JOURNAL - Holy Spirit Encounter

7.4.97

When Jesus was baptised
“the Holy Spirit descended on him
in bodily form like a dove.” (Luke 3:22 NIV)
He was not only baptised
in water, but He was also
baptised in the Holy Spirit.

Luke records that
Jesus was “about thirty years old
when he began his ministry.” (Luke 3:23 NIV)
Jesus, being a man like us,
was now empowered
by the Holy Spirit and
began His Ministry on earth.

His first confrontation
was with the devil.
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,
returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit
in the desert,
where for forty days
he was tempted by the devil.” (Luke 4:1,2 NIV)

It is interesting that
as soon as Jesus
was filled with the Holy Spirit,
He was thrust into a spiritual battle
with the Devil himself!

Today, we too, have
to fight a spiritual battle
when we are “birthing”
new ministries or ventures
for the Kingdom of God.
Satan and his army
will do their utmost
to prevent the advancement
of God’s Kingdom on earth.
So Jesus fought
His first spiritual battle
at the beginning of His Ministry.

The Devil’s motive
is to be acclaimed God.
He desires to be greater
than God!
If He could have made Jesus,
the Son of God,
worship him,
He would have won.
He would have de-throned God!

The Devil led Jesus
“up to a high place
and showed him in an instant
all the kingdoms of the world.
And he said to him,
“I will give you all their authority
and splendour,
for it has been given to me,
and I can give it to anyone
I want to.
So if you worship me,
it will be all yours.”” (Luke 4:5-7 NIV)

The Devil offered Jesus
his authority over
everything he had rule over
in the world.
The Devil offered Jesus
the best he could offer –
all that he had!
In return, Jesus should worship him
as God.
The Devil was after
the Divine Authority of the Godhead.
If Jesus had fallen
for this offer,
Jesus would have been under
the Devil’s authority –
and we would never
have been redeemed!

However, “Jesus answered,
“It is written: ‘Worship
the Lord your God
and serve him only.’”” (Luke 4:8 NIV)

Jesus won the spiritual battle!
And He used the written Word of God
as His weapon of warfare.
We, too, need to declare
the Word of God
in our own spiritual battles.

Jesus set an example for us
of how to overcome the Devil
in spiritual warfare.

After this encounter
with the Devil,
“Jesus returned to Galilee,
in the power of the Spirit…” (Luke 4:14 NIV)
and He began His Ministry.

As we live everyday,
as we serve God
in His appointed way,
we will have to fight
the battle in the Spiritual Realm.
We live and work
in the Natural Realm,
but at the same time,
we must discern
what is happening
in the Spirit Realm!

We can remain sensitive
to the Spirit Realm
only through prayer.
The Holy Spirit will bring to us
the names of
the forces of darkness
with which we are battling.
The Holy Spirit is our guide,
Our General,
as we fight in spiritual warfare.

We need to be alert,
and to listen to Him…
With Him, we will win!
We will fight
the good fight of Faith!

Hallelujah!

* * *

NEXT

INDEX