THE DISCIPLINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

God created us to serve His purpose on earth. In our raw state after conversion, we are not really fit for His use. Before we can become useful to Him, the discipline of the Holy Spirit must be carried out in our lives. Our level of qualification for God’s use is largely dependent on how much discipline we are ready to receive.

God knows our deficiencies and the things we need. He understands our personalities and operates through the Holy Spirit in our environment to make us better vessels for His use. By nature, we are ignorant and do not know what we really need. Our choices, laden with human wisdom, are often faulty and full of errors.

A very big picture lies ahead of us but all we see is a tiny fraction. God sees the whole picture and uses the Holy Spirit to discipline us according to His purpose for our lives. This disciplinary work begins the moment we become Christians and continue throughout our lives. Often times, we are not prepared for this discipline and think we don’t deserve it because it appears as if it’s a form of punishment from God.

For instance, a beautiful sister may rely on her beauty to get a good husband. In order to break her dependence on beauty, God may allow her to go through series of failed relationship until she comes to the realization that a good man comes from the Lord (James 1:17).

God is passionate about everything that concerns us. Even the number of hairs on our head He knows (Matt 10:30). This leads us to the realization that everything that happens to us as His children is according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). There is nothing that happens in our environment which is not permitted by God. We must understand this fact that He is not cruel but allows us to go through some things for our education (Is 48:10). Complaining about the situation or murmuring against anybody is lack of wisdom which shows we are ignorant of God’s dealing.

Jacob is a character in the Bible who had to go through the discipline of the Holy Spirit. He started his life as a cheat right from birth and got everything he wanted by being deceitful. How did the Holy Spirit discipline him? His sons told him that his favourite child, Joseph, was killed by a wild beast; he was cheated by his uncle; his eldest son defiled his bed; Rachel, his beloved wife, died after giving birth; his family was disgraced by the rape of his daughter. After going all through these and some more, he confessed that his life was full of sorrows (Gen 47:9) and became a better person. 

How dignified he was when he stood before Pharaoh to bless him! He left the monarch’s presence without demanding for anything. Jacob of old would not have done that. At the end of his life, he died as a peaceful man. It is interesting to note that God later addressed himself as the God of Jacob, an ex-con man.

The discipline of the Holy Spirit is the best for us and must not be considered as bouts of bad luck. Any form of resistance or resentment will only delay the work. There was a time in my life that everything seems to be upside down. It was as if God has forgotten me. But today, I am grateful because of the things I was able to learn during those periods. I could not have learnt them otherwise.

May the Lord open our eyes so that our sincere prayer always would be “Lord, accomplish in me that which is profitable in your sight”.

CHRISTOPHANY

Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of uphaz: his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like colour of polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude

 – Dan 10:4-6

The passage above certainly describes a person of great importance. Though his name was not mentioned, but when we study the pages of the Bible, we quickly get an idea of who he really is. When we compare this description with that of Rev 1:13-15, the unmistakable similarities reveal the identity of this “certain man” as Jesus Christ. This is one of His numerous appearances in the Old Testament before His incarnation in the New Testament. Theologians have labeled these appearances as Christophany.

In Dan 3:25, He was described as the ‘Son of God’ and in Josh 5:14 He was described as the ‘Captain of the Lord’s host’. It is interesting to note that He was not given any title in this passage. This is something we need to ponder on. Why was He described just as a certain man? To figure this out, God expects us to search for the answer in His word.

Over the ages, Jesus Christ has been given many descriptions. People have called Him a nice guy, wise teacher, great philosopher, motivational speaker and even a political revolutionary.

The big question is: “Who is Jesus Christ?” or better still, “Who is Jesus Christ to you?”  Only you can provide an honest answer to this question. Studying and knowing who Jesus really is, will help you to have an idea of who God is since Christ said He came to show us the character of the Father (Jn. 14:9).

Is He really the God of mercy, the Loving Father or a Wicked Judge? As you honestly seek to know the character of God through His Son, Jesus Christ, may He reveal Himself to you.

THE UNSEEN PROTECTION

And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?    2 Kings 6:15

 

Unpleasant things happen to people all the time. In as much as we hate them, we cannot really prevent unpleasant things from happening to us. When they happen, some of them could be so serious that our existence becomes threatened. In such cases, we begin to wonder if God has left us to our fate.

When the servant of Elisha woke up early in the morning and saw the Syrian army surrounding them, he became fearful and thought all was lost. But when the man of God prayed and his eyes were open, he saw things differently (2 Kg 6:16-18).

Many of us are just like this servant. We murmur and complain of our situation in life because of our limited sight. A question arising from this story that we need to ask ourselves is that why did the Syrian king send a large number of soldiers against just two puny people?

It was because he saw them as formidable opponents; he saw them as a serious threat to his kingdom. The same thing applies to the devil. The reason why he is confronting us with temptations, persecutions and other weapons in his arsenal is because he knows we are serious threat to his kingdom. He knows our importance to God and that a single Christian can wreak massive havoc to his camp. He is not interested in unbelievers or sinners because they are no threat to him: he has them in his grip already. Hence his constant attacks against Christians.

No matter the magnitude of our challenge in life, we must remember God’s promise that He will never leave us (Heb 13:5). If only our eyes of understanding can be opened, we would see the hosts of God all around us in that situation that seem to defy every solution. If only we can shift our attention away from the problem to the One who has the solution, we would see the way of escape that the Lord has prepared for us (1 Cor 10:13).

Brethren, God is faithful and will never allow any of His to be molested by the devil. So let us quit whining and complaining because that is what the enemy needs. Let us move boldly to the throne of grace and ask the merciful Lord to show us the way out of those problems that appear as if they would drown us and He will definitely show us the way.