AUTHOR: PST E.A. ADEBOYE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2014
THEME: A LOVING & PERMANENT GUEST
MEMORISE: Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Matthew 6:26
READ: John 7:38-39
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
MESSAGE
Based on the fact that the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Jesus after His baptism (Luke 3:22), the dove is used as an emblem of the Holy Spirit. A study of some characteristics of the dove will therefore give us insight on the Person of the Holy Spirit.
The most striking characteristic of the dove is that it is one of the cleanest birds on Earth. God the Holy Spirit is pre-eminently holy. Holiness is so essential to His nature that His name consists of the word “Holy”. Whenever the Holy Spirit moves, He convicts the heart of men of sin, of righteousness and of judgement (John 16:8). He is a clean Spirit, and to be a friend of His, you have to move close to Him in holiness.
Another characteristic of the dove is that it is gentle in manner (Matthew 10:16). Why is the dove gentle in manner? In my research into the nature and habits of the dove, I came across this truth: “One reason for the gentleness of the dove is because the bird has no gall. Gall is considered by naturalists of old as the source and fountain of contention, the bitterness of the gall being supposed to infuse itself into the spirit.”
There is no bitterness in the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit, among other things, is gentleness (Galatians 5:23). To come close to the Holy Spirit is to come close to meekness and gentleness.
Someone once said, “Nothing is as strong as gentleness and no one is gentler than the Holy Spirit”. The gentleness of the Holy Spirit must not be seen from the perspective of weakness because in His gentleness lies His strength, and in His strength lies victory, deliverance, prosperity, healing, salvation, promotion, protection and all that you need now and in future.
Another characteristic of the dove is that it is swift of wing. The main strength of a dove is its wings. Upheld by its wings, a dove can fly for many days so that other birds pursuing it are unable to overtake it. The Holy Spirit is very swift in His dealings and He is never at a loss of what to do.
As a swift and prompt Spirit, God the Holy Spirit attends to the needs of the people of God. He prays with us while we pray, He guides us in our choice of a life partner and He helps us in our business transactions.
The best business is one whose senior partner is God the Holy Spirit. Invite Him into your business. He assists us in our inadequacies, comforts us in our sorrows and cheers us in our despondency. He guides us in our difficulties and He quickens us when our faith is weak. Cast your burdens upon the Holy Spirit. Let Him take over your burdens, for He cares for you.
PRAYER POINT:
Lord delight in me. Bless me. Fix your gaze upon me and transform my life for better today.
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Matthew 21:28-23:36; Job 14:18-15:6
God Bless You.
BE PREPARED!!!
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