#TheHolySpiritChallenge Entry 24 by Francis Edo Osagie

Holy Spirit, the spirit of the living God

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21

The Holy Spirit is gentle and should not be grieved! The Holy Spirit does so much for us, we cannot do without Him. The spirit of power, the spirit of God.

For me personally, I tend to find a different type of calm when i’m in the shower (I know it can sound funny), I have no distractions and my mind is often running at a different pace. Eyes closed and I begin to see things to happen in my life IF I follow Jesus ALL THE WAY.

In the shower is my own quiet place, where I reflect and at the same time the Holy Spirit is speaking to me, telling my why this or that had happened in the past and how it will be used to the glory of God in the future. This reminds me of Jesus Christ referring to what happened to Jonah in Matthew 12:40.

Sometime last year, I was about to go and play football. I knew my travel ticket had expired the day before. I went on to go and play football with enough money to buy the ticket. I heard a voice constantly reminding me to buy the ticket before I boarded the first bus. I procrastinated, arrived on the pitch, played and now on my way back the voice reminded me to buy a ticket. So I thought, no one asked for a ticket before so why bother now that I am on my way home? Woe and behold as the bus arrived at the next stop, I was asked for my ticket. A ticket that would have cost me CHF6.50 ended up costing me CHF100.

Brethren, it pays to listen and do according to what the Holy Spirit tells you. Juxtaposing both the good and the not so good against one another, my experiences have taught me to listen to the still small voice within.

Regards,

Francis Edo-Osagie

#TheHolySpiritChallenge Entry 22 by Bukkie Smart

As with a lot of us, I was one of those who got to know the Holy Spirit much later in my walk with Christ, forgetting that without Him, I couldn’t even have come to Christ. 

You see, it’s easy to take The Holy Spirit for granted, to act like we do everything on our own and are the way we are by our own strength. We forget to acknowledge Him or even remember Him. After all our default human nature is to be selfish and take the glory to ourselves. 

It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6

My Holy Spirit encounters have come in all shapes and form. One particular one I like are the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. And my favourite two out of those are wisdom and joy.

(Gift) Wisdom - I’m talking about worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom. Wisdom and knowledge in the revelation of Christ and wisdom in your everyday life. You know those moments when you’re reading a bible verse you’ve heard/read a thousand times but for the first time, it really clicks. You get a new revelation for it and you’re giddy with excitement because you could literally take someone to church and preach about it. Yes, those ones! I live for those ‘Aha!’ , fist-pumping moments. That Godly wisdom when you’re about to do something really silly and you get convicted by the Spirit (I call it a Spirit pinch) and you don’t do it. Days/weeks/months later you see the outcome of what would’ve been if you did do it and you’re telling your friends ’That could’ve been me, BUT GOD!!’ You’re looking up like ‘God, that could’ve only been you that saved me from xxx. Thank you.” Did you know that’s the Holy Spirit saving you from all those mishaps, little everyday crisis and so much more than words could explain? We can all recall those countless times we could’ve died, failed, been stranded, been hurt, even as little as stubbing your toe! But the Holy Spirit is just there with those little insights of wisdom saying ‘Do this, don’t do that. Go here, say this, don’t say that.’ (Isaiah 30:21) Sometimes I just look back, and I’m in awe. Not even of the big things, but those little ones that no one ever sees or knows. Just seeing how those little faith actions pulled you through, or listening to your Spirit over an issue and how it worked in your favour, doesn’t it just make you smile and be filled with gratitude?   

(Fruit) Joy - Someone recently asked me why I was always so bubbly and vibrant. My answer - well the Holy Spirit of course. Check my snapchat at 9am when I’m going to work and you’d see me doing the shoki during my praise session. Come back 9pm and I’m dancing to African praise when taking off my make-up. It wasn’t till I got that question I thought deep and hard as to why I always seemed so happy. Was it because everything was always going fine? No. Was I Bill Gate’s daughter that was swimming in millions of pounds? Nope. Was I faking it? Definitely not. It seemed like I was always happy because I really was filled with joy all the time!

The only reason I can explain my joy in the midst of all the hustles and bustles and highs and lows of life lies in the Holy Spirit. I’m not always happy, but I always have joy. The psalmist says there is fullness of joy in His presence. (Psalm 16:11) Listen to enough gospel songs and you’d know what I’m talking about. And if you’re Nigerian and understand your language and listen to a song in it, then you’ll really know what’s up. Joy that overflows even when the enemy is trying to pull one on ya. Joy that no man can take away or give you. That’s the Holy Spirit right there. No matter what comes, no matter what goes, the joy the Holy Spirit puts in you is second to any other type of feeling. 

I could go on and on but I’ll leave you with this song that describes me every time I get a compliment:

“People dey ask me say, na wetin dey make me shine/smile, I just dey tell dem say na Jesus (my Holy Spirit) dey make me shine/smile.”

If you don’t have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, I urge you to intentionally seek one with Him. He longs to reveal Himself to you. And guys, He is realer than the realest. 

I hope this has made you think a bit, smile but most of all, have you longing for the Holy Spirit. I pray as you find Him, you will be blessed. God bless you!

#TheHolySpiritChallenge Entry 23 by Victoria Walter

 HOLY SPIRIT! HOLY SPIRIT!! HOLY SPIRIT!!!

 Honestly, i once used to ask the question to myself about how the Holy Spirit do talk to people, i did not really understand and get to know when he was talking to me and i never asked anyone but i watched videos of people who really know what they where doing and who they are in Christ. All these actually didn't still convince me about the Holy spirit talking to me;like Ugo said the medium which God talks to people are different( in the way they would understand). 

  I can't really tell when i was saved but i know it started from a day. The thing i see now is that God has been reaching out to me a long time ago, i would say since when i was little because i grew up in a very Strong Christian home and i had the opportunity to be saved but i was so distracted,shy and weak to embrace what was been offered to me. All the mistakes i have made since then actually opened me up today and am so Greatfull to God for being faithful even when a was not.

  When i saw the post about the challenge, i went back into my past and was so so filled with joy and i began to thank God for everything. I call myself God's Love and i have recently been thinking how did i come up with the idea of it and don't still know how ( That's was God, Romans 8:16 ) and also so many things i say and i do  i think of how i got the Wisdom to say all the things i say and talk to others( some of my friends say i talk like an elderly woman with so much wisdom) and i say it is God.

 In 1 Corinthians 6:19 says "Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You  do not belong to ourselves but to God; (20) he bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God's Glory. In these chapter and verse i believe the Holy Spirit doesn't only live in our heart but controls the whole Body if you let him[ I am trying my best not to Preach and stay on the actual plan].

  The Holy Spirit was really getting me ready for this talk because i had like challenges these few weeks that i can really explain  how the Holy Spirit spoke to me and am doubtless and convinced. Before then i was actually praying that God speak to me directly(anyhow;if it is appearance God appear, if its dream God am ready, If i could just hear your still small voice God i would lock myself in a quiet place as far as i can hear you). I was asking God for clarity on my Situation at that moment but He came back showing me another thing.

This is how it happened, you know when some one is really hungry, i was hungry like that to read my bible but i was eating half of it instead of full plate. Then one day i saw a post which included Bible verse and i wanted to pass it but i just stop resisting and took up my Bible and studied the verses i saw on the post which lead me to Matthew 6:24 to end and it was specking to me so clearly and i was feeling it inside of me and that same day this verse came up again like 3 times and i felt so Guilty and was asking God for mercy through out that day till now. The next day was Sunday and i went to Church and the topic taught in church was about Peace and i got a question within me saying "Where is the Peace i have given to you?" it came to me that God was giving me Peace of Mind over my situation and i allowing my self get distracted by unnecessary things and not see the peace...i was now trusting God based on what i was seeing around me and not on what i know about him. I felt i had disappointed God. This is how God spoke to me and he said On the Journey (that was the title of the post i just wrote recently about the experience on my Blog). Keep Praying that God speaks to you the way you will understand; CLARITY.

             Ephesians 2:10

                                  "God has made us what we are(today,now), and in union(relationship) with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of Good Deeds, which he has already Prepared for us to do". 

#TheHolySpiritChallenge Entry 21 by Chiz @lemonie_

Dear Worrywarts, this one is for you.
I tend to be a worrywart. I can worry about even the littlest things like 'what if my phone dies and my dad can't reach me and thinks something has happened' or 'what if I fail this exam', etc. A friend would tell me about their issues and I would begin to worry on their behalf.
Worrying is a lot of stress and instead of enjoying a process, I would worry about what the outcome would be.
I remember in my final year, when rumours of our first semester results started flying about. I heard all sorts, about how people failed and the general performance was horrible. I started flashing back to each paper and thinking about how I had forgotten to write down an important case or mixed up my sections. I didn't sleep well for some days!
Then one morning as I was reading my Open Heavens, I saw something that hit me, well that the Holy Spirit led me to focus on (as I was rushing for a class).

Philippians 4: 6-7 'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.'

What I understand by this is that instead of constantly stressing and worrying about every single thing, all I need to do is to pray about it and let God know my fears and He take it from there and give me His peace that surpasses all human understanding.

Also,

Matthew 6 v 27 'Who of you by 

worrying can add an hour to his life?'

(This actually hit me while watching Selma, which goes to show that the Holy Spirit can use any medium to reach you).
It's not been easy not to worry at all but I always try to make a conscious effort to remember these passages and then pray and leave it to God to take care of. Believe me it's been great so far.
So for all you worrywarts out there, I hope this blesses you as much as it blessed me.

#TheHolySpiritChallenge Entry 20 by Abimbola Johnson Olabode

It has been just over five years since I gave my life to Christ and I have to affirm this truth that it is the best decision I have ever made.

The Holy Spirit.. man oh man, I owe Him my life. It was the summer of 2014 that I really met Him. This was in the middle of one of the most toughest seasons of my life so far. I remember going to God in prayer and telling Him something along the lines of "you say I have the victory in Christ. Well, it's either I'm missing something or you are a liar! What do I have that confirms I have this victory and I can walk in this victory?" . That was when I heard, felt, saw, I don't know lol but all I know was I ended up buying Good Morning Holy Spirit by Benny Hinn. And my life has been the same again.

Since then, I have developed a relationship with Him that I ask Him to tickle me when I'm down; or I ask Him to pray for me when I don't know what to do; or to whisper a love word in my ear. My bible study time and my times of prayer have never been the same. Of recent, I have developed a core conviction that He is the most romantic person I know.

In all I have experienced of the Holy Spirit till date, I can say everything He does and says will lead a person to Jesus and promote His Lordship; will inspire love, faith and humility to  and in all men; will enlarge a person's heart of worship and intensify one's hatred of sin.

He is a gentleman and He isn't one to come uninvited. He is my sweetheart!!

#TheHolySpiritChallenge Entry 19 by Isio Okumagba

This challenge is a wonderful reminder of the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. John 4:26 says 'But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you. Personally the Holy Spirit speaks through me though the word of God. I can remember last year I was really trusting for my visa application because I've had really bad experiences with visas and somehow in my spirit I had gotten a confirmation but I was still scared and had doubts and i remembered telling my friends to pray for me and a friend gave me this scripture. Proverbs 21:1. I felt assured through the word that the God that started a good work in my life will surely complete it. The Holy Spirit comforts me through the word when I'm down and also CONVICTS me when I'm going astray. I always remind myself that been obedient to God is far more profitable than disobedience because the word of God is a light to my path and a lamp to my feet.

#TheHolySpiritChallenge Entry 18 by Seun Allen Taylor

So I saw this challenge and I was like, this would be such a fun and encouraging thing to do. " I am totally going to do this...........later ". 

I am not equipped enough to inspire someone else. I haven't gotten to that point yet, I still need people to invest In me. These are the thoughts that came barreling through my head almost immediately. And for a long time this has been my struggle. 

I always pray for The Lord to use me but whenever opportunities come especially when they come in the form of mentoring someone else spiritually or helping them grow, I run away. No I am not a bad person and I do want with all my heart to be able to pour into someone else but the devil always tries to lie to me that I am not capable. 

This week I decided to say no. This is where the Holy Spirit really took charge.  Sunday morning on my way to church, a friend who is one of the youth leaders at my church and I were talking. He told me that he would like to see me being more actively involved in running our bible study. My first reaction was excitement but just as quickly as it came, it left. Almost instantly I started worrying, I'm not there yet, I'm really busy right now, I'm not qualified and all these other thoughts. He encouraged me to pray about it and I told him I would, but I had already made a decision to not do it.

We got to church and when it was time for the word I prayed as I always do on Sundays. "Lord let me be blessed by your word today and let it speak to me." And then the guest minister started preaching on worship and fruitfulness. Halfway through the sermon, I was crying because I felt like God was talking directly to me. She preached about what it means to be fruitful in Gods house. The holy spirit kept telling me, if you do not start now, you are never going to ever feel qualified enough. A friend told me, if you don't realize you can impact people now, because you will constantly keep having higher goals that you haven't accomplished yet, you will never feel capable of impacting others. 

I left feeling convicted by the Holy Spirit to step completely out of my comfort zone (Introvert alert) and do more this year for God. Also, in line with my taking bigger steps for God, I decided to take a little sister in my sorority (Sigma Phi Lambda incase you were wondering) this semester which I was previously not going to do. If you are reading this please pray along with me that God uses me to bless her and help her grow in him this year, and that also I would be a light for those in my bible study and in school in general.

Lastly for anyone who has been struggling with this, you are not alone, keep praying and let the spirit lead you, not the other way around, and hold on to this verse with me keeping in mind our God is an amazing God, and he will use only those who are willing to be used.

Zechariah 4:10 New Living Translation (NLT) 

Do not despise these small beginnings,

for the Lord rejoices to see the work

begin, to see the plumb line in

Zerubbabel’s hand.