I am a surfer and an artist. I chase the waves and try and capture the essence of God through paint.
As a surfer I seek the best waves and the best conditions to find that perfect ride. Barrels are the ultimate glorious experience for us surfers. But lately I have been riding a different kind of wave. A wave of the Holy Spirit through which I have experienced a different kind of glory.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is part of the Holy Trinity of God. Holy Spirit hovered over creation (Genesis chapter 1 verses 1,2), descended on Yeshua (Jesus) when he was baptised in the River Jordan and activated his ministry (Mark chapter 1 verse 10), is the power source that brought the fire of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2 verses 1-4) which began the Church operating in God’s power and was what Jesus gave to us as a deposit to help us with life on earth.
He is our counsellor, our guide, our comfort and our fire. The Holy Spirit is a special gift to us and meant to be an integral part of our lives as followers of Yeshua (Jesus) today.
The Holy Spirit is necessary in life
I think that without the Holy Spirit our pursuit of a faithful and kingdom-filled life can be futile. There are still many churches and people in my experience that are afraid and unwilling to let go and allow this mysterious and God-given gift to work. In my experience growing up in different denominations the Holy Spirit was either seen as a taboo subject or there were contrasting views of who this being is.
In my opinion our fear and lack of control over the outworking of this Spirit should not mean that we can’t avail ourselves of Him in our lives. He is our friend, helper and the power source that enables the ministry Jesus started to continue.
The Holy Spirit is a topic that can cause conflict and some tension but does that mean we should not engage this ultimate and all powerful member of God’s trinity?
The Holy Spirit takes centre stage
To illustrate the Holy Spirit’s impact, I would draw your attention to the account in Acts chapter 2. This was an incredible moment when the Holy Spirit took centre stage as the believers were gathered together. His presence was manifest through tongues: of fire resting on each of them, and through their speaking in other tongues.
These phenomena cannot be explained in human terms. In fact the crowd thought they were drunk! If we are to really think about this moment in history and put ourselves in the picture it would certainly raise some questions and probably leave us with a bunch more questions that can’t be answered by logic or reason. But does this mean that it’s not God?
Chasing the wave of the Holy Spirit
Christianity is sometimes reduced to being a good citizen, but it is so much more than that. We are called to be peace makers, agents of change and source of wisdom for the earth. It’s the Holy Spirit, the advocate sent by God after Jesus ascended, that is the gift to enable this not to be a pipe dream, but a reality for us.
A few weeks ago I had my own encounter with this Holy Spirit which I could relate to the Acts 2 events and it literally changed me from the inside out. My experience this night began with a word from the Ugandan speaker about a new wave of the Holy Spirit that was coming this night.
Initially by taking physical steps from my seat I was saying that I wanted to partner with God. In doing this I was acknowledging that in my own choice and will I wanted to participate in what God was doing and to allow Him to activate something of Him in me that was new.
As I made this choice I began to surrender and let God through His Holy Spirit begin to overwhelm my body, my mind and my heart. As result a dense weighty feeling came over my complete being. The Bible talks about this Glory, known as Kabod in Hebrew, numerous times and generally it leads to people being in awe of a holy God.
I want more of you God
My experience intensified as I laid flat on the ground and what felt like set waves begun to pour into my soul. It was so intense and power filled that it took me to a place my body had never been. I felt the very power of God enter my body and mind and lead me deeper and deeper into the Father’s heart. It was such an intense place, but all I wanted was more.
I remember being in the moment and feeling as though this Spirit force was going to take me over. It was pushing me to the very limits of my human self as my breathing intensified and my body ferociously shook. Even in this experience I could sense and feel nothing but the incredible and inexhaustible love of God the Father and therefore it was not scary or weird or even uncomfortable. All I knew was I just wanted more and more.
Are you willing to let go?
If you are willing to let go and be open to the Holy Spirit to come in and be activated it is amazing what can manifest through your life.
I came out from that moment no longer filled with fear, anxiety, or worry about anything to do with this life. I came out filled with an unwavering faith and complete trust in God who calls us to do incredibly great things (John chapter 14 verse 12) through our life.
Are you willing to let this Holy Spirit change you too?
Justin Monaghan is currently launching as a professional prophetic artist under the label JR Faith Creations. He is married to Liana and lives at the beautiful beach of Port Willunga. Justin is also heavily involved in his local surfing community of South Australia as a surf coach, a judge of surf contests and a member of Christian Surfers
Check out JR Faith Creations to see some of his art at
www.jrfaithcreations.com
Justin Monaghan’s previous articles may be viewed at
http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/justin-monaghan.html
Married to the amazing Liana Monaghan for 13 years, a fellow creative that is just trying to release a little bit of heaven this side of eternity. How do I do that? I draw, paint, love people and surf my way through the streets and beaches of South Australia.