Mt. Goddard, center, 13,568 ft. Central Sierra Nevadas, California
May 31, 2019
The key for us today to search for and successfully find God, lies in what happened to the Apostles after Jesus was crucified and laid in the tomb. They were doing what a lot of us today are doing in the face of living in an increasingly godless world of conflict and evil–hiding out in some safe place and hoping and praying that things will get better. Of course, that response is not likely to improve the world or things in our lives. What we really need is some power, direction, and courage to be infused into us, so that we can leave our safe hiding places and march right out there and make a positive difference in this broken and lost world. We really need the same thing to happen to us as happened to the Apostles more than 2000 years ago:
“When the day of Pentecost came it found them gathered in one place. Suddenly from up in the sky there came a noise like a strong driving wind which was heard all through the house where they were seated. Tongues as of fire appeared which parted and came to rest on each of them. All were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamations as the Spirit prompted them.” –Acts 2, 1-4
Only then did the Apostles leave their safe hiding place and go out into the public square and begin to make bold statements to the people there in languages that they understood, even though the Apostles never learned those languages. The people were astounded at this and wondered what was going on, which led Peter to stand up before the people and proclaim:
“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem! Listen to what I have to say. You must realize that these men are not drunk as you seem to think. It is only nine in the morning! No, it was what Joel the prophet spoke of: ‘It shall come to pass in the last days says God, that I will pour out a portion of my spirit on all mankind: Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams. Yes, even on my servants and handmaids I will pour out a portion of my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.” — Acts 2, 14-18
Don’t forget that these Apostles who were with Jesus had seen him perform hundreds of miracles, and that they themselves had also worked countless miracles of their own, because they were with Jesus. But only the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them allowed them to go out again from their safe hiding place and preach to the people. We are in their exact same position who are hiding in our churches and homes today, and are afraid to speak publicly to a fallen and needy world. We too need the Holy Spirit as they did, but do we really seek him or have him within us, so that we become bold enough to go out and speak the truth of God to the people in our lives? From my experience, not nearly enough.
In the Catholic Church we have a sacrament called confirmation, which is designed to prompt the Holy Spirit to come down on those confirmed, as at Pentecost. I myself was “confirmed” during high school, but there didn’t seem to be much expectation of radical changes in us as during the first Pentecost. It was rather that we would have an unseen and unfelt visitor who was anticipated to help us later in life in ways that we may not realize was happening at the time. That may or may not have happened to others, but for me, I didn’t feel or notice much of anything different in my life–until I was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in “tongues” when I was 26 and living alone, when I invited the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues through me. (I have written about this experience in a previous article) With this gift of “tongues” came the Holy Spirit’s awesome presence, which I’ve experienced continually–even to this day! This is what changed my life and provided the power and boldness and wisdom in me to resign my CIA job in Washington D. C., switch careers to teaching primarily high school math for 35 years, marry and raise 9 children, write a book about truth, start this website last September, and dedicate my life to pleasing God and serving mankind. I could never have done any of this without my pursuit of God and finding him in a real way.
The challenge to you reading this is to do the same, if you haven’t already done so. In the scripture passage that I previously cited, Peter quotes the prophet Joel as saying that in the last days a portion of God’s spirit will be poured out on all mankind, even on servants and handmaids, the lowest status of people in those days. All mankind means you reading this. The “last days” are the time between Jesus’s first coming and when he returns. Without a concerted effort to pursue God, you likely won’t be filled with the Spirit of God in a way that emboldens you to speak to anyone to which God directs you. I think that most people who are afraid to do this, fear that they aren’t actually commissioned to do it, or that they don’t have the ability to speak properly to people. In my experience, this problem tends to melt away when we set our wills to obey God no matter what, and are actually filled with the Spirit of God. We will be given power to do what God asks us to do at the time, all we have to do is obey. This is for all willing to do it! You won’t have to do everything on your own, but you do have to surrender your will to allow God to speak through you. How do you surrender your will? By giving up your personal resistance and fear and go out in faith and speak to people you come in contact with, as God directs. He will do the rest.
In my experience, the problem that most people face who have a problem yielding to the Holy Spirit, is that their faith is weak and/or that they feel unworthy. Know that personal faith is strengthened when we act on it. When I was lying on my bed and wondering if I would be able to speak in tongues long ago, before I was filled with the Holy Spirit, God essentially said to me, “You won’t know until you try it!” I did, and my success started a grand partnership with God in 1974 that has emboldened and sustained me through various trials and tribulations to this day. God is also challenging you reading this to “try it”. The other issue holding many people back from inviting the Holy Spirit to live within them, are feelings of unworthiness. This is solved by his very presence within us. None of us are really worthy to have God live within us, but when he comes, his very presence makes us worthy. You don’t need to make yourself sin-free before inviting him in, because that is impossible. But you must have a clear conscience by regularly confessing to God all sins that you commit:
“Beloved, if our consciences have nothing to charge us with, we can be sure that God is with us and that we will receive at his hands whatever we ask.” — 1 John 3, 21-22
Pursue God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and with determination and perseverance you will find him! I can’t guarantee that it will be easy, because Satan and his demonic followers will try to stop you with any sordid tactic that they can devise. But God is much stronger than the devil, and if you partner with him and use him as a shield, he will crush the evil one’s plans. If you don’t give up, God will grace you with his Holy Spirit. It happened to me, a common man, and it can happen to you.
Journey to Truth 