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People of the Spirit

People of the Spirit

Genesis 8:1-12; Galatians 5:16-26; Matthew 6:14-18; Ephesians 6:14-18

“I will not be a jagged rock for the raven to rest on, but an olive tree for the dove to rest upon”

Does the dove adjust to us or do we adjust to the dove? The Holy Spirit has His ways, we may not like them, but He will not adjust to us, we must adjust to His ways. What does it mean to be people of the Spirit?

Genesis 8:1-12 – God remembered Noah. Noah sent out a raven and then a dove. The dove could find nowhere to rest. After seven days he sent out another dove and it returned with an olive branch in its mouth. An olive branch is a symbol of peace. The raven has a bad reputation, but God has his plan and the raven had his part to play. A raven is a scavenger, they eat anything. In Jewish law they are seen as unclean. The raven did not return because it could survive. The dove returned because it needed vegetation and a stable place to rest. It returned the first time because not enough had changed. Both birds had their part to play and Noah waited patiently for the Lord. We must wait patiently on the Lord for Him to do what He needs to do. It takes just as much courage to wait in the boat as to go out. We need to learn to wait. If God says no we need to stay and grow. It is sometimes harder to stay and wait rather than to step out. Be bold and courageous and wait on God.

Galatians 5:16-26 – What does it mean to be people of the Spirit? Do we have love, joy, peace, patience, etc, or are we people of the flesh? Are we a safe place for the dove to rest? We are a dangerous place to rest upon when we do not cloth ourselves with God. We become a place even the raven would not rest upon. The Spirit is self control. Anger is of the flesh. The Holy Spirit cannot rest upon us if we allow the things of the flesh to entangled and enslaved us. We are called to not be like everyone else. We need the Holy Spirit. We cannot do things in on own strength. We need to align ourselves with the Spirit. We can only do all things when He is strengthening us. We need to pray that God will make us an olive tree and mot a jagged rock. We need to cultivate a lifestyle that produces the fruit of the Spirit. We need to stay and surrender all to the Spirit.

Matthew 3:13-17 – Jesus saw the Spirit decending like a dove. Jesus did no major works or miracles until He was filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said it was better for Him to go away so that He could give us His Spirit. The Spirit is not confined. He can be everywhere and in all of us. We can grieve and hurt the Spirit when we strive to do things in our own strength. God wants to fill us with His Spirit. He longs to produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us.

We need to:

  1. FILL UP before we run out.
  2. WATCH OUT the devil is about.
  3. PUT ON DAILY the armour of God (Ephesians 6:14-18).

Are we living a life more suitable for a raven to rest on or are we striving for more of God?