Acknowledge The Holy Spirit As A Person!

 Hollywood and popular culture taught us that God is mystical, vast and "out there--somewhere... perhaps". God is often depicted by soft misty clouds floating in blue skies. Others see Him as reams of light bursting through thick clouds, flooding the earth. Somewhere in middle America, there is a gospel Pianist, with said sky and clouds painting on his piano. I heard a preacher, a man who speaks in tongues, refer to the Holy Spirit as "it".

People see God as unreachable; unsure that He'll even hear or answer prayers. The implications of such thinking is that people miss out on power, authority and the ability to function in God's will for their lives. 

"...the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." Paul, in his letter to Philemon (1:6), prayed that Philemon may have full, experiential, intimate knowledge(Greek: "epignosis") with Truth, so that he will become effective(in his faith works).

Acknowledgement itself is key 

Grace to you, and peace be multiplied in the acknowledgement of God and of Jesus our Lord!(2 Peter 1:2 Young's literal)

Did you ever notice that Jesus acknowledged a tree? Did you notice that he answered it as if he were seeing it as an intelligent respondent?(Mark 11:13-14).  He taught His disciples to acknowledge a mountain. God told Moses to acknowledge a rock, Moses didn't and as a result, wasn't catapulted to the level that God wanted to take him and his people (Numbers 20:8-12).  God told Ezekiel to prophecy to the wind (Ezekiel 37:9). 

Why? All matter has (intelligence and) a spiritual base that responds to commands. But if acknowledging the spirit of an inanimate object enables you to direct it, how much more power when you acknowledge and commune with the person of the Holy Spirit?

Every miracle that I've ever participated in, every miracle that I've ever worked, was brought about through the acknowledging of the Person who is The Holy Spirit. Speaking rightly is excellent, so also is meditation and working the laws laid out, however, your miracle would happen that much sooner if only you would acknowledge and commune with the Spirit of  the living God.

But first, is this a person I'm asking you to be friends with? The Holy Spirit is the person Jesus promised us would bear witness of him, help you, teach you, and guide you into all truth. 

 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one (1 John 5:7). Jesus was the Word of God, made flesh; the one and only Word(or voice of the Father) by which all things are made (John1:1-3). The Word is obviously a person, because not only did He walk in the garden(of Eden) in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8), but He manifested in the person of Jesus, who has a mind, His own will(Luke 22:42), and emotions(Matthew 9:36).

The Spirit likewise, is a person, possessing a mind(Acts 15:28), will(1 Corinthians 12:11) and emotions (Isaiah 63:10). Like Jesus, He doesn't concern Himself with His own will, but He does what He sees the Father do. So all three are cohesive.

The Holy Spirit is a helper and standby.

(In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. -Romans 8:26 NIV)

I'll give you a practical personal example of help. 

If you weren't born in the country you live, you'll be required to have a ceremony for citizenship. The government will send you a list of required documents, top-most of which are identification documents. Me, I easily gathered the required documents from the list. Sa-tis-fac-tion!

One would have thought, ah, you had no troubles, therefore, no story! Don't be so hasty, hold a sec--

I had forgotten the exact time of day I was required at the government office, but I couldn't check the letter they had sent, because I had thrown it out days before(too much clutter). So I called the 1800 number I had become familiar with. On the first ring, like all times before, the voice response system answered. I clicked through to the right menu item, entered ID and voila! All required information needed, including the time and list of documents. But not quite the documents I had previously believed... One document was required that I no longer possessed; the list itself!

Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness! I ran over to the trash can; no document. It must have been in the trash I dropped down the chute a day earlier. Yet somehow I hoped I was wrong and it was still available, so I digged through my documents, all my drawers, all bags and purses, the back of a chair, under the bed, everywhere I could think of. No. List. Letter. 

Panic. Time kept on slipping... Then I remembered that every time I'd ever found a profoundly lost item, I had ask God to help me, and within mere seconds, I'd find it. So I asked "Holy Spirit, please help me find this document..."  Still time crept on; it wouldn't be found, because I threw it out!  

"What to do-- what to do-- I have to reschedule or  hopefully, get the letter faxed to me."  I picked up the phone to call the 1800 number. The phone would not ring! I tried three times. Nothing. 

I was about to make a fourth attempt when I found myself strongly urged to speak in tongues. I spoke in tongues(uttering unfamiliar words and phrases) for about a minute if not less. (All while my mind ran a hundred miles a minute.) Thanked and glorified God, then went back to the phone. ( You would have thought I'd learn to leave the phone alone, instead I thought the tongues helped me open the phone lines.) Again the call wouldn't go through; frustrated, I threw the phone on the bed and-- what do you know-- the document laid right next to the phone!

The Spirit had interceded on my behalf, because I hadn't asked right to begin with.

The Holy Spirit is the King's Council

Often people ignore the spirit realm, thinking that all they see is all there is, because they don't know, but even worse, they don't know that they don't know. But Glory to God, the Holy Spirit isn't limited to your knowledge, time or space. As Jesus said, He will guide you into all truths.

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you."

Just last week, my sister in Jamaica was on the other end of my phone with urgent news; a close family member was about to be incarcerated for assaulting a police officer!

"Let's agree that her record remains unblemished-- that no weapons fashioned against her shall prosper! Favour and grace surrounds her!"

We both prayed in tongues, making declarations as we go, when I stopped praying I noticed that she was no longer on the line. 

A song popped in my mind "He is here, right now, yes He's here, right now, to meet every need-- and I will praise praise, Your Name..." I noticed that the Spirit often speaks to me through song lyrics, so there He was telling me that God was present with me in the car...

I learned from a long time ago that God manifests to you in the very way you praise Him, just like Jesus urged His disciples to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send labourers (Luke 10:2), I sang for a record unblemished, and divine protection for my loved one "You do mighty things, you do glorious things, you're a faithful God, awesome is Your Name--"

As I sang, I was urged to pray in tongues and raise my hands (goose pimples and cool air swirl around my arms and fingers), because while praying in the car was good, the heavy feeling (I had all day, no less now that the cause was revealed) in my spirit remained. In my room, as I stood before God, giving Him praise, I could feel the darkness lift and joy/love flood my spirit.

That's the answer I'd been waiting for so immediately I texted my sister, "She has been released, no problems, yes!"

Then I called the family member and she responded "Yes I'm still at the station-- the police lady is right here, she's such a nice person!"

But that wasn't the full story. Turns out that the catalyst for the threat of incarceration, and whatever else Jamaican police are known for, had started because the police tried to organize a crowd entering a bus(yes, a totally unnecessary task, I know, but keep reading :-) ) and the family member ignored three orders to step back, so as the officer stepped back, she stepped on the family member's toes, (now don't laugh as I tell you my family member's reaction) and the family member heaved back and wha-dow! Pushed the officer!

Consequently the police tried to get her in their squad car. Well she wasn't keen on getting in the car so she kept declaring her innocence, struggling against them, only to have the Spirit tell her "Stop. Go with them calmly." So she obeyed.

Still the story continued, the police officer was a new Christian herself, and the night before, in a dream, the Holy Spirit told her, today something will happen but handle it wisely. All throughout the day everything was perfect so she wondered, why did I get that dream? 

Well during the exact time we interceded the admonition in her dream came back. As she looked upon my family member, all she kept seeing was her mother. She couldn't lift a finger against her, instead they both launched into conversation about God and His Holy Spirit!

Even when we are in the wrong, God's grace is lavished upon us. The Holy Spirit can organize events to get you out of your own (legal) troubles, why not relate with Him as the person He is?

How can you experience the Holy Spirit in such tangible way? One way is to love Him. When you love God you enter in His glory, for He is love. I know people often say they love God because he first loved them, John said as much (1 John 4:19) but what if your parents waited for your love before preparing for you? You should love God because He is God. Don't add a reason or condition to love Him. 

Set aside time to fall on your knees and declare your love for Him. Love Him in the midst of turmoil. Love him when things are beautiful. Just love Him.

Another way to commune with Him tangibly is through trust and obedience. You may not see the point of Him waking you up at 4am (and if you go to bed an hour early, He shakes the bed at 3am!) but you should trust that He has a reason. One could be that he's training you like a soldier. 

The faster you respond, the louder His voice will be. Correspondingly, the slower or lesser times you respond, the fainter His voice will get. Then you'll start wondering if He departed from you-- but He's with you always, so tune up your ears by praying in the spirit, speaking in tongues, talking to Him and sing praises to Him. 


Listen, when He gives you a revelation to publish, do it quickly, so you can be open to receive greater revelations. (Do you know this article should have been written a month ago? Over the past few days He kept reminding me of Jesus' parable about the talents(Luke 19:12-28) ).


When the Holy Spirit calls you to a task, don't look down on yourself, saying "I'm not qualified--". You possess all the requirements needed(the character qualities); for the skill-set itself, the Holy Spirit will teach you things even the well schooled "experts" don't know.
 
Ever heard of a man named Robert Gilmour LeTourneau? He's described as a prolific inventor of earth moving machinery and God's Businessman. He left school at the age of 14! The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth!

"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:6)

Another way is to recognize and acknowledge Him as a person. Talk to him always, not just pray. I'm glad my mother advised me to talk to the Holy Spirit. When you relate with Him the same way you would to your mother or another person, he responds in a tangible way.

Years ago a friend tried to win a debate by asking: "Does God answers all your prayers?" (Some Christians enjoy debate just for the sake of debating) of course I answered "Yes". Stumped him, not expecting such an answer. That memory remained with me because I thought; why is he wasting time praying if he doesn't expect to be answered? 

I was in my early teens when I recognized that my prayers were being answered. I also recognized that I'm special to God, He loves me and wants the best for me, so instead of praying to the universe or sending out prayers in "the ether", I prayed to God the person. 

The same way your pastor might advise you to not pray vague prayers, I'm advising you, don't pray to a vague God!
  

Yet another means of experiencing God physically: purpose your life and intentions towards His goals and visions. No, I'm not advising you to become a pastor; I'm saying love what God loves. Value people. Cultivate qualities that God admires.

Throughout the Bible, certain people were chosen leaders and the trend I've noticed is that they had great qualities, excellent intentions and they valued people. Were they flawed? Very much so, yet God remained with them. 

Moses wasn't the most brave of persons:
-after killing an Egyptian soldier in defense of one of his people, then finding out that it was well known, he fled Egypt for forty years.

-He went with the fear-filled, inferiority complex-filled report of 10 spies(Numbers 14:5), instead of Caleb and Joshua's report that they could possess Canaan (the promised land). 

-Through self-consciousness, he felt he needed his brother Aaron to speak for him because of his speech impediment.

-God had to admonish and advised his successor, Joshua, to be fearless and strong. Look at Joshua 1 and count how many times God told Joshua to "Be strong and very courageous!"

Yet Moses was a friend to God, despite his flaws. Why? Moses, would rather leave his favoured position in the Egyptian government, for the plight of his people. Despite the fact that through fear, he ran, he kept the dream of setting his people free. 

Moses even challenged God (fearlessly, I'll add) when God's anger was kindled against the wicked, ungrateful people of Israel. "...“O Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened."

Moses loved God and people. He was compassionate and selfless. What's your purpose?

Why did God choose David? David's love for sex and women drove him to murder a man in order to get his wife. David had a plethora of wives and concubines. One of his own sons tried to disgrace him by taking what he loved; one of his wives. 

Yet David is described as a man after God's own heart.

Why? He was fearless, loyal to his word, and especially loyal to God and the anointing. He had so much respect for the anointing that when he had an opportunity to kill Saul, a wicked man who was hunting him down to kill him, he didn't and commanded his soldiers not to. All because Saul had been anointed by God.  In fact, in one of David's many Psalms to God he sings "...Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm" (1 Chronicles 16:22). 

Look at Paul. Why would God choose Paul? Paul participated in the stoning death of Jesus' disciple, Steven. He persecuted followers of Christ relentlessly. He was so successful in this and the traditions of the Jewish religion, that he profited above his equals (Galatians 1:13-14). 

Notice that Jesus wasn't especially keen on the ceremonial practices/traditions of the Lawyers, Scribes and Pharisees (Luke 11:37-46)? This says though he was successful, Paul hadn't excelled in the will of God as he excelled in religious traditions.

Yet God chose Paul. Why? Not only was Paul an exceedingly intelligent man, he was so fearless and zealous about God that he didn't much care what his former  leaders or fellow combatants thought. He wasn't one of those people who danced to other people's music.  He was wise enough to know his true source, be self-less, and recognize man's fickle nature. ("For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."-Galatians 1:10).

Paul knew his purpose and desired to do big things for God. 


Enoch walked with God and was not; for the Lord took him -Genesis 5:24 (He didn't see corruption; his body didn't decompose because he didn't die!). So what does that mean for you? Listen, every revelation to you means the same possibility is available to you! Don't just hear for the sake of hearing. Hear with purpose!

#NOTE - these are my revelations of why God chose Moses, David and Paul. I'm sure there are greater revelations of the "whys". 

Just as someone once asked why God chose Israel, and my response was, 1. they were direct descendents of Abraham(who had promises from God regarding his seed); and 2. They are excellent record-keepers(look how they traced Jesus' record all they way to Adam) and great storytellers. Two ways of expressing the nature and things of God to teach generations. 

Fasting, speaking in tongues, making melodies to God, and spending time in His Word allows you to hear and experience God on another level. 
Now don't start thinking of how overwhelming or taxing those might be; like Jesus said "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:30 

You can speak in tongues anytime, when you're driving, having breakfast, anytime. You can talk with Him any any any time. You don't need to be deep. Just acknowledge His presence. You can sing to God in the shower, while you pump gas, when you're trying on that cute outfit, anytime!

Wouldn't it be nice to know that you can hear future conversations before they happen? That you can decree a thing and watch it established? That you can discern the nature of things without being taught by men? 

Wouldn't you love to continually walk in favour? That you can heal your own body through methods taught by the Holy Spirit? How awesome it is to affect the lives of others in profound ways! To actually have the Holy Spirit comfort you physically is beyond awesome. (If I told you that testimony... )

NOTE- This article assumes that you've already received the Holy Spirit. If you haven't, take Jesus' advice and ask God for His Holy Spirit - “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” -Luke 11:9-13

Be not a law major, but major in the Spirit. Acknowledge God. acknowledge the Holy Spirit as a person!