Chaser or Follower

Chasing the Spirit

I wrote recently about ‘conference junkies’ – people who go to conference after conference, day after day. They receive everything but they never give it out again nor do they do anything with what they receive. This morning, the Lord spoke just three words into me – “Chasing My Spirit”. When I asked about this, He said, “That is what those folk do who are, what you call, conference junkies.”

He went on, “They are so desensitised to Me that, although they recognise My presence, they no longer hear anything I say to them. They think that My presence is all they need; that My presence is all there is, and that they can do no more other than wallow, they prefer to say ‘bask’, in My presence. They have forgotten what My Word says – that where two or three are, there I am also. There I AM, not there I will come if they call me. They spend precious hours calling for Me when I am already there beside them and with them.”

He took me back over the years, to conferences I have attended, where there was much crying out for His presence but little fruit from it. One or two were impacted, the others simply enjoyed ‘another good Holy Ghost time’. A few took what they received and used it – most took what they received and buried it but still boasted about what a great time they had. I was a kind of junkie for a while until I learned what to do with it and how to use what I received.

Nowadays, I hardly ever go to the big public meetings. Two of us went to the ill-fated Lakeland revival back in 2008. We just tried to get in to see Nathan Morris over here in the UK but he was fully booked before we even thought of booking. We were disappointed because we are close to links with his family and ministry going back years but it is not to be. The Lord said to me quietly, “You do not need to chase My Spirit – you already know Him well and you hear His voice clearly. You are in His presence nearly all the time!”

Really? Me? Apparently so. It is moments like this that we realise the privilege of that in which we walk. We realise the non-necessity of so much calling on His Spirit to “come, join us”, because He is always with us but we simply forget about Him. We get so caught up with our own lives – with the things so important to us – that we forget His presence and the things important to God.

So, I have a message for ALL of us today – stop chasing Gods Spirit. He is always with us. We just have to welcome Him and ask for whatever we want of Him. That we don’t appear to receive is probably due to our own lack of attention to Him when He speaks to us or, worse still, to us ignoring Him completely because we do not believe He is here with us.

Follow His Spirit, don’t chase Him. He will lead you – it is His great pleasure to do that.

“Lord I believe. Help thou mine unbelief.”