HOLY GHOST POWER
by Pastor Jim May
Thank God I’m Saved! What a great thing it is to know that Jesus Christ has paid the price for my sin and yours! That old man has died now and I have been reborn into a brand new man by the Blood of the Lamb.
Receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior is the most important thing that could ever happen to you!
Every one of us needs to have that salvation experience. I can only scratch the surface of what it is like to be saved from sin and born again.
I liken it, in some small manner, to being lost in a great swamp. All around you is the danger of instant death. Quicksand pits, unseen potholes in the water where you walk, deadly vipers, disease carrying mosquitoes, alligators and a host of other dangerous creatures are everywhere. In addition to that, your feet are continuously being held fast by the muck and the mire. There is no end of the swamp in site, the darkness of night begins to surround you, the sounds of the night predators fill the air, and fear grips your heart and you realize that this just might be the last day of your life. Then, suddenly, in the darkness of night, through the vines and trees, you see a small glimmer of light. Hope begins to arise and excitement begins to build as you draw closer to that light and you know that it’s coming from a cabin where there will be safety for the night.
That light that appears in the darkness as a glimmer of hope is the message of the gospel as it is preached and the Holy Ghost begins to illuminate your heart to see that there is hope for you!
Walking in dangerous places in the night is a small thing compared to walking in spiritual darkness with the powers of hell in control of your life. The terrible thing about walking in spiritual darkness is that men are so blinded by the devil that they don’t even realize that they are in darkness.
Just about the worst thing that can happen to you if for you to lose your vision. Without your eyes your whole life is nothing but darkness.
Close your eyes for a few minutes as I speak to you. With your eyes closed you are simulating the blindness that some people have to live with all the time. We are so blessed to have vision. Without the use of your eyes, no light can enter your body. Your hands can’t reach out and touch anything without the danger of injury. You can’t take a step with your feet without fear of falling or taking you into a place of danger. Anyone can walk up to you and begin to speak but your eyes can’t tell you whether they are holding a weapon to kill you, or a hand to help you.
Keep your eyes closed for a moment and think with me concerning spiritual vision.
Jesus told us in Matthew 6:22-23, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"
Now imagine how a spiritually blind person would be. They have no power to “see” or understand anything of the realm of the Spirit. They don’t know who God is. They can’t see whether the power that guides their lives is of God or of the devil. They can’t see the weapon of death, sin and eternal destruction that devil carries, and they can’t see the love that Jesus has for them. They don’t know where they are walking, so they don’t know that the path of sin that they tread will lead to everlasting fire. They are afraid to reach out to anything or anyone because of the fear of being hurt.
That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “If thing eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness…and how great is that darkness.” Now you can open your eyes!
You and I, and all who have heard the message of the gospel and surrendered our hearts to Jesus, have been enlightened. God has healed our blinded eyes and opened our understanding so that we can “see” the reality of God’s grace and mercy.
Ephesians 1:17-19, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power…"
Thank God for opening our blinded eyes. Thank God for enlightening our understanding so that we can know Him in the power of His might and in the glory of His resurrection.
Paul says that his vision was restored too. He was struck blind by the power of God as the light of God fell on him on the road to Damascus. But his natural blindness wasn’t as bad as his spiritual blindness that already had him in its grip long before his eyes were blinded. Paul recognized the power of God as it restored his vision and changed his life forever.
Suddenly, the man who had persecuted the church and hated Christians was forever changed. His whole reason for living was different now and he says it this way in Philippians 3:10-14, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Paul was saved. He had been born again of the blood of the Lamb. His whole life changed in a moment on that Damascus Road and there would be no going back.
But being saved wasn’t all there was for Paul. God had a lot more in store for him and Paul needed something more to accomplish the work that God had called him to do.
In Acts 9:17-18, we read where Ananias was sent to Paul to lays hands on him in the name of the Lord Jesus. The scales of blindness fell off his eyes and Paul received his sight, and was immediately filled with the Holy Ghost.
It was that same power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus had promised to all who are his disciples.
Jesus said in Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
It wasn’t long before that power fell on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2:2-4 we read about its coming. "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."
We need that power today! I need that power right now! I can’t preach without that power! We can’t live victoriously without that power! We can’t reach the lost without that power! I need that power!
Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost is not an option that you can just decide you don’t want or need. Once you have learned that there is an infilling, baptizing of the presence and power of the Holy Ghost, then you must seek to have it for yourself.
There are too many Christians who are satisfied with just having their vision opened. That’s a wonderful step in the process of knowing God, but it’s just the first step. Get past that and wade out deeper into the knowledge of God. There’s a lot more to living for the Lord than the initial step of salvation. God has so much more in store.
That first step of getting saved is like walking in the front door of a store where everything is free for the taking. You’re inside now, out of the dangers of the outside world. You’re in a place of provision and a place where you have been given a new vision, a new life and a new heart. You are now a part of the family of God with all the rights, blessings and privileges that accompany your new life.
But look around you – there’s a lot more in the store for you to partake of and enjoy. Right there, in front of you is a shelf that holds the Bread of Life. Jesus is in you and now you can eat of that Bread everyday. On your right is the fountain of Living Water so that you can drink of it as often as you want and you will never thirst again. And there are gifts everywhere. The Gifts of the Spirit are so beautiful to behold and you can take them and use them as often as you want according to God’s will. God says that you should desire them all. There are the Promises of God, just waiting for you to have them for yourself. There is Eternal Life Insurance. The premiums are fully paid forever. There is Healing for your body, encouragement for your heart, deliverance from oppression, and everything else that you may need from the pharmacy because the Great Physician has stocked the shelves with great care. Mercy and grace are everywhere and never in short supply. No matter how much you take from the shelf, they are never bare. There is so much more to learn, so much more to see, and so much more to enjoy.
God has opened your eyes to see all of this and allowed you to believe that it’s all for you if you want it. Paul tells us in Romans 15:13, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."
You have been given freedom to take it all, receive it all, use it all and enjoy There, on special display, right in the middle of the aisle, where you can’t miss it, surrounded by grace, mercy, peace, joy and love; glowing in the power of God, shining in God’s glory and dripping with the sweet anointing of God, is one of the greatest gifts in the store. it forever without paying anything at all. Jesus has already paid your bill in full and it’s all yours for the taking.
The only requirement for receiving this precious gift is found in Acts 2:38-39, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
Right there, on display, is the wonderful gift of the Infilling power of the Holy Ghost, and it’s all yours! If you have repented of your sin, and been baptized into the family of God by the Spirit of God by receiving Jesus into your heart, then the gift is free, just take it!
We need more of that Power of the Holy Ghost in the church. You need it in your life right now! How can we see that the Gift is there and not want it? I don’t know about you, but I want everything that God has for me!
When you walk out of this place today you are going to need the infilling power of the Holy Ghost! I believe that if more people were filled with Holy Ghost, we would have a lot less weak-kneed Christians in the church.
There are too many Christians who live under the devil’s thumb. He has you so bound up on the inside that you haven’t felt the joy of the Lord in a long time. You don’t know what it’s like to have real freedom to worship God the way that you should. You can’t enjoy coming to the House of God and being around the People of God because the devil has you so oppressed. I know that if you are a born again Child of God that the devil can’t possess you. You belong to Jesus, not to the devil. But my fellow Christian, that devil can surely oppress you. You need the infilling power of the Holy Ghost to cast him off and send him packing.
The last words of Jesus to his disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, just an instant before His feet left this earth for his journey back to the Throne Room of Heaven were these found in Mark 16:16-18, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
You have believed, now you need to be baptized. Not just baptized in water, but in the Power of the Holy Ghost and fire.
With Holy Ghost Power you will speak with new tongues. That includes the language that you will speak as that power is given as the initial evidence that the Holy Ghost has come. But it also includes the fact that your language will be different and that you will be able to speak for God and with the power of God behind your words.
I know a lot of Christians who are saved but who still have a problem with using profanity or off-color words as they speak. That old language is hurting their testimony. They need a new language, a new tongue. If they would get full of Holy Ghost Power, that old language would go away. I can’t see the Holy Ghost using the words that many people use. If the Holy Ghost and fire is in you, it’s going to burn away all that language and give you a new manner of speech, a new vocabulary, and He is going to make your words more powerful and anointed to cut right into the heart of whoever you talk to.
With Holy Ghost Power, you will be able to cast out serpents. Now too many people, even some in our area, take this to mean that we should be able to pick up a deadly snake, kiss it on nose and not worry about its fangs. If you want to believe that go right ahead, but do it at home.
I’m like Wendy Bagwell who once was asked, “Brother Wendy, if God told you to pick up the snake and kiss it, you mean to tell me you wouldn’t do it?” Brother Wendy answered this way, “No ma’am, I would if He asked me to. But He didn’t and I ain’t!”
That scripture has nothing to do with earthly vipers. It’s talking about spiritual serpents. It’s talking about that old serpent, the devil! It’s talking about being able, by Holy Ghost Power, to reach out, catch that devil, or that demon, by the tail, swing him around and give him a good old whiplash, then cast him into the pits of hell where he belongs.
With Holy Ghost Power you will be able to “resist the devil and he will flee from you”.
When the power of the Holy Ghost is in you, the devil walks softly around you, knowing that he is messing with a sleeping giant. He knows he can’t beat you head-on so he has to sneak around and attack you when your guard is down. He knows that the power in you is greater than he and all his imps put together and he walks around you trembling, hoping that you won’t see him for who he is, or recognize his work in you. He hopes that he can fool you and keep you tied up for a little while in your troubles and cares and forget that you have that Holy Ghost Power in you.
Sometimes we have to do like Samson and shake ourselves. Bring yourself back from lethargy and sleeping and realize that the Power of the Holy Ghost is still there, then turn to the devil, grab him by his forked tail, stick him with his own pitchfork, and throw him out of your life.
If you will only be filled with Holy Ghost Power, when that devil sees you begin to start shaking and awakening to the anointing of the Holy Ghost, he will start running for all he is worth, and that isn’t much, to get away from you. The devil knows the scripture better than we do and he already knows what God has promised to those who will resist him.
Deuteronomy 28:7, "The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways."
If you are filled with Holy Ghost Power, you can drink of a deadly poison and it won’t kill you. Now don’t go run down to the drug store and buy a bottle of strychnine to tempt God and prove His power. God might just let you die from it to teach you a lesson in understanding his Word.
What that’s saying is that you can hear false preaching and recognize it. You can see false preachers and know who they are. You can quickly discern between what is real and what is not so that the poison of false teaching won’t destroy your soul.
There have been instances where, even in the natural, people have partaken of, or been given poison but the Holy Ghost delivered them.
A viper on the Island of Melita bit Paul, but he didn’t die because of the Holy Ghost Power in him.
God is talking about your eternal life and your immortal soul. Poisons might kill this body but they can do nothing you destroy your life or your soul because they are kept safe by the power of the Holy Ghost.
If you are filled with Holy Ghost Power, you can lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.
It’s not these hands, it’s not the oil that I touch to your head, it’s not the prayer that we pray, it’s not the altar where you kneel or stand, that brings the healing touch of God. It’s the Holy Ghost Power that is released through our obedience to the scripture and God’s will.
Healing of all your diseases is one of the promises that you can find on the shelf of God’s store of provision. We believe in the laying on of hands for healing and we do it all the time. I have seen some wonderful miracles of healing and deliverance come as a result.
But that’s not all this “laying on of hands” is talking about.
It’s talking about meeting the needs of our fellowman and serving the Lord in our work for the Kingdom of God.
God is saying to you and I, “Get filled and stay full of Holy Ghost Power and you will be better able to meet the needs of those around you.”
With Holy Ghost Power I can speak the mind of God and touch a life in a way that I could never do in my own wisdom and understanding.
With Holy Ghost Power, and the leading of the Spirit, we can build great ministries that will bless the lives of many.
With Holy Ghost Power, the church can be built into a might force to bring revival and healing to our community and our land.
With Holy Ghost Power, we can spread the gospel to a lost and dying world and bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
With Holy Ghost Power, we can make a difference!
We don’t need programs, clinics, seminars and entertainment, as good as those things can be. We need more Holy Ghost Power!
Let me ask you a question in closing. In fact I’m going to read the question to you right out of God’s Word.
Paul asked this question of the followers of John who had repented of their sin and believed of the coming of the Messiah in Acts 19:2. "He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?
Their answer may be the same as yours, “And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost."
Well, now you have heard, and now you know that that Holy Ghost Power and the infilling of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues is for you, right now, here, in this very service! Now you know, your eyes have been opened and your understanding has been enlightened. What are you going to do with that knowledge? Will you receive that Holy Ghost Power? It’s yours if you want it!
