BE QUICKENED!

BE QUICKENED !!!

We are still in the Resurrection season! Let us be grateful for the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, on the cross of Calvary. Happy Easter to us all!

Well, this is the year 2019 and some of us may wonder what relevance or significance the Resurrection of Jesus Christ has today. Well let me tell you first, that we are not just celebrating an event that happened thousands of years ago. To acknowledge and to celebrate  Easter is a constant reminder and affirmation that we believe in Jesus Christ, that He came and died for us and that He rose again to save us from an eternity of horror  It is also the case that the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the very reason for our faith because if He did not rise from the dead, what then is our hope? So while pondering over the celebration of Easter, I got a revelation. We all know that Jesus rose from the dead. But I only just realised that Jesus did not raise Himself from the dead!  If you already realised this, then that’s great. So if Jesus did not raise Himself from the dead, who did? “But God raised Him up, releasing Him and bringing an end to the agony of death since it was impossible for Him to be held in deaths power.” Act 2: 24 AMPLIFIED  Yes, God the Father raised up God the Son,(Jesus Christ) from the dead. He raised Jesus up by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

According to the “Nicene Creed” in the “Book of Common Prayer”, the Holy Spirit is referred to as “the Lord and Giver of life”. The Holy Spirit gives life and quickens the mortal body. The Resurrection of Jesus our Saviour from the dead is one of, if not, the most phenomenal event in history. Here is also what we need to know; “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”  Romans 8: 11 NLT This simply means that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, is the same Spirit that lives in us! For me this is seriously deep and seriously powerful  because the same power that brought Jesus back to life is available for us today. And much more, that power lives on the inside of us. Let us take some time to comprehend the magnitude of that.

Remember how petrified David was after committing adultery with Bathsheba and God sent His prophet Nathan to tell David He was not happy about it, David prayed thus  “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.” Psalms 51:11 KJV David understood the power of the Spirit of God.  Clearly he knew it would be impossible to achieve any feats at all or do any exploits without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit of God that came upon David when he was anointed by Samuel, is the Spirit of God that came upon Samson when he was doing exploits for God. When God wanted the tabernacle to be built to a particular specification here is what He did,  “See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,”.  Exodus 31:3-5 KJV. And of course it is the same Holy Spirit that overshadowed Mary and empowered her to conceive of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  But much more than all the above it was the Holy Spirit that came upon Jesus Christ Himself in bodily form like a dove empowering Him to do the Father’s will. After which He bagan His ministry on earth. “and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy. Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry. Jesus was known as the son of Joseph……” Luke 3: 22-23 NLT

These are a few instances where the Holy Spirit empowered people to do the extraordinary. So today are you being faced with any challenges?  Is there something that seems impossible to achieve? Fret no longer. Hope is here. The Spirit of God lives on the inside of us and we can also be empowered to overcome obstacles.

OLUYINKA EGO-MARTINS ©