“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:”
Joel.2.28
Discussion
DISCUSSION:
The prophet Joel spoke of a time when God's Spirit will be poured out on all flesh. In his day, only a handful of individuals called prophets could be filled with the Spirit and prophesy. But Joel spoke of a time when everyone could be filled with the Holy Spirit. Joel reveals that there would be accompanying signs of this infilling. Men and women would prophesy; they'll dream dreams and see visions. This was fulfilled on that day of pentecost: Acts.2.1-4; "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 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." Firstly, Joel says there'll be dreams and visions. Were people not dreaming and seeing visions before this time? Of course they were. So, this must mean that the manner in which some would receive the prophecy would be through dreams, while others would be through visions. In addition, Joel never spoke of tongues being a sign. Rather he specified that it'll be prophesyings. On that day of pentecost, the disciples were filled with the Spirit and they spoke in other tongues. However, the multitude surrounding them heard them speak in languages they understood, telling of the wonders of God; Acts.2.11; "...we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God." Thus, tongues plus interpretation equals prophecy. So, Joel was right. What is prophecy? In simple terms, it is a word inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoken to edify, comfort and exhort the hearers (1Cor14:3). It could come through dreams or visions or through tongues and interpretation, or simply an inspired utterance in a known language. Knowing this, you shouldn't disregard your dreams, visions or tongues. A lot of times, God is trying to edify/comfort/exhort somebody through you. Be conscious of this and release yourself to the flow of the Holy Spirit. You do this by staying full of the Holy Spirit. How? By speaking God's word to yourself, singing spiritual songs and making melodies in your heart to the Lord (Eph 5:18-20). This puts you in a perpetual state of consciousness of the supernatural, and keeps you filled, and ready to be a conduit for the Holy Spirit to reach somebody else. Stay Spirit-filled always. Shalom Uvracha!
CONFESSION I am born of God; filled with the Holy Spirit and ever ready to be a blessing to others. Hallelujah!
MEDITATIONS OF THE GOD-KIND
(Daily MEDITATIONS For Living The God-Life)