ALL WE NEED IS THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

The presence of the Holy Spirit makes the difference in life. We are all ordinary, until the spirit of God comes in and makes us extraordinary. Let us look at instances where the presence of the Holy Spirit changed everything.

  1. The Holy Spirit changed Peter from the one who was so scared that he denied Jesus to a bold and courageous preacher of the gospel.

    Acts 2:14-42

     

    14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to

    the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. 16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:

    17 ‘In the last days,’ God says,
        ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
    Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
        Your young men will see visions,
        and your old men will dream dreams.
    18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
        even on my servants—men and women alike—
        and they will prophesy.
    19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
        and signs on the earth below—
        blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
    20 The sun will become dark,
        and the moon will turn blood red
        before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
    21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
        will be saved.’

    22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25 King David said this about him:

    ‘I see that the Lord is always with me.
        I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
    26 No wonder my heart is glad,
        and my tongue shouts his praises!
        My body rests in hope.
    27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
        or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
    28 You have shown me the way of life,
        and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’

    29 “Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn’t referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. 30 But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne. 31 David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave.

    32 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34 For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said,

    ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
        “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
    35 until I humble your enemies,
        making them a footstool under your feet.”’

    36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

    37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

    38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”

    41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

    2. The Holy Spirit changed the man at the beautiful gate from a beggar to a worshiper

    Acts 3:1-9

     

    One afternoon Peter and John went to the temple for the three o’clock prayer. 2 As they came to the entrance called the Beautiful Gate, they were captured by the sight of a man crippled from birth being carried and placed at the entrance to the temple. He was often brought there to beg for money from those going in to worship. 3 When he noticed Peter and John going into the temple, he begged them for money.

    4 Peter and John, looking straight into the eyes of the crippled man, said, “Look at us!” 5 Expecting a gift, he readily gave them his attention. 6 Then Peter said, “I don’t have money, but I’ll give you this—by the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk!”

    7–8 Peter held out his right hand to the crippled man. As he pulled the man to his feet, suddenly power surged into his crippled feet and ankles. The man jumped up, stood there for a moment stunned, and then began to walk around! As he went into the temple courts with Peter and John, he leapt for joy and shouted praises to God.

    3.  The Holy Spirit turned the imprisonment of Paul and Silas into a crusade

    Acts 16:23-31

    23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

    25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

    29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

    31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

    4. The spirit of the Lord changed David from a nobody to a somebody

    1 Samuel 16:1-13

     The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

    2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

    The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”

    4 Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”

    5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

    6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”

    7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

    8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

    “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”

    Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

    12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

    Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

    13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

     

     KAYCEE

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