WHEN THE SPIRIT MOVES

Genesis 1:2 …….and now the earth was void and without form and darkness was upon the surface of the deep and the spirit of the Lord moved over the surface of the deep…. And God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light.

 The spirit of the Lord brings order over to chaotic situations of our lives. When the spirit of God moves, the void and the darkness, disorder and emptiness that engulf our lives disappears and pave way for rivers of living waters to gush over our soul.

When the systems of this world fail and collapse around us our trust should be in the enduring power of the spirit of God to uplift and energize us, show us direction and strategies suitable for the moment.

As churches, when morale is low among brethren and faith seems difficult to exercise, when the routines seem to set-in and the voice of the Lord seem distant and the promises of God seem unlikely, it is the work of the spirit to bring a breakthrough into our spirit.

1Kings 19:9-12 talks of Elijah desperate to hear God and he searched everywhere trusting that God will speak in a very familiar manner, a manner he was used to, a manner that medieval prophets “knew” God spoke and had always spoken through;

*Wind 

...but God was not in the wind

*Earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake

*Fire

*Finally, God spoke through a “small still voice”. 


Elijah was used to the fire from heaven, the kind that came from heaven and leaked the altar and the sacrifices before the prophets of Baal.

...but God was not in the fire

A small still voice is what we need and that’s the move of the spirit in our lives and our churches.

When the spirit moves;

1. The focus is God and not programs, leaders and methods.

Mathew 15:6 states that we make the word of God of no effect because of our traditions. When churches become methodical, the word of God does not become alive in our churches. Jesus said, “It is the spirit that quickens....., the words that I speak are life and spirit, John 6:33.

2. Walls of rigidity are broken down

John 4:9-10 reveals that the Samaritan woman had an attitude against the Jews, saying to Jesus that the two do not mix and do not see eye to eye. Little did she know that she was talking to the giver of life himself. Her rigidity nearly caused her to miss the saving power of Christ. Walls of rigidity need to be broken down in our lives if the spirit of God has to take over.

3. Leaders get new directions, strategies, they are playable and fluid.

When the Apostles prayed in Antioch, Prophets and Teachers, like Barnabas and Simeon, the Holy Ghost said  “separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have……. Acts 13:2

4. People respond to the move and the call of God

Acts 2:14-18 Shows Peter, who once denied the Lord, who was  sometimes acting out of impulse, now taking leadership to set the record straight, that the 120 in the upper room were not drunk as people supposed but were endowed with the power of the most high as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ before he ascended to heaven. Peter responded to the move of the Holy Spirit to counteract opposition and negativity from onlookers. 
The young Samuel responded to the call of God by saying "hear I am lord..." 1 Samuel 10:6-12
5 Struggles cease and pave way for spiritual excitement


Psalm 127:1-2 explicitly states that, except the Lord builds a house, they labour in vain that build it and unless the Lord keeps the city, the watchmen wakes in vain. It further says that it is vain to wake up early in the morning and sit up late and eat the bread of sorrows, for so he gives his loved ones sleep.

Peter in Luke 4:4-8 was told by the Lord Jesus to launch into the deep. He and his friends had toil all night and did not catch a single fish "nor a tadpole". But because the Lord instructed him to cast his nets to the deep for a draught, he did and they caught so much fish that their boats began to sank and they beckoned their friends in the other boats to come and share on the spoils of fish. 
Only when we allow the spirit to take over, then we have no choice but to toil and catch nothing, eat the bread of sorrows, wake up early and sit up late with little results to show for our effort, time, energies and finances.


6. We focus on our mandate


Have heard the saying "jack of all trades, master of none"?
When we are influenced by the Holy Spirit, we connect with ourselves and unleash our potentials in a more focus manner. 

The reason why a magnifying class is able to cause fire when focused at a point on the grass or paper is because of the power of focus.
When you focus on your God-given mandate, you become efficient in what you do. Some people are effective but not efficient. They can do all things but everything only up to 60%, but an efficient person does one thing and does it up to 95%. 

I have always illustrated this point using a machine gun which discharges hundreds of bullets only for a kill of less than 25 perhaps and a sniper rifle that discharges one bullet for one kill. If there are 500 targets a sniper rifle will use a bullet for each. It was built for precision. 


Luke 4:14-18 illustrates the mandate of Jesus. What are you anointed for? Try speaking out your mandate using the pattern of the scriptures above.

My mandate would go something like this;

"the spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me to teach the word of God. 

To expound the scriptures and ground people on the principles of the word, establish their faith so that they are rooted in the foundations of the word of God and to teach the word of God with simplicity and clarity and revelation. 

To exhort, edify and encourage his people by laying precept upon precept, brick upon brick so that the house of God is built and founded on the rock, who is Christ.

To unlock that which was locked in the life of the believer through the prophetic teachings that unveils the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is my mandate and I excel in doing it more than in doing any other thing".

7. More is achieved with less

When the spirit moves, we achieve great results with less effort, less time, less energies and less resources.

Let's go back to the words of Peter when he said; "master we have toiled all night long and have not caught anything, but at your word, I will cast my net to the other side.

Unless he builds a house our labour is just in vain. Judges 15:14-17 shows Samson who killed a thousand philistines only with a jawbone of an donkey, heap upon heap he killed them.

8. We concentrate on building our most holy faith

This is emphasized by Jude 1:20 -21

9. An atmosphere of the prophetic saturates our services

Revelation 19:10.. the spirit of Christ is the spirit of prophecy

Amos 3:28-29 talks of the outpouring of the spirit of God in the last days.

10. There is liberty

2 Corinthians 3:17 states that where the spirit of the lord is, there is liberty (freedom).