GOD the SPIRIT | The Breath of God

Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast.

Thank you so much for listening today.

We hope it encourages you and inspires you.

Here's today's message.

You all can go ahead and take your seats at this time.

As Pastor Lindsay said, I don't want to disrupt the atmosphere that I think has already been set with your faith, with your worship, and with your expectations.

If this is your first time here in celebration or if you're new to celebration, I want to welcome you and thank you so much for coming to worship with us today.

If you're joining us online, part of our online community, we're so, so glad that you've created the space to come and worship with us today.

I truly believe that today is an incredibly powerful day, and you may have been able to sense that similar to what we just heard, just this moment, and it comes in waves, and sometimes it's it's large, it's big, sometimes it's the still small voice.

But what I can tell you is that the Spirit of God is moving, He's stirring, and He's cultivating some things in here today.

As we were worshiping earlier, I felt myself overwhelmed with emotions, and I wouldn't say that I'm particularly an emotional guy, so I began to say, God, like what is it?

I've heard these songs, we've we've sang these songs, we've engaged these things before.

What is it today that's that's allowing this atmosphere to be a little bit different?

And I and I really felt that I began to feel this burden.

You know, I believe that that Jesus came and died as us, and the Holy Spirit equips us to live like him, to feel like him, to think like him, to be in tune with what his spirit is doing.

And I believe that my emotions were just an overflow of what I sensed God wants to do in this room today.

I believe that that many of us walk in carrying many things.

We carry frustrations and disappointment, the pains of life, and we're carrying successes, we're juggling things, trying to navigate through it all.

But I think my emotions were a reflection of God's true, genuine love for his people.

And I truly believe that it's in these moments that that that deliverance takes place, it's in these moments that clarity takes place, it's in these moments that that healing takes place.

We we sang a song that said that this is a house of miracles, and I think my emotions were just the overflow of saying that I believe God is gonna do some miracles in here today.

If you have your Bibles, I want to invite you to join me in the Old Testament prophet Joel chapter 2.

Joel 2 · chapter mention

You see, today is a significant day in church culture.

You know, we have these moments that have kind of been commercialized and celebrated, whether you are an extensive follower of Christ or not.

It's kind of been culturally accepted.

We, I believe Christmas comes to mind, it's a it's a day, and I've I've always was amazed at how people who don't believe in Jesus celebrate Christmas.

It's because it's been commercialized and celebrated, and it's a good opportunity for us all to have fun and get gifts.

Who doesn't want that?

I'm all for it.

But there's a significant power to the fact that it's really centered around this idea that that God became flesh through the person of Christ and that he came into this world, and so that's what we celebrate.

We we also celebrate Resurrection Sunday, Easter, something we did just seven weeks ago.

And it's even culturally accepted, even though it's more zeroed in on our faith, but it's a it's a day of family and community, and we gather and we have Easter egg hunts and all these fun things that that aren't directly connected to resurrection, but it's still a fun season, and and we're found a way to monetize that.

I want to submit to you today that today is just as significant for the believer as those other two things, because today marks the day that the Holy Spirit was given to us as a body of believers.

Today is the day of Pentecost, and Pentecost has significant weight for a believer.

I believe the main reason why we haven't found a way to celebrate it culturally is because culture hasn't found a way to monetize it.

Because it's hard to monetize this idea of this powerful thing coming into our lives that enables us to do what we're called to do, but nonetheless, this is the day that we're celebrating.

Pentecost, penta 50, 50 days after Passover.

And what I believe is that God gives us these rhythms and patterns that we can come into an alignment with.

It's for this reason that you'll typically find that around Christmas time and around Easter time, that more people come to faith.

It's because that God is stirring something in the atmosphere and allowing people to be willing to position themselves to receive what it is that God has for them.

So, in the same way that we see massive moves of God in the sense of people coming to faith in Christ, I believe that today is the day that we're going to see an outpouring of his spirit because we're coming into alignment with what he wants to do.

The Bible says in Joel chapter 2, verse 28 and 29, it says, After this, I will pour out my spirit on all humanity.

Joel 2:28

Then your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.

This idea that God is going to pour out his spirit on everyone.

Up to this point, I want you to understand that we would see that people would experience a move of God, that God was amongst his people, but he begins to speak here and says, But no, I want to dwell in them.

It's not just for the elite, it's not just for the select group of people, but I want my spirit to be available to every single person.

Men and women and black and white, all the demographics that the world seeks to divide.

God is saying, No, the Holy Spirit is for every single one of you.

I want to bring unity and equality into my body because that's the only way that we can actually function the way the kingdom of God is supposed to function.

He goes on to say, Well, we can celebrate that.

We can celebrate that.

Because I'm a firm believer.

If it's divisive, it's not God.

You can do with that what you will.

If it's divisive, if it's dividing, if it's segregating, if it's not acknowledging equality, it's not of God because the Holy Spirit shows that I'm all about bringing people together and allowing us all to function according to his will.

Verse 29 accentuates the point I just made.

He said, I will even pour out my spirit on male and female slaves.

It means no matter what your financial, demographic, or circumstance is, my spirit is made available to them.

See, the day of Pentecost was a day of celebration, of people coming together.

But there was also this component of it that understood that that maybe there's more.

Yes, we're gonna come together, we're gonna sing songs, we're gonna worship, we're gonna have these powerful moments that we see in scripture.

But Joel begins to give us this idea that there is so much more that God wants to do on that day.

We fast forward to the end of Jesus' ministry, and we find ourselves in Acts chapter 1.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

This is post-resurrection.

And as he's speaking to his disciples, he says this to them he says, For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized by the Holy Spirit in just a few days.

That he begins to shift their focus and allow them to position themselves to be prepared for something new, something more that God wants to provide for his people.

A few verses lower here in verse number eight, he says this, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all of Judea, Samaria to the ends of the earth.

Jesus is painting this picture and allowing them to know, like you have a massive assignment, you have a lot that you got to do, but I need you to I need you to wait because you will not have the power to do what I need you to do until the Holy Spirit comes on you.

You will not have the power to accomplish what I've designed you to do until you have the Holy Spirit.

Turning the page and getting to Acts chapter 2, verses number one through four.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

When the day of Pentecost had arrived, today is the day of Pentecost.

Let me say that again.

Today is the day of Pentecost, and I'm a firm believer that when we look at these rhythms in scripture, I have an expectation that what I saw happen there is going to happen to us because the Bible is very specific for a reason.

Today is the day of Pentecost, and says, and they were all gathered together in one place.

Look around, we're all gathered together in one place for such a time as this.

And they said, suddenly there was a sound like that of a violent rushing wind, and it came in from heaven and it filled the whole house that they were staying in.

They saw tongues like flames of fire separated and rested on each of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

This anticipation of God not just being amongst his people, but dwelling in them and empowering them, is what Pentecost is all about.

That's what today is all about.

And I believe what God wants to do in the lives of all of us today, as I believe he wants to pour out his spirit so that it can empower us to do what it is that he called us to do.

I want to go into a time of prayer, and then I want to share a couple things from this text that I think can be encouraging as we prepare to pray at the end of service.

Lord, we thank you so much for your presence.

We thank you for what you already have done, and we are grateful for what you're going to do.

Lord, I just pray over the next few moments that you give us open eyes, allowing us to recognize you in moments that you were standing right there.

Lord, I pray for open ears that God we can hear your voice amongst our feelings, amongst the distractions, amongst the God, we can still hear the distinction of your voice, God, and I pray that you give us open hearts, that we can receive everything that you want to do in and through us.

It's in Jesus' name that we pray.

Amen and amen.

You know, I've I've recently grown to truly appreciate um TikTok.

I got any TikTok folks out there.

A couple of us.

Some people are like, what is that?

Is that a clock?

No, I I was I was just like you.

I was just like you.

I I didn't fully understand it.

And in fact, I felt like my family tried to force it on me.

Like my they would always send these group texts and like, hey, look at this video on TikTok.

And I'm like, man, just what I need.

Another, another social media thing to engage in and consume my time.

So I was very resistant to it.

But then I got sick and I was in isolation, I was in quarantine, and no one would talk to me.

I was isolated, I was all alone, my family rejected me and left me off on my own.

Not really, but it felt like that.

Um so while I was there, I'm like, okay, what can I do to just pass time?

So I decided to go ahead and jump into TikTok.

I I don't know what my life would have been without it.

I don't, I don't, I genuinely don't know how I got here without it.

Because it's it's so fascinating because it allows you to have these things that really fuel me, which is, man, I don't got a lot of time.

Whenever my daughter says, hey dad, I want you to look at this video, I'm like, okay, how long is it?

A minute and 30 seconds.

No, you gotta give me 30 seconds.

My attention span shifts really quick.

And what what I love about this, this, about the about TikTok is that it allows you to kind of zero in on the things you're interested in, it gives you life hacks, and it's just filled with a variety of things.

I mean, where else can you go that you can learn how to do the latest dance move, that you can learn about the latest gossip, that you can learn and get encouraged while also getting political commentary for people who have no idea what they're talking about?

It's awesome, it's a great place.

It's kind of like the Walmart of social media.

No shade, no shade.

Because where else can you go that you can get like a jar of mayonnaise, but also your transmission fixed?

That's TikTok.

Everything's available for you.

And so one of the things that I've really been engaging in here recently is that I I love looking at things that deal with finances and travel.

That's kind of like my new thing.

I'm I'm zeroing in on those two particular categories because you know I got my mind on my money, my money on my mind.

I gotta see how to make sure I know how to move this money, but I also am very interested in trying to figure out ways that I can go on vacations and take better care of myself.

It's the rhythm that I find myself in.

So I found myself following this one hashtag and it was showing this person, and it said, how to go on vacation for free.

Well, bless God, if that's not the Spirit of the Lord speaking, I don't know what is.

I don't know how God speaks to you, but He speaks to me through TikTok sometimes.

And so I find myself immersed in this world that's trying to navigate and teach you how you can begin to enjoy life for free, so to speak.

So I'm looking at this TikTok person and they're talking about the way that they paid for these different things, and then they introduce this idea like, oh, I paid for this with points.

I did this with this.

If you go at this time of year, it's gonna be a significant discount.

It opened me up to a whole new world.

And one of the things that they referenced was this idea about making sure that you engage your points in your perks that may be connected to whatever loyalty program you're connected to or whatever credit cards you have.

Now, listen, I know that we are all about financial freedom.

My Dave Ramsey folks are in here right now saying debt is dumb, stay away from it.

I I'm with you 1,000%.

But I'll be working on points, Joe.

I'm trying to let y'all know.

I I'll be I'll be working those points a little bit.

But but here's the thing I would always talk about the points, but I never really actually engage them.

So this one particular TikToker was talking about if you have this one credit card and you use the points at these times a year, like you get triple the points.

I never used to pay attention to that.

So I'm like, I I have that exact same card.

Let me let me log in and see exactly what they're talking about.

I logged in and I clicked the little tab.

This tab that I never used to pay attention to, it brought me into a whole new world.

I had that card for probably like 15 years.

I had so many points.

I had so many things that I could have been doing.

Like there were all these resources that were available to me that I didn't know because I had access, but I did not engage it.

I didn't realize that I had these points, and those points could have paid for vacation.

And I was so happy to learn it, but also simultaneously frustrated that I didn't know it before.

You ever been in that place where you're happy and frustrated?

Because I'm thinking of all the money that I spent on my own dime when I could have been engaging the thing that was available to me.

I believe that's the same way that it can be sometimes with our walk with God.

See how I shifted it?

I I believe that our walk with God is one of those things where we have we have so much that's available to us, so much that God wants to do in our lives, so much that is that is right in front of us.

But if we don't engage it, it's hard for it to be activated in our lives and transferred into the currency of faith.

If I could be real, sometimes I feel like church can almost feel like it's a mall.

And I feel like I'm like the late-night infomercial guy.

Hey man, if you if you if you get involved, but wait, there's more.

God really, really does want to bless you.

God has amazing things for you.

But if just for a limited time, if you come to this special event, you get all these things.

But the problem is this I'm not a salesman.

And y'all are consumers.

And the church is not a store.

My responsibility is to preach the gospel and to make you aware of the places you can position yourself so that you can engage what God has for you so you can see it activated in your life.

We shouldn't have to beg you to go to the place so that you can get healing.

We shouldn't have to beg you to do these things, but unfortunately, the church has turned into this place where we become consumers.

What song are they singing?

Who's preaching?

Am I gonna go?

Am I not gonna go?

No, the people of faith, the people of this house are gonna be people that are gonna position themselves in the places that God has called them to be so we can see the promises of God activated in our lives and we can begin to really see true transformation.

You know, I I believe that there's these moments that I want you to understand that coming to church that has salvation, but wait, there's more.

That there is healing and freedom, but wait, there's more.

There's restoration, but wait, there's more.

I want you to understand that when we learn how to engage the Holy Spirit, we get access to a lot of things that God is just saying.

Will you please just log in?

Will you please just engage me?

There's a lot of things you're doing in your own strength, but if you can just really allow me to have permission to move in your life, to lead you, to guide you, to build you up, you will find that you will have a lot more strength, you have a lot more peace, you have a lot more perspective because you're doing it with the power of the Holy Spirit.

The scriptures tell us that God has given us everything that we need as it relates to life and godliness.

The points are there, the perks are there.

But we have to engage it and activate it in our lives if we really want to see it take root.

This is what Pentecost is all about.

It's that moment when we recognize that all of these promises that we read in Scripture, that all of these things that we hear mentioned in church, the times that we open up our Bibles and we see these verses that are just jumping out at us, it's when we engage the Holy Spirit that we begin to see it activated in our lives.

You see, the text tells us in Acts chapter 2 that the people of God were all together.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

And that while they were together, just praying and just waiting for God to move, the scripture says that there was a sound.

Turn to someone around you say, There was a sound.

Come on, say it with confidence to the next person, there was a sound.

That the people of God were together and there was a sound.

One of the things that I've learned about God is that it's important to begin to recognize repetition and patterns.

Because I think if we can really begin to zero in on those things, we can activate power in our lives.

Case in point, when I read scripture, I typically look and see are there things that are being repeated, phrases, statements, are there things inside of a book that God is really trying to drill down?

I do these background studies because I want to recognize the rhythms and the power of God.

God moves in rhythms, he's not erratic, he's not just something that you can't depend on.

God moves in these rhythms.

And one of the rhythms that I found, that whenever there's a mighty move of God, it's preceded with a sound.

Scripture tells us that there's a sound that often ushers in the presence of God.

Let me let me break it down for you.

The book of Exodus, it talks about in chapter 19 when God descended onto Mount Sinai, that moment he met with Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments.

The Bible says that there was a sound that ultimately ushered in the presence of God.

Many of you may be familiar with the story of Gideon and how he had a lot of men, but it was reduced down to just 300 people, and now they're about to engage in battle with an enemy that far outnumbered them.

But before they even got a chance to fight, the Bible says that there was a sound that brought confusion to the enemy, and they were able to be victorious.

I see in scripture where the Bible even talks about the children of Israel as they're about to go and claim the promised land in Joshua chapter 6, and they're told to march around the wall in silence, but then they get to this moment where they usher up this sound and it actually breaks the walls down.

Joshua 6 · chapter mention

I'm beginning to recognize this pattern in scripture that whenever God is about to move, there appears to be this sound.

I'm a firm believer that that somehow this sound ushers in freedom.

That this sound ushers in the presence of God, it ushers in breakthrough and liberation.

There's this community in South Carolina that's that's that's beautiful, and right in the middle of that community, there's a there's a marine base.

And on this and on this base, they have jets and all these things that are that are stationed there.

They do a lot of their training activities there.

So you can imagine that if you're a resident there, as much as we love that, it gets very noisy to hear jets coming and flying and coming and going.

And it can be frustrating.

So initially, a lot of the people were upset and annoyed because they're like, man, like they're coming in all times of night.

They're not recognizing the sound ordinances of the community.

They began to get really frustrated.

But at the end of the day, there's there's nothing that could be done.

And so what the military decided to do is they put a sign up in the front of the basin that says, Pardon our noise, it's the sound of freedom.

I I know it's noisy, but understand that that noise is allowing us to be adequately equipped so that if we go to war, we're gonna be in a position that we can be successful.

What I find here in scripture, more often than not, that the sound can usher in freedom.

When I read the word of God and I see these moments where this powerful sound shows up, it seems to usher in this idea of freedom.

And you know the powerful thing is that we have that sound on the inside of us, and that would be our praise.

See, I believe that what happens is, you know that they say that we have a right to remain silent.

And I think unfortunately, we end up exercising that right in places that we shouldn't.

We end up exercising that right when we come to church.

We end up exercising that right when we're dealing with a dilemma that we know that in our own strength we can't change it.

We end up exercising that right and we're like, I'm gonna be silent in this, I'm gonna be quiet.

But I believe what the church of God is supposed to do is say, I'm gonna deny that right and I'm gonna praise God even in the face of my opposition.

I'm gonna make sure I have a sound because I know it's gonna usher in the presence of God.

What I recognize is that my praise is gonna be the thing that's gonna break down some walls.

There's a sound that God is developing inside of all of us.

And sometimes we gotta say, just like they said in that community, pardon my worship, but this is the sound of freedom.

I know that you may not necessarily understand what I've been through.

You may not understand my struggle, and it may even make you feel a little uncomfortable, but part in my praise, I'm going through some marriage problems, and this is a sound of freedom.

Pardon my worship because my kids are away from God right now, and I'm believing that I'm gonna worship God and bring them to a place of complete healing.

Pardon my worship if I get too loud for you.

But I believe that God is stirring up something because I realize that my worship can usher in the presence of God, and the presence of God will bring freedom.

The Bible says in Acts chapter 16, verses 25 through 26.

Acts 16:25–26

I want to read this to you.

I think it's incredibly powerful.

But what the scripture says is it says that Paul and Silas were in prison.

And it says, at midnight, at midnight, they began to sing psalms unto God.

I want you to catch that.

At midnight, the symbolism means at their darkest moment, where they're expected to die the next day, but at midnight they began to sing out, they began to pray.

God and what the Bible says is that the ground was shaken.

There was a sound that took place, and that the chains were broken off, not only for them, but for the people that were also in the prison with them.

The prison doors flung open.

What I'm trying to let you know is if we can actually worship God in our midnight moments, if we can worship God even when we're in the cell, I believe that the sound begins to come in.

It shakes the foundation that we're standing on and the bondage that maybe we've been experiencing for years, we can begin to walk out in freedom.

I believe that when you worship God from the depths of your soul, that it may bring freedom to someone who's not even in this room.

So part in my praise because I believe that there are some people that may not be in this room, but my praise may come for part in my praise because I got some family members that need to get a hold of God, part in my praise, but it is the sound of freedom.

Come on, church, let's give God some praise in your condemning.

It's understanding that our praise ushers in this sound, and that sound brings freedom.

In addition to this sound that was ushered in, the scripture also begins to talk about this wind that shows up, this mighty, violent wind.

I want you to give me a moment to kind of like get into the way that I approach scripture because I think it's going to help you.

You see, a lot of times when we're looking at words in the Bible, it can lose its true meaning.

We're familiar with that idea or that term lost in translation, where something that is trying to be communicated gets lost because it becomes so linear that we miss it.

The Bible was largely written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.

And as a young Christian, I never quite understood why pastors will say, Hey, do you know what this word means in the Hebrew?

No.

And I didn't understand why I needed to know it, but now I've grown to understand that the mindset of the biblical writers, they didn't look at things as a linear statement, like we may.

They understood that their words carried emotion and context.

And so when those words get translated, a lot of times by the time we read it, we miss the mind state that was actually connected to the scripture when it was first written.

We can often miss the weight of it all.

We all have gotten that text message.

And look at how it can come across.

When are you coming home?

Response.

When I get done.

Very direct, very linear.

If I'm easily offended, what do you mean when you get done?

I ask you when you're getting home.

Because you know what?

Those words don't have tone.

We don't know what's going on.

So now you call me like, hey, I'm on the way home.

Oh, now you're coming home?

Like, where's this energy coming from?

It's because the I know I'm not the only one married in here.

Husbands, I know you may not be able to clap, but blink twice if you're with me.

I know.

I don't even know.

I don't know what this energy is about right now.

I responded to your text, but you seem real direct.

I know I was driving, I didn't want to crash and die.

Oh, so now you're trying to say I'm trying to kill you, like, good Lord.

Can't can't win.

Having said that, this is what happens a lot of times when we're reading scripture.

When we're reading scripture, we lose the magnitude of what is being communicated.

So watch this.

When we see the word Holy Spirit in the Bible, in Hebrew, that's ruach.

In the Greek, it's pneuma.

These two words have significant weight to them.

And sometimes we can list the true, miss the true meaning of it.

So ruach, it literally means the wind or breath.

But wait, there's more.

See, see, it says wind or breath.

And when we think of wind, we're just thinking like of a cool breeze when we're sitting on our back porch.

No.

For the biblical writers, when they're thinking about wind, they're thinking of an uncontrollable, unmatchable force.

That's the mindset when we see these words.

So when it says that a wind from heaven shows up, and we're not talking about the wind that you get from your fan, we're talking about the actual, unstoppable, unmatchable power of the presence of God shows up.

That gives it a different meaning.

When you're reading a scripture and it says that the people of God were all together and there was this mighty wind, the unmatchable power of God shows up.

But then it goes on to say that it's also breath.

Now we all understand how important breathing is, but when you understand the mind of the writer, when it talks about how the Holy Spirit is the breath of God, it has a whole different weight to it.

Their mindset was this that that that the Holy Spirit encapsulated the very essence of who God is, the very life force of God.

So when you see the word Holy Spirit or wind, it is saying that the power that's unmatched and the very essence of God shows up.

That God's breath shows up.

And what I want you to understand is that the breath of God brings life.

The breath of God brings life.

That when a Holy Spirit shows up, that He is bringing life to every situation, you may find yourself them.

See, the Bible tells us with Job, the Job says that in chapter 33, he says that the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

That when a Holy Spirit showed up, that there's unmatched power and life that shows up.

Think about Adam when God created him from the dust of the ground.

The Bible says that he had everything in order.

He had his organs, he had his mind, he had his heart, he had his spine, but the breath of God was not yet in him yet.

But then God breathed on him, and then he became a living soul.

That means that it's possible that you can have everything in order, but if it doesn't have breath, it doesn't have power.

If you don't have breath, you don't have power.

You may be missing out on something.

You may have some things in alignment, you may have some things figured out.

But if it doesn't have the breath of God on it, we may be missing out on exactly what God wants to do.

Because when we lack the breath of God, we lack the power of God.

Let me break it down a little bit further.

Ezekiel chapter 37.

Ezekiel 37 · chapter mention

It's beautiful.

It's the valley of dry bones, and I want to encourage you to read it.

I wish I had time to read it because the language is so beautiful.

But I want to read what it says here in 9 and 10.

It says this, He said to me, Prophesy to the breath, Prophesy, son of man, and say to him, This is what the Lord God says, breathe.

Come from the four winds of the earth and breathe into these slains so that you may live.

So I prophesy as he commanded me.

The breath entered them, and they came to life and stood a great vast army.

Here's what I want you to grab a hold of that when Ezekiel showed up into that valley, that bones were scattered everywhere.

But then what happens is he says, speak to the bones.

So Ezekiel speaks a word and the bones come into alignment.

I want you to catch this.

That he speaks the word and the bones come into alignment.

That means that there's power in the word of God, that the word of God begins to bring things into alignment, that he's speaking the word, that then muscle comes on.

The word of God will bring us strength and the support that we need.

Then the skin came on.

The word of God will bring our identity.

So we have the things coming into alignment.

We have strength showing up.

We have our identity that's being formed through the word of God.

But the scripture says that it still didn't have breath.

And even though it had things in alignment, the breath of God wasn't in it.

What I firmly believe is that there's times that we come to church and we listen to the three points.

We have these times of worship and we walk away and say, okay, I'm gonna do these three things.

I'm gonna get things in alignment.

But may I submit to you, no matter how much you get things in alignment, if you don't invite God to breathe on it, it's not gonna fulfill the thing that God has called it to do.

I have made many plans as a pastor, as a husband, as a father that I truly knew was in alignment with God's word, but I never asked God to breathe on it.

But the moment that I started praying prayers, God, here's my plans, breathe on them.

God, here's my marriage, breathe on it.

God, here's my family, breathe on it.

That I'm inviting the breath of God to show up.

And when the breath of God shows up, it's bringing life.

It allows it to stand on its feet and do the very thing it was called to do.

Adam had an assignment to be fruitful and to multiply.

And even though he had all the organs, without the breath of God, he was not able to accomplish the thing that God was calling him to do.

And I submit to you right now that you may have a lot of things in alignment.

Your business plan is amazing.

Your kids are going to the right school.

But if you have not invited the Holy Spirit to breathe on it, it will not be able to produce the thing that God has commissioned us to do.

I want to invite you right now that as we pray, we're gonna invite the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, breathe on my family.

Holy Spirit, breathe on my finances, Holy Spirit, breathe on my mind.

I need the Holy Spirit to breathe.

If it lacks the breath of God, it truly does lack power.

I want to invite the worship team to come back out and to join me.

We're gonna go into a time of prayer.

You know, I was thinking about ways that we can truly try to capture the essence of what I believe God wants to do in us, through us, today.

I I I went to the store just yesterday, and it was a big celebration of some sort that a family was preparing for.

They had bought what appeared to be a million different balloons.

It was congratulations, all these things, and it's graduation season, so I was able to kind of use deductive reasoning and assume that's what it was.

But as I was standing in line behind this precious family, that that quite honestly took too long because it had more than 10 items.

Um, but it's okay.

Holy Spirit, breathe on my patience.

Um my mind began to wander about how these balloons are able to communicate a very strong message.

I thought about the the varying uses of balloons.

I I know that they can be used for anniversaries, they can be used for birthdays, they can be used for so many beautiful and powerful moments.

That's what they're designed to do.

But interestingly enough, if the balloon doesn't have any air or breath in it, it can't do the thing that it was designed to do.

I feel like it's a layup and I don't even have to say it, but I want to say it anyway.

I believe that for the church.

And we're specifically for the believers in the church.

We've got to be good at celebrating things, we've got to be good at doing things.

We're like the deflated balloons because we haven't invited God's breath to breathe so that we can truly undo the thing that God has called us to do.

Without the breath of God, we're missing the power of God.

The Holy Spirit is the breath of God, and when the breath of God shows up, it's a power that can't be messed.

There's a life that can't be taken, there's this anointing that shows up that literally empowers us to do the very thing that God has commissioned and called us to do.

But the key thing is this we have to engage Him if we want to see the benefits activated in our lives.

You know, in the book of Acts, the scripture tells us that after the Holy Spirit comes and and and then we begin to see the gifts of the Spirit activated.

We see that they're speaking in tongues and doing some incredible things.

In fact, if you read the entirety of the book of Acts, you'll see the activity of the Holy Spirit throughout the entire text, helping us to understand how these men and women were doing the things of God, but how God's spirit was the thing that was empowering them because they engaged his spirit and it activated gifts in their lives, it activated the fruit that we talk about.

See, I believe that what God wants to do in these moments is that he wants to fulfill Joel chapter 2, he wants to reenact Acts chapter 2, where he pours out his spirit and he fills us up in areas that maybe we feel defleed deflated, and we can allow the power and presence of God to begin to move.

Joel 2 · chapter mention Acts 2 · chapter mention

You'll even find in the book of Acts if you read it in its entirety, there are moments that when people came to faith that they would say, Okay, you're baptized, you believe in Jesus.

Did you did you receive the Holy Spirit?

That that Jesus, even when he was about to leave and ascended to heaven, he said, You can't take a single step until the Holy Spirit fills you.

That that for Jesus, he was saying that you guys have sat with me for three and a half years, you know my heart, you memorize everything that I've done, but you do not you're not equipped to do what I've called you to do if you do not have God's Spirit.

Think about that for a moment.

Disciples who walked with Jesus for three and a half years, and he says, That's good, you got the head knowledge, but I actually need the Holy Spirit to activate it in your life.

And I believe that what this moment is meant to signify is he wants our faith to go from a thinking faith to an experiential faith.

See, the the mind of the biblical writer, they they didn't look at those things as being mutually exclusive.

In fact, the way that they looked at it, it was you don't believe it until you experience it.

So if you are a believer, then you have to experience the Holy Spirit.

If you are a believer, then you have to be baptized.

If you are a believer, there's some things that's expected because in their mind, how can you say you believe it if you don't do it?

Let me work a little bit more.

You say that you're a follower of Christ and that the fruit of the Spirit is in your life and that we're supposed to love one another, but are you loving people who have a different political affiliation than you?

I'm stepping on toes with spiked shoes today.

Because I think somehow we've allowed the world to get into our mindsets that if it's not like me, then it's not God.

Do you realize how narcissistic your faith has to be to believe that you got all the answers?

To believe that your way is the only this is why the Holy Spirit, when he came on the day of Pentecost, there were a lot of different people there, different languages were being speaking, different perspective, different backgrounds, different contexts, they were all there united under Christ, not under political affiliations, under Christ.

This is what the Holy Spirit looks to do.

And I believe that if we can be the people of God, like those balloons that position ourselves and allow the breath of God to truly build us up and to strengthen us, it will give us the strength that we need so that we can love people that are different from us.

It'll give us the strength that we need to engage in healthy conversations with people that we have different views in.

It'll give us the gifts that we need to serve the body of Christ.

That that is what the Holy Spirit is all about.

See, what I what I recognize is that in moments like this, where we're gathered together, exalting the name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is working.

As we shared just last week, he's hovering and he's looking for a place to land, but we have to engage him if we want his power activated in our lives.

With every head bowed and with every eye closed, uh, I want to submit a series of questions that I want to see if you can if you can engage with me for just a second.

Maybe as you're in here right now, you would say, Keith, I I've experienced the Holy Spirit.

Maybe you haven't, but what you do know is that there's some areas where you don't feel the power of the presence of God.

What you do know is there's some areas of your life where you don't feel as if you can, you're empowered to do the things of God that you don't sense the life force, the very essence of God moving in your respective situations.

Could be marriages, it could be money, it could be work, could be a family dynamic, relationship dynamic, just an area where we just know, like, I need the breath of God on this, I need God to breathe and to bring life, to bring power, to bring strength.

There's a there's a little bit of a deficit that I'm experiencing right now.

If any of that lands on you, I just want you to signify by raising a hand.

I need the breath of God, I need God to breathe on some areas of my life, I need God to breathe on some things.

Hands up everywhere.

Here's what I want to do.

We have to engage Him in order to activate Him into our lives.

We haven't done this here recently, but I want to ask everyone to stand on their feet.

And for those who raise their hands, I want you to come and meet me down here at this altar.

This is the engagement part.

This is the part where we're we're coming down to say, God, I want to engage it so I can activate it in my life.

Coming to the altar isn't necessarily the thing that changes you, but I believe the faith that it takes to walk up here is the thing that activates it in your life.

You guys can come in here.

You guys come in right here, you can just meet right here up front.

It's beautiful.

It's that place of humility and surrender.

We can come on in, we can come on in.

It's that place of humility and surrender.

Because I believe it's in moments like this where we're vulnerable and we're honest, that the presence of God that has once been hovering is now prepared to land and to animate, to activate, to raise us up, to empower us, to equip us with his very presence and with his very life, to give us the strength that we need to produce fruit, to give us the strength that we need in order to walk in his call and to see his grace activated in our lives.

This is what these moments represent.

So, what I want to do is I want us to simply go back into worship.

I want to just begin to pray and pray for the Holy Spirit to breathe on every situation up here, and then we're gonna pray for some people to get saved, and then we're gonna wrap up.

The Holy Spirit isn't weird people are, and what I believe that the Holy Spirit is doing right now is that he's hovering and that he wants to breathe on some situations.

Let me let me begin to pray for us right now.

Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord.

We can go ahead and lift our hands up as a sign of surrender.

Again, these are these are just rhythms and patterns that we that we can lean into.

Lord, you see every hand lifted up.

God, look at the vulnerability of your people, God.

Those who chose to engage you by coming and meeting you at the altar, Father.

Historically, the altar has been the meeting place with God.

It's where people would have encounters with you, Father.

And so I declare in the name of Jesus that by their walk of faith, Father, that it's activating something on the inside of them, Lord.

I pray in the name of Jesus for every one of us, Lord God, we need your breath, Lord God.

We may have strategies, we may have fought through it, we may have done everything in our own strength.

But God, if we don't have your breath, we don't have your power.

And God, there's a deficit that we all can find ourselves in at times.

So, Father, I pray right now in the name of Jesus for every person that is in need of healing, God, breathe on their situation in the name of Jesus, God.

Bring restoration and hope and strength, Father.

I pray for every relationship that is struggling, that is on the edges, God, of giving up.

But Father, in their own strength, they can do it.

They can't, they can't.

They can go to counseling, they can get prayer.

But Father, if you don't breathe on it, Father, there is no power, there is no life.

So, Father, we pray in the name of Jesus for you to pray on every marriage, every single relationship, God.

We need your breath to empower and animate your people so we have the strength to do what you've called us to do.

Lord, I pray for every children, all the children and uh and those that you've called us to steward, Lord.

I pray a special blessing over the parents that need to lead them, that need to encourage them, Father.

Don't you give up, don't you give in.

I know it may not be comfortable, I know you may not have clarity, I know you may not see the breakthrough yet.

They may not have to walk through the doors of the church yet, but in the name of Jesus, I pray that God begins to breathe on your household, that he breathes on your children, that he stirs hearts and activates them, God.

I pray for our finances, God, our resources, Lord God.

I pray in the name of Jesus, God, that you breathe on them, God, so that they can rise up and do what you've called them to do, God, which is honor and glorify you, and help the kingdom of God move forward, Father.

We need your spirit to move, God, in the same way that this day signifies the day that you poured your spirit out.

Father, I pray that you pour your spirit out amongst your people in the name of Jesus, God.

I pray that you give them strength.

The spirit of God is moving and he's doing something.

But I but I also believe it's in these moments right here.

That the Spirit of God is looking to fill us.

In the same way with the book of Acts, it said that they were filled with the Spirit and it activated something on the inside of them.

We don't have to work for it, we just have to position ourselves to receive it.

So I'm going to pray just for the Spirit of God not to be on you, but to also be in you.

And scripture begins to talk about out of their belly flowed rivers of living water.

That the Spirit of God began to stir up in such a way that God began to pour out of them.

We call that overflow.

I'm praying for the Spirit of God to fill us, that we can begin to see gifts activated, that words of prophecy can come forth, that words of knowledge can come forth, God, that the gift of tongues can come forth, that this is a place where we can begin to experience what they did in the Bible.

I'm so tired of our lives not matching what scripture says, and it's because there's a lack of the Holy Spirit.

So, Heavenly Father, I pray in the name of Jesus that you begin to stir inside of every single one of us and activate the gifts that you've given us, Father.

There are gifts of knowledge, there's gifts of healing, there's gifts of tongues, Father.

I pray that you stir and fill your people.

We don't have to work for it.

It's a gift, it's free, it's from you.

Just allow us to receive it in the name of Jesus, Father.

Pour out your spirit on all flesh.

Fill us up with your presence, God.

Enable us to walk in alignment with your word and with your will.

In the name of Jesus, let's stand still in the presence of God and allow him to work.

The worship team is going to lead us.

You may feel somebody come and touch you on the shoulder.

Don't leave the altar yet, because I believe that the Spirit of God is moving.

But we have to engage it in order for it to be activated in our lives.

And the way that we engage it is with surrendered hands, open hearts, and open mouths.

And what I want us to do is I want us to sing.

What I want us to do is I want us to pray.

What I want us to do is I want us to worship.

What I don't want us to do is to be silent.

Because in these moments, our sound can usher in the presence of God, and the presence of God will bring power and bring life.

Let's worship and praise God as He's spilling and bringing healing and restoration to his people.

Thanks again for listening.

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