Holier Spirits

Spirits Rising

There are probably thousands of views on the spirit world ranging from outright unbelief in any kind of spirit to the very word ‘spirit’ instilling terror into the hearer. There are those who believe that a Christian cannot possibly have an evil spirit or demon and there are others whose entire ministry is the discernment and deliverance from such spirits. It all goes to show that we cannot all agree on all things all the time. In fact we seem to take a perverse delight in disagreements – a sort of “spirit of devil’s advocacy” so to speak.

However, I don’t want to get too trite or flippant about this as I feel there is a rising expectancy in the air – spirits are definitely ‘on the up’ and rising right now.

There is a great Spirit of Optimism  around the subject of revival.  So many signs mentioned in scripture and spoken of by the prophets are becoming so very obvious to us all. Signs in the weather, in natural phenomena, in the political arena, and in our everyday lives are leading more and more people to pray fervently for a revival. The prophets are also virtually of one accord in proclaiming the approach of the “End-Time Revival” to end all revivals. The Spirit of Optimism is rising daily that such an event will occur very soon.

There is a great Spirit of Hope that the coming revival will herald a new and wonderful church age – however short-lived it may be before Jesus returns to collect His Bride. This hope is hand in hand with optimism for revival and for the Rapture.  Optimism is the expectancy – Hope is looking for the reality.

There is a Spirit of Healing hovering in our midst. Never before has there been so much faith for healing as there is now. As the various cancers and other dreadful diseases strike at our lives and our families, there is a belief in and faith for miraculous healings. This Spirit of Healing is not just the possession of the adult either. It is the manifestation of Holy Spirit in the young too. In our own church we recently had a 4 year old pray for her pre-school teacher’s x-rayed and provably broken arm. Two days later, the hospital was amazed to find no sign of a break on x-ray or when bending and exercising the arm. The Spirit of Healing is on the march right now in your village, town, or city.

There is a revived Spirit of Love beginning to invade our churches and our personal lives. Not just love for those who love us, but a profound love for the lost and unsaved, for the downtrodden, for addicts, for those of other faiths. I am not talking about love as the world talks about it, I am talking about a God-given love for people we may not normally even look at, let alone stop to talk to or help in any way. I call it a “revived Spirit of Love” because for decades, with only very few exceptions, love was a very rare commodity to find in any church and in very many Christians. It is now replacing the old ‘holier than thou’ attitude that was so prevalent in the last century. I suppose it went along with the rather stiff formality of church in those days. With the advent of ‘touchy feely’ church where hugging and kissing is much more the norm, there is a new found freedom to love our neighbours and our fellow Christians too.

These are all God-given ‘spirits’; given to the saints in order that they may love the sinners in the way Jesus loved them. Yet there is one last spirit rising in the church today. I jokingly call it the “Spirit of Slap”. It is a spirit of righteous anger at injustice, lies, deceit, law-breaking, and dishonesty. I feel that Jesus equated to this Spirit of Slap when He made a whip and drove the money lenders and traders out of the temple saying, “You have made My Father’s house a den of thieves and iniquity.”

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I urge you and I exhort you to

Allow the Spirit of Optimism to invade your thinking and your prayers

Allow the Spirit of Hope to have full rein and full reign in your life

Allow the Spirit of Healing to govern every ailment or illness you come across including in yourself

Allow the Spirit of Love to invade and inhabit your very soul. Love for Jesus and love for every human being whose path crosses yours from home, school, office, and supermarket, to peoples you meet around the world or from the world. Let the light of love shine throughout your life.

Allow the Spirit of Righteous Anger help you deal with anything that goes against Biblical principles – but only as Jesus used it to deal with a situation. As soon as it was dealt with He returned to His teaching.

Perhaps I shouldn’t call these manifestations of God spirits of anything. They are precious gifts from our loving Father but I don’t know of any other way to describe them. On the other hand they are manifestations of Holy Spirit – aren’t they??