Throughout the Bible, certain individuals stand out because they were Spirit led and empowered. Many of these were prophets, judges, kings, or leaders of God’s people. In the favor of God’s presence and under the leading and influence of the Holy Spirit they did amazing things. When the Holy Spirit would come upon them, they would be turned into people of power and great authority.The things they accomplished were a testimony of the favor of God’s presence.
Isaiah prophesied about the coming of One who would be a Redeemer and Messiah.
He said the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him. The favor of God’s presence would be witnessed upon Him by the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord, (Isaiah 11:2). It is noteworthy that any time the Holy Spirit comes upon a man or woman, there is a manifestation of the character, nature and power of God. The favor and grace of God is seen and known in the action of the Holy Spirit.
After being baptized in the Jordan River, when Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove. From that moment, Jesus was filled, led, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, (Luke 4:1). All of His ministry, miracles, signs and wonders were a direct result of the influence of the Holy Spirit, (Luke 4:18-19). That anointing and power enabled Jesus to do exactly what was in the mind and heart of the Father. He preached good news to the poor, proclaimed freedom to prisoners, and delivered those oppressed by the devil. He did many miracles and healed all manner of sickness. He declared and revealed the favor of the Lord.
Jesus’ life and ministry followed the pattern that was set for Him from the Father in heaven.
Every miracle declared the glory of God. Every deliverance demonstrated God’s power, love, mercy and grace. Every utterance revealed the power, mind, wisdom and thought of the Father. The Holy Spirit led and empowered Him in such a way that multitudes of lives were transformed. The living Word of God was among the multitudes of hurting and needy people. As a result, those who came to Him recognized that there was no one like Jesus. Thousands of people came out and witnessed the healing of their lame, blind, mute, maimed, and terminally ill. His Spirit led and empowered ministry continued until the Lord was taken back to the Father. As He ministered, people experience the favor of God’s presence.
During His ministry, Jesus told His disciples that the same Spirit that rested upon Him was going to be poured out on them and ultimately on all who believed.
This was the same message that Isaiah and Joel had given hundreds of years before.
Isaiah said the Spirit will be poured upon us from on high, (Isaiah 32:15). Joel prophesied, “You shall know that I am in the midst.. It shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh…” (Joel 2:27-28). At one meeting after His resurrection, Jesus breathed on His disciples and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit,” (John 20:22). Later, He said “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,” (Acts 1:8).
The favor of God’s presence is going to be recognized and known by extending and expanding the ministry of the Spirit to the hosts of believers.
Jesus demonstrated this in John 16.
John 16:13-15 NIV84 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is Mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is Mine and make it known to you.
Watch what happens when we become led and empowered by the Spirit of truth.
He will guide into all truth.
The Holy Spirit will guide you into things you could not learn or know on your own.
He will tell whatever He hears from the Father.
The Holy Spirit breaks the sound barrier to bring us whatever He hears the Father say.
He will announce and declare to you the things that will happen in the future.
Being everlasting and eternal, the Holy Spirit knows what is about to happen. He will guide you into the right place at the right time. He will equip you with the right power and knowledge. He will prepare us for the future.
The Holy Spirit will reveal Christ to us.
This revelation will declare the glory of the Lord and His victory, power and position. By revealing Christ, the Holy Spirit will transform and change us into His image, from glory to glory.
He will honor and glorify our Lord Jesus by opening our understanding and declaring and disclosing the things that belong to the Father.
He will quicken our eyes and ears to kingdom dynamics.
The Holy Spirit is taking everything that belongs to Christ and is making it known to us.
When we are Spirit led and empowered, the deep, hidden and secret things of God will be made known. This is the kind of knowledge and revelation that brings victory over every kind of attack of the adversary. His disclosure of the things that belong to Christ brings the reality of Christ’s victory to bear on our lives. He will take us into places we cannot enter by mere intellect or education.
We cannot understand or know the blessing of His favor if the Spirit does not work in us.
Without His work, our eyes and ears are dull and our understanding is darkened. Jesus is telling us that when the Holy Spirit starts leading and empowering us, He will open heaven and things that are in the heart and mind of the Father. The Holy Spirit is bridging the gap for us. He is bringing the glory of the Father down and is bringing us up to a higher level.
In Ephesians 3:8-19, Paul told believers what the Spirit would make available.
He said the unsearchable riches of Christ that had been hidden in God would be revealed by the Spirit. The manifold wisdom of God will be made known to the church and we will have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Christ. The whole family of believers in heaven and earth will be strengthened with might by the Holy Spirit in the inner man. Pay attention to the connection of heaven and earth. The power of the Kingdom of God will be working in you. Through the Holy Spirit, we will be enabled to comprehend with all the saints the width, length, depth and height and be filled with all the fullness of God. God’s favor will be made known personally.
This can only happen when the Holy Spirit has full and free access to lead and empower our lives.
The Holy Spirit is going to bring us into revelation knowledge of the glory of God and give us access into the throne room of heaven. When John was in the Spirit, he saw the resurrected and glorified Christ in all of His power. It was the Spirit that opened John’s eyes and ears. It was the Holy Spirit that gave the revelation.
Jesus said, when the Holy Spirit comes, He will guide you into some things.
He will guide us into things that bring life, glory, and power. The Holy Spirit is the responsible Agent that brings everything that Jesus achieved into our lives.
The only way to know and experience this favor of God’s presence is by the abiding presence of the Spirit.
We cannot find our way into the glory of God’s presence without the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will lead you into these things. He knows the way into the glory of God’s presence. He can take you past the inner veil and into the place where the glory of God never fails.
The Holy Spirit will take us into everything that Jesus has achieved.
In the exact same measure that Christ is victorious, the Holy Spirit will guide you into victory. This work of the Holy Spirit will impact your mind and thoughts. When we have the mind of the Spirit, our faith will blossom and be productive. Our renewed mind will consider all things from the viewpoint of what the Lamb of God has accomplished. This is going to affect everything that you face.
We should ask ourself, “Is this covered by the blood and sacrifice of Christ?”
The Holy Spirit is bringing everything under the effect of what the redemptive work of Christ has achieved.
Jesus Christ the Lamb of God conquered on your behalf. We need this fact developed in our own spirit and mind. As this develops in our lives, we will see the results of it.
After Jesus was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God, the early believers went out and proclaimed everywhere what had happened.
Mark 16:20 tells us: “The Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through the accompanying signs.”
What happened in their ministries and lives?
- In Acts 3:6 a crippled man was healed and made to walk.
- In Acts 5:15, asPeter walked down the street of the city and when his shadow passed over the sick, they were healed.
- In Acts 6:8, Stephen did great wonders and signs among the people, and they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
- In Acts 8:7 Unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many paralyzed and lame were healed.
- In Acts 9:34Peter told Aeneas, “Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately.
- In Acts 14:9, Paul told a man who was crippled from birth, “Stand up straight on your feet.” And he leaped and walked.
- In Acts 19:12,God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick and the diseases and evil spirits left them.
- In Acts 28:8, Paul laid his hand on the sick with a fever and dysentery and they were healed.
- In Acts 28:9, everyone on the island who had diseases came and were healed.
Romans 15:18-19 Paul said, “I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ had accomplished through me… in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God.”
Why were there so many miracles and healings?
Signs, wonders and miracles follow those who believe. 1 John 5:4 says, “This is the victory that overcomes the world.” When God’s presence is made known by the works of the Holy Spirit, things happen. It is inconsistent with Biblical evidence for this not to happen. This is the normal life of the Spirit led and empowered believer. The Holy Spirit will lead us into the victory that overcomes the world. He will take us into the Holy Place and make the presence and glory of the Father known. The Holy Spirit will lead and empower us with the victory that Christ has won. The favor of God’s presence is available for you to know and experience.
