You don’t have to go looking for an atmosphere; you are an atmosphere. You are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, a habitation of Heaven, a carrier of the glory. Because you have the Holy Spirit, you don’t have to follow signs; signs follow you. You don’t have to beg for a divine encounter; you live in a divine encounter.
Of course, if believers want to be used by God, they ought to live holy lives. But perhaps you’ve made mistakes that you think have permanently disqualified you from ever being used by God again. Maybe you feel overwhelming shame and guilt - and it’s difficult for you to move forward. Let’s gain some perspective from the Scripture.
When Adam had life breathed into him, he became the steward of the earth. When Abraham heard God, he was called as a father of many nations. When Moses saw the burning bush, he was called as a deliverer. Isaiah saw God in the temple. Jeremiah felt fire in his bones. Ezekiel saw Heaven opened. The apostles sat with Jesus. The early church heard the wind and saw the fire of the Holy Spirit. Truly, encounters lead to callings.
Now, some believers wonder how they can acquire the "healing anointing”, the “deliverance anointing”, or the "prophetic anointing.” Some imagine that there are different kinds of anointing that require different protocols and procedures in order to collect. They may think that there’s something special one must do for the healing anointing, perhaps a special prayer to get the deliverance anointing, and so forth. But it’s actually quite simple.
Therefore, true worship cannot be conjured by means of emotional posturing. Worship can’t be demanded by an ambitious song leader. Hype can’t produce it. Production can’t mimic it. Musical talent cannot cause it. Only the Holy Spirit can ignite the fire of worship in your heart. For the carnal cannot produce the spiritual. He is the one who awakens true worship within you.
No matter what you say, someone will disagree. No matter what you do, someone will think it should have been done differently. No matter what truth you speak, someone will point out a truth you left out. There’s no escaping the opinions of people. For every action and inaction, the offense of someone is waiting.
Being victorious doesn’t mean that I don’t face difficulties. Being victorious means that even in difficulties, I continue to believe that God wins in the end. The victorious believer doesn’t allow exterior circumstances to diminish inner joy. The victorious believer doesn’t allow the actions of others to steal their peace.
Often, when you pray, God’s desire is to cause you to become an answer to prayer. More than it will change anyone or anything else, prayer will change the one who prays. Prayer is not about persuading God to change His will - no one can persuade God. Rather, prayer is about becoming an active participant in God’s will.
Unceasing prayer is spontaneous, in the moment, fluid. It is practiced during even the most mundane portions of your day. Unceasing prayer is carried out in the car, quietly within your heart, on the job, at school, and so forth. It can fill any gap of time, and can be practiced in any circumstance. But there is also a ceremony to prayer that must be regularly observed. Ceremony—that is, preparing the atmosphere—is necessary for intentional prayer. Intentional prayer takes place when I set the atmosphere to sharpen my focus on the Lord.
The Holy Spirit communicates what He knows of God with your spirit. God’s Spirit shares revelations with your spirit. God’s innermost Being shares mysteries with your innermost being. In that place of inner oneness, divine secrets are being imparted. By the Holy Spirit, every believer has this privilege of internal, eternal connection with God Himself.
We were made for the glory of God. Since the beginning, God has sought a partnership with man. Man was made to steward what God started, to cultivate what God created, and to call into order what God has called into existence. We are called to be diligent partners of God. God has provided you with the substance of your life. You must exercise your free will to shape that and then give it back to God as an offering. Our purpose is to love and glorify God through whatever means we have been given.
Disobedience to the Word of God grieves the Holy Spirit. Ungodly thoughts grieve the Holy Spirit. When we prioritize entertainment over prayer, we grieve the Holy Spirit. When we ignore His gentle voice, we grieve the Holy Spirit. When we are more committed to interacting on social media than we are to reading the Bible, we grieve the Holy Spirit. When we allow anger to get the best of us, lust to control us, and fear to dominate us, we grieve the Holy Spirit.
