Thursday, 13 June 2024
“I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of GOD, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” – Galatians 2:20 AMP
I gave my life to Christ when I was 18 years old, and for many years to come, I lived believing I was Christian. Mind you, like many so-called “Christians”, I did not have a full understanding of what it even meant to be born again. Only that I did an altar call and accepted Jesus Christ as my LORD and Saviour, and was told that I am now born again. Life went on as per normal and nothing deep and supernatural happened as some have claimed during their conversion. To be honest, this did not bother me, nor did I question anything. I knew I was a “Believer” and that’s all that mattered.
Almost 20 years later after living my own self-controlled life unbothered, I had an experience that changed me forever. The moment when I TRULY received the Holy Spirit and completely gave my life to Christ, I knew instantly that I was no longer the same, and everything had changed. I had always felt the presence of GOD during certain services and I could tell when The Holy Spirit entered the church. But I had never experienced being filled with The Holy Spirit until that very moment. And let me just say, EVERYTHING changed effortlessly. Certain interests just died. I lost friendships because there was nothing fulfilling about them anymore. I suddenly had an acute awareness of what fed my soul and spirit, and if those things aligned with GOD or not. As much as a lot died in me, a lot also came alive. As much as I had always prayed, it now became my source of life and as vital as breathing. Noise hurt my soul and solitude meant time with GOD whom I now loved in an even deeper way.
It’s a very grave assumption that every Christian is born again of the Holy Spirit. “People give birth to what is human. But GOD’s Spirit gives birth to spirit.” John 3:6 EASY. Taking an altar call is good and confessing with your mouth etc… is admirable. But if nothing in the person changes to show the new creation born of the Spirit, then there really is not much difference between us and those in the world. Once we have been filled with the Holy Spirit, it is imperative that we stay filled. Life and the devil will often come at us simply because we are Born again and the light around us is always attracting danger. So if we do not constantly drink from the well of Christ, we will keep finding ourselves falling back into fleshly responses and never quite growing or enjoying our faith walk.
Everything is hard outside of The Holy Spirit. He is the one who enables us to see things differently and helps us survive situations that many would not even make it through. It is to our benefit and growth to be supple towards Him. To be open to His leading and to respond appropriately to what He tells us to do. It’s easy for GOD to pour into vessels that continually thirst for Him and appreciate His marvelous and often unpredictable works in them.
“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 AMP. We must and even strive to embrace the changes that are happening in us. Contrary to what the world says, it is not a good thing to know who you are at all times. The greatest sign of having The Holy Spirit in us is actually being a mystery to both ourselves and others. That’s what makes us peculiar and special in many ways.
It’s easy for GOD to pour into vessels that continually thirst for Him and appreciate His marvelous and often unpredictable works in them.
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