What a glorious month this has been! Every Sunday Service in the Month of Lights has been a time of enlightening.
Pastor taught us extensively on the importance of being led by the Spirit and on how to learn to follow and be led by the Spirit for our benefit.
Using different examples from the scriptures, Pastor showed us that good opportunities do not always translate to God’s opportunities and that someone else’s experience does not necessarily have to be our example, even though we can learn from them. She pointed us to the truth that God wants to uniquely lead us by his Spirit.
Pastor gave an example of how Jesus had a good opportunity but recognised that though it seemed good, it was not God’s opportunity. After feeding the five thousand men, besides women and children in John 6:1-15, Jesus perceived that the people were going to make him king by force. Even though that seemed consistent with his purpose and desire to save and rule the world, he knew it was not an opportunity from God and he excused himself, instead, he went away to a mountain to pray. Pastor exhorted us to respond similarly when faced with seemingly good opportunities, to give it time and pray about it just like Jesus did.
She gave another example of an opportunity Jesus had when he was about to be arrested. John’s account of the incident in John 18 detailed how those who came to arrest Jesus including Judas fell backward to the ground when Jesus identified himself as the one. Jesus was in charge of the situation and had a very good opportunity to attack them or escape but he knew that it was not an opportunity he needed to take advantage of.
Pastor gave one more example to drive this lesson into our consciousness. After fasting for 40 days and nights, the devil came to Jesus offering him the kingdoms of the world and their glories if he would bow and worship him. This was the purpose for which Jesus came, to regain the world and it seemed like he had an easy opportunity to do so but he was led by the Spirit, not by seemingly good opportunities and he rebuked the devil immediately.
Pastor moved on to helping us understand from the word that someone’s experience does not mean we have to follow it as our example, she started by showing us how that there were similar famines in the days of Abraham and Isaac but whereas Abraham went to Isaac to escape the famine, God specifically instructed Isaac not to go to Egypt but to stay in the land where he was for his prosperity. Pastor taught us that while we can learn and be inspired by the experience of others, methods can change hence the need to be constantly led by the Spirit. She gave the example of how Moses parted the red sea by stretching forth his hands to divide it, Elijah and Elisha smote the water with a mantle while Jesus simply walked on the water. They got the same results of overcoming the limitation of the water but used different methods hence the need for us to be led by the spirit in order to know how he wants us to achieve his desires for us. Pastor illustrated the importance of this with the experience of Moses who was instructed to strike the rock at one instance and speak to the rock in another instance, God showing his intention to move his people from living by doing the law to speaking in faith, however Moses in his anger ignored the Lord’s instruction and struck the rock in the second instance and it was for this very reason that he was denied the opportunity of getting into the promised land.
Pastor went on share some important truths from 1 Corinthians 2:9-13;
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual”
She explained that God’s plan for us cannot be observed by the physical senses but is revealed to our Spirits, his plans for us are the deep things, the best of the best but to walk in the reality of these things, we have been given his Spirit.
Pastor quoted from the scriptures in Roman’s 8:26 showing us that often times, we may not know what to pray for as we ought but we have the Spirit and when we fellowship with the Spirit by speaking in tongues which is the wisdom that the Holy Ghost teaches, those things that have been freely given to us are revealed to us and as we speak in tongues, we speak mysteries, revealing divine secrets.
Pastor illustrated this with an example of someone in need of a job and not fully qualified for the job, as he spends time speaking in tongues, he gets a revelation to go ahead and apply for the job, he may begin to consider that he is not good enough for the job but then he can compare this revelation he has received to other examples in the word, comparing spiritual things with spiritual, he can call to remembrance that even though David was not Jesse’s first choice and did not seem qualified, he was the one God chose to be king and was qualified by God.
Pastor concluded the message reading from 1 Corinthains 14:4
“He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself;”
As we speak in tongues, we elevate ourselves and change position, we are rightly positioned, we know what to do, where to go, who to meet, and we are elevated so that we can see farther than others.
God deals with us uniquely and as we play our part by speaking in tongues with the help of the Holy Spirit, he reveals his plan to us, we speak it forth and we are led on what to do.
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