8-15-2020 There’s a New Virus Coming to Town

There’s a new virus coming to town!  It will be very infectious.  It will change the way we live!  It will make all other viruses seem meek and tame.  Once we get it, it will never leave us.  Isn’t that wonderful?

What’s even crazier is that we will want this virus.  We will desire it and we will want to pass it on to others.

Why would we want something that we can never get rid of and be so easily transmitted to others?

What will it do?

It will affect our minds.  It will affect our bodies.  It will even help us to understand things.  YIPES!  It will affect my brain?

It will produce peace within me.  I won’t even care once I’m infected.  What’s worse, I won’t even want them to find a cure!

It will bring strength to my body.  Whoa!  Whoa! I don’t do steroids.  Besides, ‘roids’ have some negative side effects – bad breath, caveman eyebrows, brittle bones, heart problems, etc.. 

Hey!  Hey!  Hey!  This infection carries no ill side effects.

It does have side effects, though.  I may find myself not hating others – no matter what they may do.  I may find myself ‘wanting’ to help others – even though they may not have treated me right.  And even though it may seem that I may be stationary at times, I may even enjoy seeing others get ahead.  Wow! 

As I let this virus infect my whole body, I may discover I can handle my finances better.  My financial situation may even GET better.

This infection may even help me to realize things that are out of this world!  (I can always use some more ‘smarts)

And, every so often, I may find myself ‘zoned out’!  No, not on drugs but in a state of mind where I find myself not even caring about the rest of the world.  The only bummer is that I’ll have to come out of that condition and still deal with the world around me.  That means this condition will come and go, but I have control!  And, guess what!  I find that I’m becoming better equipped to deal things.

This virus is on its way and all I have to do to get it is ask.  Ask?  Ask to get ‘sick’?(!)  Are you crazy?(!)

Think about it.  this virus brings  no sniffles, no coughing, no fever, no aches or pains.  At times, I may feel like I’m walking on a cloud.  I may even do a ‘Tony the Tiger’ imitation saying “I feel GRRRRREEAAAT!

So what is this virus?

We know that when we ask Jesus into our heart, the Holy Ghost takes up residence there, but consider a few things.  Very few can sit down at a piano and play something that makes sense.  How many people can pick up a trumpet or a guitar and produce sounds of sweet music - the first time out?  

Don’t we first have to understand how the instrument functions?  Do we not have to learn the basics of playing that instrument?  Without some basic knowledge, all we can do is ‘make noise’ and that’s only if we pick it up (use it).  Or the instrument may just sit there – doing nothing. 

To ‘activate’ any instrument, we need to start pushing keys or blow into a mouthpiece and push the valves, start plucking the strings, even with drums, we needs to pick up the ‘sticks and start tapping the ‘skins’ (drums) in order to make a noise.  The more we understand, the more our noise will sound like sweet music.

When we first receive the Holy Ghost, He is there, available to help us, but we need to activate Him, or should I say give Him permission to operate in our lives.  We give Him permission by yielding ourselves over to Him.  Asking The Spirit to help us, guide us and/or direct us.

So, how do we know what to ask Him?  Musicians have music books to help them to learn how to play an instrument or sing a song.  We have the bible through which Father tells us how, why and when the Holy Ghost desires to help us.  As we learn more of God’s will for us, we open up more and more knowledge as to how the Holy Spirit desires to help us.  Then we activate the Holy Spirit by asking Him.  Help me with …  Then we apply the action He shares.

Application is important.  John and Peter met the lame man on the way to the Beautiful Gate.  Peter gave the man what he had – healing.  After telling the man to receive what had just been given, Peter reached down and took the man’s hand and helped him to his feet.  The man not only stood up, he walked around leaping for joy.

We can read, discover and ask all we want, but if we don’t apply (put into action) what we are told, we become like the instrument which makes no noise because we haven’t picked it up to strum or push keys, etc..  If we don’t do ‘something’ with that instrument, it remains silent.  So is it with the Holy Ghost!  We can know we have Him, know what He can do but unless we put Him to the test, He is like the instrument which just lays there.  The Holy Spirit likes working through us so if we don’t budge, He won’t budge.  He’s a gentleman.  After all He is part of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Ghost), so He won’t ‘force’ himself upon us.  We ask, but then we expect God to do it for us whereas the Holy Ghost says ask and I’ll do it through you.  Remember, faith without works is dead.  We believe, but where is our faith?   WE have to take an action, then the Holy Ghost gives us the strength to accomplish what we start. 

Jesus says I am always with you.  I will never leave you nor forsake you. 

Jesus ascended back into heaven 2000 years ago to be with the Father, but He gives us the Holy Ghost, who is in us, so we can do things in His name.  Jesus gives us strength through the Holy Ghost working in us and through us.  If you will, the Holy Ghost is the engine and we are the vehicle.  He provides the gas (prayer), all we have to do is push the pedal and go (open our mouths and pray and do).

Jesus says that He desires us to be one with Him as He is one with the Father and this is accomplished through our ‘salvation’ experience.  Then, by the ‘infilling’ of the Holy Ghost, we can ‘activate’ Him by our faith in and through our obedience to God. 

Our faith is believing Father can and will do all things for us.  He desires His best for us.  Our obedience is following and living in His will – living in and for him in all that we say and do.  We yield our lives over to Him – no matter how long it takes.  We take the first step after we believe and He empowers us to continue along the path.  Then we continue along the ‘narrow’ path.

In case you may be a little dense (like me) and haven’t figured this one out yet, the ‘new virus’ isn’t a virus at all, but the Holy Ghost abiding in us. 

With our reception of Jesus into our heart through the act of our salvation experience, He comes into our tank.  Then we have to fill that tank up!  As we learn what Father has for us, no matter how long it takes, we yield our lives over to Him.  This is filling our tank. Then, as we ‘activate’ the Holy Ghost (in our lives) by stepping out in faith and allowing Him to inhabit our actions, we keep refilling that tank (reading the bible, praying) so that it never runs dry.

Father wants us to have all that He has, but it requires obedience - faith and action on our part.

The coming ‘virus’ is a fresh outpouring, a new infilling, of the Holy Ghost which will enable us to do all that Jesus did and greater!  Read the book of Acts, this will be just the tip of the iceberg.  Our manual (the bible) brings us into a functional relationship with our Father through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  At first, we fill our tank with ‘regular’ gas, but, as we grow we discover, our octane rating is growing from 86 to 93 to 100 and beyond.  We see what the bible says, but then we come to realize what it means!

Keep in mind, Satan knows what the bible says.  He just refuses to apply it to himself.

Listen, Many have heard and have already been talking about this fresh explosion (outpouring) of the Holy Ghost.  I see it on line and on TV (TBN, 700 Club, etc.)  Father has told many of His pastors and preachers this explosion will far exceed what man has experienced in the past – from the disciples reception 2000 years ago to today. 

Even as Jesus ministered to the Gentiles during His ministry, His primary target was Israel – the church.  And so it will be this time.  Though the unsaved are not forgotten, today’s Christian church (or those who claim to be a part thereof) are the primary target.

Father wants His children ready and prepared to come home.  Ten virgins were waiting for the bridegroom to come to receive them, but only five were prepared.  Only those five went with the bridegroom when He did come.  Think about it!   

So, there’s a new virus coming to town.  I can “live” with this virus.  Can you?  (or should I say ‘will’ you).

Amen

You may have noticed I that I haven’t cited a lot of scriptures (in fact ‘0’).  Okay, I mentioned the Book of Acts and I will give you two: John 20:22 and Acts 1:8.  Look them up.  There are clues (in this text) to other passages which support what is said here.  Can you find them?  May the Lord guide your searches.