Last week at training camp, we were immersed in the Spirit of God. There was no mistake of his present glory among our squad.
I believe that in this age we have begun to confuse the order of society and the order of God. We seem to have meshed them together and intertwined them like a braid. But you cannot serve two masters, so why do we continue in this way? For so long, I was weighed down by the social conventions of Church. Find your seat, stay still and silent, do not be a distraction, take notes, and then be on your way for the next service to continue the cycle. The problem is this: we are putting God in a box, restraining his power to penetrate us, and numbing our hearts to his voice. I found that I was doing this. I was holding on to the control that I had over my body, my mind, my soul, the people and materials in my life, and even the way God works in me—I was governing it all.
One night, as we were inviting the Holy Spirit to fall on us, to come fill us up and empower us, I became frustrated and angry with God because I saw Him speaking and showing himself to others. Some were falling on the ground and some were weeping for more of God others were laughing uncontrollably or speaking in tongues. It was evident that God was present there, that He was revealing himself to his children, but why couldn’t he do this for me?
At that moment, the worship leader proclaimed that some of us here have a spirit of doubt and unbelief. It was true. I was uncomfortable and felt tight in my bones as these people expressed their love for the Father. He reminded us that we are children of God and that Jesus has claimed our souls. A Whisper in my mind told me that I had to let go of everything I was holding on to and everything I was controlling. God could not give me all of Him unless I let go of all of me. I began to speak that out loud and cast out the spirit of timidity and doubt. Right then, as the words poured from my mouth, tears also poured from my eyes. The Spirit of the Living God rained his love and affection on me and I was unable to stop; I wanted more. About 10 minutes later, he stilled my soul. The room seemed to be spinning, and all the other voices were like a cloud of murmurs. God wrapped his peace around me as a silk sheet, and brought freedom in my worship. FREEDOM. So much freedom when we let go of control. What a joy it is to experience true praise, to dance and laugh and shout at the feet of the King. It is a beautiful picture as the Holy Spirit ascends on you and then through you, worships the Father. It is God worshiping God and what an honor it is to experience it and be apart of the Triune Love.
The Spirit is always speaking, but so few are willing to open our ears. When asking for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, do not proceed with expectation and do not compare yourself to others’ experiences. God works in different methods and mediums at different times and each is unique to every person. He may speak through a whisper, or a prayer. He may bring laughter or the power of healing. He may call you to stand and dance or sit down and be quiet. Never let Satan diminish your experience with the Spirit; all of these are a representation of Christ, for He is loud and He is quiet. He is powerful and He is gentle. He is casual and He is formal. Let Him reveal Himself to you in a new way. Step out of your comfort zone and allow Him to put a new song in your heart.
I have seen the order of God and what his truth brings. A lot of times it is chaos, it is ridiculousness, and it is silly to the world. But God is so different from this world and what it approves of. If we begin to set our minds on the ability of the Spirit and open our hearts to the power of Jesus, then we will see the glory of God. Yes, we will look like fools, but there is such freedom in foolishness.
So, what are you holding on to? Is it worth letting go to experience the fullness of God?
