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Proverbs: A Strong Man Is Wise.

So today, I want to address the miraculous effects of the Holy Spirit. This is because many believers get overly fixated on these effects and thus miss the cause behind them.

With this, let's turn to one very popular text about the pouring out of the Spirit. It's Joel's prophecy, found twice in the Bible. Joel first speaks it in the Old Testament and then it's spoken by Peter on the Day of Pentecost in the New Testament. Here's the text in Joel 2 and Acts 2:

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. — Joel 2:28-29, Acts 2:17-18

Every time I read this text, I am drawn in by the effects of the Spirit. Words like "pour out, prophesying, dreams, and visions" command my attention. But I want to make two clarifications about these words.

Clarification one: There is a new way the Spirit is being poured out, but it's not a new Spirit. There is not a different Spirit in the Old Testament than in the New Testament. There is only one. He is the same Spirit. But there is a subtle difference. The difference is in the continuing presence of his effects. In the Old Testament, we will read about moments when the Spirit came upon followers like David, Samson, and Joshua. The Spirit rushed on them and gave them ability, strength, knowledge, and wisdom. But in the New Testament, as God promised through Joel and as we see in Peter, the Spirit would be sent to us, be with us, and be poured out on us a way he had not been before — onto all flesh — including believing men, women, sons, and daughters.

Clarification two: These effects (i.e., prophesying, dreams, and visions) are the effect of a cause. They are effects of the Spirit. Thus, they are the effect of God doing something to us, with us, and in us. They occur because the Law of God has moved from external to internal. Listen to another prophecy spoken by Jeremiah in the Old Testament and then repeated by Paul in the New Testament. Here's the text in Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8:

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. — Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10

This prophecy is another parallel promise, and we live in this time. God has moved the Law from tablets of stone to tablets of flesh. The Law is now written on our minds and hearts by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And because it is, it will manifest the effect of the Spirit at times in things like prophesying, dreams, and visions that reinforce the Spirit's working. Many believers fail to understand this and see this in their lives. If they did, we should see more, not less, of the effects foretold by Joel and Jeremiah, as well as preached about by Peter and Paul.

But do you? Do you see that today?

So now that I have presented this question, I want to be careful. Here's why. It's easy to become overly desirous of only the effect of the Spirit. One where we desire the ability to prophesy, dream, and see visions. But these effects are not the goal. They are the effects, which means they are the outcome of another cause. They are the effect of the Spirit acting on the believer's heart and mind. The cause is the Causer we call the Spirit, and when he works in, on, and through a believer, these effects are natural outcomes.

Take Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8. Simon started well and walked away from sorcery, hearing the gospel and being baptized. But when Peter and John show up to impart the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Simon wants that power for himself. He's drawn in by the effect, missing the cause — The Spirit himself. Thus, they reprimand him for this because he was after the gift or not the Giver. Just like in the time of Jesus, people wanted the show, not the Savior.

So, yes, we should see an effect of the Spirit in our lives, but we shouldn't pursue the effect of the Spirit but rather the Spirit himself. The cause is the Spirit, and the goal is intimacy with God, Jesus, and the Spirit. The effects are just effects; they are his to work through us for his purposes, not ours.

If you want to know and even see these effects, try this with consistency. Read God's Word, which is the only truth, and invite God to activate the Holy Spirit in you. When reading, pay attention when God's truth and the Spirit teach, convict, prompt, and purify you. Then immediately activate holy action, and speak about it quickly while you do. Tell believers and non-believers alike. Share the good news, and sometimes I bet to someone it will sound a lot like prophesy, dreams, and visions. And let's pour out the Spirit that has been poured out to us.

ASK THIS:

1. Are you more focused on the miraculous effects of the Holy Spirit in your life rather than the Spirit Himself? How can you shift your focus back to seeking intimacy with God?
2. How are you actively inviting the Holy Spirit to teach, convict, prompt, and purify you through God's Word? What steps can you take to make this a consistent practice?

DO THIS: Read the Word, listen for the Spirit's conviction, activate holy action, and let the Holy Spirit have an effect through you.

PRAY THIS: Lord, help me to seek not just the gifts but the Giver, drawing near to You and Your Spirit. Equip me with a heart sensitive to Your leading so that I may recognize and act on Your prompts. May my life be a testament to the work You've done in me for Your glory and not my own. Amen.

PLAY THIS: Here As In Heaven.