Prepared
…and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. Luke 3:22, ESV
I love how God always prepares us for what is coming. Many times we have no idea that he is making a way. Our Bishop told the congregation at the beginning of the year that he would be teaching us about the Holy Spirit for the whole year.. I love that this is the teaching we are receiving. I have no idea what is coming, but I know the Holy Spirit in a more personal and intimate way. I know without a shadow of doubt that I can count on the Holy Spirit and he will never leave me!
A few Sundays ago our Bishop started a new series about the symbols of the Holy Spirit. The first symbol he spoke of was the about the dove. Scripture said that after Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descend upon him like a dove. Luke 3:21-22. Our Bishop shared that we are to look at the characteristics of a dove and it will tell us what the Holy Spirit is like. So he described to us the characteristics of a dove: gentle, pure, clean, constant in love, and eats what is clean. When I returned home after service I looked up the words that described the characteristics of a dove and I just meditated on it for a while.
Later in the week, God would have me and my niece to minister to someone and it required all the characteristics of a dove. Gentleness, kindness, loving and not being specific to the letter of the law. This individual wanted all that God had to offer him. He was in search of it, but the route he was taking seemed to have had some Christians criticizing him. When we asked him if we could pray for him, he wanted prayer, but he was very defensive about his process.
God had prepared our hearts so that we listened and never put down the path he thought he needed to take. We both knew that God had sent us to show him his unconditional love. When he finished sharing, which was about thirty minuets, he was open to receive all that God had us to share with him. When we finished he was in tears and the Holy Spirit showered down on him in a way that he did not know what to say! My niece and I later talked and we were so thankful to God for the message that he had put in our hearts days before! God used us so that this gentleman’s soul could hear all the Lord wanted to give to him!
Key point:
God always prepares us for what is ahead. We never have to fear what we are going to say.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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