I remember when I was college, someone came up to me and gave me a word from the Lord. I went back to my dorm and said a prayer and thought maybe I would start getting involved in a bible study on campus and focus on church more. But the more I was around my boyfriend and friends, the more I saw how incompatible that would be with my lifestyle. Because not only was any suggestion of it, decisively confirmed by my friends that I wasn't get their encouragement , nor would they accompany me. But even to me, the thought of a sober "Bible study" life seemed so boring and dull, and in the midst of such wild and crazy fun we were having--what teenager would want to do that?
I didn't consider myself rejecting God, because I still claimed to be a Christian, it was more just like... "deferred". I knew in my heart that the Bible was God's book and I certainly had plans to read it, so I tentatively planned to do that down the road when I had grey hair. My image of Christianity did include some good times at church camps in my even younger days, but ofcourse even there it was more so the social aspect, which paled to my current social life. And I did recall having some heart touching moments at church where faith arose and I definitely believed in Jesus' and was encouraged to live uprightly, but majority wise, my church experiences were quite boring. So, as for my bleak idea of possibly attending a campus Bible study, well I wasn't movtivated to put much effort into finding one, especially if it meant having to adjust my social life. Consequently, that thought soon dissipated. Frankly --it just wasn't going to be fun!
But by the Grace and Power of God, within two years, I found out the Truth.
And the Truth is that there is No One More adventurous than God who rides on the clouds by His awesome name YaH. God is amazing and He has made a way for us to be empowered with His amazing, adventurous, extremely glorious, creative and beautiful Holy Spirit.
Through faith in Christ, we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit--as a matter of fact, we can be baptized with the Holy Ghost and Fire!!
Notice He comes with Fire--that's how passionately extreme His desire burns with love for His people--yes, He ardently desires to dwell and fellowship with us.
Yes, He provides extreme living ----to the max because God's Spirit Himself actually comes to live in and through us. Abundant and exciting life truly begins with a dose of Holy Ghost! Mind altering drugs have nothing on God's power!! There is No High like the MOST HIGH!! He's power will surge through your body and fill you to the brim, instead of surpressing hurtful emotions, it lifts them away. The Holy Spirit is being being poured out from on High--if we open our hearts and minds to God He will fill us to overflow.And no, the intensity is not fleeting--it does not have to go away--as a matter of fact, the outpouring is getting greater and greater! God wants all of us to be people filled with His Holy Spirit. In the Book of Joel it says that In the last days I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28) The Holy Spirit is so Real and He is so Powerful. The Holy Spirit is not just to be acknowledged as an intregal of the Trinity that makes our doctrinal creeds replete, but the Holy Spirit is to be received and yielded to wholeheartedly. The Holy Spirit is diety who comes to reside in believers to remind us of what Jesus' said, lead us into all Truth and show us that which is to come. The Holy Spirit always glorifies the Son and as we surrender to the promptings, unctions, and guidings of the Holy Spirit, we will respond with emotions that reflect God's heart and bring pleasure to Him. We will delight in what He delights in,so His pleasure become our pleasure when we are one with Him. As you give your all for God, He won't ever cease to amaze you with mighty superventions, opportune answers, and unique manifestations.
This doesn't mean that you will always be high on happiness, but it does mean that you will be enveloped with His love that's always sweeter than wine and stonger than death. And when you align your heart with God's heart you will tap into astronomically high emotions as you flow in the characteristics of His passion.
We are not talking about a remote, austere Diety aloof from His creation, but He is the Bridegroom Lover, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Lamb with
Seven eyes and seven horns. You might be overflowing with joy one season and then soon find yourself steaming with righteous indignation, or gasping in heart wrenching intercession. But whatever manifestation, you encounter--it doesn't just disappear leaving you with emptiness or a ponderous hangover.
The encounter will have produced an abiding work that trenched out a greater capacity in your heart for God's love--allowing you to have even more abundant, fulfilled life. With God you will see things you never thought you would see, learn things you couldn't have imagined, and impact lives you never thought you would --with God your daily life becomes a mission laced with divine appointments and miracles. The Most High God is truly AWESOME- -He who stretched out and adorned the heavens, does all things elaborately! How boring life is without HIM.
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! I loved this post! Very timely and such a great contrast to what the world thinks... God is real, and experiences with him are too! Bless you Ansley! You are the voice of our generation!
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