearts by building margin into our lives. Many of the mistakes we make in life is because we hurry. Wisdom says do not be in a hurry to leave the presence of the King.
How can you remain close to the King? How can you abide with Jesus like He teaches in John 15? Slow down. Build margin in your life. Take time to seek, listen to, and spend time with Jesus prior to and during our daily patterns. Where could you build more margin into your day so you more closely experience the presence of the Holy Spirit?
“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says...I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”
Jeremiah 24:5-7
The Holy Spirit was given to us to bring healing, help, and hope. God's plans are plans for our good. He wants to build you up, plant you where you can grow, and be known by you.
What does He ask of us? With humility, give Him our whole heart. Don't hold back. Give Him all, everything, full authority to indwell every part of your heart.
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting...All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them...this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below...And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved...you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Acts 2:1-4, 16-21, 25, 28, 37-38, 42-44
Everything changed on the day of Pentecost. Everything. Everything should in our lives when we are baptized with the Holy Spirit. Have you been baptized with the Holy Spirit? The text says that God will pour out the spirit on everyone who calls on the name of Jesus. This is a promise not a potential. Just like when the Lord filled the tabernacle with His presence, the Holy Spirit came then and comes now to fill each person with His presence.
Jesus said it will be better for you when I leave because you will receive the Holy Spirit. Do you believe this? Have you felt the presence of the Lord and are you living with the confidence that the God who made the Heavens and the Earth resides within you? How could we ever be afraid of anything if we truly believed that Pentecost was not just a historical event but a present reality? Do you want more power? More of God's presence? Prepare your heart by clearing room to be filled and you will see God do the miraculous through you as you are filled with His Spirit today.