Perfect and Abundant BlessingsSpeaker: Sis. Stella Dhinakaran Gist: When you keep yourself pure before the Lord's eyes He will grant you the Holy Spirit. He will crown you with perfect and abundant blessings. He will transform you into trees of righteousness and will change you into blessed person. Jesus commanded His disciples 'to wait for the promise of the Father' (Acts 1:4). Accordingly, about 120 people continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, who also waited for the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus (Holy Spirit, the Comforter), "Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:2-4). Mary too was filled with the Holy Spirit.
I should confess that I was unaware of the experience of the Holy Spirit until the 10th October, 1962, when my husband received this hallowed experience. I began to yearn for it, beginning to pray for it night and day. One day, retreating to the corner of a room, I began to pray intensely, thanking God for all the good things, I had received, one after another, relishing His great love and saying, ‘O Lord! How immensely good are You”, at that glorious time, the Lord filled me with His Holy Spirit, and His unbounded love. Until that moment, my prayers used to be so low-toned that even a person, sitting close - by could not hear. But, at this time, I began to shout and cry out loudly, forgetting myself, in praising God. The Lord filled me with His perfect Love over flowingly. A new radiance sat upon my face. I was abundantly filled with an unspeakable and glorious rapture. That exalted blessing of the joy of the Holy Spirit, I received that day, has multiplied and increased to the full, today, helping me to give comfort to countless people.
Jesus assured us: "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." (John 7:38)
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
Friend, if the fountain of life should spring up from you, you should keep yourself pure and holy and receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Then the spring of ‘life’ will issue forth from you. God wants to equip you with His abundant love and cause His glory to flood forth from you. In harmony with what St. Paul says, forget those things that are behind, and reach forward to those things that are ahead (Philippians 3:13). When you press forward towards ‘the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’, He will grant you this incomparable grace. Above all, ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ’ (Romans 13:14). We are living in the last days. The second coming of the Lord is imminent. So, prepare yourselves. It is your responsibility to see that not you alone but your whole family (and society) should come closer to God. Take an oath today, ‘O Lord, we, all the members of my family, should live close to you; we should come to know of Your glorious dimensions more and more, and adhere to all Your precepts and requirements.”
“To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:3)
As defined in the foregoing verse, He came down to this world with this clarion-call of those of you, who follow His path of glory, obey His words reading and meditating upon them, holding on to His feet firmly, waiting on steadfast prayer, receiving the anointing and gifts of the Holy Spirit rise and shine, giving the oil of joy to other people, He will crown you with perfect and abundant blessedness. He will transform you into trees of righteousness planted by the living water to the glory of His name. He will change you into blessed person, as you cling to Him, putting your trust in Him abidingly.
Prayer:
Loving Heavenly Father,
I desire to be filled with the fruits and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Graciously fill me with Your Spirit. Help me to arise and shine for You. Grant me Your divine grace that I may grow strong in faith and prayer. Make me an instrument to bring Your joy and peace to others. I surrender myself totally into Your mighty hands. In Jesus' matchless name, I pray.
Amen. |