"Listening to the Holy Spirit"

Flowing with the Holy Spirit

Your fellowship with the Holy Spirit must develop over time to a point where he is able to flow through you. To understand the concept of Flowing with the Spirit, let us look at a passage that explains this concept with a beautiful allegory.

In the book of Ezekiel (Chapter 47), the prophet shares his vision from God about waters that flow out from the House of God. Initially he walked in the water and it was up to his ankles, He continued wading deeper and the water came up to his knees. He went further and the water was neck deep. Soon he no longer could control his movement and he was floating in the river along with the current.

This river went across the land to deserts and dry places and anything that came in contact with this river was purified and healed. This river then flowed into the sea and purified the sea itself. It is written that the sea itself got its life because of the river. He also adds that the only places that don't benefit from this is the swamp lands and the marshes where the water stays still and does not flow.

This is exactly how the flow of the Holy Spirit operates in our life. You need to put yourself in the shoes of the person wading the river and look at the life giving waters as the Holy Spirit.

Initially you are ankle deep in the water. This itself is a wonderful feeling as your dry and tired feet receive great comfort when they come in contact with the water. As you progress you get deeper into the water, you still are in full control and for the water to flow it has to go around you. Soon you reach a point where you no longer need to wade and the current lifts you and you begin to flow along with the river itself. At this point you no longer have control but you know you are in safe hands with the Spirit of God.

This river itself originated from God's house and flows into barren lands and deserts which signify people and places that are broken, wounded, dead and desperately need help. Observe as the river flows through these places it brings life. It brings the healing power of God into the lives of those who are touched by it. This river literally blesses anything that comes in contact with it.

It says the very seas get their life and purity from this river but the marshes and swamps will not benefit. In these places water does not flow, it stagnates and over time becomes unfruitful. This means that those who are not willing to grow, change and become better over time cannot benefit from the Holy Spirit. He can work in your life only if you are willing to step outside your boundaries and are willing to let go of your innate desire to control situations and your natural tendency to resist change.

Observe that initially the water is very shallow and it benefits only you as an individual but as it progresses it touches many places and brings life wherever it goes. Its impact and reach gradually increase it grows large enough to impact the sea itself. This is how your life will transform as you begin to flow in the Spirit. The lives of great men and women of God are examples of how their fellowship started off with a small tickle and slowly grew to a point where they could influence millions of people. Flowing with the Holy Spirit is something all believers must strive to do.

"And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail."-Isaiah 58:11

You have the potential to release heaven on earth. You are blessed with the ability to bring healing and comfort to the brokenhearted and spiritually dead. You are called to be a blessing to the nations and a light in this darkness. It is impossible for you to do it without being able to flow with the Holy Spirit.

REAL LIFE INSPIRATION

This story took place in the United States when a man of God, went to a business and gave the employees there a seminar. He used to do this regularly and the employees looked forward to these meetings. It was a relatively small business and all the employees attended the seminar except the newest employee, she had to handle incoming calls at the reception, as that could not be missed.
The seminar went on well and the man was on his way out, as he went passed the reception he saw this woman and smiled at her as he was leaving. The lady asked him who he was, he told her that he was a minister. She was a bit surprised and asked him a minister of what? as she thought it was a governmental ministry. The preacher chuckled, and replied saying he was a minister of God. The lady's eyes suddenly widened, she was shocked and blurted out saying "You must be the one". Taken aback he asked her, "What do you mean by the one?"The lady went on to narrate her story, she said that she had been a Buddhist for years and last night when she was in meditation, she had this deep feeling that there was something wrong. There was definitely a higher power and her religion had definitely missed the point. She said as she cried out to God she could see a giant ball of the brightest white light come before her. Deep down she knew this was the God she was looking for. She wanted to know and understand who this was. She said that the light told her that tomorrow morning He will reveal more about himself to her.
The preacher was amazed, he told her "Yes I am the one you are looking for" and went on to share Jesus with the lady. This is an example of how the Holy Spirit uses people who are in sync with Him to touch people in the most unexpected ways. He is able to put you in the right place at the perfect time.

LIFE APPLICATION

*Grow and cultivate your relationship with the Holy Spirit to a point where you know you are being fully led by Him
*Trust and depend on the Holy Spirit and over time you will become a blessing to yourself as well as to others