Monday, February 16, 2015

The Four Winds: A Lesson in Seeing the Invisible Spirit


The Nature of wind itself should reveal to people the extent of impact the invisible world really plays on the visible world.

Nothing illustrates the working and moving of God’s Spirit to secular people like the wind. Wind may be invisible to people but it is no less tangible. It’s power and effects are very real; so real they can be felt though they cannot really be seen. Few people would deny the existence of wind even when it is not currently blowing. Few people would fail to recognize it’s passing when the trees sway and the leaves fly by. It is the very air we breathe; it fills our lungs and sustains our life. By it we live and move and have our being. What is visible is clearly sustained by the invisible. Who could really believe that only what is visible exists after experiencing such a thing? The very intangible thoughts of a man’s heart should also tell him something about spiritual matters; given they are sort of ghost in the machine per se. The wind should illustrate for people how Christians can see Him who is invisible. There is a reason the Biblical terms for wind and Spirit are exactly the same term in both the Greek and Hebrew language. The very nature of wind itself should reveal to people the extent of impact the invisible world can really have on the visible world.

 

If men can discern the wind, then they are capable of discerning the spirit of the time.


A Spirit-filled person can see what everybody else sees but can also recognize in them what few people really notice. We call this spiritual discernment and the Bible teaches that not everybody has this gift. Part of knowing what is going to happen begins with discerning what is currently taking place. You have to keep your senses open. Jesus said ‘he who has ears to hear, let him hear.’ You will always hear what you listen for. People really do let their imaginations get in the way of their perception. Get emotionally caught up with your own system of beliefs and what is going on will blow right past you undetected. On earth, People wanted a sign from Jesus to authenticate his message. In response, He said to them ‘when you see the south wind blow, you say ‘there will be hot weather’ and there is. When you see a cloud rising out of the west immediately you say ‘a shower is coming’ and so it is. Any Jew could recognize that a southern wind would bring warmer air from the equator to Israel resulting in hot weather. They also recognized that incoming clouds from over the Mediterranean Sea always spelled rain for Israel. Jesus then said, ‘you can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time’? His rhetorical response was simple and elegant. It is a gentle way of saying ‘the sign is right in front of you staring you in the face, why do you not see it?’ As man is able to discern the winds, so should He be able to discern the spirit of the times. Of course, you will not see it if you are not looking for it.

Sow without regard for the wind and God may let you reap the whirlwind.


We often call extreme weather an act of God. We do this for good reason. God alone has power over the wind. He brings the wind out of his storehouse; out of his treasury. He alone can rebuke the wind and make them die down. The wind only obeys him. He makes the wind his messengers. He makes his angels wind and they do his bidding. He alone establishes the force of the wind. When God’s Spirit acts, who can really reverse it? Sow without regard for the wind and God can make you reap the whirlwind. He can bring a wind swirling down on your head. You can try to gather much, and God can blow it all away. The wind blows over things and they are gone. The wind carries them off and sweeps them away. He can scatter all you have to the four winds. Many people take too much in life for granted. Things are often not appreciated until they are taken away. All of life is a gift from God and is not really in your hands to keep. Many may not attribute the wind to the man upstairs. They would have you think that it is simply the byproduct of global thermal fluctuations and the Coriolis effect; a mere coincidence to the world we live in. Objectivity knows better. If the wind could only be attributed to such simple phenomena than it would be far more uniform and predictable than we actually observe. When was the last time you saw a meteorologist forecast the weather perfectly? People don’t understand the weather quite as well as they would have you think. This should tell you there is more to the story than what they report.

Let God’s Spirit be the wind beneath your wings.


Man cannot restrain or control the wind. Men should not try to put God in a box. It is meaningless and futile for us to chase the wind. You do not know the path of the wind. You cannot tell from where it comes or to where it is going. So it is with every Spirit filled Christian. A believer may not understand everything God does, but they can come to trust Him and his intentions. This is the key to possessing a peace that transcends understanding. Those who trust God learn to work with Him and not against Him. Waiting on the Lord implies waiting for his lead to move. God will lead those who are willing to follow him. Those who trust in the Lord will soar high like eagles. They are lifted up and the winds are at their back. They soar and float effortlessly along their journey knowing the currents will sustain them to their given destination. God is the wind beneath their wings. They let go and let God do his amazing work. Let God’s Spirit take hold of you and take you to where you were always intended to go. This is truly how to ride high; it is the description of a Spirit filled life.

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