Christianity was founded on true love, sacrifice, selflessness, holiness, spirituality, sympathy, empathy, decency, fairness, righteousness, purity among other good virtues which summarise the personality of Jesus Christ. Christ himself was emphatic about the redemptive mission of Christians when he referred to believers as “the light of the world”. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden; neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”. (Mathew 5:14-16). Being the light of the world, Christians in their principles and values are supposed to be “infectious'” agents of positive change for attainment of a more peaceful, tolerant, happy, just and spiritual world. They manifest this light not merely through preaching the word, but by their ways of life as well, in their relationship with fellow human beings and worship of God. After-all, attitude they say is the best form of evangelism. A Christian is an individual who seeks to live his or her life according to the principles and values taught by Jesus Christ. He or she as commonly known is “Christ-like”, implying that believers are expected to display the best form of attitudes like their master Jesus Christ who by all standards was spotless.
Jesus was an embodiment of goodness. We learn from the Bible that he went about doing good; curing the sick, restoring the sight of the blind, making the lame walk, raising the dead back to life, feeding the hungry and casting away demons from possessed people as he also preached the word and enacted the coming of the kingdom of God. Symbolic about him was that despite his highly revered status, he remained devoted to his calling and mission by identifying with the poor, oppressed and sinners, giving them hope and lifting their spirits. In John 11 and Luke 10, we see as Jesus chose the poor Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha to be his friends. In Mathew 15:32-39 and Mark 8:1-13, he miraculously fed a hungry crowd of 5000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Zacchaeus, a man condemned by the people as a sinner had salvation brought to his home by Jesus as recorded in Luke 19:1-10. The list goes on. Jesus knew what he wanted, and he went for it, without allowing fame and materialism derail him. We who have decided to follow him, not just as believers but disciples must strive to be like him.
The early Christians tried exceedingly to sustain this noble calling and charge through dedication to spirit-filled way of life, communal living, brotherhood, charity, self denial and true witnessing. In Acts of the Apostles, we read how when filled the Holy Spirit, the disciples went all out to preach the gospel in boldness, healing the sick, casting out demons and bearing the burden of one another. They went as far as selling their belongings and sharing the proceeds among themselves, each receiving according to his/her needs. “All who believed were together, and had all things in common and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. Continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. The Lord added to the church daily, those who were being saved”. (Acts 2:44-47).
Sadly, these Christ-like virtues have overtime been watered, paving way for carnality, covetousness, greed, insatiable thirst for wealth and materialism that is now the order of the day among modern day clergymen. More worrisome is that the core message of repentance, righteousness and salvation that Christ preached, has been kept on the sideline, while prosperity sermons take the center stage. Today in most Christian worship centers, pastors have narrowed the word to tithing, seed sowing, offerings and others including harvest and bazaar as if Christianity is all about donating to become rich. This is Satanism creeping into the Body of Christ and must be stopped to save the Church of God. The direct consequence of this ugly trend is the alarming rate of delinquency, rot, vice, acrimony, corruption, alarming rate of crime and criminality as well as decay of moral values in the society today. Next is the obvious emptiness and lack of power among most men of God. More worrisome is that, believers are facing what could be termed “the worst form persecution” in the entire wide world, yet can’t do anything worthwhile to liberate themselves, as the fire to pray and things begin to happen, is lacking.
It is instructive to point out that the Lord and indeed his Disciples and Apostles warned against the emergence of false prophets who are ready to trade the souls that they are meant to save for material gains. Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 warns thus, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; “And they shall turn away their ears from the truth”. He emphasised it in his letter to the Ephesians; ” ….we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting”.(Ephesians 4:14).
Given the ugly scenario that the Body of Christ has found itself, one might be tempted to think if at all the multitudes parading themselves as God’s servants are truly called into ministry or to say the least, led by the Holy Spirit. Are you called and what are your works to justify that you are truly called by God? “By their fruit you will recognize who they are”. (Mathew 7:16). “The fruit of the Holy spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance….” “If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit”. (Galatians 5:22-25). “Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. The lust of flesh is against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh”. (Galatians 5:16-17).
As a pastor or Church member, are you ready to endure persecution and poverty for the sake of Jesus Christ? Are the activities of your Church in line with the dictates of the Holy spirit or you are among those making merchandise of the word of God? Where do you belong, flesh or spirit? It is a case of misplaced priority for a disciple who should aspire to be like Jesus, to get preoccupied with the things of this world, materialism, what to eat and drink and exotic living, which sum up life of flesh. The enticing word and gift of God is not to exploit the vulnerable masses but evangelise Christ, win souls and populate heaven. We are meant to allow the spirit to order our steps in doing the work, which is not ours’ but Jesus’. Jesus through the Holy Spirit just borrows our bodies to continue his work on earth. So, anything, outside the guidance and directives of the Holy Spirit, is out of it.
Are you prepared to serve well as Christ originally instrumented us to? Like in the time of old, there is a lot of work to be done and he is calling you like he did to his disciples as captured in Luke chapter 10; “… After this, the Lord appointed seventy- two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of harvest, therefore to send out workers into harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals……’’. The beauty of his calling is that he properly equips us with all the working tools to function effectively and efficiently. The equipment is in the gift of the Holy Spirit which God is ready to release in abundance to them that seek it with the right intentions and motives. “It will come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your young men shall see vision, and your old men shall dream dreams. And on my servants and on my handmaidens, I will pour out in those days of my spirit; and they shall prophesy……. (Acts 2:17). Brethren, we are in the time of power, signs and wonders. But you must be spiritually alert to take your own share of the heavenly inheritance that is sufficient now. Hence, the saying in Daniel 11:32b that, “those who know the God of their age shall rise and do exploit”. This assures that in few years to come, depending on the grace of God upon you and the size of your calling, you could become a powerful Minister-Evangelist, Prophet, Teacher, Pastor, Apostle, etc. Your ability to remain humble and dedicated to your line of calling and submitting totally to the Holy Spirit to order your steps, will determine how far you will go as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
This book “SATISFYING THE NEEDS OF THE SPIRIT” is intended to be a huge contribution to the Body of Christ towards spiritual revival, and making of true disciples and powerful men of God as well as holy and righteous believers who can be raptured when our Lord Jesus Christ comes for the second time to take his own. It is a product of revelation received in the course of participating in 2021 Life in the Spirit Seminars programme of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, FESTAC Denary in the Lagos Catholic Archdiocese, Lagos State, Nigeria. Spiritual encounters and testimonies, have been well documented to consolidate reader(s)’ belief in the activity and potency of the spirit in our lives. They are also targeted to spur you to greater spiritual height and character in the most vital and necessary heavenly race.
I have a firm conviction that if ministers of God could rededicate themselves to the true teaching that Jesus Christ bequeathed to us and impacting in their members, the Lord’s impeccable virtues, the world would be a better place for us and the power of the Pentecost made alive and active again in churches. This is the bedrock of TRUE DISCIPLESHIP. All of these are possible when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. This book will again open your eyes to how you can receive a full measure of the Holy Spirit and some of the intentional actions to take for the spirit to remain permanently in you and help you fulfill the purpose of your existence.
However, in order to derive maximum benefits reading this highly spiritual book, take note of the following;
-Make a decision to genuinely serve God and see your calling as a privilege to serve God and humanity
-Develop stronger faith in God
- Love to pray and pray always
-Purge your hearts of doubts and make yourself open to learn
-Cherish revelations and believe in dreams as a major channel by which God sends you messages
-Make the Bible your best companion and study it regularly
-Never you neglect the gathering of brethren. A day of fellowship with brethren is better than many days praying alone
-Constantly pray for the grace to be relevant working in God’s vineyard
-Accept wholeheartedly, information shared in this book as God’s message for your spiritual building and growth
Now pause for a while and reflect on the reading so far. Make the words active and alive in the you by putting yourself in the characters of the persons and occasions highlighted in the texts,and promise God again that you are ready to risk all for the kingdom if only he will grant you the grace. Confess your sins , repent genuinely from them and ask the Holy Spirit to guide and sustain you that you will not sin again. Round off by thanking God for the opportunity of being counted among his children.
I pray that by reading this documented account of my testimony and victory in Jesus Name, you will not only be richly blessed , but also find a few good reasons to adopt and recommend the piece for others for the nourishment of their spiritual health. Amen
CHAPTER ONE
SATISFYING THE NEEDS OF HOLY SPIRIT”
It has been highlighted, that “to be a good servant of God who is filled with good works and power, the Holy Spirit must be live and active within you as it is the one that does the works. Therefore, you must at all times strive to appease the Holy Spirit so that it will stay with you at all times to steer the ship of your life”.
But before dwelling on the discussion on how to appease the Holy Spirit that is in you already, i wish to ask these obvious questions; Do you really have a vision of the Kingdom of God as is expected of every true Disciple, or are you just being carried away by the feelings of your mortal flesh and has up till now remained so? Vision is the tall ambition that drives one’s passion to earnestly desire something that is important to him or her. It is the reason you stay awake working when others are asleep. As a parent, it is because of your vision of a good life at old age that you are willing to sacrifice your time, comfort, resources and indeed everything for the sake of properly raising up your children including sending them to good schools or having them acquire marketable skills. You are convinced that it is when your children grow into responsible adults, who are also doing well financially that they can better care for you at old age. Likewise, finding yourself in the gathering of God’s people, there must be something strong and convincing that drives your vision; otherwise you may not go far in the heavenly race. The journey of the kingdom is not and has never been “bread and butter”. It is very tough; but quite interesting and rewarding for men and women of vision, who know why they are in the journey and where they are heading to. So why have you decided not to just be a nominal Christian , but going a step further to becoming a dedicated believer that is born again in the Holy Ghost?
It is possible that like most people, your sojourn in the race of discipleship was accidental; one problem or the other might have brought you here. In the process of finding spiritual solution to the issues of life troubling you, you found yourself passing through programmes that are meant for disciples. You may also have joined the race of the kingdom because of series of feelings, experiences and encounters that you have had over a long period of time, which made you think that you are gifted spiritually and desired to have the gifts fully manifested. Maybe you are the kind of person that dreams and it comes to pass, can foresee the future and interpret situations, or others. It is also very likely that you are attracted to things of the spirit because of the enormous display of power by some men and women of God, and you now want to demonstrate same. Or, is it power to run a ministry? Search your heart; you may fall in any of the groups aforementioned. Only a handful of people were serious minded with God in the true sense of committing to follow Jesus as disciples. But whatever be the case, you are right on track. God calls us in different ways. Strange sicknesses, childlessness, poverty, incessant spiritual attacks, marital challenges and setbacks, and mysterious occurrence, e.t.c are some of the problems that make people to run to God and while waiting for divine interventions over their situations, they start developing stronger liking for things of God feel, which form their vision. From then,other things follow ,leading to the discovery of their calling.
Jeremiah was called right from his mother’s womb. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5). Ezekiel received the visions of his calling while just eleven years old and in the city of Babylon where his people were taken on exile. At that age, he was still very naive and lacked words for the work, that God had to empower him with words by inserting a scroll inside his mouth. “And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them”. (Ezekiel 3: 1-4). In the case of Moses, he was already a grown young-man tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, when God encountered him in the form of a burning bush. (Exodus 3:1-6). Paul who later became one of the greatest disciples of Jesus was even on his way to persecute the people of God, a task that he cherished so much, when he received his own calling in the form of a strong light that caused him instant blindness. He had gone “to the high priest and asked him for a letter to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed him”. (Acts 9:1-3). It goes on like God. We are called differently, at different points in our lives and for different reasons, but all for the glorification of God’s name and salvation of mankind. However, it is the decision to follow Jesus to the very end that separates the seed from the chaff. Having found yourself in the class of disciples, it is necessary to identify what drives your vision , which should be to make heaven at last. If that’s the case,then your desire and target must have to align with that of early disciples and the goal should be that at the end of the race, you will testify like Brother Paul.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
“Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing”. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (English Standard Version).
Paul’s testimony as captured in his epistle to Timothy is so real and expected considering the great works and victories that he achieved. On the other hand, his testimony sounds so intimidating. Can one in this present age labour and win accolades like Paul and other disciples of his time including Peter who was so powerful that even his shadow was healing the sick and setting the captives free? Perhaps, that is one question that has continued to resonate in your heart. It is possible, in-fact you too can. As stated earlier, who does the work and performs signs and wonders is the Holy Spirit; you only need to make yourself available for the spirit to use you. The Holy Spirit is God and with God all things are possible. Mathew 19:26.
Jesus says in Acts 1:8 that “you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit come upon you…..”. What Jesus mean here is that the Holy Spirit is an energiser which when received will propel you to do mighty things that you could not do before. This is what played out in the lives of the disciples. Except Paul and perhaps a few others, the early disciples were common people, with little or no formal education, but with the infilling of the Holy Spirit, performed wonders, spreading the gospel and interpreting the word of truth with such great eloquence and boldness. It is enticing to note that even now, you are already manifesting powers through the gifts of the Holy Spirit which you received. Can’t you see it? The fact that you are giving your time to things of God and making efforts to avoid certain sins based on your ability is a testimony and sign that the Holy Spirit is alive in you. A lot of people are under the torment of evil spirits, which have denied them the ability to worship God, nor live aright; and as long as that continues, they can’t be free and will be unable to fulfill their destinies. But your case is different; you have discovered yourself, seen the need to follow God and have even aspired to be Christ’s Disciples which is the greatest crown to wear as far as the journey of the kingdom is concerned. That is the Holy Spirit in action in your life. No wonder Brother Theo Nwobi, while ministering during the “Praying Over” Ceremony for Life in the Spirit Seminar participants in FESTAC Denary on November, 30, 2021, said that the outpouring of the Spirit on participants marked ” a new dawn and new beginning as well as opened ” a new chapter of Christian Life” for them.
In the hope you now know that it is possible for you to end this discipleship race in gold, not by your own power but through the power of the Holy Spirit that you have received, the next step for you should be to take a stand to yield yourself to the desires of the Spirit, so that it will at all times be alive and active in you. These include making conscious efforts to avoid sin and being more dedicated to prayer, studying of the word, fasting and a whole lot of other exercises that elevate the spirit being at the detriment of the desires of your flesh. Discussion on how to feed, nourish and satisfy the needs of the Spirit of God in you for it to make your body a permanent domain will be exhaustively treated. You must do everything required to make the spirit remain in you, otherwise it will depart and before you know it, you begin to feel empty, thus making nonsense of the rigorous spiritual education that you spent lots of time and energy to undergo in order to become a Disciple. I pray this will not be your portion in Jesus Name.
While you make up your mind to enter into a longtime commitment to yield to the spirit and satisfy its needs on daily basis, kindly say this short prayer.
” My God , my maker, creator of the whole universe and everything that is in it, I bless your most holy Name for the deep and unfailing love that you have for me, which is why you gave your most priced possession ,your only begotten Son ,Jesus Christ to die for the salvation of my soul. From the fountain of your love for mankind you have released your Spirit upon me in accordance with your plan to transform me into the image of your Son,Jesus. Lord i ask for your grace to forever live to please the holy spirit within that it may remain in me and help me achieve the purpose for which you created me. Help me to overcome sin in entirety and give me the enablement to find fulfillment in life of holiness, righteousness and purity. Constantly speak to me on how best to serve you in order not to anger you.
Holy Spirit Divine, make my body your permanent abode. Abide with me at all times and help me to fully manifest my God given gifts and talents, that I might be more useful to you and humanity. I pray in Jesus Name. Amen.
CHAPTER ONE
SATISFYING THE NEEDS OF HOLY SPIRIT”
It has been highlighted, that “to be a good servant of God who is filled with good works and power, the Holy Spirit must be live and active within you as it is the one that does the works. Therefore, you must at all times strive to appease the Holy Spirit so that it will stay with you at all times to steer the ship of your life”.
But before dwelling on the discussion on how to appease the Holy Spirit that is in you already, i wish to ask these obvious questions; Do you really have a vision of the Kingdom of God as is expected of every true Disciple, or are you just being carried away by the feelings of your mortal flesh and has up till now remained so? Vision is the tall ambition that drives one’s passion to earnestly desire something that is important to him or her. It is the reason you stay awake working when others are asleep. As a parent, it is because of your vision of a good life at old age that you are willing to sacrifice your time, comfort, resources and indeed everything for the sake of properly raising up your children including sending them to good schools or having them acquire marketable skills. You are convinced that it is when your children grow into responsible adults, who are also doing well financially that they can better care for you at old age. Likewise, finding yourself in the gathering of God’s people, there must be something strong and convincing that drives your vision; otherwise you may not go far in the heavenly race. The journey of the kingdom is not and has never been “bread and butter”. It is very tough; but quite interesting and rewarding for men and women of vision, who know why they are in the journey and where they are heading to. So why have you decided not to just be a nominal Christian , but going a step further to becoming a dedicated believer that is born again in the Holy Ghost?
It is possible that like most people, your sojourn in the race of discipleship was accidental; one problem or the other might have brought you here. In the process of finding spiritual solution to the issues of life troubling you, you found yourself passing through programmes that are meant for disciples. You may also have joined the race of the kingdom because of series of feelings, experiences and encounters that you have had over a long period of time, which made you think that you are gifted spiritually and desired to have the gifts fully manifested. Maybe you are the kind of person that dreams and it comes to pass, can foresee the future and interpret situations, or others. It is also very likely that you are attracted to things of the spirit because of the enormous display of power by some men and women of God, and you now want to demonstrate same. Or, is it power to run a ministry? Search your heart; you may fall in any of the groups aforementioned. Only a handful of people were serious minded with God in the true sense of committing to follow Jesus as disciples. But whatever be the case, you are right on track. God calls us in different ways. Strange sicknesses, childlessness, poverty, incessant spiritual attacks, marital challenges and setbacks, and mysterious occurrence, e.t.c are some of the problems that make people to run to God and while waiting for divine interventions over their situations, they start developing stronger liking for things of God feel, which form their vision. From then,other things follow ,leading to the discovery of their calling.
Jeremiah was called right from his mother’s womb. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5). Ezekiel received the visions of his calling while just eleven years old and in the city of Babylon where his people were taken on exile. At that age, he was still very naive and lacked words for the work, that God had to empower him with words by inserting a scroll inside his mouth. “And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them”. (Ezekiel 3: 1-4). In the case of Moses, he was already a grown young-man tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, when God encountered him in the form of a burning bush. (Exodus 3:1-6). Paul who later became one of the greatest disciples of Jesus was even on his way to persecute the people of God, a task that he cherished so much, when he received his own calling in the form of a strong light that caused him instant blindness. He had gone “to the high priest and asked him for a letter to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed him”. (Acts 9:1-3). It goes on like God. We are called differently, at different points in our lives and for different reasons, but all for the glorification of God’s name and salvation of mankind. However, it is the decision to follow Jesus to the very end that separates the seed from the chaff. Having found yourself in the class of disciples, it is necessary to identify what drives your vision , which should be to make heaven at last. If that’s the case,then your desire and target must have to align with that of early disciples and the goal should be that at the end of the race, you will testify like Brother Paul.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
“Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing”. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (English Standard Version).
Paul’s testimony as captured in his epistle to Timothy is so real and expected considering the great works and victories that he achieved. On the other hand, his testimony sounds so intimidating. Can one in this present age labour and win accolades like Paul and other disciples of his time including Peter who was so powerful that even his shadow was healing the sick and setting the captives free? Perhaps, that is one question that has continued to resonate in your heart. It is possible, in-fact you too can. As stated earlier, who does the work and performs signs and wonders is the Holy Spirit; you only need to make yourself available for the spirit to use you. The Holy Spirit is God and with God all things are possible. Mathew 19:26.
Jesus says in Acts 1:8 that “you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit come upon you…..”. What Jesus mean here is that the Holy Spirit is an energiser which when received will propel you to do mighty things that you could not do before. This is what played out in the lives of the disciples. Except Paul and perhaps a few others, the early disciples were common people, with little or no formal education, but with the infilling of the Holy Spirit, performed wonders, spreading the gospel and interpreting the word of truth with such great eloquence and boldness. It is enticing to note that even now, you are already manifesting powers through the gifts of the Holy Spirit which you received. Can’t you see it? The fact that you are giving your time to things of God and making efforts to avoid certain sins based on your ability is a testimony and sign that the Holy Spirit is alive in you. A lot of people are under the torment of evil spirits, which have denied them the ability to worship God, nor live aright; and as long as that continues, they can’t be free and will be unable to fulfill their destinies. But your case is different; you have discovered yourself, seen the need to follow God and have even aspired to be Christ’s Disciples which is the greatest crown to wear as far as the journey of the kingdom is concerned. That is the Holy Spirit in action in your life. No wonder Brother Theo Nwobi, while ministering during the “Praying Over” Ceremony for Life in the Spirit Seminar participants in FESTAC Denary on November, 30, 2021, said that the outpouring of the Spirit on participants marked ” a new dawn and new beginning as well as opened ” a new chapter of Christian Life” for them.
In the hope you now know that it is possible for you to end this discipleship race in gold, not by your own power but through the power of the Holy Spirit that you have received, the next step for you should be to take a stand to yield yourself to the desires of the Spirit, so that it will at all times be alive and active in you. These include making conscious efforts to avoid sin and being more dedicated to prayer, studying of the word, fasting and a whole lot of other exercises that elevate the spirit being at the detriment of the desires of your flesh. Discussion on how to feed, nourish and satisfy the needs of the Spirit of God in you for it to make your body a permanent domain will be exhaustively treated. You must do everything required to make the spirit remain in you, otherwise it will depart and before you know it, you begin to feel empty, thus making nonsense of the rigorous spiritual education that you spent lots of time and energy to undergo in order to become a Disciple. I pray this will not be your portion in Jesus Name.
While you make up your mind to enter into a longtime commitment to yield to the spirit and satisfy its needs on daily basis, kindly say this short prayer.
” My God , my maker, creator of the whole universe and everything that is in it, I bless your most holy Name for the deep and unfailing love that you have for me, which is why you gave your most priced possession ,your only begotten Son ,Jesus Christ to die for the salvation of my soul. From the fountain of your love for mankind you have released your Spirit upon me in accordance with your plan to transform me into the image of your Son,Jesus. Lord i ask for your grace to forever live to please the holy spirit within that it may remain in me and help me achieve the purpose for which you created me. Help me to overcome sin in entirety and give me the enablement to find fulfillment in life of holiness, righteousness and purity. Constantly speak to me on how best to serve you in order not to anger you.
Holy Spirit Divine, make my body your permanent abode. Abide with me at all times and help me to fully manifest my God given gifts and talents, that I might be more useful to you and humanity. I pray in Jesus Name. Amen.
CHAPTER TWO
NOW THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT
Before dwelling on the above stated topic, I wish to ask: Are you convinced of the presence of the Holy Spirit in you? This question may appear so simple, but providing a definite answer to it has indeed proven to be quite challenging to many believers. Even among those that are already ordained ministers ,a chunk of them are sometimes cut in the web of doubt on whether or not the spirit also fell on them on the day of their “pray-over” as ministers or ordination to become pastors, deacons or priests. They might have watched their colleagues screamed and fell under great anointing and others instantly manifesting the wonders of the Holy Spirit like Speaking in Tongues and Prophesying. Because they probably did not have any of such experiences, they are tempted to doubt the presence of the Holy Ghost within them. There is also the ridiculous thinking of some people, who found it not convincing that the mysterious manifestations are actually from God. Rather, they attribute them to some sorts of evil spirits that had gone inside people. These kind of thoughts are quite erroneous and can only come from naive and immature hearts.
The truth of the matter is that, the Holy Spirit had been made available to you right from the day of your Baptism and Confirmation. In-fact, by accepting the Gospel and receiving Jesus as the only begotten son of God, your Saviour and Redeemer of mankind, you have the seed of God sown in you. The essence of undergoing spiritual programmes and trainings like the Life is the Spirit Seminar of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement is to revive the spirit that is already in you and to fan it to flame for you to manifest your charisms (spiritual gifts and talents that everyone is born with) which will enable you serve God better and live a purposeful life. The day two reading of Seminar 6 in the Life in the Spirit Seminar Booklet for participants puts it more succinctly. “During your baptism and confirmation, the spirit has made his home in you. Perhaps in those days you did not understand the implication of what it meant to have the Spirit living in you”. Brother Theo Nwobi took time to explain this issue while ministering on the day of our Praying Over. He went on to assure participants that as long as they had desired the spirit, participated fully in the seminar programmes and made themselves available for the Praying-over ceremony, they were equal partakers in the new outpouring of the Holy Spirit and only needed to wait for the full manifestation of the gifts. He opined that the most important thing is to be hopeful and have faith in the promise of our Lord to send the spirit.
Are you now convinced of the presence of the Holy Spirit within you? I will like to share my own experience with you.
MY PRAY- OVER EXPERIENCE
Like other colleagues, I was very expectant of a greater outpouring of the Holy Ghost. In-fact, I took the seminar programme very serious, as if my entire life depended on it. And of course, it does. I had made a commitment to dedicate my entire life to God and desperately needed large deposit of the Holy Spirit that can carry the kind of work I had anticipated to execute in the Lord’s vineyard as a Minister of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. I made sure i attended all the seminars, observed my quite times from start to finish, fasted as directed by the seminar team. I started with six to noon and with time progressed to fasting from six am to six pm. Also throughout that period I made efforts to drastically reduce distractions and occasions of flesh by abstaining from watching television, not frequenting social media platforms and others. Additionally, i resolved to believe and put into practice all that we were thought and asked to do. Consequently, I saw that I was feeling God’s presence more as we progressed with the seminars, an experience that I never felt in my three previous participations in the Life in the Spirit seminar.
EVE OF PRAYING- OVER
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On the night of the day preceding the Praying-Over day, I noticed that I could not concentrate to observe my Quite Time. As I tried to meditate on the readings for that day, all I was seeing was topics of different books to write for advancement of the Gospel. The topics were centered largely on raising true Disciples for effective and efficient evangelism of the twenty first century world. Additionally, I visionised myself preaching at big crusades in the world over. I was practicing how to speak to diverse audiences and looking for the right message for every segment of the public. In-fact, I was compelled to write everything down even though that was not my intention that night. I thought the kind of message I needed that night was what would happen at the Praying- over ceremony. But nothing of that sort was shown to me. The writing and preaching stuff continued.
Thereafter, I got preoccupied with the thought of how Jesus and the apostles of old succeeded. In my imagination, I examined some of the unique traits that they possessed which made them to be victorious. In-fact, I began to explore avenues on how to be an asset to my committee (Prayer Group), more especially, how to contribute in taking the gospel to the next level. The answers that I received from the spirit will be highlighted in my subsequent writings.
I stayed awake till 3am expecting messages on what God had for me during the Praying-over Ceremony later in the day. Nothing of that sort was revealed to me.
MY DREAM THAT NIGHT
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Just between past 3 am and around 6 am that I slept, I had a dream that shattered and left me downcast throughout the Laying-of-hands day.
In the dream, I was a participant in a very important programme in a place like looks like a foreign land. It was such a glamorous occasion and people including me were exceedingly glad. At the end of the event, every participant was presented an exotic phone, so beautiful and costly. Unfortunately, as I was about going home, I could not find my own phone. I continued searching for it till I woke up.
The dream devastated me. I interpreted it to mean that I may not receive the Holy Spirit as I had wished. The wise thing I should have done was to go to the spirit and ask him to explain the dream, which I did not do.
TH D-DAY
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I quickly left for Church of Annunciation, FESTAC Town, Lagos, the venue for the laying-of hand ceremony to attend Mass there and have ample time to pray and beg the spirit to forgive my wrongs and release His gifts upon me. I did all of that, and my spirit was relatively uplifted again.
Not long, my colleagues from my Community started coming. Before I knew it, I was moved in the spirit and began to share thoughts with them on how these groups of Life in the spirit seminar participants could make a difference in the discipleship assignment. I got carried away, speaking with so much charisma and pain alike, because I hated it that we were not doing enough for God. The brethren were surprised at my action. They said, “Brother, you have already received your own gift”. You will do very well in teaching ministry and spreading of the word”. I asked “how?” “Really?”, and continued the talking till we went inside the church for Mass.
THE PRAYING-OVER CEREMONY
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Filled with unimaginable joy, I danced at the sound of every music, at the front roll where I was. The aspect of burning our “Commitment Letters” was my best moment. In-fact, I could even sense my spirit dancing. Very close to the fire, I felt what appeared like an envelope of fresh and gentle air. Goose pimples filled my entire body. That was the only special feeling I had throughout the occasion.
When I looked around, I saw lots of people including my close friends manifesting wonders. I starting feeling uneasy, doubting if at all i would have my own share of the spiritual gifts. I would close my eyes tightly and prayed silently for the type of anointing that will throw me to the ground or even make me unconscious for the rest of the day. That was my expectation, which did not come to pass till the end of the occasion.
I left the ceremony ground sad and unfulfilled.
AT HOME
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The moment I got home, I opened my phone and saw a chat from my friend in Italy asking how the programme went. I simply told him, ” To God be the Glory”. He sensed something was wrong somewhere and asked what the matter was. I told him bluntly that I wasn’t fulfilled based on my experience. Consoling me, he said he was sure I was already bubbling in the spirit and should just give myself time for the gifts to blossom. When i shared the dream to him, he concluded that something could actually be wrong somewhere and asked me to immediately report the dream to the leaders of Healing and Intercessory Ministries.
Quickly, I called my Group Leader, he also asked me to be calm, stressing that the spirit is already there in me, only that I had to wait for everything to start unfolding. But as I also shared the dream I had the previous night, he consented on the need to report to the Healing Ministry Leader, Brother Thomas Eze.
He personally opted to present the case to Brother Thomas himself. I couldn’t wait. I began to call Brother Thomas myself and had to dial his mobile line for like twenty times without him answering.
It was around 8pm and I had to go to Orile to meet my wife and children who visited my elder sister for a short stay. Upon reaching there, they were elated at my presence and were hoping that I prayed for them. I refused and promised to start work as a minister after our Commissioning. The real reason I refused was the state of sadness and anger that I was in. I continued dialing Brother Thomas’s line with no progress.
I returned to my house in Maza-maza. Upon entering my room, a thought came to me, rebuking me for doubting the presence of the Holy Spirit. The message came in its fullness, saying that I had received mine even before the day of pray -over day. That the dream I had about being given a phone was a confirmation of the spiritual gift i had received, and my search for the phone signified the doubt I was having. The explanation sounded real, but I still needed more confirmation.
Then during the time I was to observe my Quite Time, I brought a chair and invited the Holy Spirit to sit on it and explain to me what actually transpired. I waited till over one hour, I didn’t hear any message. I couldn’t even make my spirit-man to be stable, as it was wondering and getting absent minded. I was still there, till I dozed off.
I FINALLY HAD MY ENCOUNTER
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I woke up around past midnight, no dream, no message. But I felt something unusual. For the first time in my life, I woke up around that time of the night feeling very strong, light and agile. I heard a voice telling me to pray; I reluctantly obeyed.
I brought out a chair, cleaned it and placed a virgin white handkerchief on it, then invited the Spirit to sit and talk to me. As I knelt down to start praying, suddenly I started seeing that big Crucifix used during the laying of hands, flashing all over me. The cross was spiritually mounted at a corner in my room. Then I heard Jesus telling me that it was that cross that has set me free, restored me and has now filled me with the Holy Spirit. I began to see myself in another world and was prophesying. A voice said, my family should go and thank God for a prophet has been raised among them. As I prophesied, a lot of prayer points were popping out. I saw myself praying for so many people, even those in Orile that I had refused to pray with. At that point, I became weightless like a paper. To stop praying and praising God was no longer under my control. The experience continued till in the morning. I didn’t know when I rushed out and gathered children in my yard to pray for them. It was after praying for the children that the experience calmed down a-bit but I continued praising God happily. I kept seeing the Crucifix erected on that part of my room till after some days. I felt great peace, joy and happiness, like never before. Since then; it has been from one encounter to another. In another encounter, my spirit left me and went up into the sky, as I observed Quite Time. Even my dream life that stopped has been well activated. Jesus is indeed Lord and Holy Spirit is real and active.
Wao! You may exclaim. But that is the experience when you got prayed-over in the course of the Life in the Spirit Seminar. The experience may differ but you must surely feel something unusual. “You may feel a new joy, a new peace, the praise of God welling up within you. But you may also feel doubts, confusion and depression”, (Page 25 Seminar participants manual). Whatever is the case, the encounter of the Holy Spirit is beyond mere feelings as it is “based on faith and facts”, (Same page 25). By facts, it means the tangible evidence that people can see and believe that truly, the spirit is at work in you, and by faith, it implies having absolute belief in God’s promise to send His Spirit.
Now that you have faith that you already have the Holy Spirit in you, it will do you a lot of good to go a step further by putting your faith at work. This you can do by carrying yourself as one who is pregnant with the Spirit. Make daily efforts to behave aright and practice bearing fruits of the spirit. ”The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law”, Gal 5:22-23. It is in bearing this fruits that people will believe that of a truth, you have the Holy Spirit at work in you.