Rain Refreshes

"Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer worm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.” -Joel 2:23

Rain has oftentimes shared a spiritual meaning compared to the Holy Spirit. We know that rain is needed to bring things to life, and rain is needed for things to grow. The Holy Spirit brings things to life and is needed for things to grow. The rain refreshes things. When the rain comes, it brings times of refreshing.

Jesus promises us His Holy Spirit. Before He left this earth, he spoke in Acts 1:4-5 (NIV):
"On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be
baptized with the Holy Spirit.” He desires us to WAIT for the gift His father promised.

It’s a power He gives His followers to experience. Acts 1:8 says this, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When we receive the Holy Spirit, we begin to experience His power.

Finally, the Holy Spirit gives purpose to believers. When we have the power, but ignore the purpose, we miss Jesus' point. In the upcoming weeks, we want to invite you to join us as we dive into a study on the Holy Spirit and its importance in our lives as believers.

“Before we can be filled with the Spirit, the desire to be filled must be all - consuming. It must be for the time, the biggest thing in our life, so acute, so intrusive as to crowd out everything else. The degree of fullness in any life accords perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have as much of God as we actually want.” - A.W. Tozer