Holy Spirit – Waiting in the Wings

On July 27, 2020

“Favored One” by Meghan Williams of Dyed4you Art

A few years ago, I was reading an article about the human soul from a Jewish perspective, and I was struck by the following phrase, “The root of the soul is God.” These words resonated within me as truth, particularly in light of the creation account. The Word says that God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living being (Genesis 2:7). While the rest of creation was formed through God’s speech, God bestowed humanity with a little piece of Himself in order to bring us to life.

Yet to have a little piece of the Eternal One isn’t such a little thing when we really stop to think about it. Our humanity enshrouds a potent drop of the Divine. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit maintains the connection between the human soul and God, enabling us to be extensions of Him in the earth. How amazing!

Although we cannot see our souls, it is much like the idea of a seed that is planted, sprouts roots, and steadily grows into a tree. A tree’s origins as a small seed can often seem like a distant memory. However, that seed is still a present reality in the life of the tree. The small seed contained all of the genetic information necessary to bring the full-grown tree into existence. Essentially, the tree is an extension of a tiny yet mighty seed.

In the midst of a fallen world, this truth can embolden us if we’re able to grasp ahold of it. We may more frequently focus on our human fragility and failings, but the miracle in the midst of our imperfections is that a small seed of the Divine resides within us. When we are willing to tap into our connection with God through the Holy Spirit, He is able to strengthen our inner being with His power (Ephesians 3:14).

I often tap into this overcoming power when I choose to view my circumstances through the lens of my identity as an extension or child of God. How does the all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving God view my current problems? Of course, my problems quickly dwarf in size when I remember who I’m seated in heavenly places with (Ephesians 2:6). To know that I was created by and am held by perfect love is empowering, for it opens my heart to receive the character, wisdom, knowledge—the very fullness—of God.

Ephesians 3:14-19 (NIV) For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 2:6-7 (NIV) And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Catch the Rhythm

On October 14, 2019

“Heartbeat of Heaven” by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

Beloved, there can be a fine line between living your life in a state of striving and operating from a place of rest. The difference between striving and rest comes when you try to create a rhythm in life as opposed to quieting yourself and simply finding it. I created all life to exist in the flow and rhythm of my Spirit. From the waters of creation, My Spirit has guided all things to flow according to My will. It knows My perfect pattern and plan by which all life can flourish and prosper.

Just as a drummer must hold the rhythm of a song in his or her heart and mind to execute it, so you must press in for the rhythm of my Spirit to live by it. My Spirit stands ready to usher you into your place of rest and abundant life in Me. Just as it was in the garden, I long to walk with you and guide you through every moment, day, and season of your life.

Beloved, will you draw near and grasp ahold of what I offer you? Will you listen for the sound of My Presence moving through the garden of your heart each day? Let your spiritual ears be opened, that you might catch the rhythm of My Spirit and live by it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV) There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens….

Galatians 5:25 (VOICE) Now since we have chosen to walk with the Spirit, let’s keep each step in perfect sync with God’s Spirit.

Matthew 11:29-30 (NIV) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

My Spirit is Your Provision

On September 26, 2019

“His Eye is on the Sparrow” by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

Beloved one, I have called you away from your old life and have led you into new territory. You have crossed over into a time of inheriting My promises. Resist the urge to feel shame over your weaknesses or to feel overwhelmed by this new territory. For you have not crossed over alone; I have pledged Myself to you as a husband and will walk by your side all your days. I will be your strength and sufficiency as you navigate this new terrain.

My care for you is deeper than you know. I see every detail of your life. I have both planned all your days and have fashioned your form. I know you well, beloved. I also know the cracks and bruises of your heart brought through past experiences. I am mindful of what you will need to walk in all I have called you to. As I have guided you to this new place in your life, know with certainty that I have already provided for you here. Indeed, My Spirit is your provision.

Therefore, when you feel lost, afraid, or overwhelmed, still yourself and remember that I Am with you. At times, I will move in your circumstances or move through others to be your support. At other times, the gift of My Spirit within you will be available to empower and guide you. So in your moments of weakness and need, lean upon Me. Naturally and supernaturally, I will be there to supply all your needs.

Philippians 4:19 (TPT) I am convinced that my God will fully satisfy every need you have, for I have seen the abundant riches of glory revealed to me through the Anointed One, Jesus Christ!

Draw Upon My Spirit of Counsel

On June 18, 2019

“Faithful Victory” – by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

Isaiah 11:2 (VOICE) And on this child from David’s line, the Spirit of the Eternal One will alight and rest. By the Spirit of wisdom and discernment He will shine like the dew. By the Spirit of counsel and strength He will judge fairly and act courageously. By the Spirit of knowledge and reverence of the Eternal One….

Beloved, victory is always in your hands because I am always with you. As a carrier of My Presence, I have sent you into this world to accomplish My Kingdom purposes. And those whom I send, I abundantly equip that they may succeed.

I have imparted My Spirit of Counsel to you. Just as a king would seek wise advice before waging war, I encourage you to make every effort to seek My voice in the moments you need strategy. My Spirit of Counsel is gentle and supportive, like the presence of a trusted friend. Just as you would not have an important conversation in the midst of a crowd, so you will need to draw aside into the secret place in order to draw upon My Spirit within you.

Remember, I do not expect you to walk out your commission alone. Indeed, I am here to support you. I have already ordained the provision you need for every stage of My plans for you. Therefore, lean upon Me. Walk with Me. We will accomplish much more together than you could ever do alone.

Proverbs 20:18 (ESV) Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.

1 Samuel 18:14 (AMPC) David acted wisely in all his ways and succeeded, and the Lord was with him.

Yielding to the Flow

On April 13, 2019

John 3:8 (TPT) For the Spirit-wind blows as it chooses. You can hear its sound, but you don’t know where it came from or where it’s going. So it is within the hearts of those who are Spirit-born!”

Once I was in a prayer circle and the Father gave me an interesting vision about how the wind of His Spirit desires to move in the Body of Christ. As we stood praying, I saw a field of wheat and saw the Spirit-wind blowing through the stalks. As much as I saw it, I also sensed each one of us in that prayer circle was a stalk of wheat. In the natural, I sensed a slight resistance to the movement of the Spirit-wind, individually and corporately. The wind was blowing gently, and yet the Father reflected that our resistance in the flesh stemmed from fear.

What direction would the wind blow? Would the wind always be gentle or would it blow strongly? What if the wind blew so hard that it ripped us from the ground? And if it did… where would the wind take us? The wind could not be controlled, and, therefore, we were quite at its mercy. I sensed the Father’s desire that we would do precisely what I saw the wheat doing in the Spirit: He was calling us to be flexible and let the Spirit-wind move in whatever way He chose. If we were going to see a mighty move of God’s Spirit, it was clear that we would have to let go and trust Him.

As I have meditated on the nature of the Spirit-wind, I have also reflected on my personal journey with God. He has strategically broken natural and religious mindsets that have bound me and that, as a result, have restricted the movement of the Holy Spirit in my life. With each breakthrough, there has been freedom to live and move and have my being in Him. Yielding to the flow of the Spirit-wind has been what I call “scary-good;” it has been like a wild rollercoaster ride that reminds me that I am quite alive and unlimited in Christ. How the Spirit moves me doesn’t always make sense to the natural mind, but it surely demonstrates the wisdom, power, and goodness of God.

If we desire to see God move in our homes, churches, cities, and nations, we must yield and give Him the freedom to move as He desires. Yes, He will certainly take us outside of our comfort zones and break the boxes we try to place Him in. And this is good because none of us can really perceive all that God has in store for us. Yet in the Spirit, there is surely a promise of boundless joy as the will of God and the Kingdom of Heaven is released upon the earth!

Reign of the Eternal

On April 13, 2019

“Forever Bloom” – by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art

1 John 4:13 (VOICE) How can we be sure that He truly lives in us and that we truly live in Him? By one fact: He has given us His Spirit.

In a vision, I saw the Father shaking a sunflower over His child. Water droplets fell from the sunflower and upon the childlike rain. I sensed that the essence of the sunflower was transferred into the water. Therefore, it was clear that the essence of the sunflower would saturate the child that the Father was sprinkling.

Symbolically, sunflowers allude to “son-flowers,” those who are growing up into fullness in the Spirit of Christ. In my vision, the sunflower in the Father’s hand was symbolic of Christ, His firstborn son. Christ is God’s chosen mediator of the new covenant. Those who are in Christ have been sprinkled with his blood, the blood of the covenant (Exodus 24:8, Hebrews 12:22-24). The blood of Christ brings absolutely atonement—or, one could say, it brings at-one-ment; it unites us forever with God. Yet the covenant also gives us access to the outpouring of Christ’s Spirit (which is often symbolized as rain or oil). The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of unity with the Creator, the very force that connects us to God.

The vision of the sunflower immediately reminded me of a pun that God often speaks over me, “I’m going to rain on your head.” It is a line from a movie, but when He says it, it is layered with spiritual life, significance, and a fiery love. It doubles in meaning as, “I’m going to reign on your head.” When God speaks this phrase over me, He is calling to mind the irrevocable words of His covenant and reminding me of my eternal bond to Him.

Rain held great importance during biblical times. As an agriculture society, they were very aware that their lives depended upon God sending the rain in its due season—the former and latter rains that would water the land. Rain was a sign of the blessings of the covenant, a provision in the marriage agreement between God and Israel. As Israel remained faithful to the covenant, God’s covenant blessings would flow to sustain them.

With the coming of Christ, the outpouring of the Spirit was connected to the “former and latter rains.” I can say without a doubt how essential the rain—or reign of the Holy Spirit has been in my life. The Holy Spirit waters my soul with words of truth from the lips of my savior. Through the Spirit, Christ reminds me that I am His and He is mine. Regardless of whether I feel connected to Him or not at any given moment, He isn’t going anywhere. I’m never lost, even if I may momentarily feel that way in the chaos of life. God’s covenant promises to me are rock solid.

Even more, because I follow Christ and obey His voice, the blessings of the covenant are ever flowing to sustain me. When I dig deep into the Spirit, do not lack anything that I need. I am completely saturated in the love, character, and dynamis power of Christ. He is infused into my DNA! As Christ renews my mind, my ways and my thoughts are transformed until they reflect His. As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 2:16, I have the very mind of Christ.

So when God is reminding me that He is raining or reign upon me, truly it means that, as I embrace the rule of His Spirit in my life, He truly is reigning through me. Like a sunflower that soaks up the sun and the rain, God’s Word and God’s way holds everything I need to navigate this world. My greatest desire is to yield to the Spirit in my everyday life and allow Him to work His will through me—on earth as it is in heaven.

Deuteronomy 11:13-14 (NKJV) ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.

Psalm 133:1-3 (NIV) How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

Remain in My Love

On November 13, 2018

My dear anointed ones, weighty is your call to speak and act on My behalf. It is weighty with great honor for you are My chosen vessels. However, this mantle was never meant to be a weighty burden to you. It will only become so if you do not abide in Me. It is not your responsibility to carry the weight of your calling or your gifts. I have appointed you to carry the weight of My glory, the essence of Who I Am. I, in turn, carry you by the power of My Spirit. In this way, My yoke is made easy and My burden light.

To do the work I have called you to, you must remain in My love. Live in My love. My world must become your predominant dwelling place, not the earth. Like a sea animal that is capable of living on both the land and in the waters, make every effort to return to the deep waters of My Spirit in between your daily activities in the world. When you are immersed in Me, I pour all of My love and life into you. This empowers you to pour out My love and life into the dry places in the earth.

Yes, there is nowhere that you can go where I Am not. In Me, all creation lives and moves and has its being. Yet the paradox of your existence is that, although you are always in Me, you must work to renew your intimate connection to Me through the practice of abiding. Take every opportunity to abide, beloved. Draw aside and shift your gaze back towards Me, the lover of your soul. As much as possible, seek My ways and My thoughts.

By seeking your resting place in Me, it is there that I will recalibrate your attitude and perspective so that it remains in harmony with Me. If you do not do this, you will begin to feel your attitudes shift outside the frame of My love. You will find that your strength in Me begins to wane. It is then that you will feel the weight of your calling as you begin to resonate with the frequency of the world instead of the frequency of My love. Your thoughts will become misaligned in varying degrees if you do not return to My Presence for refreshing.

Precious one, there is grace in this process, but this is the most vital key to your mission on earth. I want you to remember that, when you feel the weight of your calling, that is the time to seek Me. Do not hesitate. Do not look to the world for strength. Do not lament and beat yourself up in your human weaknesses, for you were never meant to go it alone. Return to My love and your resting place in Me, for this is where you were made to dwell. From this place of unity with Me, I will renew your strength and empower you to do every good work that I have called you to.

Matthew 11:29-30 (TPT) Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.

John 15:5 (AMPC) I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.

Walking in Humble Authority

On November 10, 2018

“The Alabaster Jar” (Featuring the Hebrew letter dalet)

Acts 3:6 (VOICE) Peter: I want to give you something, but I don’t have any silver or gold. Here’s what I can offer you: stand up and walk in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the Anointed One.

In the ancient pictograph language, the Hebrew letter dalet represents a door or an impoverished and humble man. It is preceded by the letter gimel which is representative of a camel or rich man. Within this area of the Hebrew alphabet, there is the picture of a rich man who stoops down (like a camel with a burden) to give to a poor and humble man. It is the picture of our relationship with God and our relationship with our fellow man. It is also a powerful key to flowing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 3:6, Peter addresses a crippled and poor man. Peter’s pockets are empty of silver and gold. One could say that he is impoverished too. And yet, he gives the crippled man what he does have—and it’s certainly not chump change. Peter stoops down like a camel to lift the poor man up. Power from on high flows through Peter, and the man is miraculously healed! Peter’s physical pockets were empty, and yet he became the vessel that supernaturally met this man’s need!

Draw Upon Your Inheritance

On October 15, 2018