From God’s word – An outpouring of His Spirit

By Toni Ford

Joel is a small book in the Old Testament, only three chapters long, yet it is a very powerful book. Some scholars believe Joel could have been the first of the writing prophets. Each prophet had their unique approach to his own special message. For Joel, he wrote about three special events, each of which he calls a “Day of the Lord.”
Joel wrote about the immediate day of the Lord, which was the time he was living in presently, then wrote about the imminent day of the Lord, which included the invasion of Judah by Assyria. Finally, Joel wrote about the final judgement of the world as the ultimate day of the Lord.
We are obviously in the midst of and waiting for that final day of the Lord when He returns to judge all nations, deliver Israel and establish His Kingdom here on earth.
Personally, there are several reasons why I believe we are ever so near that final day of the Lord and why I would encourage us all to be familiar with the Book of Joel so we can be prepared for the Lord’s return.
Joel promised that before this “Day of the Lord” begins, there will be a remarkable outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Joel 2:28-29 (NLT) says, “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your older men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit, even on servants, men and women alike.”
So, what does it mean to receive an outpouring of the Lord’s Spirit, and is this even possible in this day and age? I do believe these verses are significant for us today, and here is why:
All believers can receive an outpouring of God’s Spirit. During Old Testament times, only older men received an outpouring of His Spirit, which was representative of God’s power, presence and revelation. This would take place for a specific reason and only at specific times. However, Joel’s prophecy stirred things up a bit when he prophesied that God would pour out His Spirit upon all people, young or old, man or woman, and even on servants. God gave Joel the ability to foresee that Jesus was coming, and that when He did, He would make available His Spirit to all people! We find this prophecy first being fulfilled at Pentecost in Acts 2. It is being fulfilled again today as we are living in what many believe to be the “end times.” Our God realizes that we need His Spirit as we prepare for His coming, and He makes it available for every believer.
We must position ourselves to receive God’s Spirit. When I think of the Lord pouring out His Spirit upon me, I think of a gallon jug full of His Spirit. I see the Lord wanting to pour all of Him into me (a cup). If my cup is off to the side, however, I am going to miss the outpouring of His Spirit upon me. I can also control how much I want poured in my cup by removing my cup from under the jug or asking the one pouring to stop once my cup is halfway full. The question for us as believers is what do we need to do to position ourselves to receive the outpouring of His Spirit? Are there areas in our lives where we need His cleansing and forgiveness? Where does our hearts need to be realigned with His?
The next question is how much of His Spirit do we want? Do we want just a little because we still want some of the world and some of Jesus and do not want our friends and family to think that we are weird? Or are we willing to let Him pour out His Spirit until our cup is overflowing and running over? Do we long for His power, presence and revelation more than we long for things of this world? Can you imagine how different this world would be if we desired and allowed our Lord to pour out His Spirit without measure? I pray that we position ourselves this week to allow the Lord to pour out His Spirit without measure in our lives.
During a gathering with other believers this past week, many of us could sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. We did not want to leave, as it was such a beautiful and powerful experience. I pray that if you have never encountered His presence in that way, you would begin to pray for an opportunity to do so. Pray for more of His presence in your own life and make sure that you are prepared and in position to receive. There is a beautiful and extremely anointed song that was released about a year ago called “Fall Like Rain” and sung by Passion and Rachel Halbach. One particular sentence in that song grips my heart and is the prayer of my heart daily. It says, “May I never lose the wonder of Your presence, may I always stand in awe of who You are.”
Lord, that is my prayer today for my own heart! I pray for a greater outpouring of your Spirit in my own life. Position me and prepare me, and may I never ever lose the wonder of Your presence!
Here is a link to the song if you would like to listen: