The Wind of The Holy Spirit: It Realigns

Many people know that the Holy Spirit is our inner witness as Christians.  He confirms in our spirits what's good, what's bad, what's from God, and what's not.  

But God is in us and around us!  His Spirit may give us an outer witness as well (for more on this topic, see here).  Sometimes, He comes as a wind!  Sometimes, He comes as a rain.  And sometimes, He comes as that still, small voice--that inner witness that so many may be more familiar with.  

Whether God is moving in spiritual or natural realms, His Spirit can be likened to a wind.  And either way, this wind can realign, redirect, and re-inspire us as we walk through the path of our life--as we walk through His will.

Sometimes I'll be walking along, and God will send in a wind and steer me towards some other direction.  It's a blessed assurance!  It's Him telling me where He wants me to go.  "This is the way, walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21)  He's in control, and He manipulates His creation in order to speak.

In the spiritual realm, many things can steer us.  Thoughts can steer us.  Mental patterns can steer us.  And words can steer us--words steer us just as a ship is turned by the smallest of rudders (James 3:4).  People and situations can keep us distracted by the natural world--leaving us unable to navigate through the essence of God's spiritual character and spiritual will for our lives.

The solution for us is to make God's words our words.  To make His prayers our prayers.  To make His Word, the Bible, the dictate of our thoughts, speech, and action.  

We need to realize that the Holy Spirit wants to be our only guide.  God wants His power to be the only thing that propels us into the future.  If we are in trouble, if we are desperate, if we need to see breakthrough happen, then we need to let the Spirit lead us onwards into a place of rest.  

If each of us can be likened to a ship--that's what the Word says-- then we need to have our tongue come into agreement with whatever direction has already been given by the Spirit of God.  It is His inspiration that backs us.  And it is our words that confirm Him.  It's time to say what He's said.

We can progress into God's perfect will sooner if we allow the wind of the Spirit flow unhindered.  And we do this by bringing the rudder of our ship--our tongue-- into alignment with Him.

So thoughts flow into words, and words flow into actions.  If we believe the Word of God, if we make His thoughts our thoughts, then our future becomes His.  That's when the passion of God flows out.  That's when the Spirit of God makes things exciting.  That's when blessings rest on us, and good things happen.  

We need to let Him realign us, so we can be walking in the promises.  We need to back His will with our words.  We need to allow God to steer us and propel us, without stifling His Spirit with our own thoughts or filters.  We need to let Him be our guide.

What About The "Outer Witness"?

In the book of Revelation, we have described to us two witnesses.  Now, this reference may be symbolic, it may be literal, it may be both.  Either way, I think that we can apply this concept to our own personal walk, too.  Recently the Lord has been speaking to us about what I'll call the 'outer witness' of the Holy Spirit.

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."           Isaiah 30:21

We all know about the inner witness that God gives us.  It may come as a still, small voice.  It may come as a strong unction, or a supernatural knowing.  It may come as a conviction.  Now, keep in mind that God confirms Himself by two or three witnesses (2 Corinthians 13:1). So then, what about external witnesses?  What about confirmations and promptings outside of ourselves?  That's where the outer witness comes in.

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."         John 3:8

Remember that the Holy Spirit can be likened to a strong wind--a ruach (Hebrew).  And I find that the wind is a medium through which God's Spirit often shows Himself.  Many times, I'll be outside and God will use the natural wind to speak to me.  I'll get the inner witness--the Lord will prompt me to head inside, for example.  Then, just a few seconds later, the wind direction will change, and gently push me towards where God's word already had me headed.  This is an external confirmation, and it establishes what God has already set into motion.  It's the outer witness.

Other times, the Holy Spirit may manifest as wind--inside! This is more rare (at least in my experience).
But sometimes, there comes into a room a supernatural and completely unexplainable wind.  What is it?  It's a sign!  It's a sign that the presence of the Spirit has come in.  I've noticed this happens must often in church.  But the Lord may do this anywhere!

Beyond wind, there are many other ways that God speaks through nature.  All creation serves to praise Him! And beyond that, there are many other ways that He gives an outer witness.  He my confirm Himself through another Christian, through a close friend, or even through something that an unsaved stranger says.  He may 'establish a matter' through a billboard's message, through a license plate, or through a street sign.  The possibilities are endless!  And all of these things are gifts from above, sent down from the Father to confirm His word.

We who are near God are commanded to acknowledge His power (Isaiah 33:13).  As believers, God wants us to have out faith built up by His outer witness.  He wants His Spirit within us to be communing, to be one, with His Spirit's working around us.  He wants us to grow from faith to faith.  The Lord wants to accomplish in us what He's already done among us.  He wants to have us walk into the establishment of His word.

Snapshot: Number 416

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."                         John 3:8

Jesus has already described for us what it looks like to be led.  He has already showed us what we can expect after we have been born again.  We will be like the wind...we are like the wind already.

And I've had John 3:8 reverberating within my mind for a while now.  Thanks God!  But what does it all mean?  Well, it means that we are constantly pushed, constantly guided, constantly driven by the passion of God.  We are guided by His Spirit as if by a strong, powerful wind.  We are guided by His Spirit, so we can walk out the things He's already planned for us (Ephesians 2:10), and in doing so, keep in step with Him.

"Since we live by the Spirit, let us also stay in step with the Spirit"             Galatians 5:25

Within God's heart is all the passion in the world.  And He's given each of us a measure of this passion that we can play out in our lives.  There are avenues awaiting us where we have the opportunity to shine for Him.  And there are different people, different situations, and different gifts awaiting us so that we can bless and be blessed.  And God wants us to walk closely to Him, so we can know what our role is in each and every situation.  It takes friendship with the Holy Spirit.

Each moment is different, dynamic, and changing. That's why the Holy Spirit's prompting is likened to the wind--it is UNPREDICTABLE!  So we really need to keep in step, and be ready no matter the season (2 Timothy 4:2).  

We need to be led moment by moment, which is wonderful!  However, if we are being led moment by moment, then we might seem kind of out there. We might seem unstable or flighty.  People probably won't know where we are going with our lives. We might be accused of using bad planning or not planning out anything at all!   Good!  Isn't that how Jesus described "everyone born of the Spirit"?  

God has a plan for each of us that is amazing.  It is complex, intricate, and intimately planned out. And we can't grasp this--not with human logic, anyways. Now, people can do a lot of good works on their own effort.  And Christians can do a lot of good things for God.  But there is only one way to be excellent, and that is to yield to God's PERFECT plan for our lives.

THE NUMBER 416...

I've been having fun with an online Hebrew and Greek Lexicon recently--Eliyah.com.  It's an excellent training opportunity to hear God's voice, in that the Lord can easily speak to me through specific numbers or other languages.  Then I can translate the parable, the message, with the help of the Lexicon!

So a few mornings ago, the Lord led me to the number 416, and prompted me to translate it into Greek.  (Hebrew and Greek words actually correspond with numbers).  So, I followed His leadings, and saw that #416 meant, "to toss or drive with the wind".  Hey, that goes along with how He'd been speaking John 3:8 so much recently!  Wonderful!  Let's be tossed and driven by the winds of change--the sculpting and leading winds of the Holy Spirit.

Let's be driven by passion and then moved with compassion.  Let's have only a light -- the light of the Lord -- to guide our path.  Then we will be presented with divine alignments and opportunities.  Then we will take on Jesus' dynamic nature.  Then we will be prepared for every good work.  Then we will experience life to the fullest.

And all of this happens out of a place of intimacy.  God moves closer before He moves you.  He leads your heart before He leads your lifestyle.  But He desires to go all the way!  Let's be led and attuned, not matter what the cost.  Let's remember the Lord (continually), and in doing so, walk into all His benefits (Psalms 103:2).  We need to be in tune with the heart of the Father, and make our lives a reflection of that.