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I came across a passage the other day that took me aback. It’s certainly not a familiar passage, nor is it one I’ve ever heard taught. And yet, what I read seemed to put into words a rising concern in my own spirit. It was Matthew 12:30-32:
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
A rather harsh word! And yet, there’s a current context that I believe makes this warning worth consideration. We are in a time when error and falsehood are being addressed in the Church, especially regarding the activities of Holy Spirit and the supernatural. But we always have to go back to the source. The gifts of the Spirit, including prophecy, all emanate from the Person and Presence of Holy Spirit. Any supernatural activity is sourced from a place totally unavailable to the flesh. It’s from the realm of God’s Spirit. It’s from His Presence. And it’s from This Place that both Truth and Power originate.
If we want to accurately recognize counterfeit experiences or fleshly versions of spiritual activities, it is only through the Person and Presence of God’s SPIRIT that things will make sense. We are consistently admonished in scriptures to “Seek His Presence (face) continually” (Psalms 105:4 ESV)! We know it is only through fellowship with the Spirit of Truth that everything will be made clear (John 16:13). When we consistently spend time in the Lord’s presence, Truth emerges because we are so familiar with HIM.
But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, UNTIL I went Into the Sanctuary of God; THEN I DISCERNED their end. (Psalms 73:16-17)
It is only being in fellowship with the Holy Spirit that we’ll have clarity concerning what is true and what is not. Unfortunately, in our zeal to pursue truth we can get caught up in never ending conspiracies that cause confusion and division. Intellectual debates and theological inquiries may have their place, but the enemy loves to spin them. And to stay in the loop sometimes only leads to unending cycles of frustration and indecision. It is critical that we perceive rightly through the eyes and ears of the Spirit if we are to truly recognize what He’s doing – or not doing.
Do we understand the price we pay when we do not cultivate this relationship with Holy Spirit? If we do not rightly pursue God’s Presence on a daily basis, our spiritual senses become dull. We no longer see or hear things the way He does. We lose our ability to recognize when He’s interacting with us or directing our affairs. We become limited in our perceptions and begin making false judgments. Worse yet, if we determine our own perceptions are sufficient, God Himself will begin to fight against us (Isaiah 63:10).
So with this backdrop and understanding, you can see why the passage in Matthew 12 is so striking. The Pharisees had charged both Jesus and John the Baptist as partnering with the devil. Because they were so spiritually blind to the Spirit’s presence and activity, they were renouncing the very things that God Himself was doing. They were on a slippery slope. They were attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to demons and Jesus’ rebuke was clear. He was warning them about their inability to recognize His Spirit. And though He was primarily referring to their blindness concerning Who He Was, the principle is potent. They were blaspheming the Holy Spirit by insisting His activities were demonic.
This struck me when I read it because I believe there are some voices today who are mistakenly renouncing viable activities of the Holy Spirit because they don’t recognize Him! Certain charges being raised against miracles, encounters, and supernatural phenomena are being attributed not only to the flesh, but to demons! And though most of these voices likely have good intentions, I believe the claims are dangerous (1 Corinthians 2:14). In some of these instances, spiritual gifts or supernatural activities are being labeled as false or demonic because of a compromised messenger, uncomfortable packaging, or a leadership failure of some kind. And though there is certainly grounds for addressing these wrongs, there must be a clear distinction what man is doing and what God is doing. Even as we rightly address sins within the Body, we cannot afford to lump everything together and attribute to the devil an authentic supernatural work of God.
This may seem heavy, but I actually feel a passionate cry from the Spirit of God. He is not addressing innocent mistakes or human error. He is addressing a trap of the enemy. In our zeal to untangle the mess of unhealthy doctrines and counterfeit practices, we can’t assign to the devil something that is of God. God chooses unlikely people and unexpected places to show up. And He has a habit of offending our minds to expose strongholds of the heart.
He longs for us to be so familiar with His presence, there will be no chance of missing Him. Regardless of the carrier, the packaging, or the controversy, we will easily recognize His presence because we’ve been with Him. And we Know Him. And no one else – demon or otherwise – will get the Glory that belongs to Him alone.
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Years ago when the Lakeland Revival had spread to many churches around the world, I was in a worship meeting where family I knew and trusted where with me in a place that had experienced this revival and was on fire for God. My family and I were all Spirit Filled with manifestation of speaking in tongues, yet, I was not experiencing the joy of God’s presence the way they obviously were. I knew these people and I discerned what they were manifesting physically was not flesh, or demonic, but was Holy Spirit breathed. Yet, I was not experiencing anything but knowing the Holiness of God. I was praying in my heart, “Why, God?” I need your presence of power upon my life, also. Why aren’t I experiencing this joy?” Immediately, Holy Spirit confirmed to my heart that I felt I had been a good girl, had undergone great trials and tribulation without doubting God, and therefore I had felt I deserved His presence as a reward. I repented of my pride, and acknowledged to God that I deserved nothing. All his gifts to me were because of what Jesus had done for me at the cross, Not what I deserved. Still nothing great happened, except lovely worship for God who is All in All. I went home, unsatisfied. I knew I wanted and needed more of Him.
Some days later when I was alone in my prayer time, I was simply praising God for his faithfulness and love, nothing else, making no requests or intercession. I said to God, “I know you want to fellowship with me as much as I want to fellowship with you.”
Suddenly, God was there, in his person standing before me, loving me, inviting me into Himself. I came in great worship and the fire of the Holy Spirit rested upon me, as I sat all alone by myself worshiping Him, loving Him. The manifest presence of God rested upon me in His anointing. I felt that I was covered with the Holy Oil from the throne of God, running down upon me from my head to my toes like Aaron.
After this experience, I began experiencing powerful dreams, visions, and great power in intercession. I had entered into a whole new dimension of Holy Spirit power. Sometimes, it seemed when I prayed as God showed me things that my mouth was actually on fire! It certainly did not come from my own strength, it came from repentance of the religious spirit of works and entering into God’s Rest, his completed work on the cross. From then on, I began to come to approach God from a heart of humility, repentance, and worship before his throne with the oil from the broken urn of my will, to wipe his feet with my hair, so to speak. The hair, by the way, represents to me, my own physical limited mind and will that I consistently submit to the Lordship of God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
I have never been the same. God is constantly showing me how to pray, and it seems for now, my greatest ministry is in intercession as God gives me Holy Spirit inspired insight and revelation. This is my greatest joy, this service to God himself before the Holy throne of God pouring out my prayers as incense for the Saints. I don’t care if I ever get any recognition except for the praise of Jesus. It gives me such joy in this service to Almighty God. In fact, recognition would probably spoil it, be a distraction, and perhaps corrupt it, especially so if I desired the attention in my flesh. Intercessors are called to come aside to be with God, as Jesus often was, as David did as he worshiped God guarding the sheep, and as John the Baptist learned in the desert. We usually hear God best in the deserted lonely places. He calls us to come aside, to be with Him. We can’t all be great public figures. Sometimes, God needs the hidden warriors, the intel, the secret service of God’s kingdom. Our ministry to Him is to follow his call, follow his footsteps, remain grounded in the Word, and attempt to do exactly as He asks, nothing more, nothing less. All parts of the Body of Christ need to function in their calling and be obedient to Holy Spirit. We are not all called to do the same thing, but we are all called into his rest, into His joy.
Come Soon, Lord Jesus!
Amen.
Dear Rebecca, I cannot thank you enough for sharing your experience! It blessed me enormously, because I have been struggling- trying to get alone with God, but allowing distractions to get in the way. Complaining, because I’m not feeling or sensing Him as I did years ago. You put it so eloquently for me, and it’s helped me to see that I need to repent and humble myself before Him. There’s so much more I can say, my heart is so full because this has helped me to see what I feel the Lord wanted me to see. So thank you, and Thank you Wanda for this Word! I feel I need to meditate/marinate in it. It’s a very important Word, thank you!
So good–thank you! My favorite part: If we do not rightly pursue God’s Presence on a daily basis, our spiritual senses become dull. We no longer see or hear things the way He does. We lose our ability to recognize when He’s interacting with us or directing our affairs. “Rightly pursue”, that is something I’ve been trying to grow in.