Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Today's episode talks about the difference between the Holy Spirit of the Old Testament and the Holy Spirit of the New Testament. It also reminds us that we all have the Holy Spirit living inside of us and can all ask the Lord for the gifts the Holy Spirit wants to give us. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
A Spirit of Sonship
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Yesterday was Pentecost. I have often thought about It and what it would have been like to be in that upper room. Whenever I prayed the glorious mysteries of the rosary, I would ask the Lord for my own Pentecost. I can’t imagine being that overcome by the Holy Spirit. I can’t even imagine the excitement in that room and then spilling out of that room to all those they talked to. I do know I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me. I have definitely seen it working through me. I have seen it give me boldness when I needed it. Often I wish I had more boldness. I wish I could say and do all the things I want to do without my insecurities getting in the way. I will keep praying and asking for more, and I know the Lord will provide exactly the right amount of courage that I need to do what He has called me to do.
This morning I want to talk with you about something I just learned yesterday. In his homily yesterday, the priest explained the difference between the Holy Spirit of the New Testament and the Holy Spirit of the Old Testament. I thought this was really interesting because I knew the Holy Spirit was around in the Old Testament, and I thought some people were filled with it, but then I wasn’t sure. I wondered how the prophets could know what they knew without the Holy Spirit. But I also knew the Holy Spirit didn’t come upon all of us until Pentecost. It was confusing, and I never really understood it. So, in case you are like me, I thought I would give you the explanation the priest gave at mass yesterday as it was a great explanation. I will do my best to relay His message.
The priest explained that it was a Spirit of Assignment or a Spirit of Function in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it is a Spirit of Sonship. He meant that in the Old Testament, everyone was not filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was reserved for a select few people, such as the prophets who were spreading God’s messages. Those who were in charge of leading the Lord’s people, such as the kings and the judges. The Lord would give the Spirit to some people, and then He would also take it away. For instance, 1 Samuel 16:14 says, “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.”
Everyone wasn’t blessed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was only given to some; if they misused their power, it would be taken away. This is why in Psalm 51:13, King David says, “Do not drive me from before your face, nor take from me your Holy Spirit.” David is aware that He is who He is because of the Spirit of God. He knows without that, He would be nothing. He would not be an effective king or an effective warrior; he wouldn’t be able to do anything without the Holy Spirit within him.
In the New Testament, Jesus died on the cross for us. He took our sins to the cross, and there, He restored our relationship with the Father. Now we are adopted sons and daughters of God. When Jesus went to Heaven to be with Father, Jesus asked His Dad to send us the Holy Spirit, the advocate. An advocate pleads another's cause and helps another by defending or comforting him. Can you see why we would need this? Can you see what the apostles would need the Spirit? They were being sent out. Actually, we are all being sent out to proclaim Jesus to all those we meet. Can you see why we might need help defending our case?
The Holy Spirit emboldened the apostles. They were hiding in a locked upper room when the Holy Spirit came to them. They were afraid and unsure of what to do or say. They were afraid their lives would end just as our Lord’s life ended. Yet, after the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were not afraid of anything. They boldly proclaimed the good news of Jesus. The Holy Spirit not only gave them boldness, but they were able to speak in languages so everyone could understand them. They could do signs and wonders. They were given all the tools they needed to do the task the Lord gave them.
You and I, my friend, have this same Holy Spirit living inside of you—the same one Jesus has, the same one the apostles had, the same one that raised Jesus from the dead. It still boggles my mind when I try to wrap my head around it, but it is true. What can we do with this Holy Spirit living inside of us? I think a better question is, “What can’t we do?” The answer to that is nothing. There isn’t anything we can’t do when we rely on the Holy Spirit living inside of us. If you want the Holy boldness the apostles had, ask for it, and the Lord will give it to you.
Right now, I am asking for the gift of being able to speak Spanish so others will understand me. Actually, when I think about it, He was probably giving it to me because I was doing really well with Duolingo. But then I stopped. Whatever gift you are looking for from the Lord, He will give you if you ask for it. I remember hearing Mary Heli speak at a conference once, and it changed how I asked the Lord for things. I am not even sure what she said, but I remember how I felt after she said it.
I felt like nothing was impossible. She said something about how there are definitely people who are given the charism of healing, and they are really fruitful in it. However, even if you don’t have that charism, if you want to be used by God to heal others, ask Him for it. As the Lord for that gift, keep stepping out and praying over people, and you will see fruit in that area. From that moment on, I started to pray over anyone who would let me. I read all kinds of books on healing and what to say or do. I asked the Lord every day to help me be fruitful in some sort of healing ministry. I prayed over lots of people, and not too many felt much of anything when I prayed. However, I kept praying.
Now, I ask people how they feel before and after, and oftentimes, they feel better. They may not be all the way healed, but they feel better. I believe it is because of my persistence in asking the Lord to use me for healing. The Holy Spirit comes where He is wanted, invited, and expected. When I pray, I invite the Holy Spirit into that prayer and expect Him to come. Many times, if a physical healing didn’t occur, the person will still feel the presence of the Lord or will be encouraged in the Lord in one way or another. I am not telling you this because I think I am special. I am telling you this so you can see that if you ask, God will answer.
What is it that you want from the Holy Spirit? Is it more boldness in your life? Do you want the gift of wisdom or Knowledge? Do you want the ability to pray over others for healing? Do you want to help people know the Love of God? How do you want the Lord to use you? If you have never thought of that before or have never asked yourself that question, maybe spend some time today giving it some thought. The Lord has so much He wants to give to us, and we aren’t asking for it. He tells us that at prayer group all the time. He often says, there is so much more I have to offer, but you are not asking for it. Take time today and ask the Lord for whatever you would like. If you don’t know how you want to be used by Him, then give Him permission to decide for you. I know that may seem scary, but He is your Dad and knows you best. Trust me, you will not be sorry you opened up to Him and invited Him in.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode. Lord, we are so grateful you gave us the Holy Spirit. We are sorry so many of us just let it lie dormant and don’t use it. Lord, help us to rely more on the Holy Spirit and less on us. Help us turn to the Holy Spirit when we don’t know what to do. Lord, I want to pray for a holy boldness for all those who were listening. Lord, I ask that you show each and every one of them where you are calling them and how you want to use them. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name; amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If this podcast is blessing you somehow, please share it with others and consider donating. The link is below or on my website, walkboldlywithjesus.com. Tomorrow is week #3 in our May mentoring series, “Come As You Are.” I hope to see some of you tomorrow night on live. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I. Have a blessed day!
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in January 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, "My children, I come today to empower you, to enrich you, to make you realize that with me all is possible and with my help you can do whatever task that I ask you to do.”