moving like a magnet

Isaiah 30:21. And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Well it was a beautiful Father’s Day yesterday! The weather was stellar! NO RAIN! Wow! And for the first time in about three years my church was able to hold their annual outdoor picnic outdoors. (smile) Who knows what’s going to happen today though, as it’s somewhat cloudy out there. But it should be okay for most of us to get in our early morning commute to our places of daily grind and common task. (smile)

Oh my people, we might as well smile yes, because being sad and miserable and crying won’t change the situation. We’ve got to go to work if we want to eat, and it’s best to do that in good and high spirits. And yes, I know that that’s easier said than done, but we’re children of the Most High God, which means that nothing is too difficult, or even impossible for us, once we have His wonderful Spirit operating within us.

So if you’re just not up to scratch this morning, let’s just dissipate those Monday Blues by declaring (steups!) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, the antidote that ALWAYS gets our engines running smoothly.

So as one strong voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’

YES my brethren! Yuh feel it? Yuh feel the awesome power of the Holy Spirit moving…moving just like a magnet.within you….moving here, moving there, like on the day of Pentecost (smile) raising your own spirit, enabling you to get yourself together and go out and face the enemy with brass and panache, all for Jesus’ sake? That’s what it’s all about my fellow saints of Christ – empowering us to do Jesus’ work with diligence and excellence!

And I was just going to write: Now where is all of that going to lead us to this morning eh, when I opened the Good Book and behold, there it was in bright and living colour, our Bit for today! The words of the prophet Isaiah as he appeals to his people to turn to the Lord for help.

‘And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers. And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is.30:20-21)

Yes friends, the Holy Spirit has been given to us to lead and guide us along the right and righteous pathways of this earthly life. But that can only happen if we listen to and pay serious attention to what the Holy Spirit tells us to do. As Isaiah says at the top of that section: ‘For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness, and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke (threat) of one; at the rebuke (threat) of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon (a pole) upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign (banner, flag) on a hill.

And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy on you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’ (Is.30:15-18)

How many times friends, did the Israelites turn away from God and suffer eh? But He, in His grace and mercy, always offered them a way out, if they returned to Him in sincere sorrow and repentance. And though they oftimes refused, He, in His longsuffering, waited for them.

It’s the same way He’s calling us to come back to Him today, but we’re not listening; too busy doing our own earthly things to be concerned about His heavenly stuff. But He’s patiently waiting. But please note, that even the Lord’s patience will run out at some time, and when He gets tired of waiting we will pay a hefty price for our disobedience.

And the scholars offer this explanation of those verses. ‘30:18-33. Because God is gracious and has been willing to wait for His people to return to Him, He will certainly bless those who wait for him. “Waiting” is a confident and dependent trust in God. The reference to the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction shows that God teaches us lessons through circumstances when we will not listen to our teachers who call us to walk in the way (i.e., the way of God).’

So please friends, please listen to me, and walk in the way of God, (smile) so that you won’t have to eat the bread of adversity and drink the water of affliction. That’s wisdom at its highest level! Much LOVE!

…be thou strong and courageous…turn not from the Lord’s law…neither to the right nor to the left…so thou can prosper…wherever you go…(Josh.1:7)

Acts 2:2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Oh Friends, it’s the Day of Pentecost! Two thousand years ago, some fifty days after Jesus’ triumphant resurrection, where He defeated, hell, death, the grave and that foolish crook Lucifer, and some ten days after His ascension, the Holy Ghost came to earth as a beautiful storm; a storm of wind, laced with fire-like appendages.

As the Good Book describes it: ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (purpose or mind) in one place. 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 2:1-4)

What a mighty act of our mighty God! Thus fulfilling the promise Jesus made to the disciples just before His ascension. ‘And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from 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)

Oh my people, the Lord was at work back then, just like He is now. That’s why we sing: ‘The Holy Ghost power is moving just like a magnet. The Holy Ghost power is moving just like a magnet. Moving here, and moving there. The Holy Ghost power is moving just like a magnet.’

Yes my people, the Holy Ghost power is busy all over the world, moving just like a magnet. So if you have even one iota of metal, one iota of Jesus Christ in you, be careful, or rather be joyous, for it will target you. And please don’t try to resist it; instead, let it fall graciously upon you, for there’s nothing as remarkable as the Holy Ghost power in all the heaven and the earth!

Ah Friends, what a day that day of Pentecost was when the Holy Spirit was first showered down en masse on all believers! Before that it was given to special people who God needed to do great works for Him, like the prophets. But since that day in Jerusalem, each and every believer is baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit.

As you can see from verse 5 above, Jesus promised that ALL would be baptized with the Spirit, as they came to the faith. And as the scholars point out, though the first set of scriptures only said that they were ‘filled,’ (Acts 2:4) they were indeed baptized with it.

Baptizing is the permanent placement of the Spirit in us, while filling is the continuous regeneration of that power. That means we have to continually renew the controlling influence of the Spirit in our lives, like a rechargeable battery, so that it can abide strong and powerful in our beings, and thus lead and guide us successfully in all righteousness and truth.

Now that day of Pentecost we’re talking about was not the first one, but it was an annual feast day in the Jewish calendar, occurring fifty days after the Feast of the first fruits, hence the name Pentecost in Greek. (Lev.15:15-22) And though it only lasted one day, it was certainly a joyous occasion, although I doubt that any of them could have been as joyous as that one when the Holy Spirit made its democratic appearance, beginning the promise of filling all and sundry that believed.

And that first day was truly a red letter day, for when the people in Jerusalem heard about the spectacular happenings, they came to where the apostles were, ‘and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue (language or dialect), wherein we were born?’ (Acts 2:6-8)

Oh yes Friends, there were all different kinds of people from many different places living in Jerusalem at that time, but yet these poor, uneducated Galileans spoke to each one of them in their own language. Glory Hallelujah! No lesser force than the mysterious movement of the mighty Holy Spirit was involved! Some people even mockingly said that they were drunk, but Peter, in his finest hour, got up and spoke to them. Read Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:14-42.

But my people, Peter’s speech was so great that day that I have to share the end, knowing that many of you won’t check out the scripture. (smile) ‘Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward (crooked) generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.’ (Acts 2:38-42)

And all God’s people declared a loud, ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!’ Yes Friends, what a red letter day that was, and we still talk about today it in tones of awe and wonder!

However my people, it’s time for us to be moving on, so I’m going to exhort us, on this day of Pentecost 2014, to get downright friendly with that Spirit of Jesus that indwells us, and today recharge, refill our spiritual batteries, so that we can be guided aright and do Jesus’ work with the excellence and diligence that’s required of us. That’s a mark of true sincerity and everlasting wisdom! Much LOVE!

…and be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation)…but be filled with the Spirit… (Eph.5:18)

SCRIP-BITS

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 June 2019 Isaiah 30:21.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 June 2014 Acts 2:2

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