Oh Friends, oh Friends, oh Friends! (smile) Yes people, that’s how the Holy Spirit directed me to begin this Bit, when, unable to come up with a suitable intro of my own, I asked for guidance. Why? I don’t know, and I try not to question the Spirit’s advice too often. Besides, it certainly gave me what I asked for; a unique intro. And not only that, I was led to Today’s Bit while reading an article that mentioned the scriptural address of a verse on how God uses His power to fill us with joy, hope and peace. It sounded interesting, so I checked it out, and the rest is history. Once I read it, I knew that it was slated for today. My guess is that the Spirit is feeling underused, slighted, unappreciated, of little or no account, because we so-called believers do not use it as much, or in the way we should, and that’s why it has guided me to write on its purpose and usefulness, both yesterday and today. And I have a quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt, (1882-1945) the 32nd U.S. President, which addresses the subject very appropriately. ‘Physical strength can never permanently withstand the impact of spiritual force.’ Now isn’t that the living truth my wonderful Friends in Christ? We know and acknowledge that because it’s solidly embedded in our Christian faith! Physical strength can thwart its spiritual counterpart for a spell, but undoubtedly, as time goes by, the latter will always rise up and overhaul the former and emerge victorious! Why is that my brethren? The answer is simple: our God ordained it thus! Remember, before Jesus ascended up to heaven, He told the disciples not to leave Jerusalem, ‘but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:4-5) They then asked if at that time he would make Israel great again with His kingdom. But Jesus replied: ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (authority). But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:7-8) And we know how bizarre it was on that first Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles: ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4) So my brethren, the coming of the Holy Spirit wasn’t a joke, some Mickey-mouse escapade or fairy tale, but a strong, true, powerful, miraculous act of the Lord God Jehovah, directly moving in and affecting the souls of mortal man. And the beauty of it all Friends, is that even today, once you’ve accepted Christ as your Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within each believer, to guide and direct your life as desired by the Master. Consequently Bruh Paul made the statement contained in our Bit: ‘Now the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.’ Why? Because that’s the Spirit’s job! And here’s a perfect explanation by the scholars. ‘The power of the Holy Ghost is the means by which unity will be accomplished as the Holy Spirit enables the strong and weak brothers to see the other’s positions and refuse to let their differences mar the unity that they have in Christ. This is true spiritual freedom and maturity.’ Oh Friends, if we could only achieve that unity of purpose eh, instead of the great disunity that our differences are currently causing. And I’m only talking about Christ’s Church here, not the whole world. Yes my people, our whole lives are wrapped up in the Spirit of Christ. Everything true believers do is dependent on that still, small voice working in our souls to guide us on the straight and narrow path that Jesus desires His followers to walk. And Bruh Paul clearly states it earlier on. ‘For the kingdom of God is not meat (food) and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.’ (Rom.14:17) However my brethren, we’ll close with one precautionary note from our Leader. Remember when Jesus sent out the seventy disciples to preach and win souls? (Luke 10:1-16) Well they returned all joyous and full of themselves, telling Jesus: ‘Lord, even the devils (demons) are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power (authority) to tread (trample) on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.’ (Luke 10:17-20) Oh Friends, it’s great to know that the Spirit empowers us to control, to reverse Lucifer’s evil dealings, however, that should not be our greatest joy, but, per our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our most resounding and heartfelt pleasure should be the fact that our names are indelibly written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. And all God’s people proudly proclaimed: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise and thanks to the Lamb, for He is worthy to be praised!’ Please don’t forget that my people, and let’s live it out in our everyday lives, as we try to walk worthy of our Saviour. Much LOVE!…without the Holy Spirit in our lives…we are disabled…handicapped…powerless…
SCRIP-BITS 