It is great to hear testimonies and see miracles happen in other people’s lives and I have heard of people being satisfied with just that.
The thing is we are greatly encouraged and confirmed in the things of our faith when the spiritual blessings from God manifest themselves in our lives as well.
I was telling a friend about the revival this weekend at our church and how the Holy Spirit made Himself apparent that He had REALLY joined us during worship.
People spoke and sang in tongues (other languages) and there was interpretation. I for the first time got blessed by being intoxicated by the Holy Spirit. That was something I had never experienced before but heard could happen.
The words Holy, Holy, Holy again and again came singing from my lips for this. I then felt compelled to slip off my flip-flops and get on my knees and as I did I could feel this undulating current – beating so gently against my body. I really don’t know how long I was kneeling there in the current.
I have felt the wind of the Holy Spirit before but this was something I had not experienced before and when it was time to stand up and sit back down in my seat to hear what the visiting evangelist had to share- I felt so immersed and out of it that I just sat there dazed for sometime in my seat.
Even Michael Livengood, the visiting speaker and brother in Christ, who was sitting in front of me and ended up on the floor, said he could had stayed on the floor longer. I don't know how many felt the same thing I did but it was WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL …and the best part there was no hang over afterward (bad joke).
It confirmed to me that being intoxicated or drunk in the Spirit can actually happen and there was a unseen Godly river flowing through the church.
Now 10 or 11 years ago I would consider all this to be crazy and nuts and people just plan OUT of their minds but now that I have experienced these experiences and have seen these spiritual things for myself, I know they are very REAL.... not unreal. They have greatly encouraged me and confirmed things that I have read in the bible and seen happening.
God cannot be put in a box (I have tried) and if we try to put Him in a box (in our minds), we will not only miss out but fool ourselves by not being open to the fact that God loves to manifest himself in our lives in AWESOME and POWERFUL ways.
Some would say this is ludicrous and I might have agreed with them a time ago but God showed me wrong. The best way to prove something about God is ask Him to prove it – but make sure you want Him to prove before you ask.
Faith facts:
We have been living in the last days ever since Jesus ascended into heaven- after his resurrection. Jesus said he would give us the Holy Spirit - when we gave our lives to him and he said that in order for us to enter Heaven we would have to be born of both water and Spirit. John 3. Hence we are born of Spirit when Jesus and the Father sends the Holy Spirit into our lives.
If God doesn’t change then why do we seem to think He does?
Reference Scriptures
"And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability....They stood there amazed and perplexed "What can this mean?" they asked each other. But others in the crowd were mocking. "They are drunk that's all!" they said.... Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven apostles and shouted to the crowd, "Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about his. Some of you are saying these people are drunk. It isn't true! It's much too early for that. People don't get drunk by nine o'clock in the morning. No, what you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel: 'In the last days, God said, I will pour out my spirit upon all people." Acts 2
"If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him, But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you." John 14:15-17
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me. All that the Father has is mine; this is what I mean when I say that the Spirit will reveal to you whatever he receives from me." John 16:13-15
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