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Saturday 4 February 2012

John 3:8 The Wind





"The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear it's sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

When the Wind of the Holy Spirit blows through my life, what should I do?  Should I resist and stand my ground? (safe option),  or should I go and take refuge and hide?  (even safer),  or should I allow the Wind of the Holy Spirit to take me to those new and different places I have not been to before?  This is pretty scary.  New places.  Who will follow?  will I be alone?   I have a choice to stay or follow.  I choose to follow because I know I am pioneering new ground (or He is) in my life.

In Acts 2:1-2 it says, "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...."  The disciples did not resist the wind of the Holy Spirit.  They allowed Him to fill them with power and boldness, and from there on they spread the gospel all over the earth.

What can we do without His power?  what can achieve on our own?  Without Him, we can do nothing.  So I choose to allow the Wind of the Holy Spirit into my life, be it gentle or powerful or even violent like on the day of Pentecost.  I need to follow the sound and not resist the workings of the Holy Spirit in me.

I will follow the sound,
follow the roar,
follow the calling,
follow the Lord,
not men's voice, or call, or ways,
But follow the path of the ancient days
(Jeremiah 6:16)


John 2:5 "Do whatever he tells you"

When we do whatever He tells us to do, the miraculous happens!  In this story, water became the best wine.  But faith and obedience was required to accomplish this. The servants were told to fill 6 stone water jars with water.  They must have been wondering what they were doing this for and why?  and they may have felt very foolish.  Sometimes what He asks us to do may look strange, and we fell uncomfortable doing it, and people are watching to see if we will fail or make it, like when Joshua was asked to march around Jericho 7 times blowing trumpets to bring down the walls of the city...  but when we do whatever he says, miracles happen.

No way could water naturally turn into wine!  It had to be the power of God.  No way could 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish feed 5000 people, it had to be the power of God.... No way can the disciples suddenly catch net loads of fish that previously weren't there,  and if the stone was not rolled away from Lazarus' grave, he would have remained dead ... but when they did what he said, miracles happened.

When we do whatever he tells us, we are acting in faith - we know it looks crazy to some and we can't fathom out how God is going to do this miracle by doing this ???

But that' is when God's power is released - when we trust him and do what he says.  If we do not, we not be condemned, and if we do, we will receive the good gifts that He has for us.  Just do it - do whatever he tells you.




John 1:43 Follow me

When Jesus' disciples followed him, they had a slow revelation of who He was.  They went on a journey with the Master.  They saw and heard and experienced who the Son of God was.  They followed Jesus through his triumphs and his pain and sorrow....  so must I.

I must follow on this journey when it is dark and I cannot see where I am going or even where He is, but I hear his voice and follow.  I must follow when the road is rough and hard and seems unending.  I must also follow when life seems blissful and easy.  I must follow his example and his teaching at all times and in all seasons.  I must live like He did.  I must take up my cross and follow, leaving all behind, serving him only, following no other.

Following may lead to pain, but ultimately to life.  I cannot turn back, ever.  I can only go forwards following in the footsteps of my master.  Following means three things:  trust, obedience, and sacrifice.

Trust starts with knowing and seeing Jesus, having relationship and revelation of who He is, which builds trust and faith - trust in our leader.  Second comes obedience.  Once we have learned to trust, that goes deeper and we learn to trust when life is hard, and we learn to obey and follow Him, no matter what, and we learn to follow and obey when we are commissioned to carry out tasks that in the natural we cannot do or would not do.  Lastly, following is about sacrifice.  It is a daily sacrifice.  We choose to lay down our lives and follow Him, not through fear or control, but of our growing love for our leader.  And although we 'loose' our old life, we gain everything.  We gain what this world could never give us.  We gain an inner contentment, job and life that only our leader can give us.