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Daily God Walk Thursday, September 22, 2011

 Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. – Acts 1:4-5 

 The art of waiting upon the Lord is being lost among many believers today. Our life is filled with much activity and far to much to be accomplished than we will ever get done; the work is endless and there is little time to be used for prayer and waiting upon God, yet there is blessing for those who wait upon the Lord.

Jesus gave the command to those who would follow him, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised.” This was not a casual request. It was his last request as he was about to ascend to heaven. We would do well today take the time to wait upon the promise of the Father.

I recognize that he was sending his disciples to Jerusalem with the anticipation that Holy Spirit would descend, they would be given great power and the church would be birthed. However, knowing that, we should be all the more impressed with the value of waiting for God to express his presence and his will in our lives.

I can look back to times when my life was most impacted by a touch from God and those times are marked by time of consecration to prayer and spending much time before the Lord praying and reading his word.

Jesus called his followers to forsake everything else and spend all the time necessary to connect with the promise of the Father. He is still calling for believers to separate themselves from the world and devote themselves to seeking the Father until Holy Spirit comes with great power and revelation of the Father’s will.

God is not just making a call to all believers – he is making an appeal to you. He is calling you to spend times of focused prayer, meditation and reading God’s word as you seek his will for your place in the kingdom.

Jesus sent them to Jerusalem to receive the promise of the Father. Find your place to pray; seek him and he will come.

 Prayer: Holy Spirit, come as I seek the Father. Fill me now. Amen.

we would love to hear from you. Send email to: paul@newhopeministryresources.org

Would you like a printed copy of the Daily God Walk? Visit us at: www.newhopeministryresources.org/dgw-orderinfo.html

Daily God Walk for Wednesday, September 21, 2011

 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. – Luke 24:49

 Jesus left his disciples with a mandate which could not be carried out by man’s ability alone. The gospel can certainly be preached in man’s power, just as surely as the message of any other religion, but all man can do by his speaking and his intellect is reach the intellect of another man; man cannot touch the spirit of another man without Holy Spirit power.

That is why believers have been promised Holy Spirit power. When Jesus gave the command to go to Jerusalem where they would be given this power he refers to John the Baptist saying, “John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5).

He gave them The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), then reiterated the promise of the Father (Luke 24), and finally told them that when the promised Holy Spirit came upon them they would receive power (Acts 1:8). That power was not for performing spectacular feats, but it was given so that signs and wonders would be performed as a witness that the gospel message they preached was indeed a message from God.

The concluding verse to the Gospel of Mark reads, “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” Jesus gave them a promise, told them to stay in Jerusalem until it came, then when it came they received great power.

I am afraid that many today sell the Holy Spirit short. It is common today to teach that we receive the Holy Spirit at conversion (and we do), but that is all there is to it. My friend, That is not what Jesus taught. In fact, it was converted believers who were sent to Jerusalem to seek God for the promise of power and they were to stay there until the power came.

Here’s a question: If we just receive the Holy Spirit by faith, and there is no evidence that he has come, how do we know when he has come? How did the disciples know when their time of waiting for the Holy Spirit was over? Holy Spirit infilling was accompanied by signs and wonders.

Here’s another question: What signs and wonders have accompanied your claim of being filled with the Holy Spirit? It might be something we need to think about.

 Prayer: Lord, I need to be filled with Holy Spirit power; fill me. Amen.

we would love to hear from you. Send email to: paul@newhopeministryresources.org

Would you like a printed copy of the Daily God Walk? Visit us at: www.newhopeministryresources.org/dgw-orderinfo.html

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