Spirit Wind, come blow over me!

The young man, an inmate in a local correctional institution, smiled as he told me, "The only reason I came to Bible study was to see a girl. I didn't even believe in God." For the past 3 months, Jim (not his real name) has attended the weekly Bible Study that I teach there. He went on to tell me how at the first Bible study he attended when we opened our Bibles, he forgot the girl he came to see. He was intrigued with what he heard, which was unlike anything he had heard before about God. He told me that each week he looked forward to coming and had recently prayed that Christ Jesus would be His Lord, His Savior, and turn his life around. "There was just something about what you were saying that I had to believe!" he said.

Who or what made the difference for Jim? It wasn't the moving music; there wasn't any! It wasn't awe-inspiring architecture; we were in a drab room, sitting around beat-up tables. It wasn't a persuasive presentation, complete with PowerPoint! He experienced the Presence of the Holy Spirit. The wind of the Spirit blew through that little locked room where a dozen or so of us sat with Bibles in hand and open hearts. Jim is to be released this week. Would you pray that he remains open to the Spirit so he can stand in his new faith when presented with the temptations that will surely come his way on the street?

There was another seeker whose life was changed by the Spirit. He was a man of influence, well acquainted with religion, a wealthy man. In the Gospel of John, chapter 3, we learn that he came to Jesus at night so no one would see him. He had heard Jesus teach and was drawn by the truth he heard, compelling truth that pointed to a new way of life. In that conversation, Nicodemus heard these amazing words: [John 3:5-8 NLT] Jesus replied, “The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. So don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” The Spirit-wind blew across his heart and he was changed. He heard this promise, believed it, and the Spirit caused a new birth! [John 3:14-17 NIV] The Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Do you know Christ? Has the wind of the Spirit blown through your life? Invite Him to, right now.
You're a Believer? Great! Have you settled for a routine of religion, a colorless life that has little joy, little power, and no intimacy with God?
Pray - Spirit Wind, come blow over me, again!

Are you afraid of the Holy Spirit? I was raised in a church that emphasized the power of the Holy Spirit, but often it seemed to me that He was used as an excuse for some crazy stuff. We were 'holy rollers!' Some awfully weird stuff happened and was called, "the move of the Spirit." Today, I know much of what I saw then that made me afraid or embarrassed wasn't God at all. It was just people letting off steam! Many of them were just 'emoting.' The true wind of the Spirit won't lead us into silly, stupid stuff. He will lead us into a deep reverence for God, to a place where we know incredible peace and joy, and to be persons of such profound love that we will gladly give up even our lives.

Ah, yes... when the wind of the Spirit blows over us and we are touched by God, we may well act out a bit - shedding tears, laughing from our gut, etc. But, He won't cause us to lose our minds! He will blow fresh life into our sin weary souls; and that's a fact.

Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. ... as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more. -- 2 Cor3:17-19 NLT

_______________________
Sweet Wind

There's a wind blowin',
All across the land.
Fragrant breeze of heaven
Blowin' once again.
Don't know where it comes from,
Don't know where it goes,
But let it blow over me.
Oh, sweet wind,
Come and blow over me.

There's a rain a pourin',
Showers from above.
Mercy drops are comin',
Mercy drops of love.
Turn your face to heaven,
Let the water pour,
Well let it pour over me.
Oh, sweet rain,
Come and pour over me.

There's a fire burnin',
Fallin' from the sky.
Awesome tongues of fire
Consuming you and I.
Can you feel it burnin',
Burn the sacrifice,
Well let it burn over me.
Oh, sweet fire,
Come and burn over me.

Author: Ruis, DavidCopyright: 1994 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)