The Wind of the Spirit- Part I

"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."-(Acts 2:2-4)

Almost 10 years ago, I stood alone under a crystal-clear starlit sky in the middle of the desert in Palm Springs, waiting on the Lord. The air was still and absolutely silent. The man-made lagoon was as glass, placid and undisturbed- a perfect mirror of the cosmos above. This was no ordinary time in the presence of the Lord. I had sought Him in the privacy of my prayer closet and had experienced powerfully intimate encounters before, but this night was singularly different. Weeks prior to this very night, my bride had heard from God as to the future He desired, and had appointed to us in ministry. She had heard very clearly that the first step was to leave both our careers in the entertainment industry and New York City itself and move to Tulsa, Oklahoma to launch out. He would then order our steps and direct our future. Upon receiving this directive, she said "I am willing and obedient Lord. But you are going to have to confirm this by telling him yourself." She knew that in order for God to be obeyed, we would both need to have individual recognition and confirmation of this incredibly weighty directive. Without prior knowledge of her experience involving God's direction, I began in the days before this starlit night, to hear very clearly in my spirit- "Tulsa". When praying about my flourishing career in the Theatre, I heard, very simply- "Go". It had rung as clear as the peal of a chapel bell to my Spirit-Man, but the ears of my flesh and my intellect were not so certain. My career was active and full of choices. While others were starving, I was having my pick of the Lion's Share in roles. My Agent was positive that this was my time for immense breakthrough into the higher echelon of both finance and future. It made no sense in the natural; but I have found that when stretching our faith, God's directives very rarely do make any intellectual sense. "Please forgive me Lord, but I need you to show me this is your will". Looking skyward into the depth of His majestic creation I heard a second time, "Go". I pressed again for more clarification- "Please Father, be clear with me." Again I heard "Go". I was stirred, my flesh became anxious at the immensely challenging idea of leaving all that I had worked toward and what I considered at that point to be my dreams and aspirations. Suddenly, it became so silent, that it seemed as if there was not only the absence of sound, but a deficit thereof. I felt as if I were in the vacuum of Space itself. As my intellect and my flesh squirmed in the challenging discomfort of the admonition of the Lord, I dared once more to press Him. "Lord, if it is your will that we should uproot and move to Tulsa to launch into full-time ministry, show me..." Before the words were finished, and before I was through annunciating the request, a torrential wind crashed down onto me and my surroundings. What had been so still had become in the blink of an eye, as a Hurricane rushing the environment. The force of the winds blew the waters of the lagoon to overlap and splash the shoreline. The rush of gusting power toppled over chairs and lounges. It knocked down potted palms and flowers throughout the yard where I stood. Frightened at the power of God, I cried out- "Yes! We will GO!" and as immediately as I uttered the words, the wind fell silent. I had been in the very presence of the Holy Spirit Himself as confirmation of God's hand on our lives, and I was in an instance, forever changed.

The impact of the Wind of the Spirit was, in that case, literal and tangible. But it awakened in me a knowledge of His currency, His flow and POWER. That experience was impressive and inspiring, but I knew within that it was nothing in comparison with the unseen move of His Spirit. Jesus describes the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit as such: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”-(John 3:8) I am constantly in awe of the powerful, multi-layered plans of God. Not only had He brought a life-altering witness of confirmation to our entry into ministry, He had demonstrated something in the natural that Jeni and I are now blessed beyond measure to experience in the supernatural every day. The flow of the Holy Spirit IS AS WIND. It is for the Holy Spirit to decide which direction, which measure of pressure, or force to demonstrate and act through to touch or direct God's people. "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. "-(Isaiah 30:21) The flow of the Holy Spirit is perhaps the most effective and active tool for God to lead His beloved to their destiny. It is a constant flow. Never does the Holy Spirit stagnate. We do. Our understanding or perception of the flow of the wind of the Spirit can become dampened or hindered, but the Spirit Himself will not be restrained. It is rather for you and I to be obedient and willing to hear, acknowledge and act upon the unction or promptings of the Holy Spirit. It is for that reason and necessity that we MUST be open conduits available to God's activity, use and impartation. Why? Because precious people, God is handing out gifts on a constant basis to all who are open to receive them.

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."-(1 Corinthians 12:7-11) The GIFTS of the Spirit are the very reason that we must be open conduits free of hinderance for God to impart to. It is through these Gifts that we build His Kingdom, whereas it is through the Fruit of the Spirit that we see the evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit. "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."-(Matthew 7:16-20)

My Father-in-Law composed an anointed song "He's Here Right Now" which expresses "He's here, right now. Here right now. We don't need to wait, we don't need to beg. He's passing out gifts for all to receive. He's here right now to meet every need." And so He is. And truly, when we become cognizant of His omnipresence and His glorious Love for us, we can become open to receive His GIFTS. They come on the Wind of the Spirit. When the Disciples were gathered on Pentecost they were all together and in agreement, ready to receive. At that moment, the entrance of the COMFORTER, the parakletos, the Holy Spirit entered with a MIGHTY WIND and began freely granting gifts. While we are ministering in the power of the Holy Ghost, we are privileged to witness firsthand the awesome gifts of the Spirit. The environment is bathed in God's presence and the atmosphere is one of FAITH. Without FAITH it is impossible to please God, and without pleasing God with our faith, we quench the Spirit. But we manufacture NOTHING. We cannot force His hand nor create His gifts. It is the prerogative and the authority of the Holy Spirit to decide who, what, when, where and HOW. The WHY is for God alone to know. But it is our initiative to flow with the WIND of the Spirit that enables us to minister effectively to the gifts and callings imparted to others. Everything and everyone must be as He wishes, or we miss the outpouring. Sensitivity to this is a process which we as believers are never finished with. It is a constant learning process, and the depth of the mystery and complexity of the Person of the Holy Spirit is BOUNDLESS.